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November 1 - Acts 28 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. Sean here it is Wednesday.
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  It is the very first day of November.
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  Hello to you and hello to this month.
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  I hope you are going well and I hope that you have a better
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  system for knowing the day of the month than I do because I
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  literally recorded yesterday's podcast welcoming everyone to
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  November. And then as I was saving the
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  file, I realized that indeed it was the 31st of October, which I
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  completely forgot existed. But that is the beauty of re
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  recording things so that I don't sound like a complete numpty
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  until I tell you what actually happened right now.
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  That's right. I can learn from my mistakes.
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  So a pinch and a punch for the first day of the month.
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  I hope it is a beautiful one for you.
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  And today we round out the Book of Acts.
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  Paul and his shipwrecked companions realize that they are
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  on the island of Malta. And then he'll make it to Rome,
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  where he will spend the next couple of years under house
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  arrest there. So as we gather to hear the last
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  leg of this story, let us come before our God, OfferUp our
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  hearts and our minds, our attention and our intentions as
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  we have the Holy Spirit move in us to stir Whatever the message
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  is in here that God has for us today, Come Holy Spirit, let's
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  read together Acts Chapter 28. Once we were safe on shore, we
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  learned that we were on the island of Malta.
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  The people of the island were very kind to us.
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  It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to
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  welcome us. As Paul gathered an arm full of
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  sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake
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  driven out by the heat bit him on the hand.
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  The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said
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  to each other a murderer, no doubt, though he escaped the
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  sea, Justice will not permit him to live.
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  But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
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  The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead.
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  But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't
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  harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a God.
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  Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to
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  Publius, the chief official of the island.
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  He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
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  As it happened, Publius's father was ill with fever and
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  dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him,
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  and laying his hands on him, he healed him.
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  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were
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  healed. As a result, we were showered
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  with honors, and when the time came to sale, people supplied us
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  with everything we would need for the trip.
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  It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on
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  another ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian
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  ship with the twin gods as its figurehead.
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  Our first stop was Syracuse, where we stayed three days.
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  From there we sailed across to Regium a day later AS wind began
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  blowing. So the following day we sailed
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  up the coast to Putioli. There we found some believers
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  who invited us to spend a week with them, and so we came to
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  Rome. The brothers and sisters in Rome
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  had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the
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  forum on the Apion Way. Others joined us at the three
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  Taverns. When Paul saw them, he was
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  encouraged and thanked God. When we arrived in Rome, Paul
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  was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was
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  guarded by a soldier. Three days after Paul's arrival,
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  he called together the local Jewish leaders.
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  He said to them. Brothers, I was arrested in
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  Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I
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  had done nothing against our people or the customs of our
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  ancestors. The Romans tried me and wanted
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  to release me because they found no cause for the death sentence.
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  But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt
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  it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no
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  desire to press charges against my own people.
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  I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and
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  so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because
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  I believe that the hope of Israel, the Messiah, has already
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  come, they replied. We have had no letters from
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  Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here,
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  But we want to hear what you believe.
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  For the only thing we know about this movement is that it is
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  denounced everywhere. So a time was set, and on that
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  day a large number of people came to Paul's lodging.
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  He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to
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  persuade them about Jesus from the scriptures using the Law of
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  Moses and the books of the prophets.
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  He spoke to them from morning until evening.
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  Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did
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  not believe, and after they had argued back and forth among
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  themselves, they left with this final word from Paul.
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  The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors
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  through Isaiah the prophet, go and say to this people, when you
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  hear what I say, you will not understand.
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  When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.
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  For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears
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  cannot hear, And they have closed their eyes so their eyes
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  cannot see and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot
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  understand and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.
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  So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been
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  offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it for the next
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  two years. Paul lived in Rome at his own
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  expense. He welcomed all who visited him,
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  boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the
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  Lord. Jesus Christ.
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  And no one tried to stop him. Thank you, Jesus, for placing us
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  here in community with your people.
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  Thank you for the fellow believers in our lives who
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  encourage us. Thank you for those friendships,
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  those relationships. May we hear your words of wisdom
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  and reassurance and kindness through them.
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  And may we bear those words of love and companionship and
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  correction gently when it's needed, that together we can
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  spur each other on following you.
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  And no matter how small we feel, Lord, use us to speak your words
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  of encouragement to our brothers and sisters.
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  We love you, and we are so grateful for this incredible
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  story that we read about Paul in your church.
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  And we are so grateful that you act so faithfully throughout,
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  sharing Your love, sharing the incredible story of you coming
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  to us to forgive us and to draw us into your family.
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  We are just flabbergasted at your generosity, Lord, and we
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  pray all these things in Your saving name.
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  Amen.