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2 Corinthians 2 12-2 Corinthians 2 13
I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ. There I found that the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me.But I still had no peace of mind. I couldn’t find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to the believers at Troas and went on to Macedonia.
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Acts 26:13
About noon, King Agrippa, I was on the road. I saw a light coming from heaven. It was brighter than the sun. It was shining around me and my companions.
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Acts 21:1-18
After we had torn ourselves away from the Ephesian elders, we headed out to sea. We sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes. From there we continued on to Patara.We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia. So we went on board and headed out to sea.We came near Cyprus and passed to the south of it. Then we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre. There our ship was supposed to unload.We looked for the believers there and stayed with them for seven days. The believers tried to keep Paul from going on to Jerusalem. They were led by the Holy Spirit to do this.When it was time to leave, we continued on our way. All the believers, including their whole families, went with us out of the city. There on the beach we got down on our knees to pray.We said goodbye to each other. Then we went on board the ship. And they returned home.Continuing on from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers and sisters. We stayed with them for a day.The next day we left and arrived at Caesarea. We stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist. He was one of the seven deacons.He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.We stayed there several days. Then a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.He came over to us. Then he took Paul’s belt and tied his own hands and feet with it. He said,“ The Holy Spirit says,‘ This is how the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will tie up the owner of this belt. They will hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”When we heard this, we all begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.He asked,“ Why are you crying? Why are you breaking my heart? I’m ready to be put in prison. In fact, I’m ready to die in Jerusalem for the Lord Jesus.”We couldn’t change his mind. So we gave up. We said,“ May what the Lord wants to happen be done.”After this, we started on our way to Jerusalem.Some of the believers from Caesarea went with us. They brought us to Mnason’s home. We were supposed to stay there. Mnason was from Cyprus. He was one of the first believers.When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters gave us a warm welcome.The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James. All the elders were there.
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Proverbs 3:27-28
Don’t hold back good from those who are worthy of it. Don’t hold it back when you can help.Suppose you already have something to give. Don’t say to your neighbor,“ Come back tomorrow. I’ll give it to you then.”
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Psalms 119:60
I won’t waste any time. I will be quick to obey your commands.
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Acts 14:7
There they continued to preach the good news.
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Acts 27:1-28:16
It was decided that we would sail for Italy. Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a Roman commander named Julius. He belonged to the Imperial Guard.We boarded a ship from Adramyttium. It was about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia Minor. We headed out to sea. Aristarchus was with us. He was a Macedonian from Thessalonica.The next day we landed at Sidon. There Julius was kind to Paul. He let Paul visit his friends so they could give him what he needed.From there we headed out to sea again. We passed the calmer side of Cyprus because the winds were against us.We sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia. Then we landed at Myra in Lycia.There the commander found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy. He put us on board.We moved along slowly for many days. We had trouble getting to Cnidus. The wind did not let us stay on course. So we passed the calmer side of Crete, opposite Salmone.It was not easy to sail along the coast. Then we came to a place called Fair Havens. It was near the town of Lasea.A lot of time had passed. Sailing had already become dangerous. By now it was after the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting. So Paul gave them a warning.“ Men,” he said,“ I can see that our trip is going to be dangerous. The ship and everything in it will be lost. Our own lives will be in danger also.”But the commander didn’t listen to what Paul said. Instead, he followed the advice of the pilot and the ship’s owner.The harbor wasn’t a good place for ships to stay during winter. So most of the people decided we should sail on. They hoped we would reach Phoenix. They wanted to spend the winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete. It faced both southwest and northwest.A gentle south wind began to blow. The ship’s crew thought they saw their chance to leave safely. So they pulled up the anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.Before very long, a wind blew down from the island. It had the force of a hurricane. It was called the Northeaster.The ship was caught by the storm. We could not keep it sailing into the wind. So we gave up and were driven along by the wind.We passed the calmer side of a small island called Cauda. We almost lost the lifeboat that was tied to the side of the ship.So the men lifted the lifeboat on board. Then they tied ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. They were afraid it would get stuck on the sandbars of Syrtis. So they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.We took a very bad beating from the storm. The next day the crew began to throw the ship’s contents overboard.On the third day, they even threw the ship’s tools and supplies overboard with their own hands.The sun and stars didn’t appear for many days. The storm was terrible. So we gave up all hope of being saved.The men had not eaten for a long time. Paul stood up in front of them.