At the service in Tenby on Sunday evening, the pastor, Rev. Peter Richmond, continued his series on the New Testament book of Acts.

When the friends of Apostle Paul witnessed prophecies about how he would suffer in Jerusalem, they naturally urged him not to go. But the prophecies did not instruct him to avoid Jerusalem; they merely prepared him for what he would face. At Miletus he had said, "compelled by the Spirit, I'm going to Jerusalem."

His friends were the first to misunderstand him, next were the Christian community in Jerusalem who had heard 'on the grapevine' that Paul was throwing out all the Jewish scriptures and traditions. Nothing could be further from the truth; Paul took a Nazarite vow as a demonstration of his adherence to the law and festivals of Judaism.

Then it was the turn of the Jews in Jerusalem to believe troublemakers who accused Paul of bringing gentiles into the sacred places of the temple. A riot ensued, and finally Paul found himself surrounded by Roman soldiers and bound in chains.

Unafraid, Paul asked for permission to address the crowd. His speaking demonstrated his Jewish roots, his conversion experience and his Roman citizenship. The mob raised a riot but they did not argue with the facts, and when the Romans realised Paul was a citizen, the chains were removed.

"He may have been called to suffer, but not to suffer needlessly," observed Peter. "In the same way the battered wife, the exploited worker, the abused child, are not examples of legitimate, biblical suffering."

This Sunday the church meets in the Avenue Centre, Greenhill Avenue, at 6 pm. The preacher will be Mick Quirk. Visit http://www.hesed.co.uk">www.hesed.co.uk for more information on the life of the fellowship.