Hey everybody.

Welcome back.

This is week 31 of Creative.

Come Follow me for the New Testament.

This week we get to finish up with the Book of Acts, so we're gonna cover

these last seven chapters, uh, kind of the end of Paul's written record.

There's more to Paul's story and we'll get bits and pieces of it

as we go into the epistles, but we don't really know how his story ends.

But we do know this climactic series of events.

In fact, as I was reviewing all the things that happened in this week's

chapters, I found myself thinking of that.

You know that intro scene in the Princess Bride where the grandpa is

trying to persuade his grandson to like this book, and he talks about

the sword fights and the giants.

That's sort of what you have this week in a way that we've never seen before.

You're gonna see barbarians and vipers and shipwrecks and amazing trial scenes.

I mean, there's a lot of action happening in these last seven chapters.

But I have to say, I think the pinnacle of all of it is Paul.

Of course it's Paul, right?

This is his story, teaching what the savior taught savior

would teach if he were there.

And Paul does it beautifully.

He, he is a remarkable teacher, especially at this point in his

journey because remember, he's been doing this for decades now, and he, he

has a lot of history behind him, and he's gonna stand nobly and boldly and

testify about what he saw, especially what he saw on the road to Damascus.

And he'll testify to several different places and endure a lot of hardship.

I think what I thought was the most remarkable about Paul.

Is his attitude.

I mean, a lot of us can go through hard things.

It's very rare to do it as with such a positive outlook.

And that's what you see from Paul this week.

At least that's what I saw.

Um, there's this great quote I came across in this week's studies.

It doesn't necessarily tie to the chapters of this week.

It was on repentance.

It's from Lynn Robbins and he, there, there was an ending line

that just sort of caught my eye.

He said, our success then isn't going from failure to failure, failure,

but growing from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.

That's repentance.

You know, that looking with fresh eyes at ourselves, at

God, at the people around us.

And that's what Paul manages to do over and over again, despite repeated

what would seem like failures and repeated stretches where he's left.

Wondering if anybody remembers where he is.

Like he, he continues to go forward and he continues to go forward with a cheerful

countenance the way that he's instructed.

And I just think it's a powerful example of how to endure hard

things and endure them well.

So grab scriptures, grab your notes.

There's seven chapters to cover you guys, so it's time to get started.

We begin in chapter 22 is right where we left off at the end of 21.

Remember last week when we sort of set the stage, Paul's on the steps of the

Antonio Fortress and he's asked for permission to speak to the Jews who are

angry and want to grab him and kill them.

That's who Paul wants to talk to and he wants to defend himself.

What's interesting about Paula is I don't think it's so much a defense of himself.

I don't think he's trying to get himself out of this bind.

I really think what he wants to defend is what he saw.

He wants to defend his testimony, how he got it, and why he holds to it.

I think it's why Paula is such a hero figure for Joseph Smith.

Joseph Smith is gonna mention Paul many times even in scripture, and you can tell

that they have a similar story, right?

They have an experience that they understand.

If you don't believe it, 'cause it seems remarkable on every level.

I.

It happened, and they will continue to tell you that it happened until they die.

Both of them are these epic men of testimony on the steps of this prison.

He makes his defense by explaining his situation.

I just really love the way Paul does it, because I think what he's trying to

make clear to the Jews who are on this street is, this is not a random chance.

This isn't a fleeting vision that I had, or just an idea in my mind.

Let me tell you my story.

And so he begins at the beginning.

He tells us where he came from.

So if you look in three, you can see that he's a Jew and that he came from Tarsus

and he was educated in Jerusalem, not just any education, but under Gal who's

this incredible, well-respected Pharisee.

We've seen him before already in the New Testament.

That should automatically give him a lot of credibility.

Then he takes it one step further and talks about what he has in common with

this angry mob or what he had in common.

You can find that at the end of three.

This is when he says, and was taught according to the perfect

manner of the law of the Fathers.

He remember he was a Pharisee.

That means he was very careful in obeying the law of Moses, all of his life.

And then I love this ending line and was zealous toward God as ye all are this day.

He immediately is trying to neutralize the tension by saying,

I understand why you're so angry.

In fact, I respect why you're, why you're angry.

Because he's saying to them, I, I was right where you are, right?

I am.

I also was zealous towards God.

I also believed that the love of Moses was critically important and

I still believe it to this day.

So kind of like President Nelson's been teaching us about being a peacemaker

and stopping contention by putting that line in of saying, I understand

where you're coming from, even though your methods are not my methods.

I understand your heart.

He tries to neutralize the tension and then he teaches them where

he went with his zealousness.

He actually is a couple steps beyond this angry mob.

'cause his job was to round up Christians and persecute them.

So that's what he teaches about.

He talks about how he was so zealous for the law that he also went after people who

believed in this new faith and in Jesus Christ and, and brought them to Jerusalem.

He had papers to do it.

He, he sort of gives himself credibility by saying, let me

tell you where I was before my experience on the road to Damascus.

The reason I think that's really important is when you see in six, he

says he was on the way to persecute Christians when this vision happened.

I think that matters because it tells you that Paul is not an apostate.

He's not someone who has slowly dwindled in his faith and then considered

other faiths and jumped on board.

Paul is someone who was zealously going towards one soccer goal and

then was turned the other way.

I think it gives his story credibility 'cause it's not that he doubts what

they believe or why they believe it.

He just had an experience with deity and he can't deny it.

So that's where he goes next.

He talks about the light, just like we studied before.

You have a second account of Paul, of what happened on the road to Damascus.

But just like we see with Joseph Smith and the different accounts,

you get added detail in each telling.

Sometimes he'll mention one thing and sometimes another

to give you this full picture.

Depending on his audience, he'll adjust the story or focus on different parts.

And in this one in particular, you get a little more understanding of

what the Savior asked him to do.

So he talks about the light that comes down from heaven.

He talks about the voice that says, Saul, Saul, why persecute us thou me.

And then his response to find out that this is the Lord.

And in fact he is Jesus of Nazareth, just as these Christians who he's

been persecuting, have witnessed.

And then he asks, what are you supposed to do?

This is in verse 10.

And he gets that guidance arise and go into Damascus and there it

shall be told thee of all the things which are appointed for thee to do.

What I like about his telling, and it's gonna get a little more in the next couple

verses, but he makes it clear that this is something that stopped him in his tracks.

You know, it's not something he caught out of the side of his vision.

You know, he talks about hearing things, seeing things, talking to things.

There are a lot of senses involved.

In fact, he even adds credibility by saying, look, it wasn't just me.

There were others on the road to Damascus.

They also saw this light.

They didn't hear the voice that I heard, but they saw the light.

This is, this happened to me and I can't deny it.

And then he talks about the next phase.

So he gets direction to go to Ananias from the Lord.

What I like about that piece is he emphasizes the fact that

Paul's not the hero of this story.

To me, the hero of this story is Ananias.

You know, he, he puts a big spotlight on this other devout

Jew who gives him this healing.

He goes to Ananias, his sight is restored, and he gets direction

on what he's supposed to do next.

You don't get this in the other account.

I really like how it's written in 22, because in verse 14 it says, and he

said, meaning Ananias, the God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou

should us know his will and see that just one capitalized, meaning you're gonna

see the Messiah and see that just one.

And should us hear the voice of his mouth.

For thou shall be his witness unto all men of what thou has seen and heard.

And now why terra thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sentence

calling on the name of the Lord.

Ananias in this moment chooses to speak words that I imagine must have been hard.

Maybe they weren't.

