UNEXPECTED GOD

Acts 28:17-31

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…

ISLAND OF MALTA

Acts 28:1-16

Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.

How fortunate for his sailing companions Paul was onboard. Sometimes one student of Jesus can make all the difference in the world!

Now just as God promised – and Paul relayed to them – none of the ship’s passengers or crew lost their lives.

They are thrust onto the Island of Malta. There they are received warmly by its inhabitants.

Publius, the chief official of the island… welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us…

They wintered on the island for three months. Finally, they were able to board an Egyptian ship to Syracuse in Sicily. And from there to Italy!

There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

It has been nearly three years since Paul was arrested in Jerusalem. Now after numerous trials, waiting in prison and an incredible sea voyage, Paul reaches his destination.

It will be two more years before Paul’s case is heard and he is released. But his situation has changed for the better - When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Paul is granted greater freedom to live more normally. He will be able to receive company and share the Good News freely.

Paul’s life as a student of Jesus is every student’s narrative. Perhaps, his life seems more exciting and adventurous than most, but the theme is the same. God provides everything needed in every circumstance!

No situation arises in which we cannot fulfill our destiny to become more like Jesus and minster health and healing to those around us.

SHIPWRECKED!

Acts 27:27-44

Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

Being a serious student of Jesus has risks. That’s because the Teacher we follow did not choose the path of safety. Not for Himself and so not for those who seek to become more like Him!

Paul is a prisoner on his way to Rome. It is his fourteenth night in a horrifying sea storm.

Did Paul long for the comforts of his home? Was there a moment when he regretted the day he went on his first missionary journey? Probably not!

This isn't Paul’s first experience with suffering. Deprivations, death threats, discomforts, dangers and even stoning have happened to him already. He has experienced God’s faithfulness in many other desperate situations.

Paul seems calm in the midst of the shipwreck. He’s actually giving the orders now. He’s keeping his head when all around others are losing theirs!

He tells them to take some food, not because it is their last meal, but because they will need their strength. They will survive!

The ship will break apart, but not before Paul and the other 275 persons reach the safety of an island.

Students of Jesus, like their Teacher before them, take risks. They move out of their comfort zones. Get involved in helping solve the problems of those suffering around them and they suffer too!

Look at the life of our Teacher! One so radically different from the norm! The principle difference was his relationships to hurting and even dangerous people around him.

Paul suffers shipwreck because he chose to live the same kind of risky life. It is also the most interesting and rewarding way to live!

Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it!

A STORM

Acts 27:13-26

Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island.

Paul’s prediction of disaster is beginning to come true. Out on the sea in a violent storm!

Desperate times call for desperate measures. They pass ropes under the ship, in an attempt to keep the wooden ship from breaking into pieces. As lowered anchor provided a very poor brake. The next day they threw the cargo overboard. Three days later, the ship’s tackle!

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

Like Paul, students of Jesus sometimes find themselves in the midst of a storm. Circumstances beyond their control! Situations not of their making!

Maybe not a weather-related storm, but as fearsome and battering nonetheless. Job loss, family problems, life-threatening sickness, and even death of loved ones!

But Paul saw this storm coming and tried to warn them. Now he has an, I told you so, moment.

Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.

Some storms can be avoided if we follow good advice or even our own conscience. But not always. And here Paul gives them encouragement in the midst of the storm, much like Jesus who calmed His disciples in a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.

Paul is unafraid, for God has told him he must appear before Caesar. He has long ago learned to trust God in the storms of life.

VOYAGE TO ROME

Acts 27:1-12

When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius…

Paul is placed in the custody of a centurion of Caesar’s Regiment. Probably because Paul’s case will now be heard by the Emperor himself!

After a fairly normal beginning in their voyage to Italy, the journey very quickly resembles a cruise itinerary gone terribly awry!

Due to the season of the year and the prevailing winds were against them.

By the time they changed ships in Myra, the wind was against them, impeding their progress.

We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus.

Then the wind changed direction such that they were unable to continue on a direct course - We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens.

Paul understands it will be dangerous sailing now at this late time in the year. His advice? Spend the winter in this safe harbor.

Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.

The centurion, however, listens to the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship, so they press on hoping to reach a more comfortable harbor on the island of Crete.

