Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
Christ encouraged Paul 'to be of good cheer.' Paul later encouraged others to 'be of good cheer’ amid their anxieties and when their current circumstances seemed hopeless. In this week's readings, Paul teaches us how to have 'good cheer' at the outset and throughout each day. As we finish our study of Acts, I hope you will share what helps you see the joy in your day, especially in challenging circumstances.
Background: Paul arrived in Jerusalem and gave a report of his missionary labors to local Church leaders. Paul went to the temple, and when a group of Jews who knew Paul from his missionary journeys saw him, they proclaimed that Paul was a false teacher who taught against the law of Moses and unlawfully brought Gentiles into the temple. Because of this accusation, a mob removed Paul from the temple and began beating him. Roman soldiers intervened and carried him away to be tried. While on the stairs of the Antonia Fortress (see Bible Maps, no. 12, “Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus”), Paul asked the soldiers if he could speak to the people.
Bryan Richards: “Wouldn’t it be great if every enemy of the Church was visited the Lord and commanded to repent? Many of the rebellious have required a sign of the Lord. They argue that they will not believe unless an angel appears unto them to tell them what to do…
“What does this tell us about such divine interventions? The Lord doesn’t send an angel to rebuke every rebellious soul because many of these would still not repent even if they saw an angel. The witness of the Holy Ghost is more powerful than the visitation of an angel. Heber J. Grant taught, “Many men say: “If I could only see an angel, if I could only hear an angel proclaim something, that would cause me to be faithful all the days of my life!’ It had no effect upon these men that were not serving the Lord, and it would have no effect today.” (Conference Reports, Apr. 1924, p. 159)
The "whited wall" epithet refers to the custom of whitewashing a wall to hide dirt and stains. Compare Jesus' reference to "whited sepulchres" (Matthew 23:27). Both images depict hypocrisy, and indeed Paul considered any Jewish leader a hypocrite who would order some one to be physically abused contrary to Mosaic law.” (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ, p. 106)
“At this point, Paul is really in trouble. He has already been prophetically warned about his visit to Jerusalem (Act 21:10 11). The Jewish masses attempted to kill him in the Temple (Acts 21:31), and his oration in his own defense had resulted in imprisonment (Acts 23). Now he has been placed before the Jewish Sanhedrin and has unwittingly criticized the most powerful Jewish authority. The Sanhedrin is likely to punish him in full measure.
Just at this inopportune time, Paul draws on his life’s experience to find a way out. He brilliantly draws the attention away from himself with the subject of the Resurrection. The fervor turns from Paul to an old, worn out debate between philosophical enemies. The Master warned, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves’ (Matt 10:16). Paul’s serpentine wisdom had turned the hungry wolves on each other. Soon Paul finds himself defended by the Pharisees, who declare, “We find no evil in this man’ (v. 9).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “When Paul was in jail after having borne his testimony before a powerful political group in Jerusalem, Jesus stood by and counseled him to “be of good cheer.’ Why? Had not Paul been struck on the mouth at Ananias's order? Were not forty Jews plotting his death? Did not his trial for sedition lie just ahead? And also Paul's shipwreck? Cheerfulness was possible because Paul had done well in his ministry in Jerusalem and now was ready for Rome, where he would also testify with great power and persuasive authority. Let the intervening, tactical tribulation come!
“This lesson about justifiable cheerfulness even amid perilous passages apparently had been driven home to Paul, for during his voyage to Rome, he assured his fearful shipmates that not one of them would lose their lives, though their ship would be lost. Therefore, He encouraged them to “be of good cheer’ in the midst of their anxieties, and his prophecy was fulfilled. (Acts 27:22)
“It remains for us, therefore, to be of good cheer even when...current circumstances seem hopeless...