I hate to project that on Ananias, but.

Aunt NI's, devout Christian, who's seen the persecutions that Saul at this time

had put out and to know that he's the one that's chosen and he's the one that's

gonna see the Lord and hear his voice.

I just think it must be hard.

The same way my heart went out to Emma Smith so much in the doctrine

covenants when so many others got to see the plates and handle the plates.

And she didn't, for whatever reason, she just had to support and believe and, you

know, push the work forward in her way.

And as an elect lady, she does.

And that must have been hard for Ann and I, I assume, but he, Paul describes

him as this hero figure in his story.

Somebody who heals him sets him on the path to go out and do this work.

And then another piece you get in this Acts 22 account that you don't see

in the others is a second witness.

This is more credibility added to the story when he says, I was in the temple

and I experienced something again.

So in 17.

And it came to pass that when I was coming again to Jerusalem,

even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance or in a vision.

And I saw him saying unto me, make haste and get the quickly out of

Jerusalem for they will not receive that testimony concerning me.

And then he gets direction in that visionary experience in this most

sacred place to the Jews to go and take the work to the Gentiles.

'cause the Jews are in Jerusalem, will not receive him.

So he's directed to take the work out.

That is, he just threw a bunch of fuel on the spy because that word to hear

that in this sacred, holy place, he received direction from the Messiah

to take the gospel to the Gentiles.

That's something that these, these, um, zealous Jews can't abide.

You know, that 1500 years of tradition that they're

resting on, it's hard to turn.

And so they get angry and they.

Get aggressive and Paul has to be retrieved again.

You know, basically he's, he's pulled into safety again and kind

of thrown into prison, and now he's gonna have to go and defend himself.

What's interesting is there's a scouring that happens.

This is sort of the, at this period of time, it's their way of finding out truth.

If you'll stick to your story while you're being scoured, then they call it truth.

And so that's what happens to Paul until he stands up for his rights.

So around 25, as this scouring is about to occur, maybe in the middle

of it, he defends himself and says, is it lawful for you to scourge a

man that is a Roman and Uncondemned?

He knows his rights.

He's a Roman citizen, which means he can't be scoured.

He can't be tortured without a fair trial, and there's been

no trial that has occurred.

So he puts that forward.

What I like about that is it would've been easy for Paul to do a couple other things.

He could have just taken this scouring as a bit of a martyr moment to let

people see he could have prayed for divine intervention to happen.

He could have done any number of those things.

What I think is interesting is Paul chooses to solve this problem on his own.

It, it's not really on his own 'cause.

I think the Lord had him born in Tarsus so that these moments could happen

so that he would have these rights.

So this is a blessing that God has already provided him, that now Paul is putting

into action, but he doesn't rely on.

New miracles to happen.

I just think this is powerful.

'cause sometimes this happens to me.

Sometimes I pray for guidance or often I'll pray for

confirmation of a revelation.

You know, something I remember from the past, but don't

remember as sharply as I used to.

And I'll get this guidance from the spirit.

Like Maria, you already know we see this with Oliver Cowdry in

Doctrine Covenant six as well.

Sometimes I think you have to have the courage to say,

no, I can take care of this.

You've already given me all the blessings I need in order to solve

my problem, so I'm gonna solve it.

So that's what he does.

He claims his Roman citizenship, which makes the guard really nervous.

'cause now he's breaking Roman law.

And so things have to get escalated to the next level.

And that's where we go in chapter 23.

You are gonna see a lot of echoes of the Savior's life, especially that last

week in the trials in Paul's story.

'cause the next place Paul will go is before the Sanhedrin.

I just think it's possible that Paul hoped this would go better.

You know, where the mob on the street was angry and maybe uneducated and

didn't hear or understand his message.

I think maybe he thought, oh good.

When I get to the Sanhedrin, they are educated men who are defenders of the law.

They will understand my heart and what has happened.

They'll get it.

Remember he has history with the Sanhedrin.

We don't know exactly his association, but most people think that at the

time of Stevens stoning, remember when Paul was holding all the cloaks

of those who stoned him, that he was some sort of assistant to the

Sanhedrin or some like a page of sorts.

And so he knows these men and he knows how much education they have and their.

Their logic and he knows how to talk to them.

And so I think he hopes, at least that's how I read it.

'cause it says in verse one, Paul earnestly beholding the council.

I think he's happy to get to this point and thinks maybe this

is, this is gonna go better.

Let me tell my story in this place.

And he gets caught off guard.

I think first he declares his motives that he is not a criminal.

He, he comes with earnestness and that his conscience is clear.

I really like the way he phrase this.

He says, men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience

before God until this day.

Meaning all that time when he was a pharisee and believed that he was doing

God's will, he had a clear conscience and as soon as he learned that his

direction was wrong, he repented and now has a clear conscience.

'cause he is also doing God's will.

He's just running towards the other soccer goal, but he's, he feels at peace.

The reason I like this is there's great talk from Richard g Scott's in the notes.

But he talked about the difference between peace of conscience and peace of mind.

Peace of mind he said, is sort of circumstantial.

You can have peace of mind if things are going pretty well.

Peace of conscience is deeper it.

It is this steady, grounded foundation.

In fact, he calls it a foundation to build happiness upon.

It's something that you're free of guilt, you're free of

shame, you're free and sorrow.

It is this steady stance, and that's where Paul is.

He's not afraid.

He's meek, but he's not afraid.

What he has met with immediately in the council is a breach where he hoped

these men would at least uphold the law of Moses and understand his heart.

He immediately gets a quick glance that this Sanhedrin is maybe not the

Sanhedrin he knew from 20 years ago.

'cause they smack him across his face.

This is a not just, um, a painful thing, it's also a, a

way to immediately put him down.

And it is in defiance of the law of Moses, which is exactly what Paul calls them on.

So in verse three, he says, then said Paul unto the man who hid him, God shall

smy thee that whited wall for thou sadist to judge me after the law and command us

me to be ss written contrary to the law.

He's basically saying to like, you are here to defend the law, and you just

broke it right here in front of me.

And so he calls him on it.

He calls him basically a hypocrite.

And what's hard is he finds out in the next verse that this

is in fact the high priest.

And so he immediately, I.

I wouldn't say apologizes, but he does say, I'm sorry for breaking the law

because there's another law of Moses that says you need to stick up for your elders.

So if you look in the verses, it says in four, and they stood by, said,

revital thou, God's high priest.

And then said, Paul, I wish not brethren that he was the high priest.

For it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

Paul, in this moment is meek to me.

He, he's channeling the savior's meekness because he could have been

so angry and he could have been so spiteful, and instead he like pulls

everything in and says, you're right.

I this.

If this is the leader, I will show honor and respect.

He honors the law of Moses.

Even when this high priest who's supposed to be God's high priest, according to

them, broke the law right in front of him.

He will, as Paul, stand up for the law and demonstrate it.

That just takes a lot of.

Control, you know, this self-control that is so beautifully

demonstrated by the savior we see echoing through Paul's message.

'cause he says, okay, and then he starts to speak.

So he talks about being a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee.

He's from this legacy of Pharisees and then he sees this opportunity.

Basically what will happen is he'll the the house, this council will get divided.

'cause remember it's made up of Pharisees and Sadducees.

Pharisees believe in the resurrection.

In fact, they have a strong hope of a resurrected Messiah that will come and

that the 12 tribes will be restored and all that hope is in the future for them.

Then you also have the Sadducees who don't believe in the resurrection,

and so there's this dividing line and some people teach this.

