Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
When Paul finally arrives in Rome, the first thing he wants to do is explain his innocence to the Jewish community - My brothers…I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors.
Much more than defending himself, Paul wants to share what God is doing through Jesus.
From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
Some were convinced, others not so much. Paul reminds them of a prophecy of Isaiah - Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
Why can’t some people receive the will of God for their lives? Is it because God always does the unexpected? Many times exactly the opposite of what we were looking for!
This is the problem even with religion. No especially with religion, because religious people get comfortable with the idea they know what to expect from God. Then when God does the unexpected, they miss out.
Remember how few were expecting Jesus to show up in a manger, grow up in Nazareth and die on a cross?
Pondering the unlimited intelligence and power of God should remind us how impossible it is for human beings to anticipate what He will do.
And so the Book of Acts ends much as it began. Although a different city, Rome instead of Jerusalem! Another preacher, Paul not Peter! But the same scenarios of unexpected Good News!
Unexpected God! Some are able to open their hearts…
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