“It may seem to some of us so very hard to cling to...reassuring and renewing realities when tribulations and difficulties press in upon us from all sides. But these are the realities to which we will-and should-finally cling in the moments of truth. Why not, therefore, said Jesus, profit from good cheer at the outset and throughout each day, rather than finally relying upon it anyway-but only after unneeded anxiety?” (Even As I Am, 100-101)
Acts 23:23-24 - Roman officers escorted Paul to Caesarea with four hundred infantry and seventy cavalry. To avoid possible ambush, the contingent departed Jerusalem at 3 A.M. Paul would be safer in Roman Caesarea than in Jewish Jerusalem (see Bible Dictionary, "Caesarea"). In fact, three times within twenty-four hours Roman troops saved Paul's life.” (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ Salt Lake City; Deseret Book, 1998, 107)
Antonius Felix was appointed procurator in A.D. 52 (see Bible Dictionary, "Felix"). Felix's Jewish wife was Drusilla, a sister of Herod Agrippa II. They were living in an adulterous relationship because Drusilla had left her husband and "married" Felix, thus violating Jewish law. (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ Salt Lake City; Deseret Book, 1998, 107)
In Acts 23:12–25:27 we learn that the Roman captain who had arrested Paul sent him to Caesarea to prevent a band of Jews from killing him. Paul declared his innocence before the Roman governor Felix. Although convinced of Paul’s innocence, Felix continued to keep Paul under house arrest for two years. Festus replaced Felix as the Roman governor of Judea. King Herod Agrippa, who ruled an area located northeast of the Sea of Galilee, visited Festus and desired to hear Paul’s case. Paul was brought before King Agrippa.
President Harold B. Lee: “We were back East a short time ago and a good bishop made an interesting comment about what he called the saddest words that he knows of a man in high station. He read from the words in the days of the Apostle Paul when Paul before King Agrippa had borne his powerful testimony of his conversion. King Agrippa's reply was, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.’ (Acts 26:28.) Then the bishop said, “The king knew the truth but he lacked the courage to do that which would be required; and he could only say then, 'Almost thou persuadest,' almost persuaded under certain circumstances to do the thing the Lord would want him to do.’
“And then he characterized some things that he discovered in his own ward in a short but powerful sermon. “In response to the Master, Come . . . follow me' (Mark 10:21), some members almost,’ he said, “but not quite, say, thou persuadest me almost to be honest but I need extra help to pass a test.’
“Almost thou persuadest me to keep the Sabbath day holy, but it's fun to play ball on Sunday.”
“Almost thou persuadest me to love my neighbor, but he is a rascal; to be tolerant of others' views, but they are dead wrong; to be kind to sister, but she hit me first; to go [ministering] but it's so cold and damp outside tonight; to pay tithes and offerings, but we do need a new color TV set; to find the owner of a lost watch, but no one returned the watch I lost; to pass the Sacrament, but I've graduated from the deacons now, almost thou persuadest me to be reverent, but I had to tell my pal about my date last night; almost thou persuadest me to attend stake leadership meeting, but I know more than the leader on that subject, so why should I go. Thou persuadest me almost to go to Sacrament meeting but there is going to be such an uninteresting speaker… Almost! Almost! Almost! but not quite, not able quite to reach." (Conference Report, April 1964, Afternoon Meeting 24.)
Elder Spencer J. Condie: “In January of 1975, on a dark, rainy night in Tasmania, a 7,300–ton barge smashed into two piers of the Tasman Bridge, which connects Hobart, Tasmania, with its eastern suburbs across the bay. Three spans of the bridge collapsed. An Australian family by the name of Ling was driving across the bridge when suddenly the bridge lights went out. Just then a speeding car passed them and disappeared before their very eyes. Murray Ling slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop, one yard from the edge of a black void.
“Murray got his family out of the car and then began warning oncoming traffic of the disaster ahead. As he frantically waved his arms, to his horror, a car swerved around him and plummeted into the abyss. Suddenly a loaded bus headed toward Murray, ignoring his waving arms. In desperation, risking his very life, he ran alongside the driver's window. There’s a span missing, he yelled. The bus swerved just in time and came to a halt against the railing. Dozens of lives had been saved.” (CR, October 1993)
“Paul’s arrival in Rome brings the reader to the end of the book of Acts, but not necessarily to the end of the life of the apostle. Luke concludes: “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him.’ (Acts 28:30.)
C. Wilfred Griggs: “Why doesn’t the account continue? If Paul had lost his case-and his life-before the emperor, an account of his martyrdom would have been a most appropriate seal for his testimony and ministry. However, he must not have died at this time. Neither Felix, nor Festus, nor Agrippa deemed Paul guilty of crime, let alone worthy of death. Furthermore, Paul is rather optimistic about his own future in the so called “prison epistles’ written during this time from Rome. (See Philip. 1:21 26; Philip. 2:23 24; Philem. 1:22.)
