The Bible in Poetry: The Acts of the Apostles 3

 

Extracted from the Bible In Poetry

From Genesis to Revelation

The Acts of the Apostles 3

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Once while Paul and Silas preached they were followed by a girl
Who supported what they said and repeated what she heard;
This she had done many days thus causing Paul to be grieved,
Possessed by a spirit of divination she had pretended to believe.

Paul told the spirit to come out in the name of Jesus the Lord,
Her masters were very angry when later on they had heard;
She had caused them to prosper; now they were full of hate,
Paul and Silas were captured then brought to the magistrates.
 
They were beaten and put in prison, feet held fast in stocks,
No way they could get away; everything was securely locked;
Midnight as they were praising an earthquake shook the prison,
With its foundation shaken every door had been flung open.

The prison keeper was alarmed; he was about to take his life,
But Paul shouted with a loud voice, “Do to yourself no strife.”
Taking them out of the prison he then wanted to be saved,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; was for you his life he gave."
 
The jailer washed their cuts the same hour of that night,
Not only he was saved but his household was also put right;
He brought them to his house and with them shared his meat,
Next day they were told to go after they enjoyed their treat.

Beaten without a trial; contravening of their right as Romans,
Ridiculed right out in the open then cruelly thrust into prison;
The magistrates recognising their error in a sense apologized,
Begged them to leave the city, accepting they were not wise.

Coming to Thessalonica unbelieving Jews moved with envy,
Lewd fellows of the baser sort had gathered a great company;
They claimed the disciples had turned upside down the world
Contrary to Caesar’s decrees, one Jesus, so they had heard.

Then Paul and Silas went away; by night they went to Berea,
These were more noble folk than the folk at Thessalonica;
Receiving the word readily they searched the scriptures daily,
Of Grecian women and of men, they that believed were many.

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill; preaching there he said,
"I perceived you’re too superstitious for as I passed by I beheld
An inscription to the unknown God whom you worship ignorantly;
Him, I now announce to you that the Creator of the world is He."

The Jews vehemently opposed all Paul had said about Jesus,
They often persecuted the church and blasphemy was a must;
Paul shook his raiment at them; their behavior was most defiled
And departing from their midst said he would go to the Gentiles.

The Lord spoke to Paul in a vision encouraging him not to fear,
Hold not your peace in that city for you have much support there;
Gallio had taken a position that the Jews deal with their matters,
Whether of words or law, he cared not for the former nor latter.

When Paul was come to Ephesus, he reasoned with the Jews,
They wanted him to stay longer but their wish he had to refuse;
He wanted to keep the feast that was pending in Jerusalem,
Instead he promised, if God will, again he would come to them.

John’s disciples believed Paul; by the Spirit they were baptized
And with Paul’s laying on of his hands, they began to prophesy;
Yet many hearts were hardened; the word of God believed not,
So Paul departed from them; God’s grace they had not sought.

Paul was preaching in Philippi; it was at the breaking of bread,
A young man who was asleep fell from the loft and was dead;
Paul went down to the young man and on his body had lain,
"Trouble not yourselves," he said to them, "Eutychus is alive again."

Following is a speech by Paul, straightforward, pure and simple,
For he had not shunned to declare the entirety of God’s counsel;
Take heed unto yourselves, therefore, and to all of Jesus’ flock,
That you feed the church of God." This was to be their bedrock.

He warned of his departing and the grievous wolves to come,
Of men speaking perverse things contrary to God’s kingdom;
He reminded them of warnings given for the last three years,
And how he had labored among them day and night with tears.
  
He had coveted no man’s gold; of his needs he had taken care,
They must work to support the weak; to them he made this clear;
He knelt down and prayed with them after all that he had spoken,
They fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him; they were sorely broken.


Stewart Russell © 2013

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