JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
Want weekly retellings of our favorite Bible stories and conversation guides? Listen to the Join The Journey Jr. podcast with the whole family every Monday!
When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city.
Acts of the Apostles 21
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
1After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. 2There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. 3We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo.
4We went ashore, found the local believers,* and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. 5When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women* and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, 6and said our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home.
Have you ever been on a long road trip? Maybe you drove all day, or you may have even had to stop overnight at a halfway point on the drive. Your parents might have mapped out where you would stop to take a break or get food, or they could easily check on Google Maps where to go and how long it would take to get there.
Paul’s journey to Jerusalem in Acts 21 was like an extended road trip, except with many more unknowns. He did not have an iPhone telling him exactly where he could stop or how long his journey would take. Both his journey and his destination also were not guaranteed to be safe for him. Paul’s friends were worried about his travels, but Paul was willing to keep going for the sake of sharing the gospel. And Paul may not have had an iPhone for directions, but he had God’s Holy Spirit instructing him!
As you read the passage today, highlight the name of every city that Paul stopped in on his way to Jerusalem.
Bonus Activity: Look at this map of Paul’s missionary journey and mark each of Paul’s stops to map out his path to Jerusalem.
God, thank you that you that your Holy Spirit leads us in our lives and directs us where to go. Thank you that even when we are scared, you are with us and you do not leave us! We pray that you would direct us where to go today and who to share the gospel with, just as you directed Paul.
Every week, pick a day to pray for people around the world who haven’t heard about Jesus yet. The Joshua Project website posts a new unreached people group every day—pull it up at dinner, before bed, or on the way to school and pray for them together.