“A number of other evidences hint that Paul was acquitted and traveled for some time before another imprisonment and death. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus do not fit into the chronology of Acts, and therefore must have been written later. From these epistles one notes that Paul visited Ephesus (see 1 Tim. 1:3; 1 Tim. 3:14 15), Miletus (see 2 Tim. 4:20), Troas (see 2 Tim. 4:13), Corinth (see 2 Tim. 4:20), Nicopolis (see Titus 3:12), and Crete (see Titus 1:5). The prison epistles show that Paul also intended to travel to Philippi (see Philip. 1:26; Philip. 2:24) and Colossae (see Philem. 1:22) if he was acquitted. In Romans 15:24, 28, Paul writes of a planned trip to Spain; and Clement, bishop of Rome at the end of the first century A.D., spoke of Paul traveling “to the limits of the west,’ which would certainly refer to Spain. (See 1 Clement 5:7.) Tradition is substantially uniform, however, in stating that some time in the later part of Nero’s reign Paul was executed in Rome. Behind him he left the rich treasures of his epistles and the record of his faithful friend Luke, which portrays an example of devoted service and missionary zeal that 20 centuries of time have only burnished brighter.” (C. Wilfred Griggs, “Paul: The Long Road from Damascus,” Ensign, Sept. 1975, 57)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “This transformative moment changed Saul forever. Indeed, it changed the world.
“We know that manifestations such as this happen… Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s … they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship, they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe.
“They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus.
“There are many others who, for different reasons, find themselves waiting on the road to Damascus. They delay becoming fully engaged as disciples. They hope to receive the priesthood but hesitate to live worthy of that privilege. They desire to enter the temple but delay the final act of faith to qualify. They remain waiting for the Christ to be given to them like a magnificent Carl Bloch painting—to remove once and for all their doubts and fears.
“The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.
“This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus.” (https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2011/04/waiting-on-the-road-to-damascus?)
Teaching Thoughts:
Background: Paul arrived in Jerusalem and gave a report of his missionary labors to local Church leaders. Paul went to the temple, and when a group of Jews who knew Paul from his missionary journeys saw him, they proclaimed that Paul was a false teacher who taught against the law of Moses and unlawfully brought Gentiles into the temple. Because of this accusation, a mob removed Paul from the temple and began beating him. Roman soldiers intervened and carried him away to be tried. While on the stairs of the Antonia Fortress (see Bible Maps, no. 12, “Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus”), Paul asked the soldiers if he could speak to the people.
Bryan Richards: “Wouldn’t it be great if every enemy of the Church was visited the Lord and commanded to repent? Many of the rebellious have required a sign of the Lord. They argue that they will not believe unless an angel appears unto them to tell them what to do…
“What does this tell us about such divine interventions? The Lord doesn’t send an angel to rebuke every rebellious soul because many of these would still not repent even if they saw an angel. The witness of the Holy Ghost is more powerful than the visitation of an angel. Heber J. Grant taught, “Many men say: “If I could only see an angel, if I could only hear an angel proclaim something, that would cause me to be faithful all the days of my life!’ It had no effect upon these men that were not serving the Lord, and it would have no effect today.” (Conference Reports, Apr. 1924, p. 159)
The "whited wall" epithet refers to the custom of whitewashing a wall to hide dirt and stains. Compare Jesus' reference to "whited sepulchres" (Matthew 23:27). Both images depict hypocrisy, and indeed Paul considered any Jewish leader a hypocrite who would order some one to be physically abused contrary to Mosaic law.” (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ, p. 106)
“At this point, Paul is really in trouble. He has already been prophetically warned about his visit to Jerusalem (Act 21:10 11). The Jewish masses attempted to kill him in the Temple (Acts 21:31), and his oration in his own defense had resulted in imprisonment (Acts 23). Now he has been placed before the Jewish Sanhedrin and has unwittingly criticized the most powerful Jewish authority. The Sanhedrin is likely to punish him in full measure.
Just at this inopportune time, Paul draws on his life’s experience to find a way out. He brilliantly draws the attention away from himself with the subject of the Resurrection. The fervor turns from Paul to an old, worn out debate between philosophical enemies. The Master warned, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves’ (Matt 10:16). Paul’s serpentine wisdom had turned the hungry wolves on each other. Soon Paul finds himself defended by the Pharisees, who declare, “We find no evil in this man’ (v. 9).