I think it was even in the institute manual, that it says that Paul,

knowing this about the two sides of this body deliberately puts this like.

Truth bomb in the middle and lets it explode, you know?

Because they'll fight over resurrection.

I actually, I don't know.

That doesn't sit right with me.

'cause I just feel like the spirit doesn't prompt you to cause contention.

What I think might be happening is that Paul is hoping for allies.

I think what he's trying to say, at least to the Pharisees in the

room is we're on the same side.

What I am preaching and what I am teaching is that the resurrection is real.

In fact, I know it's real because I've seen the resurrected savior for myself.

We're on the same side, and so you can see the Pharisees respond in nine.

They say, we find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken

to him, let's not fight against God.

Remember, that's kind of the stance Chamal took.

Decades ago he was saying like, if this is God's will, we can't,

we're not gonna be able to stop it.

If he believes we have to defend it, they're in this tight spot.

The Pharisees in the Sanhedrin have to agree with Paul that

there is a hope of resurrection.

'cause that's, you know, that's their stance.

So now they're sort of stuck.

But it causes so much contention in the room that the guard thinks

that Paul might get torn to pieces.

You know, you can almost see the anger boiling up.

And so the guard takes Paul out and Paul's opportunity to

teach the Sanhedrin is gone.

I just wonder how hard it must've been.

I.

To get pulled outta that room where he might've had hope that this group

would hear, this group would understand.

It reminds me of Joseph Smith when he goes to that minister

and tells him about his vision.

Thinking of all people, he'll understand when God speaks to you, you have to

respond and the minister shuts him down and says, this doesn't happen and you

shouldn't tell anybody else about this.

Like I think he must have felt so alone in that moment.

And that's what I think Paul must feel.

'cause the next night when he is alone and feeling like maybe hope

is lost, he gets a visit in prison and it's a pretty powerful one.

So if you look in the verses, you can see what happens at 11.

And the night following, the Lord stood by him and said, be of good cheer.

Paul, for thou has testified of me in Jerusalem, so must

thou bear witness also at Rome.

The savior himself comes, this is rare instances for the

savior to visit this world.

And he comes to Paul in this dark setting and says, don't give a pope.

You can make it.

You can.

You're gonna do great things for me.

Paul, what you just did that feels like it didn't go well.

You can do that same thing in grander places.

Trust me, there's more to your story and I just think it's

this moment of hope, right?

It's, Paul is assured and comforted and I think it's the promise all of us have.

Not that we'll experience the resurrected savior like this, but we will have

comfort in these dark, heavy moments.

There are, I I, I can't remember if I've taught you this before, but I

call these my eye of the storm moments.

'cause there's been a lot of situations in my life where.

From the outside, it looks like everything is falling apart.

You know, almost like a storm is swirling around me.

And those on the outside worry a lot for me because life is so hard.

You know, when Jason's sick or when things are not going well, it seems as if I'm

caught in this horrible storm and I am.

But there's also this eye right in the center.

I have found many times where the Lord will find a way to give me this

cushion of comfort in the middle of all the hard, I'm not out of the heart.

He doesn't stop the storm.

But there is a bit of a cushion where I feel like he sees me and

he knows me and he will bless me.

He reminds me that he's, he's got me.

And that's what happens.

Paul, here, I feel like in this prison cell, he's in the eye of

this hurricane, and where everything else is chaos and tension.

He's got stillness and peace because the Lord comes to him.

And then you see maybe why he needed it because of what comes next.

Basically, there's a vendetta against Paul with 40 of these zealous Jews.

They're so zealous to take Paul out that they make a covenant or packed

between them that they're not gonna drink or eat until Paul is executed.

40 men, you guys, that's a pretty big number.

It's like this secret combination that they create.

So their plan is to get the guard to bring Paul back to the council and on

the way they hoped to take Paul out.

That's their plan.

What's powerful is the way the Lord intercepts and he does it through this

little nephew, I don't know how old this kid is, but Paul's sister's son.

He overhears somehow the plot of these 40 men and lets the.

Captain, no.

This is what's gonna happen.

That's gonna cause the captain to look bad.

If his prisoner gets executed on route, he'll look bad.

So he takes this opportunity, believes the nephew, and gets Paula out of there.

He gives him armed guards and he sends him to go and talk to Felix.

This, it's basically taking his court case from this local level and moving it up a

notch, saying like, you need to get out of this city and you need some protection.

And so the Lord provides it for him.

So that's where he goes next.

At the top of chapter 24, in my scriptures, I wrote Law and

Order, because that's basically what this chapter is to you guys.

It sounds like an episode of Law and Order.

I wish I could do that like D sound because that's what you're gonna find.

It's you have like the fancy lawyer, you have this little innocent man trying

to defend him himself in court you have a judge that isn't exactly unbiased.

It's, it's a very cinematic chapter because basically what happens is

since Paul has been taken up to Caesarea, this is sort of the Roman

capital of this area, and you have the governor of the area named Felix.

Felix is in the exact same spot that Pilate was in when he was, you know, kind

of standing in judgment of the savior.

He's in the same role, so he goes up to see Felix and the, the Jewish

counsel are invited to come up and to prosecute, you know, to be, to put

their case forward in front of Felix.

What's interesting is, They don't present their own case.

I think they know that they're on shaky ground.

Even the captain of the guard in the last chapter says this,

they have no reason to hold him.

There's no reason to think he worthy of death.

So when he presents him to Felix, he's like, I don't know what their case is.

And I think that's why they hire a fancy attorney.

So if you look in verse one, you can see that they hire someone named

Tuus to come and present their case.

A lot of people think that he must be a Roman because of his name, that he's

probably a fancy lawyer that comes in.

And I think he comes in with a bit of pomp and you know, like he thinks

he's gonna win this case pretty easy.

I just think it's interesting to see how it plays out.

So he comes in complimenting Felix.

So he says, seeing this is in verse two, seeing that by thee we enjoy great

quietness and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence.

He immediately flatters the judge.

I mean, the whole role of any Roman leader is to keep the

peace and keep things quiet.

And so he's instantly flattering him.

And then he sets this fear in Felix.

I think that's this sneaky lawyer's goal is to create a feeling of fear.

Because rather than talking initially about the temple and bringing Gentiles

into the temple, which is what Paul was initially accused of, he adds

in this other charge of sedition similar to what we saw when the

Sanhedrin dealt with the savior.

So if you look in five, it says, for we have found this man, a Pestilent

fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a

ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Since Jesus is of Nazareth, they sometimes called those who were Christian Nazarenes.

That's, that's his goal.

This lawyer is trying to plant a seed of fear in Felix because the only thing

that could uproot Felix from his job is if there is sedition or an uprising.

So they're trying to plant these seeds that this guy might look calm.

He has plans, right?

And so then he talks about the chief captain, the man who.

Brought Paul safely from Jerusalem up to Caesarea and basically says it's his

fault that we're even here, his violence.

We were gonna take care of this on our own, and instead your chief

captain brought him out of our hands.

And so now here we are.

And then the prosecution rests.

You guys like at nine, that's all they have to say.

They really think, I think this slick lawyer thinks I've

done everything I need to do.

The case is one.

And then you see Paul stand up.

So in 10 then Paul, after the governor had beck and unto him to speak, answered.

For as much as I know that thou has been many years a judge unto this nation, I

do the more cheerfully answer for myself.

Okay, here's what I like about this.

I actually wonder when the savior came to Paul in prison and he had

that visionary experience and he told him to be of good cheer, I don't

think that this was just a like.

