Notes

Is it possible to experience joy in the journey?  If yes, how? 

1. Joy comes from being where God wants you to be… doing all He wants you to be doing!
2. Joy comes from celebrating ALL that God has done in your midst!
   
3. Joy comes from helping others to see Jesus!

How can we help those around us see Jesus in us?

1. Be OK w/being misunderstood by those often closest to you.
2. Be WILLING to do whatever it takes to help others see Jesus.
3. Be willing to NEVER give up on those who have given up on you.

Verses

{He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21:11 NLT}{When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly. Acts 21:17 NLT}{The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry. Acts 21:18-19 NLT}{After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done… Acts 21:19 NLT}{As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 10:17 NLT}{After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.

“Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws. Acts 21:20-24 NLT}{To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 NIV}{So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.

The seven days were almost ended when some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the Temple and roused a mob against him. They grabbed him, yelling, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who preaches against our people everywhere and tells everybody to disobey the Jewish laws. He speaks against the Temple—and even defiles this holy place by bringing in Gentiles.” (For earlier that day they had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and they assumed Paul had taken him into the Temple.)

The whole city was rocked by these accusations, and a great riot followed. Paul was grabbed and dragged out of the Temple, and immediately the gates were closed behind him. As they were trying to kill him, word reached the commander of the Roman regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. He immediately called out his soldiers and officers and ran down among the crowd. When the mob saw the commander and the troops coming, they stopped beating Paul.

Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done. Some shouted one thing and some another. Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress. As Paul reached the stairs, the mob grew so violent the soldiers had to lift him to their shoulders to protect him. And the crowd followed behind, shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”

As Paul was about to be taken inside, he said to the commander, “May I have a word with you?”

“Do you know Greek?” the commander asked, surprised. “Aren’t you the Egyptian who led a rebellion some time ago and took 4,000 members of the Assassins out into the desert?”

“No,” Paul replied, “I am a Jew and a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, which is an important city. Please, let me talk to these people.” The commander agreed, so Paul stood on the stairs and motioned to the people to be quiet. Soon a deep silence enveloped the crowd, and he addressed them in their own language, Aramaic. Acts 21:26-40 NLT}

Quotes

D.L. Moody : Happiness is caused by things that happen around me, and circumstances will mar it; but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition. (); St. Augustine : How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose! You drove them from me… you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place. (Confessions); Sam Storms : Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering, it is the presence of God. (Pleasures Evermore); "Selfie" : A selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services… They often casual, and are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror. (Wikipedia); Tullian Tchividjian : Because Jesus has done everything for me, I can do everything for you without needing you to do anything for me. (Jesus + Nothing = Everything);