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “When Paul was in jail after having borne his testimony before a powerful political group in Jerusalem, Jesus stood by and counseled him to “be of good cheer.’ Why? Had not Paul been struck on the mouth at Ananias's order? Were not forty Jews plotting his death? Did not his trial for sedition lie just ahead? And also Paul's shipwreck? Cheerfulness was possible because Paul had done well in his ministry in Jerusalem and now was ready for Rome, where he would also testify with great power and persuasive authority. Let the intervening, tactical tribulation come!
“This lesson about justifiable cheerfulness even amid perilous passages apparently had been driven home to Paul, for during his voyage to Rome, he assured his fearful shipmates that not one of them would lose their lives, though their ship would be lost. Therefore, He encouraged them to “be of good cheer’ in the midst of their anxieties, and his prophecy was fulfilled. (Acts 27:22)
“It remains for us, therefore, to be of good cheer even when...current circumstances seem hopeless...
“It may seem to some of us so very hard to cling to...reassuring and renewing realities when tribulations and difficulties press in upon us from all sides. But these are the realities to which we will-and should-finally cling in the moments of truth. Why not, therefore, said Jesus, profit from good cheer at the outset and throughout each day, rather than finally relying upon it anyway-but only after unneeded anxiety?” (Even As I Am, 100-101)
Acts 23:23-24 - Roman officers escorted Paul to Caesarea with four hundred infantry and seventy cavalry. To avoid possible ambush, the contingent departed Jerusalem at 3 A.M. Paul would be safer in Roman Caesarea than in Jewish Jerusalem (see Bible Dictionary, "Caesarea"). In fact, three times within twenty-four hours Roman troops saved Paul's life.” (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ Salt Lake City; Deseret Book, 1998, 107)
Antonius Felix was appointed procurator in A.D. 52 (see Bible Dictionary, "Felix"). Felix's Jewish wife was Drusilla, a sister of Herod Agrippa II. They were living in an adulterous relationship because Drusilla had left her husband and "married" Felix, thus violating Jewish law. (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ Salt Lake City; Deseret Book, 1998, 107)
In Acts 23:12–25:27 we learn that the Roman captain who had arrested Paul sent him to Caesarea to prevent a band of Jews from killing him. Paul declared his innocence before the Roman governor Felix. Although convinced of Paul’s innocence, Felix continued to keep Paul under house arrest for two years. Festus replaced Felix as the Roman governor of Judea. King Herod Agrippa, who ruled an area located northeast of the Sea of Galilee, visited Festus and desired to hear Paul’s case. Paul was brought before King Agrippa.
President Harold B. Lee: “We were back East a short time ago and a good bishop made an interesting comment about what he called the saddest words that he knows of a man in high station. He read from the words in the days of the Apostle Paul when Paul before King Agrippa had borne his powerful testimony of his conversion. King Agrippa's reply was, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.’ (Acts 26:28.) Then the bishop said, “The king knew the truth but he lacked the courage to do that which would be required; and he could only say then, 'Almost thou persuadest,' almost persuaded under certain circumstances to do the thing the Lord would want him to do.’
“And then he characterized some things that he discovered in his own ward in a short but powerful sermon. “In response to the Master, Come . . . follow me' (Mark 10:21), some members almost,’ he said, “but not quite, say, thou persuadest me almost to be honest but I need extra help to pass a test.’
“Almost thou persuadest me to keep the Sabbath day holy, but it's fun to play ball on Sunday.”
“Almost thou persuadest me to love my neighbor, but he is a rascal; to be tolerant of others' views, but they are dead wrong; to be kind to sister, but she hit me first; to go [ministering] but it's so cold and damp outside tonight; to pay tithes and offerings, but we do need a new color TV set; to find the owner of a lost watch, but no one returned the watch I lost; to pass the Sacrament, but I've graduated from the deacons now, almost thou persuadest me to be reverent, but I had to tell my pal about my date last night; almost thou persuadest me to attend stake leadership meeting, but I know more than the leader on that subject, so why should I go. Thou persuadest me almost to go to Sacrament meeting but there is going to be such an uninteresting speaker… Almost! Almost! Almost! but not quite, not able quite to reach." (Conference Report, April 1964, Afternoon Meeting 24.)