“ Men,” he said,“ you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have avoided this harm and loss.Now I beg you to be brave. Not one of you will die. Only the ship will be destroyed.I belong to God and serve him. Last night his angel stood beside me.The angel said,‘ Do not be afraid, Paul. You must go on trial in front of Caesar. God has shown his grace by sparing the lives of all those sailing with you.’Men, continue to be brave. I have faith in God. It will happen just as he told me.But we must run the ship onto the beach of some island.”On the 14th night the wind was still pushing us across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors had a feeling that they were approaching land.They measured how deep the water was. They found that it was 120 feet deep. A short time later they measured the water again. This time it was 90 feet deep.They were afraid we would crash against the rocks. So they dropped four anchors from the back of the ship. They prayed that daylight would come.The sailors wanted to escape from the ship. So they let the lifeboat down into the sea. They pretended they were going to lower some anchors from the front of the ship.But Paul spoke to the commander and the soldiers.“ These men must stay with the ship,” he said.“ If they don’t, you can’t be saved.”So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat. They let it drift away.Just before dawn Paul tried to get them all to eat.“ For the last 14 days,” he said,“ you have wondered what would happen. You have gone without food. You haven’t eaten anything.Now I am asking you to eat some food. You need it to live. Not one of you will lose a single hair from your head.”After Paul said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God. He did this where they all could see him. Then he broke it and began to eat.All of them were filled with hope. So they ate some food.There were 276 of us on board.They ate as much as they wanted. They needed to make the ship lighter. So they threw the rest of the grain into the sea.When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn’t recognize the place. But they decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could.So they cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that held the rudders. They lifted the sail at the front of the ship to the wind. Then they headed for the beach.But the ship hit a sandbar. So the front of it got stuck and wouldn’t move. The back of the ship was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves.The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners. They wanted to keep them from swimming away and escaping.But the commander wanted to save Paul’s life. So he kept the soldiers from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and swim to land.The rest were supposed to get there on boards or other pieces of the ship. That is how everyone reached land safely.When we were safe on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.The people of the island were unusually kind. It was raining and cold. So they built a fire and welcomed all of us.Paul gathered some sticks and put them on the fire. A poisonous snake was driven out by the heat. It fastened itself on Paul’s hand.The people of the island saw the snake hanging from his hand. They said to one another,“ This man must be a murderer. He escaped from the sea. But the female god Justice won’t let him live.”Paul shook the snake off into the fire. He was not harmed.The people expected him to swell up. They thought he would suddenly fall dead. They waited for a long time. But they didn’t see anything unusual happen to him. So they changed their minds. They said he was a god.Publius owned property nearby. He was the chief official on the island. He welcomed us to his home. For three days he took care of us. He treated us with kindness.His father was sick in bed. The man suffered from fever and dysentery. So Paul went in to see him. Paul prayed for him. He placed his hands on him and healed him.Then the rest of the sick people on the island came. They too were healed.The people of the island honored us in many ways. When we were ready to sail, they gave us the supplies we needed.After three months we headed out to sea. We sailed in a ship from Alexandria that had stayed at the island during the winter. On the front of the ship the figures of twin gods were carved. Their names were Castor and Pollux.We landed at Syracuse and stayed there for three days.From there we sailed to Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up. The day after that, we reached Puteoli.There we found some believers. They invited us to spend a week with them. At last we came to Rome.The believers there had heard we were coming. They traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw these people, he thanked God for them and was encouraged by them.When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself. But a soldier guarded him.
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Acts 16:10-17
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia. We decided that God had called us to preach the good news there.At Troas we got into a boat. We sailed straight for Samothrace. The next day we went on to Neapolis.From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony. It is an important city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there several days.On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate. We walked down to the river. There we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered together.One of the women listening was from the city of Thyatira. Her name was Lydia, and her business was selling purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to accept Paul’s message.She and her family were baptized. Then she invited us to her home.“ Do you consider me a believer in the Lord?” she asked.“ If you do, come and stay at my house.” She succeeded in getting us to go home with her.One day we were going to the place of prayer. On the way we were met by a female slave. She had a spirit that helped her tell people what was going to happen. She earned a lot of money for her owners by doing this.She followed Paul and the rest of us around. She shouted,“ These men serve the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved.”
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Acts 20:13-15
We went on ahead to the ship. We sailed for Assos. There we were going to take Paul on board. He had planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land.So he met us there. We took him on board and went on to Mitylene.The next day we sailed from there. We arrived near Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos. We arrived at Miletus the next day.
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Acts 10:29
So when you sent for me, I came without asking any questions. May I ask why you sent for me?”
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Acts 20:5-8
These men went on ahead. They waited for us at Troas.But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Five days later we joined the others at Troas. We stayed there for seven days.On the first day of the week we met to break bread and eat together. Paul spoke to the people. He kept on talking until midnight because he planned to leave the next day.There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting.
