April 21, 2010 (Acts 27-28, Philemon 1)

The time came for Paul and some other prisoners to be sent to Rome. It was fall, and sea travel had become dangerous. Paul warned them that if they went on this journey, trouble was ahead. But one day a favorable light wind blew in from the south, so they went against his counsel and set sail. But not long after they left a 'northeaster' came upon them with gale force winds that ruined their little 'sailing excursion'. Here is how Paul addressed them:

^{Acts 27:21} No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. ²² But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. ²³ For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, ²⁴ and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. ²⁶ But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

Good old Paul..."I told you so". Maybe that originated from this story! :) But I love his other comment - "The God to whom I belong and whom I serve". That reminded me of Daniel. Both men knew who they belonged to and what their lives were for, and because of that they had extreme boldness and were used mightily by God. And Paul believed what God said. Again, he lived by faith.

When Paul finally got to Rome, the people were very curious to hear Paul's message. So it says "He began lecturing in the morning and went on into the evening. Some believed and some didn't." That's the way it is. Some will believe and some won't. That part is up to God. Our part is to be faithful to tell others about Jesus. The people left with this final word from Paul:

^{Acts 28:25} And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

²⁶ ‘Go and say to this people:
When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
²⁷ For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’

²⁸ So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”

³⁰ For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, ³¹ boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.