Come on, Paul.

You can do it sort of message.

I think the savior was giving him legal advice.

I think he was saying, when you present your case from this moment forward, do

it with a cheerful countenance the same way the savior demonstrated in his life.

He's saying, I think he thinks it will set everybody on their heels,

but they won't know how to handle it because that's basically what happens.

Instead of groveling in this moment, instead of pleading for his life from

the governor or you know, being afraid of this fancy lawyer, he has a cheerful

countenance and he speaks with clarity and meekness and incredible quiet power.

And so he talks about it.

So in 12, he starts to defend his case.

You can actually walk through this verse by verse, this is why it

feels like law and order to me.

'cause he basically breaks down the prosecution's case,

verse by verse in verse 12.

He talks about how there's no crime that's been committed.

13.

There's no proof of anything.

They're accusing me of 14.

He reminds them that they worship the same God that he is someone who

believes in the God of the Jews.

That's a powerful statement for somebody who's been accused of sedition

and trying to start this whole new.

Sect or uprising, right?

He's, he's making it really clear.

In fact, he talks about his motives in 18, so he says in 18, where

upon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither

with the multitude, nor with tumult.

He says, I came in peace.

I came to the temple that day.

In fact, the whole reason he comes is to offer the alms that he's

gathered from all the outlying cities.

As he's been teaching, people have made contributions to the church and

he's bringing them back to Jerusalem.

That was his motive for coming, not to start an uprising, not

to gather a bunch of followers.

He simply came to the temple to go through the purification rights

that are absolutely acceptable.

And so he states his case.

He makes it pretty clear.

He also mentions they have no witnesses.

You know, there's no one here, judge.

Like, tell me where those men are that I supposedly brought into the temple.

Where are they?

Where are the people who are.

What the prosecution says.

Where are the followers?

Where is the sedition?

Point to it.

And then he states what he thinks their real motive is, and that's in 21.

He says, accept it.

Be for this one voice that I cried, standing among them, touching

the resurrection of the dead.

I'm called into question of you this day.

He's trying to help Felix understand that the whole reason I'm here is because

I stood up for my religious beliefs.

I believe in the resurrection.

Many Jews believe in the resurrection.

All the Pharisees believe in the resurrection.

That's why I'm here.

That's why they're angry with me.

And then Felix gets in a tight spot because he just is like, you know, the

captain of the guard can tell that Paul didn't do any of these things and that

the prosecution really has no case.

But he's in the same spot.

The pilot was, he has to please the Jews.

He has to walk this delicate line between keeping Rome happy

and keeping the Jews happy.

And he doesn't know where to go from here.

So he stalls and he basically says, we're gonna call the captain of the

guard and we'll get his voice on it.

And then he slides in this little detail about getting a bribe.

So you can see that in 25, Paul actually gets a chance to talk again

to Felix and to Felix's wife and or a mistress or whatever she is.

And he makes Felix uneasy.

Felix's.

His wife is someone who was married to someone else and left her

husband to come and marry Felix.

They're in a delicate marriage arrangement according to civil laws.

And so when Paul teaches truth, Felix trembles a little bit and he.

He gets nervous.

And so instead of letting this court case play out and declaring him

innocent, he just casts him into prison, but he hopes he'll get a bribe.

In fact, that's what you see in 26.

He hoped also that money should be given him of Paul, that he might lose him.

Felix, I think either he knows Paul has money from gathering up all these

alms and bringing them to Jerusalem, or he knows how much the church loves

Paul and thinks that they'll pay a ransom for him or it's possible.

Paul is actually a wealthy man from the get go and has a reserve of money

to work with, and Felix knows that either way, Felix holds him unlawfully

in the hopes of getting a payout.

But Paul won't give in.

He is someone who has decided to have a cheerful countenance

no matter where he is.

But he will not break law.

He will not go against his principles.

And so he says, basically, put me in jail.

So he sticks in jail for two years because he won't pay this bribe

until there's a change in power.

And that's what we're gonna find in Chapter 25.

You have to wonder what those two years in prison must have felt like for Paul.

You know, to be unjustly accused of something eats at me.

I hate that feeling.

And he's in that spot for years.

You guys, he knows he's innocent.

He also knows that the leadership know he's innocent, that he doesn't

belong in bonds, and yet he's stuck.

He's in the same spot that Joseph Smith is with Liberty Jail, where he's

accused of things that he's not guilty of and he can't get a fair trial and

he's stuck and he does the exact same.

The prophet, exact same thing the prophet Joseph did when he was confined.

He connects with God and he connects with his people.

Much of what we're gonna study in the following weeks, you guys are

his epistles during this time.

Every time Paul's in prison and anytime he's in a spot of hardship where he can't.

Vocally go out and talk to people.

He will write and he'll write tongues to all these different pockets.

On the course of his three missions, he basically set up 14 branches of sorts.

And so he's gonna check on them and write to them while he waits

for his deliverance to come.

And there must have been an emotional rollercoaster in

all of this and a frustration.

But Paul keeps his steady, cheerful countenance throughout.

I think he knows the savior has promised he's gonna get to Rome, and so he trusts

that somehow he's gonna get rerouted.

And a big piece of that happens in 25, essentially because Felix

was corrupt and did take bribes.

He gets kicked out over the course of time.

Rome takes him out of his position of power and puts a new governor in place.

This new governor's name is Festus.

Well, I don't think Festus is, has a much stronger moral compass than Felix did.

But he does seem to care about the law and so he hears about Paul's

cold case and it's been two years and this guy's sitting in prison and

he wants to know what's going on.

So he brings Paul forward.

The Jews come and offer their prosecution.

Paul defends himself, and Festus is in this same tight spot, or he doesn't,

he knows what's true, but he won't.

He won't proclaim Paul innocent.

In fact, you can see it play out in the verses it says, but in nine.

But Festus willing to do the Jews.

A pleasure answered Paul and said, will thou go up to Jerusalem and there

be judged of these things before me?

And then Paul said, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat where I have

ought to be judged to the Jews.

I have done no wrong, as thou very well know us.

Paul knows his rights and he knows that Festus knows he's innocent.

And so he basically makes an appeal and says, I wanna take

my case to the higher court.

The higher court you guys is Rome.

That's the next step in this chain that's gonna put Festus in a really tight spot

because in order to take the emperor's time with a case, like you better

have a solid reason to send it there.

The same way you wouldn't send something up to the Supreme Court that hasn't

been well litigated in lower courts.

He, he better be able to stand up for it.

So he basically says to Paul, okay, if that's what you

want, I'll send your case on.

But then he's in a bind 'cause he has to send Paul along with an

epistle that explains why Paul is going to the emperor and he is stuck.

In the meantime, king Agrippa visits his area.

So he's a governor of the area.

He's new and the king of the whole area comes to visit and kind of,

you know, proclaim Fest is a good governor and set things in motion and

in the process he hears about Paul.

So King Agrippa and Bernice, his sister happened to be in town

and they're curious about Paul.

They hear about this certain man that's left in bombs and

they say, I'll hear the case.

So that's what happens in 22.

Then a Grpa said Unes.

I would also hear the man myself tomorrow said he thou shalt hear him.

This is, it'll do two things.

First, it gives Festus another chance to hear Paul's story so that he can

figure out what to write to the emperor that he's gonna send this court case to.

And it gives Paul a chance to fulfill the prophecy that Ananias said to him decades

ago, that he was gonna stand before Kings and testify about what he saw.

Now all of a sudden, Paul is right in that spot.

