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September 30 - Acts 28 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Tuesday.
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  It's the 30th of September. Great to have your company as
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  today we are going to wrap up the book of the Acts of the
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  Apostles. And the Acts of the Apostles is
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  really the Acts of Jesus building his church through the
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  known world. And today, well, it doesn't feel
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  like much of A climax as far as the narrative goes.
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  But if we remember all the way back to the beginning, there was
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  Jesus telling them that their mission, his disciples mission,
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  was to take his message and share it to the ends of the
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  earth. And the way that happened is
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  Paul taking this message to the centre of the known world.
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  And from there it could head out.
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  And today they go from being shipwrecked on the island of
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  Malta all the way to Rome to where Paul is able to share that
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  message and the good news of Jesus is able to spread.
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  So that is where the story will take us and that is where we
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  will end today. So let us hear this fulfilment
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  of that plan as we read together this last chapter, Acts Chapter
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  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 armful 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 officer 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 honours and when the time came to sail, 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 3 days.
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  From there we sailed to Regime a day later AS wind began blowing.
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  So the following day we sailed up the coast to Putioli.
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  There we found some believers who invited us to spend a week
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  with them. And so we came to Rome.
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  The brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming and
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  they came to meet us at the Forum on the Apian Way.
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  Others joined us at the Three Taverns.
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  When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.
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  When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own
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  private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.
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  Three days after Paul's arrival, he called together the local
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  Jewish leaders. He said to them, Brothers, I was
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  arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government,
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  even though I had done nothing against our people or the
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  customs of our 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, for the only thing we
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  know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.
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  So a time was set and on that day a large number of people
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  came to Paul's lodging. He explained and testified about
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  the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from
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  the Scriptures using the Law of Moses and the books of the
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  prophets. He spoke to them from morning
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  until evening. Some were persuaded by the
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  things he said, but others did not believe.
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  And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they
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  left with this final word. For Paul, the Holy Spirit was
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  right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the
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  prophet, Go and say to this people, when you hear what I
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  say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will
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  not comprehend. For the hearts of these people
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  are hardened and their ears cannot hear, and they have
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  closed their eyes, so their eyes cannot see, and their ears
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  cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they
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  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.
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  For the next 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, and no one tried to stop him.
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  Oh Jesus, you will have your way.
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  In the end, your plan will be victorious, and in fact, your
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  plan is already victorious. But here we are, living in the
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  time of waiting for your plan to come to fruition here on earth.
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  And during this time, we have got this news to share.
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  We have got this way to live which will inspire people to
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  look for answers. And you, you, Jesus, are the
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  answer. Give us the motivation and the
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  bravery and the boldness to speak of the hope we have in
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  you, and then to know that it's you that changes hearts.
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  It's you that brings people to faith.
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  If we are faithful to our part, you will be faithful to all that
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  you have promised. So we thank you for your
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  Kingdom. We thank you for the story of
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  our church growing from just a group of people standing on a
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  mountainside, bewildered as they saw you raised up and returned
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  to the Father, and to this point where your disciples are there
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  in the heart of the known world preaching your good news.
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  May we, the Church of today, continue to build your Kingdom
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  here on earth, indeed, as it is in heaven.
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  We love you and we praise you, and we pray all of this in your
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  precious name, Jesus, Amen.