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
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
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The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
11That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
Have you ever learned about Ancient Rome in your history classes at school? What comes to mind? Maybe you are thinking of Julius Caesar or the Coliseum and gladiators.
Today we are narrowing in on just one verse from our passage for this week, Acts 23:11. God tells Paul that he must take courage, because now that he has spoken in Jerusalem, he will also be speaking in Rome. Knowing what Rome was like during Paul’s life matters greatly to understand what God is truly asking of Paul here, and how the gospel continued to spread.
Ancient Rome was at the height of its power, and very prosperous during Paul’s life. But Ancient Rome was not friendly to Christians and there were very few people who believed in God. Can you imagine how Paul must have felt going to a city that was known to not be friendly to Christians?
At the same time, by sending Paul to Rome through his arrest in Jerusalem, God was setting the stage for Paul to speak about Jesus to a huge number of people who had never heard of him! God calls us to make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:19-20, and we see him directly answering this command by sending Paul to Rome.
Through Paul’s courage to continue boldly sharing the truth, we know the church is established in Rome as we have a whole book of the bible about the Christians there, Romans! We also see through Paul’s story that God is intentional with our lives, loves all people and desires for all people to know him.
Take a closer look at Ancient Rome using National Geographic Kids or watching this video. What's something you learned about Rome? How does that help you understand what Paul was facing?
Spend some time talking through the below questions about Acts 23 before you pray:
Before you pray, spend some time discussing where you need to take courage this week, and how you can encourage each other to do so.
God, thank you for being intentional in our lives, as you were in Paul's. Would you please help us to see where you are asking us to take courage in our lives? And would your Holy Spirit please give us the wisdom and strength to take courage where you tell us to! We praise you for your great love for all people, and that we get to play a part in sharing you with others.