He's not all the way to Rome, that's what the savior promised.

But Ananias promised he would stand before a king, and on the next day that's gonna

happen, and that's where we go in 26.

I think it's pretty remarkable that even after several failed court

experiences, Paul keeps the same defense.

He still doesn't hire a lawyer.

I mean, I don't know what his options were at this point, but he

actually comes up with the exact same story that he's taught before.

He hasn't changed his strategy when he goes before the king.

He tells him about his history, who he is, where he came from, his time

persecuting the saints, and this miraculous vision that stopped him in his

tracks and changed the course of his life.

And I just find that remarkable.

You know, you would think you finally have a chance, you've had

two years to sit and think about your defense and you might've come up

with some other strategy, something that you hope would please a king.

But Paul's goal is not to get out of bonds.

His goal is to get to Rome.

And so I don't think he caress too much.

What happens here, he trusts that God will prevail and so

he just needs to speak truth.

The only thing that can get in Paul's way of his destiny happening is if Paul stops

being the man Christ called him to be.

And so he will take the exact same stance and he'll teach the exact same story

with a few added details in this account.

So when you look he in 13, he talks again about the light that he sees at midday.

Oh, king I saw in, in the way a light from heaven above the brightness

of the sun shining round about me and them, which journeyed with me.

And when we fall into the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, saying in Hebrew,

Saul, Saul, why persecute thou of me is hard for the Eid kick against the pricks?

It's the same story.

It's the same defense you guys.

He is.

He's not altering his stance.

It doesn't matter if he's speaking to a king or to a mob on the street.

He will tell what he saw.

He's in the same spot Joseph Smith is who basically says like, I knew it and I knew

that God knew it and I can't deny it.

And so this is what I'm gonna teach.

And then he talks about this.

Added peace.

We didn't get this in the previous account, but you get an addition

in this one that I just love what the Savior calls him to do.

So in 16, but rise and stand up on thy feet.

This is the savior talking to Paul in this scenario for I have

appeared unto thee for this purpose.

This is why I came to speak to you Paul.

This is resurrected Lord talking to Paul on this road to Damascus and

he says to make the A minister and a witness both of these things, which

thou has seen and of those things in which I will appear unto thee.

What I love about this piece is that he says a minister and a witness,

he, he's not just someone who's going to go and reiterate his.

Dramatic experience on the road to Damascus.

He will do that, and we've seen it several times this week already, but

he's also called to be a minister.

He's called to care for the saints, to teach them the ways of Christ to, you

know, set apart new people in callings.

He's, he's not just a puppet that will go and talk about this miracle that happened

the same way Alma, the younger, doesn't talk about his conversion story all the

time as he goes out and takes care of the saints for the whole rest of his lifetime.

He's a minister and a witness, and Paul does that beautifully.

I think.

I also love that the savior implies that he will talk about what he did experience

on the road to Damascus and everything.

He will yet say, he's basically saying like, there's a future for us, Paul.

I'm gonna continue this relationship with you.

There's more things I'm gonna teach you and I need you to

testify about those things as well.

He's setting him up like a prophet to say there's, this is

a living thing that's happening.

Our relationship is gonna continue.

There's more that you're gonna need to witness of.

And then he talks about being sent to the Gentiles.

I really love the way he expresses it.

This is around verse 18, that he sent by the Lord to open their eyes and to

turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that

they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them, which are

sanctified by faith, which is in me.

His message is to take people from darkness to light.

He's gonna go in pockets of the world where there hasn't been light before,

they haven't had a knowledge of God, they haven't had the Abrahamic

covenant and the scriptures to rest on.

He's gonna bring light into those places.

Here's what I really like about this strategy.

I think it appeals to Agrippa Jewish side side and his Roman side.

Agrippa iss this interesting ruler 'cause he has a Jewish history.

He's in the line of Herod the Great, he has a Jewish bloodline in him, so

he understands Jewish culture and a lot of their, you know, stances on things.

He's also heavily Roman, you know, he is someone who is

in line with Roman authority.

This idea of bringing light to dark places is Jewish and Roman Jews

believe in taking the gospel out.

That's the Abrahamic covenant to bring light to new places.

The Romans believe in this same thing.

They just don't attribute it to God.

They believe that they're gonna go in all these places and conquer

these places to bring light and, you know, diplomacy and freedom and new.

Understandings to all these darker places of the world.

So he's appealing to both sides of King Agrippa and saying,

this is what I was called to do.

And then he says, how could I be disobedient?

The same way Agrippa would understand that an order that he would get from,

you know, Caesar, he would follow.

That's basically what Paul's appealing to.

He's saying, the God who I worship and who you worship directed me to do this.

So of course I'm not gonna be disobedient.

That's what saying 19, where upon ING Agrippa, I was not disobedient

unto this heavenly vision, but showed first unto them of Damascus and at

Jerusalem and throughout all the coast of Judea and then to the Gentiles,

that they should repent and turn to God and do works, meet for repentance.

He lays out the strategy that the Savior gave him, that he's gonna need to

speak to the Jews first, and then he's gonna take the gospel to the Gentiles

and bring this light to the story.

I really like this pinnacle moment that hits around 22 and 23.

Uh, this is when he explains his whole mission.

Two verses.

He says, having therefore obtained help of God.

I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and to great.

Saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did

say should come that Christ should suffer, that he should be the first.

That should rise from the dead and should show light unto the

people and to the gentiles.

Paul is saying the whole reason I'm still standing here after years in

prison after persecution, after 40 people have covenanted to kill me.

The whole reason I'm still standing King Agrippa is because of God, because he has

a work for me to do and I intend to do it.

What I like about that is it aligns, aligns so beautifully what Joseph Smith

taught about the work of this church.

He says, it's in my margins, is the fundamental principles of our religion

are the testimony of the apostles and prophets concerning Jesus Christ that

he died was buried and rose again the third day and ascended into heaven and

all other things would pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.

That's Paul's message.

He's saying, I could give you all the details.

I could tell you more conversion stories.

He doesn't tell anybody what happened on his missions or how the hearts

of Gentiles were so much better than he may be even expected.

He doesn't say any of those things.

He just focuses on his message as a special witness of Christ, that he

died for us, that he lives again, and that his work goes forward.

That's his message.

And then Festus interrupts.

So after this pinnacle moment, Festus calls out with a loud voice and

says, thou art beside thyself, Paul.

And he says, much learning Death make the mad.

Paul is someone who's gonna get accused of being crazy many times the same way.

Joseph Smith gets accused of that when he recounts his vision.

Um, I think maybe what Festus is seeing here is he thought Paul was gonna come

to defend himself and get himself out of trouble, and instead he's holding to his

story, which is going to take him to Niro.

You know, that's the next step in his plan.

If he wants to go to Rome, that's gonna put him in Niro's court.

Niro's a terrible person to stand in front of.

And so I think Festus is trying to say like, what are you thinking?

Why are you trying to convert this king?

And I think Paul feels that too.

So in the next couple verses he says, for I'm persuaded.

This is Paul.

I'm persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him.

Meaning King Agrippa for this thing was not done in a corner.

This work has been prophesied in the Jewish faith.

From the beginning, from Abraham's Day till now.

This is not new doctrine and King of Rippa must know it deep down

'cause Paul calls him on it in 27.

King of Rippa, believe us thou the prophets.

I know that thou believe us.

And then you got that epic line next in 28 from King Rippa

where he said, Paul, almost thou persuades me to be a Christian.

Now, sadly, you wish that line meant to them.