Of course, in a short time Paul’s advice will be proven correct. Over the course of this ill-fated voyage, all of the men on this ship turn to Paul for leadership.

This is the way it often happens. God leads students of Jesus to gradually gain the respect of those around them and thus gain a hearing for the Message of Jesus.

RESURRECTION!

Acts 26:19-32

That the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles!

Paul’s defense is simple. He informs them his troubles are simply the result of his testimony about the resurrection of Jesus.

Paul doesn't expect them to believe Jesus rose from the dead simply because he claims to have seen Jesus one fateful day on the road to Damascus. This was true of course, but Paul reminds them of a verifiable truth...Moses and the Old Testament prophets long ago foretold the coming of the Christ!

At this point Festus interrupts Paul with an accusation – “You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane."

Apparently, Paul’s defense – his words and manner of presentation – revealed a man of great education. But the idea of a resurrection is too incredible for the governor.

However, Agrippa is a man who is very well acquainted with the Jewish religion. He knows the prophecies. Therefore, Paul makes a direct appeal to him.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.

What happens next is reminiscent of the time Herod ordered the death of John the Baptist because of peer pressure. Like his great-grandfather before him, Agrippa is overly influenced by the presence of prominent military leaders and important people present with him.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"

Certainly Paul is on trial for his life, but he is not the only one in the room who feels indicted. That’s because the claims of Jesus always demand a response in every heart. No doubt at this point in the proceedings, even in chains, Paul is more comfortable with his position than anyone else in the hall. Including the king!

So is everyone who trusts Jesus and believes in a future resurrection.

PAUL'S MISSION

Acts 25:23-26:18

To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins…

These are the words Paul uses to describe the mission Jesus gave him to do. It is a graphic description of the condition of everyone who does not believe in Jesus.

In darkness and under the power of Satan!

The truth is all unbelievers are blind to reality. The sphere in which they live is darkness. There sins remain unforgiven!

Surely his audience understood he was talking about them also. But Paul does not fear for his life as much as he fears for their spiritual condition! He wants to share with them the way to forgiveness of sins and entrance into the kingdom of God.

Paul is very bold to talk this frankly before such an august body of people. King Agrippa, Festus, high ranking military officers and all the leading men of the city who are themselves unbelievers. Those who have power over his life!

The text records how Agrippa and Bernice entered the assembly with great pomp. The Greek word used here is phantasia. They are all living in a fantasy, something that is unreal, temporary and will not endure!

Through birth, by education and skill or even by political maneuvering, each of those assembled have created a comfortable place for themselves in the world. Their place in society must have been a source of both pride and security to them.

But Paul understands they do not have a place among the saved. They are in great danger and don't realize it. He would bring them into the light of God’s reality. The truth of Jesus!

This is Paul’s Mission and the work of every student of the Teacher.

DISCORD

Acts 25:13-22

When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected...

In private conference, Festus informs King Agrippa about Paul’s case. He shares his surprise at the charges leveled against Paul. They were not crimes a judge normally expects to hear.

Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion…

It is a sad state of affairs when people who claim to believe in the same God do not respect one another. Sadder still, when the discord rises to the level of hate and even persecution! Obviously the case with Paul's accusers!

If the God who created mankind gives freedom of choice and conscience to every person in the world, by what right do men appoint themselves guardians of the truth as they see it, and then actively seek to harm those who disagree with them?

It must break God’s heart to see anyone doing such things in the name of religion. In the name of God!

Worse yet is the effect such discord among believers has on those who do not yet believe in God! It must be very confusing!

Is it coincidental that not one of the judges before whom Paul has defended himself responded favorably to his message about Jesus? Not Felix, not Festus,! Nor will King Agrippa when he hears the message!

Paul is not able preach the message under the best conditions. And his judges are not able to hear the Good News about Jesus without prejudice. A prejudice all persons naturally feel when religious people are at each other’s throats.

Paul was respectful and did his best to defend himself in a kind manner. He presented the case for faith in Jesus in a most loving manner. But the context of discord was simply too much to overcome.

In such a situation, Festus says it best - I was at a loss how to investigate such matters.

TO CAESAR!

Acts 25:1-12

You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!

Here Paul exercises his right as a Roman citizen. He appeals to Caesar’s judgment of his case.

He has no choice really.

