 Okay. Good morning everyone. Welcome to today's session on the Book of Acts. Let's pray and we can get started. So I just want to request one of our students here to please lead and pray. Okay. Yes, Asha, please go ahead. Dear God, thank you so much, Lord, for today. Thank you all for giving us another day and a gift of bearing on us, God. Lord, as we are about to start our class in the Book of Acts that we may understand in depth. Also, from Mr. Menoj, thank you for best you're here and say, Lord, as she is teaching us, Lord, that your spirit continuously uses her to help us to equip and make knowing what you have for us. Thank you so much, Lord, for each one of our classmates that they'll understand, Lord, that whatever they've been taught, Lord, that they will be the doers of it. That's just here, God. Thank you all for everything that you have been doing. In Jesus' name and in prayer. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Asha. In the last class, we looked at Acts chapter 20, where, you know, Paul, he was on his third missionary journey, the end of that missionary journey. So he stops at various places. He was traveling with a seven member team. And, you know, he went ahead. He ministered in a place called Troas, where we saw that there was a person called Eutychus who was taken up dead during the time of Paul's preaching. He ministers to him and then this man is brought back alive. And then we looked at the trip, the travel from Troas to Miletus. And then finally, you know, Paul gets to meet the efficient elders. Now, these efficient elders lived several miles away. You know, in some literature, it's just 28 miles, some literature says 36 miles. But then the reason why Paul met these efficient elders in Miletus is because earlier we saw that the people in Ephesus, there was a lot of opposition that was rising up against him. So they had planned to harm him. And which is why he did not want to go back to Ephesus. But instead, he met with the efficient elders in Miletus. And over there, he shared with them his heart. It was a, it was a farewell message where he indicated to them that he would probably never see them because he had an idea about the path in which God was actually leading him. And he understood that he will go through a challenging time of trials and, you know, and eventually even lose his life for the sake of the gospel. So he encourages them in so many different ways. He helps them understand that the church is precious, that God has given his own life for the church and which is why the elders really needed to serve the church of Jesus Christ and committed heart. And then he goes on to warn the leaders and say that there will be a time when false teachers, false leaders will arise and, you know, they would cause harm to whatever nurture has been given to the people so far. So, you know, there was a warning, there was encouragement, there was exhortation and before he left, you know, there's this very hard touching time when they sort of embrace each other and, you know, they weep and they just share their wonderful fellowship and love for one another. So one of the things that I think I missed mentioning the last class, I'll just touch on it quickly here. Okay. Okay, because at one point here, Paul said that he has verse 27. He says for, I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Council of God, the whole Council of God. So that term is something very important for us to consider in the ministry, the teaching ministry of Paul. He says that he did not just teach them. Sometimes we look at certain doctrines as favorite doctrines, some even term them as pet doctrines, you know, where we are very happy to talk about some subjects, maybe the subject about case or the subject about redemption or the subject about something else. So, what tends to happen, when we teach God's word, sometimes we just dwell on one particular aspect, and we don't really equip people in all the aspects. So, as far as the teaching ministry is concerned, it's very important for us to equip the believer here at APC. And also like you would have seen this when we dealt with the local church, the APC publication, House of God, we have touched over there. We said that there are, you know, disciplines which are important for the Christian life. So, once walk with the Lord, so things that pertain to once walk with the Lord and becoming strong in the Lord, so spiritual development of an individual, we need to teach on those things, we need to teach about matters related to ministry, because every believer is, is called by the Lord to serve him in, you know, whichever way God called them. So, Christian ministry is another important topic on which we must actually build up the people that they can step out and serve God. And of course, life skills, you know, sometimes we miss out on very practical things like, you know, how do we relate with people or how do we manage finances? How do we plan our time? How different things like this, things which have to do with people's issues during a season of their lives, maybe marriage, you know, people are struggling with practical questions. So, life skills is another very important subject that one needs to touch upon. So we are saying that Christian life is one thing that we need to teach and equip the people about. Second is Christian ministry. The third one is life skills. So these are just some broad categories. But I'm sure, you know, you could have other subjects that you may want to equip the believer with. But the whole counsel of God, you know, that's a good highlight there, because if one is not going to prepare the believer in the whole counsel of God, something would be missing in their experience with the Lord. And this is as far as teaching is concerned. But, you know, of course, if the believer, they themselves learn from God's word equip themselves, you know, one can anyhow grow like we don't really have to depend on only what, you know, is being taught