He's like on the fence and wants to convert.

I, from what the scholars I studied this week said it, it sounds like this is more

of a like, do you really think you can convert me in such a short amount of time?

He's, he's calling Paul on his audacious at this point and kind of

saying like, get back in your corner.

And then Paul has one more thing to say.

I actually think this is such a powerful finish when he's just been sort of

put in his place by King and Grpa.

This is what Paul says, and Paul said in 29, I would to God that not only thou,

but also that all that hear me this day, we're both almost and altogether

such as I am, except these bonds.

He's basically saying the same thing that Moses said.

Remember when Moses said, I wish that all men could be prophets, and

Joseph Smith said something similar where he's like, even the least saint

can get the knowledge that I have if they pursue the right course.

That's the message of the gospel, that Paul can, IRPA can know

the things that Paul knows.

There is no priority status when it comes to Revelation.

A life of obedience yields revelation and guidance, and

he wishes everybody was there.

I actually think what Paul is referring to here is this settled piece that he finds.

You know, he's been through decades of struggle and miracle

and struggle and miracle.

He's seen the whole course and he's at this settled place where he knows who

he is and like Nephi, he knows in whom he has trusted and so he feels at peace

and he wishes everybody could be there.

I think what's particularly interesting about saying this to

somebody like King Agrippa, who.

By all accounts, looks like he's in a great position, right?

He comes in with po, he's very wealthy, he has all these servants and all this help.

But being in the Roman hierarchy is always a position of fear, right?

People get pulled out of power, things get turned over.

I don't think even King Agrippa has the stance of confidence that Paul has.

'cause Paul is assured that as long as he has God on his side, he's gonna

make it and he's gonna get Jerome.

He in Grippe himself, even though he is incredibly powerful, can't claim that

confidence and that settled demeanor and that it's a little offputting to him.

What's interesting is at the end of this chapter, he says in 31, this man

doeth nothing worthy of death or bonds.

He knows he's innocent.

He knows that he doesn't deserve to be a prisoner.

And then in 32, then set Agpa onto Festus.

This man might have been set at Liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar.

If Paul had taken that plea deal, or if he hadn't asked for the option to go to Niro,

he would've been set free at this point.

Remember, Paul's goal isn't freedom.

His goal is wrong, and that's where he's gonna go next.

It's really interesting to me that so many of the parables of the Savior seem

to be demonstrated in the life of Paul.

You know, we're already talked about parable of the laborers of

the vineyard and that trouble with circumcision and the law, and then

last week, the parable of the sower and how Paul will sow everywhere.

This week, I feel like he demonstrates that parable of the prodigal son

just in this really interesting way.

So when you get to 27, he's on route to Rome.

He's designated that he has to get to Rome to stand before the emperor,

and so he's got a travel by ship.

The problem is it's late in the season, so you can see in verse nine that this

is a after the fast, meaning after the Feast of the Tabernacles in the fall,

late September, maybe early October, when it starts to get really treacherous

to travel on the Mediterranean.

So they're gonna sort of hug the coastline for a little while.

Remember, they're in the Caesarea area and so if you follow along your

map, there's actually a route that shows you exactly where they go.

But they're gonna follow the coastline for a little while and then dip

under an island, and then the weather gets really dicey and Paul starts

to warn, I actually don't know how much of the weather they see yet.

They get to a place where there is safe harbor.

And Paul as a seer, knows what's coming.

He knows there are incredibly big storms headed their way.

And so when the weather looks nice and they're at a safe port or an area

where they could find shelter for a couple months, Paul gives them guidance.

So to me, he's like the prodigal father.

He's someone who says, are you sure you know what you're doing?

So he, he ask, asked them in nine Now, when much time was spent and when sailing

was now dangerous because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished

them and he said unto them, serves.

I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the

lady and the ship, but also of our lives.

What's interesting is his words fall on deaf ears.

Similar to I'm sure the guidance of the prodigal father when he, his son,

was determined to go, I'm sure the father tried to stop him and tried

to give him advice, and before he handed over all of that inheritance,

said, please just hear me there.

I can see what's coming and you're not gonna be happy there.

But prodigal son is determined to go, and that's kinda what happens here.

But you have to remember, they don't see him as a fatherly figure.

They don't see him as a prophet.

They see him as a prisoner.

And if anything, they see him as a tent maker, like he has no right to say that

he can see danger that they can't see.

So they ignore him.

It says N 11.

Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than

those things which were spoken by Paul.

What I think is really powerful here is that Paul's gonna experience the hard

that comes from their choice because they're gonna head out to see, and for

a minute it seems calm and peaceful.

And then the tide changes.

So in 13 and 14 you see that shift.

At first, they get reassurance that this is fine.

And what does Paul know?

In 13 it says, and when the south wind blew softly, supposing they

had obtained their purpose loosening dense, they sailed close by Crete.

So to them the weather looks good, things look fine.

What is that guy talking about?

Things are great, and they set sail.

And in the process, a great wind comes a tempestuous wind.

In fact, one of the scholars I read said, this wind is probably coming, taking the

sands of that area in Northern Africa and bringing it into the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean, which would shred the sails of any sailing vessel.

So, In addition to all the wind and the waves, they've got to pull

down their sails, which means they can't steer and they can't progress

in their pan, in their pla path.

What I think is poignant about that metaphorically is this happens to

us anytime we choose to discount the message of those who can see.

I think it's what you see with the prodigal son, right?

He experiences a season of joy and rejoicing and things are going great,

and he is got lots of money and then very quickly the tide turns and the winds

come and he is, he has no navigation.

In fact, that's where things shift for this group as well.

So they are, are stuck in the storm.

They start throwing things overboard to try and control the ship better

and then they lose navigation in 20 it says, and when neither sun nor stars in

many days appeared and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should

have been saved was then taken away.

Where they reach their breaking point when they come to themselves

as it's written out in that parable is when they have no navigation.

It's interesting to me, this is the exact same spot.

Layman and lemeo get in on the ship with Nephi.

Remember they tie 'em up and they're like partying for a while, and then the

storms come and the lehon stops working and they panic because what's the point

of having joy if you can't navigate?

If you can't progress, if you can't go forward and get to your destination?

I actually think that's exactly where the prodigal son landed.

He felt.

Like he was finding freedom in this next place.

And what he finds is he is without navigation, there's no joy in

being without a focus and progress.

And so he has to go back to the beginning and go back home.

And that's sort of what happens here.

Paul steps up and mentions, Hey, remember what I talked to you guys about?

So I'm 21, but after a long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them

and said, SIRS, you should have harkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete

and have gained this harm and loss.

What's hard for Paul?

It's the same thing I think that was hard for Nefa, is he has to experience

the ramifications of their agency.

You know, the same way the father has to experience the financial loss and the loss

of his son and the sorrow that comes with it when his son uses his agency to go.

Paul had to endure all the storms and all the fear and all the,

you know, this is a huge ship.

It's got 276 passengers and Paul has had to endure all the hard

because they wouldn't listen.

And in this moment when he could have been smug and said, I told you so instead, he

offers this piece and he says, remember, I, I tried to talk to you about this.

Now let's move forward.

I love that he doesn't stay in the past and make them weep.

He knows that they are afraid.

He knows that they are without navigation and they're, they need help.

And so instead of being smug, he, he, he is a prophet.

He teaches and he shows them how he can see.

So in 22, he directs them the same way the Savior directed him in that

prison cell where he felt alone.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of

any man's life among you, but of the ship for there stood by me this night,

the angel of God, who's I am and whom I serve, saying, fear not Paul.