The system is rigged against him because of a secret deal the Jewish leaders made with his new judge, Festus, who had replaced Felix as the governor.

During a prolonged meeting in Jerusalem, the religious leaders who oppose Paul, made an arrangement with Festus to have Paul transferred back to Jerusalem for judgment.

Unknown to Festus is their secret plan to assassinate him in route to the city.

…they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

At this final trial in Caesarea, many charges were made against Paul without sufficient proof to establish his guilt in the case. But when Paul understood that Festus had in mind to send him back to Jerusalem, he appealed to Caesar.

I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried…no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!

Festus and the council of judges conferred about the matter and agreed there was no choice but to send Paul to Rome.

Once again, God protects Paul from a plot against his life. A scheme that, if successful, would prevent him from continuing the work God has planned for him. To testify of Jesus in Rome and beyond!

For Paul will go to Rome. He will teach about Jesus for two years as he waits for trial. Ultimately, he will be released to continue his missionary work, before finding himself once again in Rome for another trial which tradition says resulted in his death.

MAYBE LATER...

Acts 24:24-27

Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

So much for a speedy trial! Political prisoners often languish for years in prisons. Paul will remain in custody for two more years as the case against him drags on.

Felix…sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul has an opportunity to defend himself before the ruler, but he does much more. He tells his judge about Jesus. Surely Paul would like to be free, but he also wants Felix and his wife to become followers of Jesus.

Paul even has the audacity to talk to his judge about changing his life. The need to do right and exercise self-control!

He even warns them about the coming judgment. The impact on Felix was dramatic - Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you."

For those who do not have faith in Jesus, judgment is a fearful thing. So frightening in fact, some people simply refuse to think about it. Especially when they don’t want to change their behavior, give up their harmful ways.

Felix reaction? Don’t call me, I’ll call you! Maybe later…when I have a more convenient time!

As far as we know from the historical record, Felix never found it convenient to repent and follow Jesus.

It’s understandable. Change is never easy, even positive change can be painful. And becoming more like Jesus is a commitment to an entirely different way of relating to the world, a brand new way of living.

But as students of Jesus know, following Him leads to the best kind of life, both now and forever!

CEREMONIALLY CLEAN

Acts 24:1-23

I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts…

The Law of Moses and the traditions surrounding it required many types of ritual cleansings. Jesus clashed with the religious authorities about some of the traditions. Hand washing before meals, for example.

However, there were special requirements of cleanliness before one could enter the temple and the presence of God. Failure to do so was a form of desecration of the temple.

Desecration of a temple of any kind was a serious offense, not only to the adherents of the particular religion, but also to Roman authority.

Part of the success of Roman governance was a respect for different religions within the Empire. With Paul standing before the governor, a charge of temple desecration, if proven, will prove most damning to Paul.

This is the angle the prosecutor, Tertullus, presses against him. And the reason he gives to justify seizing Paul in the first place.

But Paul was ceremonially clean, according to the Jewish customs, when he entered the temple and he says so. And offers in his defense - They cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.

But Paul knows that ceremonial cleansing of the body does not make a person truly clean. Washing the outside cannot remove the guilt of sin on the inside. Only trust in Jesus and His sacrifice can make a person clean before God.

This is the message Paul has been preaching. And his success in turning people to faith in Jesus is really why he is in trouble here.

Paul deftly turns the trial away from his personal behavior to the real issue - It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today. Even on trial for his life, Paul stays on message!

GOD'S PROTECTION

Acts 23:23-35

Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen…

God provides 470 soldiers, cavalry and spearmen for Paul’s safe escort out of the city of Jerusalem. Away from the reach of the 40 assassins who have conspired to kill him!

The Bible is replete with stories of God’s rescue of his people. Noah from the flood, Moses from Pharaoh, David from Goliath, and Daniel from the lions!

Here Paul is saved from death. However, God’s protection has many forms. Sometimes even death is a kind of protection.

For those who believe in the resurrection, there are things worse than death. Jesus was not saved from death, though He prayed fervently to avoid the cross if it could be God’s Will.

But God’s protection is on the other side of death as well. Jesus found this to be true in His resurrection. A greater glory and blessedness for Him because of His cross!

And protection and rescue for every man, woman, boy and girl who believes in Jesus. God’s protection from the guilt of sin through the forgiveness made possible by Jesus’ death. And rescue from death by a promised resurrection.