to us by somebody else. So just something about the whole counsel of God. And remember, he spent about three months, Paul spent about three months in Ephesus. He was in the synagogues and, you know, he was teaching about the gospel of the Lord Jesus. About two years in the school of tyrannous. He taught the people so you can imagine, you know, many, many hundreds of hours of teaching. So he would have covered any and every subject that he knew and no wonder he's saying, you know, I've taught you the whole counsel of God's word. So, you know, some highlights there from his time with the Ephesians. Okay, say I can see that you've raised your hand. Is there anything that you wanted to talk about? Yes, Pastor. This is a very, very important and I think touchy area in the body of Christ. Because, you know, many people, respectfully speaking, they're called to certain areas and they say, Oh, God has called me into this. God has called me into that. And every single thing about ministry revolves around that particular gifting that God has called them to or into that office. So my question then would be, you know, how then do you convince such people that irrespective that God has given you an area of ministry is still very important that those who you disciple, disciple them in the whole counsel of God. Because sometimes this is very difficult to pass across to, you know, many ministers of the gospel to let them know that for a believer to be well rounded and well grounded, it's important that we don't leave out other aspects of the scriptures. But this is very prevalent right now in the body of Christ. So how then do you now convince such ministers, you know, not just to look only at the area that God has called especially the truth is that everybody has been gifted in an area by ministry or by gifting of the spirit of God. But when it now comes to discipleship, I think just as Paul said the whole cancer, but it's difficult to sometimes put this across to some people, some ministers of the gospel. So I know we cannot answer that question totally, but I just brought it up maybe again to make emphasis on this, you know, it's it's prevalent right now. Many believers are nourished in the sense that because of the churches they go to and the emphasis of the ministry, they don't know other areas of the scripture. And so it's like when you talk about certain things on the scripture, they don't know what it is in the scripture in the Bible. So it's really, really prevalent right now. Thank you. Yes, thank you. Thank you, say for sharing that concern. I understand, you know, where you're coming from and your observation, because of which, you know, you're sharing this that many a time, many a time as ministers, we may want to stick with one particular subject or doctrine, because maybe that is of interest to us. Maybe we are very comfortable talking about that particular subject alone. But as you said, you know, we have to grow in to considering the growth and nurture of the believers whom we are raising up in the Lord. Okay, so I think that perspective is what needs to come in, say to for us to understand as you know, Ephesians 4 13. It says that you have the five fold ministry early on Christ gave gifts to the church and then you have the five fold ministry the pastor the teacher the evangelist, the prophet the apostle. So that is spoken and then verse 13 says for till you know, the believer becomes a perfect man. Perfect man is maturity till yours till we all grow into perfection in Christ Jesus and which is nothing but maturity becoming more like Jesus. So every minister, no matter which, which kind of calling they have, right, we just listed out the five fold ministry gifts, but you have expressions of the five fold ministry gift in many other ways. We see so many other functions in the body of Christ where where there is service service unto God service unto the people of God. But we have to recognize all that every person is doing for the maturity, isn't it for the maturity of the people whom we are serving. So I feel that is the perspective say like if we can give that perspective to ministers, whatever capacity five fold or any other grace gifts, whatever, we would know that we can't just stay with what is comfortable for us as far as ministry is concerned. We have to step in and serve so that the believer is raised up in a mature way. Okay, so I hope that that makes some sense. Say yes, thank you so much. Thank you so much. Okay, right. Yeah, thank you. And I can see here in our chat. Yes. Good morning, everyone. And I can see a Kennedy asking, does it mean there is no specialization in terms of calling examples of teachers. No, say that's a Kennedy. That's not what we are saying. There is always, you know, a calling of God over each of our lives. You know, as Paul pointed out, I think it is Philippians 312, where he says, Christ Jesus has laid hold of me for that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me. So basically he says, there is a reason why the Lord Jesus called him. So that implies there is a ministry, you know, that for which Christ Jesus laid hold of me. There's a ministry, there's a call, there's a grace, there are gifts associated with that intention which God had for Apostle Paul. So similarly, for each one of us, there is a that for which. Okay, so that for which in a way you could say, you know, specialization, sort of a related word that there is a special assignment. There are special assignments, you know, a destiny if you if you want to put it that way that each of us have. Of course, we have that. But the point I'm making is, though we're all called differently, we have a similar goal. And that is nothing but in our service, we are here to mature the body of Christ. Okay, so we should not lose perspective of that fact that callings may be different, assignments may be different, functions may be different, but we are all here to build up the body of Christ. Right, remember the last