Elder Spencer J. Condie: “In January of 1975, on a dark, rainy night in Tasmania, a 7,300–ton barge smashed into two piers of the Tasman Bridge, which connects Hobart, Tasmania, with its eastern suburbs across the bay. Three spans of the bridge collapsed. An Australian family by the name of Ling was driving across the bridge when suddenly the bridge lights went out. Just then a speeding car passed them and disappeared before their very eyes. Murray Ling slammed on his brakes and skidded to a stop, one yard from the edge of a black void.
“Murray got his family out of the car and then began warning oncoming traffic of the disaster ahead. As he frantically waved his arms, to his horror, a car swerved around him and plummeted into the abyss. Suddenly a loaded bus headed toward Murray, ignoring his waving arms. In desperation, risking his very life, he ran alongside the driver's window. There’s a span missing, he yelled. The bus swerved just in time and came to a halt against the railing. Dozens of lives had been saved.” (CR, October 1993)
“Paul’s arrival in Rome brings the reader to the end of the book of Acts, but not necessarily to the end of the life of the apostle. Luke concludes: “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him.’ (Acts 28:30.)
C. Wilfred Griggs: “Why doesn’t the account continue? If Paul had lost his case-and his life-before the emperor, an account of his martyrdom would have been a most appropriate seal for his testimony and ministry. However, he must not have died at this time. Neither Felix, nor Festus, nor Agrippa deemed Paul guilty of crime, let alone worthy of death. Furthermore, Paul is rather optimistic about his own future in the so called “prison epistles’ written during this time from Rome. (See Philip. 1:21 26; Philip. 2:23 24; Philem. 1:22.)
“A number of other evidences hint that Paul was acquitted and traveled for some time before another imprisonment and death. Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus do not fit into the chronology of Acts, and therefore must have been written later. From these epistles one notes that Paul visited Ephesus (see 1 Tim. 1:3; 1 Tim. 3:14 15), Miletus (see 2 Tim. 4:20), Troas (see 2 Tim. 4:13), Corinth (see 2 Tim. 4:20), Nicopolis (see Titus 3:12), and Crete (see Titus 1:5). The prison epistles show that Paul also intended to travel to Philippi (see Philip. 1:26; Philip. 2:24) and Colossae (see Philem. 1:22) if he was acquitted. In Romans 15:24, 28, Paul writes of a planned trip to Spain; and Clement, bishop of Rome at the end of the first century A.D., spoke of Paul traveling “to the limits of the west,’ which would certainly refer to Spain. (See 1 Clement 5:7.) Tradition is substantially uniform, however, in stating that some time in the later part of Nero’s reign Paul was executed in Rome. Behind him he left the rich treasures of his epistles and the record of his faithful friend Luke, which portrays an example of devoted service and missionary zeal that 20 centuries of time have only burnished brighter.” (C. Wilfred Griggs, “Paul: The Long Road from Damascus,” Ensign, Sept. 1975, 57)
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “This transformative moment changed Saul forever. Indeed, it changed the world.
“We know that manifestations such as this happen… Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s … they cannot believe. They stand at the waters of baptism but do not enter. They wait at the threshold of testimony but cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the truth. Instead of taking small steps of faith on the path of discipleship, they want some dramatic event to compel them to believe.
“They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus.
“There are many others who, for different reasons, find themselves waiting on the road to Damascus. They delay becoming fully engaged as disciples. They hope to receive the priesthood but hesitate to live worthy of that privilege. They desire to enter the temple but delay the final act of faith to qualify. They remain waiting for the Christ to be given to them like a magnificent Carl Bloch painting—to remove once and for all their doubts and fears.
“The truth is, those who diligently seek to learn of Christ eventually will come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle—one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us to see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us—not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed.
“This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus.” (https://site.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2011/04/waiting-on-the-road-to-damascus?)
Teaching Thoughts:
- Paul’s example of how to “be of good cheer” in times of difficulty.
- Sharing quotes/scriptures that help during difficult times.
- Take time to text someone else’s quote/scripture to a family member or a friend.
- Don’t wait on your road to Damascus. Don’t be an “almost-er.” Choose to act in faith.