Daily Bread for Nov 26, Acts 27-28
Today’s readings are Acts 27-28.
As a Roman citizen, Paul has appealed to Caesar regarding
his arrest and imprisonment and is being taken by ship to Rome for a hearing.
Along the way, the boat encounters a fierce storm resulting in the loss of all
its cargo and tackle, leaving it helpless and drifting with all aboard in
danger of starving (Acts 27).
Paul prophesies that none of them will die. The boat shipwrecks on Malta with
no loss of life.
While on Malta, Paul is miraculously healed of a
poisonous snake bite (Acts 28).
Paul then begins to pray for the healing of many on the island, and God heals
them. Upon Paul's departure, still in custody of Roman Centurions, the people
of the island honor Paul and care for Him. Apparently, they can see the hand of
God moving in and through Paul. One has to wonder whether the
Centurions do and what testimony they will carry with them once the party
arrives in Rome. Indeed, the supernatural events during the trip have
established Paul’s credentials as a man uniquely enabled by God.
However, instead of providing more detail, Acts ends
abruptly. Paul is in Rome, preaching the gospel. Tradition has it that Paul was
released and may have ministered in the west. Later, when Nero persecuted the
Christians, Paul was arrested again, imprisoned and martyred. Between the
end of Acts and Paul's martyrdom, he finished the Pauline Epistles starting with
Colossians.
Acts’ role in the biblical narrative is not to trace the
entire history of the new church, but to portray the foundational teachings and
spread of the gospel in those first crucial years of its infancy. The scope of
Acts takes us from that first sermon in Jerusalem (Act 2:14-36) through the
identifying of the early theological/doctrinal struggles of the growing
movement to the establishment of a strong, mutually supportive network of
churches that will eventually influence the entire world. Along the way, we see
God preserving the church, protecting it and refining it through oppression and
suffering. While many read Acts paying close attention to the miracles, signs
and wonders, few see that the overall narrative is one of a fledgling church
that is rejected by the world. Its members are people that are persecuted and
imprisoned at nearly every turn.
While others are mentioned, Paul is prominently featured in
Acts. Objectively speaking, Paul, by the time he gets to Rome, is an abject
failure. He's been imprisoned, beaten, stoned, rejected accused, maligned and
thrown out of nearly every town he visited. Converts have been relatively few
in each location and opposition has been great everywhere except Berea (Acts
17:1-15).
Eventually, abandoned by most of his followers, Paul will die
in prison. Even though there are precious few believers compared to the number
of people who hear Paul, the Epistles make it clear that those converts will
witness to others and the others to even more. Over time, enduring churches
will arise and grow in nearly all the cities Paul visited. The growth of the
churches is apparently not the result of Paul's efforts but by the presence and
power of the Spirit of God changing hearts and transforming lives one person at
a time.
Paul has been willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel.
He is content, allowing God to produce results even when none are apparent.
Paul does what he is charged to do, speak the truth and leave the rest up to
God. God uses Paul's faithfulness to help establish His church on earth and
prepare His children for heaven.
To be fully appreciated, the Book of Acts must be taken in
its entirety not divided up into small pieces and used to support
out-of-context ideas and perceptions. Viewed as a whole, we see God's hand
moving sovereignly and providentially to establish, protect, preserve and
prosper His church. The overall narrative makes it clear that nothing will
destroy the church, that God will use who oppose the church to make it
stronger. Acts also shows us that nothing will stop the truth of God's word
from going forward.
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