class we saw Paul said the church, which was bought by the precious blood of Christ. So we have all been entrusted and made stewards of this very valuable, you know, asset or treasure of God, which is his body, which is his people whom he has purchased with such a great sacrifice. So it is our responsibility to keep that in mind. I don't just keep my in mind. Oh, my calling is teacher. So I just teach, you know, whatever I want, because I have that grace, I have that anointing. No, but through my teaching, what is happening? What is the fruit of my teaching? Are people being equipped to live, you know, their Christian walk in love for the Lord Jesus? Are they producing, you know, the outcomes, such as the gift of the Spirit in their lives, the fruit of the Spirit in their lives? These are all questions that one needs to ask about their own ministry. That's when, you know, we will know that, hey, you know, sometimes I may have to, it's not just about my teaching, I may have to serve in other ways, which I am not comfortable with. But what is my goal? My ultimate goal is Lord, your kingdom needs to be built up, your people have to be mature. So that's the perspective with which we have to work. So when we say specialization, no, somewhere there is this understanding that I'll just get better in my calling, you know, better in my calling, and then, you know, I'll just reach a limit and that's about it. And I should be aiming for that limit, not necessarily, yeah, get better in the calling and the grace of God, but never lose perspective that everything that we are doing is for the maturing of the body of Christ. Okay, so just some thoughts there, Kennedy and I hope that makes a difference. Say your hand is raised again. Yes, but some thought just came to my mind that maybe I should just also bring up in the sense that I think it's also the responsibility of the believer, not just only to be fed within the local church, but also look at the body of Christ globally. Like for instance, we are all on this call. I'm very sure many of us are from other churches. We are benefiting from ABC, not just from our local churches. So I think just that perspective, in order for us to grow and to receive the whole Council of the Lord is to identify what God has graced us with in the body of Christ, in order for us to be rounded in the whole Council of God. And I think ministers also must also allow their members, you know, not just only because there's a tendency for ministers of churches or pastors or teachers, you know, to kind of arrest their members to only listen to them. And I think that is wrong. I think the teachings should be in such a way that they are able to still identify what is true and what is false outside of the local church. So I think those actions will help us, you know, as believers, embrace the whole Council of God when we appreciate what the body of Christ altogether has to offer each one of us in order to grow and to be built into the statue of Christ Jesus. Yes. Thank you for sharing that. And that's so true. Because we can see that God works in his body globally. So, you know, we've learned about moves of God, we've learned about, you know, the work of the Holy Spirit, different parts of the world and how it affects the body of Christ at large. So, yes, we have to be open for that. And for us to be able to receive again, say, I think it's the understanding of the Kingdom of God, which needs to come in. Likewise, we tend to be limited to what God is doing only in our local body. And we miss out the fact that, hey, we are all part of the Kingdom of God, which is way larger than the local church that each one of us belongs to. Praise God for planting us in our local churches and what we are learning how we have been equipped in our local churches. But in addition to that, you know, we learn how to flow with what God is doing in the Kingdom of God. And when we have that understanding, say, as you rightly pointed out, teaching from just our local body is helpful. However, when people are equipped in the basics, they have a strong foundation, a pastor or a leader may need not feel insecure. That, hey, you know, some somebody listens to another preacher, what if they don't come back to me or what if they don't come back to my church? No, God is releasing revelation. And in fact, people must be encouraged to learn from what God is releasing through other ministers and no wonder God has given in the body of Christ many teachers, many apostles, many pastors, many prophets and evangelists. So, yes, why not? We can receive from everyone and we must encourage people to be open, right? But of course, we understand the concern that pastors may have. Their concern is, oh, I have worked so hard to equip people in the whole Council of God's Word. They should not get distracted. They should not get, you know, misaligned from the truth of God's Word. That's the concern pastors have. But, you know, once we have given them a good foundation, I don't think we should worry so much, right? We equip them with the truth and we trust that people have the discernment over time to figure out what is okay, what is not okay. Alright, so yes, we shall leave it at that. And I hope that discussion was helpful for many of us. Anything else that comes to your mind or questions? It's good. It's good to think about what we are learning. Okay, so we see, right? We understand the kind of ministry that Paul had. Yes, he was called to be an apostle, so you see him planting churches. Part of that, you know, calling, you see that, you know, he was also able to raise up leaders. We see that God gave him the grace to teach and equip people. So all the capacities that God gave him, you know, he was completely utilizing it and we've seen that while he was travelling, he was so concerned about the various churches that he had planted. We've seen that, you know, he had to quickly move out of the church in Corinth. He couldn't spend much time because of the