That must be brought before Caesar and Lo God has given the all them that

sail with thee where force serves be of good cheer for I believe God that

it shall be even as it was told me.

In this moment where he could have been condescending or he could have been judgy.

He is gracious and he says, I've been in your spot.

I know what it feels like to be alone.

Be a good cheer.

We caught the Lord on our side.

You know, it's that same, I think it was, there was a conference talk

that was referencing these verses and they talked about master.

The tempest is raging.

Like no waters can swallow the ship where lies this apostle.

You know, he needs to get to Rome.

They're not gonna go down as long as they stay with Paul and follow his guidance.

And I just love his statement in 25, be of good cheer for I believe God,

that it shall be even as it was told me, it's one thing to believe in God.

It's another thing to believe.

All his promises are Sure.

Paul is assured, and so he builds faith in these prodigal sailors who

are coming back to him as seer and saying, okay, what do we do next?

Yes.

What I think is really interesting is the angel promises that they're

gonna make it to an island so they know that's their future.

The storm continues for two more weeks.

You would think as soon as they turn that things are gonna get better.

It actually makes me wonder about the prodigal son and how long that period was.

When he finally gets home and they kill the fatted calf and

he has the robe in the ring.

How long it took for things to come back to normal?

You know, I'm sure there was still tension between the brothers and

tension with all kinds of areas.

There's a time of rebuilding that has to happen when repentance has occurred,

and so I think that's what happens.

There's two weeks still of struggle where they're learning to lean on.

Paul's guidance, they get to a point where they can tell

they're getting close to land.

They, they're sounding, which means they're letting a rope down to see

how deep the water is, and they can tell they're getting closer.

The problem with that is that means you're gonna bash into rocks, especially

if it's dark and you can't see.

There's no navigation, you can't see.

And so they worry, and some men try to escape, and Paul says to

the captain of the ship, basically, look, we're all in this together.

In order for that promise to occur where no men can be lost, they

need to stay on the ship with me.

So they cut the lines, you guys, so that nobody can get off the ship,

and they're, they're all in together.

And then you see how the story plays out, where the deliverance happens.

There's this tipping point, I think it's round verse 33.

This is when Paul addresses them after two weeks of being in these

rough waters and fasting and working together, that he brings them in and

says, let's break the fast together.

He offers what most people think is a sacrament 'cause he offers them

bread and gives thanks to God and then they're all of good cheer.

That's what happens in 36 then were they all of good cheer and they also took

some meat and then in 38 and when they had eaten enough, they lighted the ship

and cast out the wheat into the sea.

Basically, they're at this point where they fully trust in Paul's word.

They, they trust that, or at least hope, you know, kind of like what we talked

about with planting a seed of desire.

In Alma 32, they've planted this seed of hope that Paul.

That there is this hope that they can make it to this island.

They just have to trust and stay.

So they dump all the wheat.

You guys, to me, that's this big statement of faith because now they

can't survive on the ship anymore.

They've dumped anything that could sustain them and they

have to make it to this island.

So they set a course, there's this certain creek that opens up and they see this

opportunity and they just are all in.

And so they like dodging all the rocks, find their way to this certain creek and

this inlet and in the process the ship is destroyed, but the passengers are alive.

That's remarkable to me.

Like that doesn't happen in shipwrecks, that all 276 passengers live through this

catastrophic loss where the whole ship breaks apart, um, is pretty remarkable.

It's a miracle moment that will set the stage for what happens next in 28.

DNC 78 18.

It says you cannot bear all things now.

Nevertheless, be of good cheer for I will lead you along.

I think that's what you see in Paul's journey.

He doesn't know that a shipwreck is in his future when he's in that

prison cell and gets comforted by God.

He just knows that if he can maintain his cheer, that he will

be guarded and protected and the Lord will lead him along.

You almost see the Lord controlling this ship and making things happen.

'cause where they land is not some random island where they have to live like

Swiss family Robinson style on scraps.

Instead, they land in Malta.

You guys, this is an actual island where people live, where they have

provisions to take care of these people who are tumbling off the ship,

probably starving and battered and bruised, and they care for them.

I actually think there's some really beautiful parallels between what happens

on Malta and what we saw in Quincy.

Do you remember that conference doc?

I can't remember his elder cook that gave it, it's in the notes, but he

talked about how the people in Quincy were so kind and generous to the Saints

in Navu when they were struggling, that they gave them provisions, they gave

them blankets, they gave them shelter until they had their legs under them.

That's what's happening here in Malta.

I love that story about Quincy mostly because I have a brother-in-law and a

sister-in-law and their kids who live in Quincy, and they still defend that

Quincy is a place of refuge to this day.

Um, but that's sort of what you see.

You see these people, they call them barbarous people, which just

means they don't speak Greek.

They speak a different language, but they care for these shipwrecked passengers

and bring them into their homes.

I just think it's remarkable that there's so many, I mean, this

isn't a very big island and 276 starving people just got dumped.

Almost like refugees get dumped into a city and then they provide for them.

They care for them.

There's this interesting story about a viper that comes outta the fire

that's in this chapter, because essentially what happens is they get

a very quick evidence of who Paul is with this encounter with the Viper.

I don't think Paul knew that a Viper was coming at him, but he does respond

to it in a way that teaches people who he is, where the people on the

ship took a long time to understand that Paul is someone special to God.

The people at Malta learn it really fast, and so the Viper comes out,

bites him and attaches onto his hand, and then everybody expects him to die.

All the locals know how dangerous that snake is and they anticipate

that Paul's gonna drop dead any minute and they will watch him.

It's just fascinating they watch him 'cause they think either

two things are gonna happen.

Either he's gonna die and that means he deserved to be a prisoner and he is

probably a terrible guy, or he's gonna live, in which case he might be a God.

Like it's one of those two options for them.

So when Paul shakes the Viper into the fire and is fine, they're

convinced there's something remarkable about Paul and then he shows.

What happens with that power?

He doesn't claim the power for himself.

He doesn't claim to be this amazing God that they are.

They're putting on him.

Instead, he says, what can I do to help?

So he goes and he finds out that the chief in this area, his father is

sick, and Paul goes and heals him.

And not just him, but in verse nine it says that all which had diseases

on the island came and were healed.

And there's this season of comfort, right?

They're gonna stay there throughout this winter season

until it's safe to sail, to roam.

What I think is.

Totally remarkable is that Paul does sail to Rome.

You know, he had this chance to be on this island, this comfortable and beautiful.

There's people that are kind, he's got relations that are good

people know he's a good person.

Like this is a little safe haven for Paul.

And you could have seen him retiring in Malta and saying, this is great.

I think I've done all the work God needed me to do.

But he knows that the whole reason he's here and that he's still alive

and, you know, seeing that snake bite on his hand and knowing he's still

alive is because he has a work to do.

So, sort of, sort of like the brother of Jared on the beach, he's like,

no, I, we are supposed to go, there is, there is something on the other

side of this water and I've gotta go.

So he voluntarily gets back on a ship at some point as a

prisoner and heads to Rome.

There's a few stops along the way and I won't go into the, you can go into

the else and learn all about them.

But one of the things I do love is along the way, as he gets towards

Rome, when they stop at these port cities, he finds brethren, which means

there are believers in these cities.

I don't know if Paul thought he was gonna be the first one to open up.

Rome or if, you know, missionaries have been coming while he's been stuck in

prison and doing work in the process.

But there must have been such relief and joy that comes to Paul

when he encounters these brethren.