uproar in that church. So when he moved out of there, you know, at some point, he wrote back to the Galatians. He wrote back to the Corinthians. And then, you know, we will see that he will continue to write back to many of the churches, you know, encouraging them and exorting them to stay on, stay on course and keep growing in the Lord. So the third missionary journey, just for us to, you know, be in sync, let me see, I will share the image of the third missionary journey with us, the map. Okay, I hope you can all see it. Is it visible? Yeah. Okay, great. So just have a look at it. We said that the second missionary journey he completed by going back to Antioch. And then he had a very short stay in Antioch. And then, you know, he restarts, he begins his journey. Also notice this third missionary journey of Paul is from 53 AD to 58 AD. About three to four years it is estimated he spent at this main city called as Ephesus. So incredible ministry was done there. In fact, it is an example. Ephesus is an example where not just a couple of people, a small group of people, but the entire city felt the impact of the ministry of Paul. So a couple of things happened over there. We saw that unusual miracles took place through his ministry. We saw that, you know, though this was a so-called spiritual city where people dabbled in the occult, they saw that the power of God which was expressed through Paul's life was so much greater than the sorcery that they practiced. So they tried imbibing the principles which Paul used which is to rebuke demons spirits in the name of Jesus. So they tried it. Remember the seven sons of Sceva, they just used the principles but they were not born again. So it didn't work for them because they did not carry the authority in the spiritual realm. As children of God, as born-again believers, we carry the authority and we can use the authority in the name of Jesus but they couldn't use it. So all these things took place in the city of Ephesus. Then of course, you know, you have your two years of intense training in the school of tyrannous. And notice, you know, Ephesus, remember in the last class we said that this is modern day, you know, this is Asia. Those days known as Asia Minor, today modern day Turkey. Turkey is over here and many of these, like this region, the seven churches of the book of Revelation, Paul would have actually planted those churches through some of his co-workers. By now, remember, though we are only talking about Paul's missionary journey and Paul's life, simultaneously a lot is happening. If you recall, Paul had left people like, you know, Silas, Luke in Macedonia in different places and they were there, you know, raising up people, equipping people. He had left behind Aquila, Priscilla in, you know, Corinth. So they were doing a job, they were doing a work there. Paul's had come and joined them in Corinth. So simultaneously there are men and women of God who continue to serve the Lord with the calling on their lives. So for us, you know, think about this entire region experiencing a mighty revival. So there are churches, there are leaders. There is a lot going on in this entire region and Ephesus played a key role because of the school there. So our knowledge is that many people came to Ephesus, they were equipped there. So one of the individuals that, you know, we can talk about is Epiphras, Epiphras from Colossae. Okay, so Paul planted that church through Epiphras. He did not go physically to plant the Colossian church, but this was the individual who was trained most likely in the school of tenderness. So many people had come from this entire region to that school and so it was an advantage actually for Paul. We don't know how many people he actually equipped, but he did. He did impact the lives of many people, not just from the city, but from around the region. And, you know, they went back, carried the same fire which Paul carried and they planted, you know, different churches. So Ephesus is a very key thing. So we know that from Antioch he went through the Galatia region, through the familiar churches, primarily stayed in Ephesus, did a lot of teaching there. When opposition arose, remember the silversmith called Demetrius and the whole chaos about the idol of Dinah and, you know, them not doing well in business because of the ministry of Paul. He just left. He fled Ephesus and then, you know, he moves on, goes to Proaz and then, you know, the journey carries on. So we see that, you know, he makes a quick journey around and then comes back, comes back and then, you know, we were talking just now about Miletus. So he came back on this third missionary journey. He came to this place called Miletus. On the way back, see, he could have gone to Ephesus, but we said that it wasn't safe for him to go there. So over here is where he meets the people, the elders, spends time with them and then he will make his way back. So, you know, you would have all these places, he'll go back to Tyre, Tolemnus, Caesarea and of course Jerusalem. So that's how it's going to work. So let's continue till the next chapter, Acts 21. You know, we are still on the third missionary journey of Paul. It has not ended yet. So let's observe. You know, you will come across all these places, Tyre and Tolemnus. Sorry for my pronunciation, whoever's from those regions, please excuse me. Caesarea and then of course Jerusalem. So let's go on. I would request somebody to read Acts 21. These are all going to be fairly easier passages that we can cover very fast. So, could somebody read Acts chapter 21? And I would, oh yeah, it's pretty long. So kindly read Acts 21, 1-40 and then we will come back to the next section there. Was that a question? No. Okay. Then I just want to read Acts 21, 1-14. Can I read it, Pastor? Yes. And when we heard Barbie from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to coast and the next day to ropes. And from there to Patria and having found a sheep crossing the bushel and we went and set sail. When we had come inside of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we sailed to Caesarea and landed in Tyre. But there the sheep was unloaded, unloaded its cargo and having sought out the disciples. We stayed there for seven days and to the spirit they were telling Paul not to go into Jerusalem. When our days there were ended, we departed and went on a journey. They all with wives and children accompanied us until we were outside the sea. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship and the Brits and Hope. When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Pro Potolones and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. And the next day we departed and came to Caesarea and we entered the house of Philip, the evangelist who was one of the seven and stayed with him. He had four unmarried doctors who prophesied while we were staying from English, a coffee named Agobas came down from Julia. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and wound his own feet and hands and said, That saves the Holy Spirit. This is how the Jews of the Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What are you doing? We've been breaking our heart from ready not only to be imprisoned, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And since he will not be persuaded, we seized and said, Let the will of the Lord be done. Thank you, Asha. So basically it's a continuation of the third missionary journey. So we noticed the different places that I had mentioned earlier. Tire is one of the places there. And you know, if you observed it, it says verse five, when we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way and they all accompanied us with 1000 children till we were out of the city and we knelt down on the shore and prayed. So basically what we recognize here is that even though these were not places that were mentioned earlier in the second missionary journey, it's likely, as I told you, the gospel had spread across the region. So there are churches that maybe Paul never, he never went to those places. He doesn't know these people, but notice there were wives, there were children. So there are a lot of people who are believers and they share this love for the people of God. So that brotherly love exists. Though they were different congregations that brotherly love existed. They were hospitable to Paul. There's also some kind of a Christian culture as you would notice that they went with Paul to say bye to him. We don't know if this was commonly practiced to bid farewell to somebody who was dear to you. You go with them and then it says, knelt down on the shore and prayed. So maybe these believers practiced such things, kneeling down on the shore, praying, calling upon the Lord. So there was this fellowship, this brotherly love which people had and a culture, sort of, you may want to call it a Christian culture or a church culture or something. So they had developed a culture of their own and it was developing for them. And then eventually we see that Paul went to Caesarea, the highlight of Caesarea. As you remember Philip, we talked about him in Acts 6 as a volunteer. Acts 8 he goes and he does his ministry in different regions, Samaria and then he moves on. And he ministers to the Ethiopian eunuch. Over there you never really have a title for Philip. But over here it says, the house of Philip the Evangelist was it. The house of Philip the Evangelist. So we understand that maybe Philip had grown in his stature before the Lord to have a ministry. The kind of ministry that we would call as an evangelist ministry. He was now recognized as an evangelist. So that's why Luke uses the title here. He says Evangelist Philip and other important things about Philip is he had four daughters, virgin daughters who prophesied. So this also helps us understand that the gifts of the spirit were released to people irrespective of their gender. So remember when we talked about Acts 2 when God poured out his spirit and Peter stood up and he preached. He said that God will pour out his spirit, sons and daughters shall prophesy. And so you have the outworking of that particular scripture where women are prophesying. So obviously this gift was probably not just the gift that operates at the level of a believer but may be the grace gift of prophecy. Otherwise Luke wouldn't mention that because every believer could manifest these gifts. It's likely that these women prophesied at a higher level. So the virgin daughters of Philip where they prophesied. But then another key thing that we notice in Caesarea is Agabus. If you recall Agabus was the prophet who came to Antioch of Syria and he prophesied that there is going to be a famine in Jerusalem which led people to collect some funds and then for Paul to actually take it to the church of Jerusalem. So it's the same Agabus. So Agabus over here he comes and he speaks a prophetic word. How does he do it? He does it through action. So he takes Paul's belt he wraps it around himself and he says look the person whose belt belongs to will be bound like this. So remember when we talked about the prophetic we said that the prophetic can be expressed in various ways. We can just say the prophecy or the prophecy can also be enacted. We see this form of prophesying in the Old Testament. Prophets of God and through the action of their lives they prophesied the word of God. Similarly Agabus he acts out the prophetic word to tell Paul that you will be bound when you go to Jerusalem. And so Paul already knew. No wonder he had that good time with the Ephesian elders. However the intention of the brethren was to warn Paul because they loved him so much. They did not want any harm to happen to Paul. So they were hinting at Paul don't go. Don't go that side because you will not come back alive if you go to Jerusalem and we may never meet you. But you see when well-meaning believers were instructing Paul against the purpose of God for Paul's life. What was