It reminds me of the book Mormon.

You know, when Alma and the sons of Mosiah who've been on these missions

to the Laymanites crossed paths miraculously, and then they rejoice.

Not just that they found each other again, but that they're

all still strong in the faith.

That's what happens with Paul.

So you see at the end of 15 that he, thanks God, and he took courage because

he can see that the work is going on.

No matter if Paul's been in prison or out, the work is rolling forth

and he takes confidence in that.

So then he gets to Rome.

Basically he's under a sort of house arrest.

So I think this is more comfortable setup than he normally has in a prison.

He lives in a house and he is, the scholars I read said he's likely

still chain to a Roman soldier most of the time that that Roman soldier

would, you know, like they'll swap out new ones, but he will.

He will be under guard heavily all the time, but he does have some freedom.

So where he is used to being a missionary, that goes out.

Now he's someone who invites people in.

They can come to his house and he has the liberty to teach.

So he'll first teach the Jews and then teach others.

And it's that transition that you see.

And the end of 28, he expounds scriptures.

So as people come, they're curious about him, they wanna hear his story.

These Jews come in and some believe and some don't because he expounds.

That's in 23, it says, to whom he expounded and

testified the kingdom of God.

Persuading them concerning Jesus, both outta the law of Moses and outta the

prophets from mourning to evening.

It doesn't matter if Paul is chained to a person or stuck in a cell or

on a shipwreck, he will testify and he'll teach to anyone that will hear.

And then you see the results.

Some believed in things which were spoken and some believe not.

This, um, message that he always carries to the Jews first falls on deaf ears.

In fact, it seems like in 25 it says, and when they agreed not

among themselves, they departed.

After that Paul had spoken.

When they hear Paul's words, most of them can't agree on whether he's true or not.

And so they retreat.

And this is when the prophecy of Isaiah comes to Paul's mind, the

same one that the Savior mentioned about the Jews not hearing and not

seeing, and their hearts waxing cold.

So if you living 27 for the heart of this, people is waxed gross

and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes have closed less.

They should see what their ears and hear with or see what their eyes and

hear what their ears and understand with their heart and should be

converted and I should heal them.

That's the same message.

He's gonna say in several different places in scripture that the Savior's goal is to

reach out to all these people, get them to open their eyes and hear with their

ears, and let this promise sink into their hearts so that they can be converted,

they can be changed and progress.

They are without navigation at this point, just like the men on that faded ship were.

And all he wants to do is provide them the stars to see by, they just won't look up.

And so Paul makes a shift at this point in 28.

It says, be it known, therefore unto you that the salvation of God is sent unto

the Gentiles and that they will hear it.

That's what's gonna happen in the doctrine covenants, you guys.

This shift goes from the Jewish shoulders of taking the gospel to all

the world, to the Gentiles, because when Joseph Smith translates the Book

of Mormon, and this work rolls forth and the priesthood is restored, it's

now in the hands of Gentiles who will.

Take it out to the world, it's gonna come back to the Jews.

You know, they're gonna be gathered just like the promises have been given.

But, but it's gonna be a different route than what the Jews have thought.

And Paul makes that clear and he does it until his dying breath.

I think you hear that He's in this house arrest for at least two years,

and I love the way it's phrased in 31, preaching the kingdom of God and

teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence.

No man forbidding him.

We don't know the end of Paul story.

There's tradition that says eventually when he does get to Nero, he's beheaded.

Um, we, we don't know exactly, we know little tidbits.

We, the epistles that there is more to his story, but Luca doesn't write anymore.

What I think is what you can rest on is that Paul never changes.

He is gonna be this man all the way to the end the same way Joseph Smith was.

Once that vision occurs, he is that cheerful, you know, welcoming, inviting.

Reaching out man who will do the work of God in whatever place he is put.

And he'll do it until the until the end.

With all confidence.

No man forbidding him.

Welcome back you guys.

This is the creative side of week 31.

So this is where I try to take all the things you've been learning

in these verses and find ways to apply them to everyday life.

So I'm gonna give you three simple object lessons you can work with,

and this is just designed to like prompt ideas in your mind.

So you're welcome to try all these or just use them as a creative

kickstart to come up with your own.

If you are listening on the podcast or maybe watching on YouTube, I'll

give you this preview of the three, and then for those of you in the

full course, just keep watching.

Or on the private podcast, keep listening and I will help walk you through each one.

I'll also provide the printables and the notes so that you can pull these off.

In classrooms and in your house and anywhere God calls you to teach this week.

Okay, let's get started with the supplies list.

I gotta tell you, to be honest, this is probably the fewest supplies

I've ever had in a creative week.

Um, 'cause you need almost nothing this week.

The first object lesson is about standing up for rights.

I really love how Paul demonstrates that he understands his rights as

Roman citizen, and he uses that as a platform to prevent abuse and to

give himself a way to, you know, accomplish what God needed him to do.

The reason I like that so much is we've heard a lot of messages from our

leaders in the last few years about standing up for our religious freedom.

So since this week is tech week, and I'm hoping to help you use your

technology to teach your kids powerful things about these verses, I thought it

would be cool to tap into this sort of unknown area of the Gospel Library app

to help you understand your religious rights, understand why they matter,

and how we should act on those powers that we have, act on those choices.

Okay, so that's the first one.

No supplies other than a smartphone.

Second object lesson.

You actually need no supplies for this one as well, but this is a game.

So I really love this week how you hear that the savior called Paul

to be a minister and a witness.

Those two things together, he's called to demonstrate and talk about

his miraculous experience and also be a teacher and a caretaker of

all those who God puts in his path.

And I think you can show this in a really simple game.

It's called Sevens.

It's a hand slapping game that you'll play.

In small groups or big groups to show how the kingdom of God is designed to work.

I'll walk you through it in just a minute.

The third one that you need some supplies for, but pretty limited.

You guys know me by this point.

You know I can't cross over a story about a snake coming out of

a fire and not do anything with it.

So this week on the chart, we are also making vipers.

So the intent of this little simple origami type, viper is not just that

your kids will have something cool to hold onto to remember the story.

My hope is that you can use it to teach about how Paul's experience

with the Viper and healing those people on that island of Malta is

actually a fulfillment of prophecy.

So you're gonna be able to teach your kids about the prophecies of

the savior and how Paul fulfills them with this epic story of the Viper.

So for this one, you just need copy paper and then a little bit

of glue and you'll be good to go.

Okay, that's it for your supplies.

You guys gather that together and let's get started.

Thanks for being here, everybody.

That is it for week 31, snakes, shipwrecks, barbarians.

You got all kinds of fun on the horizon this week as you study.

If you need extra help this week, I, I would normally talk to you about the live

at this point, but I won't be on the live.

I'll be at an awesome family reunion with all my siblings, and so I won't be popping

on the live this week, but I will be available to reach out if you wanna find

me on the discussion boards, or if you have a question, you could post it on the

YouTube video, and I will happily respond to those whenever I get a chance between

all the games and the eating of chocolate and all the activities, I'll find a

way to message you, but reach out to me on Instagram or reach out to me on the

comments or on the discussion boards, and I'll get back to you as quick as I can.

But I hope you love this week you guys we're, we're at a whole new level, right?

We've, we've reached the end of the history of these apostles, and now we

get to see their teachings, the epistles that we're gonna study next, offer

guidance and hope to people who feel.

They're just beginning in their conversion story, and I think

a lot of us can relate to that.

So I think there's a lot yet to be learned.

So enjoy this week of study and then come back next week for even more.