his response? Let's look at verse 12 and then I'll read from there. Now when we heard these things both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. So even Luke is involved in this that's why he's saying we. Luke maybe Philip and the whole gang that is with him Agabus everyone's telling Paul please don't go. Verse 13 then Paul answered what do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart for I am ready. Only to be bound but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So you see there the commitment that Paul had in his heart for the Lord. He knew tough times lie ahead but in his heart he had already resolved. He was determined if it means that I will die I'm ready to die for the sake of the gospel. So you know we say like allegiance in those times when people express their patriotism to their land. They would go to the extent of saying I'm willing to die for my country. So people of those times understood this kind of a commitment that yes I would rather die for my land. Similarly you know you have Paul the Apostle here saying I would rather die for the gospel. Don't stop me from moving in the direction that God has instructed me to take. So Paul was willing to move in that direction and go to Jerusalem. So verse 14 so when he would not be persuaded obviously Paul yes it's dangerous. It's risky all of that but I need to do what God has called me to do. So he was not persuaded. Luke says we seized. We stopped saying the will of the Lord be done. So everyone said okay Paul do whatever you think God is calling you to do. So we will pick up from there. Is there a question? Yes say you have something to say. Observation question. The life of Philip is an inspiring story. You know starting from just a normal believer who volunteered himself to serve tables. God using him is Samaria and then years later we hear of him becoming an evangelist. It just shows that God does reward faithfulness in little things and he sees us and he knows where he's taking us to. So that I just wanted to bring as an observation that how God raised him up and not just only that gave him four children who were highly gifted in the prophetic. So that is an encouragement to many of us you know who might think that oh what we are just doing is lead to in church and God doesn't see but God does see our little effort little work. What man does not celebrate God does see it and in time he will raise us up for higher callings. My question my other question is do you think that Paul knew that he was going to go through what he went through in Jerusalem. I know he had he had a conviction in his heart that he was bound to suffer for the gospel of Christ. In a way too I kind of see if we fast forward down to where he gets to Jerusalem which we'll still look at the way he was being treated you know and all that he went through before getting to Rome. It seems to me that he might not have been expecting that magnitude of persecution but he knew somewhere in his heart that he was going to face very very very tough times. But I don't know do you think he actually had you know an idea of what he was going to go through or he was just going because he knew it was the will of God. Because in a way if we bring it down to our own world and we hear prophecy or somebody warning us that if we go this direction you might face a danger. We might say well God is trying to warn me to avoid the journey but Paul to an extent it seems like he already had an idea of what he was going to be going through. So I just wanted to maybe get more clarification on Paul's journey to Jerusalem in terms of knowing that there was a prophet who never lied. I guess people really took Aga boss prophecy very serious and this was somebody who was well seasoned and you know others were warning him and all that but yet he was so resolved in going. So did you think he just knew about what he was about to face in Jerusalem? Yeah thank you say so as you were sharing about Philip I just wanted to say amen brother it was sounded more like a sermon actually very encouraging and true. Looking at the life of Philip and the way God blessed him strengthened him in the ministry and not just that you know in his life you see that how wonderful to have children who are walking in the Lord and serving the Lord. We had four daughters who prophesied it just goes to tell us that there was an anointing on their lives as well so what a reward for the faithfulness of a man of God. So yes very true. Now your question there say in Acts 20 verses 22 to 25 we've already seen what Paul said. He said something like and see now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem not knowing the things that will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me nor do I count my life dear to myself so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed now I know that you all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God will see my face no more. So it just goes to say that Paul was in full knowledge that he not return that something terrible is going to happen eventually he knew. So and look at this see how God is working he already knew and you have somebody like Agabus come and tell him this is going to happen to you Paul please don't go please don't go. But you know when there is a determination when there is a surrender when there is a commitment to the Lord he just knew that yes it's going to be difficult but I will go. And in fact verse 4 of Acts 21 it says and finding disciples we stayed there seven days they told Paul through the spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. So you see the prophetic word is confirmed twice there were believers who told him Agabus who told him but he knew everything but he knew that's the way he had to take because God had a purpose in it. So that's the answer say he knew God had communicated it to him. Okay so yeah let's take a break now take a 10 minute break and then we shall come back and proceed. Thank you everyone.