We pray for God’s protection to spare our lives and it may be granted. Other times, God who knows our futures, allows our lives to end here on earth in order that we might be with Him. Doubtless all who die in faith awake to a state of bliss from which they would not wish to return.

God safeguards Paul’s life because he has important work to do. He must testify of Jesus before kings and rulers. Paul will spend the next few years in prison, but because of this he will have opportunities to speak of Jesus.

Students of Jesus believe in God’s protection!

IN HIS STEPS

Acts 23:12-22

We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.

Jesus said, The student when fully trained will be like his Teacher!

We rightly interpret this to mean following in the steps of Jesus leads us to become more like Him. More loving, peaceful, joyful, merciful and kind, gentle, even powerful!

With Jesus as our Teacher and the Holy Spirit producing His fruit in our lives, we develop and mature in the traits of Jesus. It is very positive and satisfying to become a better person!

But it is equally true, the more students become like the Teacher, the more their life resembles His in ways that are not pleasant. The steps of Jesus lead in ways of struggle and danger. Even death!

This is why Jesus counsels those who prepare to follow Him to count the cost.

Now Paul knows from personal experience, both the joys and the struggles in walking in the footsteps of Jesus.

The Book of Acts not only records Paul’s wonderful successes in creating students for Jesus, but also many troubles he endured in the process. From the moment of his baptism in Damascus, Paul as been in danger of personal harm!

Here is yet another plot to kill him. Forty men vow not to eat until Paul is dead by their hands. One wonders whether they broke their vows or all died of hunger! For once again, God protects him through a warning from his nephew.

It is not one way for the Teacher and another way for students who follow Him. The steps of Jesus also lead to a cross. The cross of personal suffering!

Daily we suffer the death of selfishness and the cravings of human passions as we put them to death in order to live the life Jesus gives.

And like Paul, sometimes we suffer from the unkind words and actions of those who oppose us. But always the steps of Jesus led upward.

SHREWD PLOY

Acts 23:6-11

My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.

Paul gets off to a bad start in his defense. When he mentions living in good conscience, the High Priest orders him to be slapped. Things are not going well.

Paul realizes he must do something drastic to save himself. His strategy?

Divide and conquer.

He quickly sizes up his jury. They are two divergent groups, Sadducees and Pharisees - The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

Paul sides with the truth and proclaims it. After all, this is what he has been preaching about Jesus all along. There is a resurrection!

The result?

The council immediately devolved into contentious debate among themselves. Pharisees siding with Paul and Sadducees arguing vigorously against him!

The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

Who can fault Paul for this shrewd ploy? He has been wise in his tactic and done no harm. He lives to teach another day and the Lord approves.

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

GOOD CONSCIENCE

Acts 22:22-23:5

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.”

How could Paul make such a statement? Didn’t he formerly persecute and kill followers of Jesus? Yes, but apparently, he didn’t violate his conscience in doing those things.

And now Paul is released to speak to the Supreme Court of Israel and he is set to defend his recent action of creating students for Jesus. The very idea he formerly opposed!

Apparently, Paul could look back at the contradictory actions in his life and truthfully say he did everything in good conscience.

When he persecuted Christians, he thought it was God’s Will. After meeting Jesus, he worked to spread the Good News of Jesus. In both, he did what he thought to be right at the time.

That’s a good conscience! Doing what you think is right!

Sometimes preachers and commentators make much of the fact that conscience is not a good guide. The point is often made that only God’s Word – the Bible – can properly inform our consciences.

We can be conscientious, and be very wrong! After all, Paul was wrongly persecuting Christians with a clear conscience.

These are good observations. Our consciences alone are not an infallible guide for behavior. Doing something in good conscience doesn’t necessarily mean what we are doing is right. God’s Will must be the teacher of our conscience.

But there is another truth here and this is the importance of following our consciences! A good conscience is a mark of integrity. God gave us conscience to motivate us to proper behavior and create guilty feelings when we violate it.

Consider the possibility that Jesus appeared to Paul and chose him to be an apostle precisely because he was always lived with a good conscience!

ONE-TRACK MIND

Acts 21:37-22:23

Strange! Paul is in no hurry to get away from the mob that only seconds before was beating him to death.

Bruised and no doubt bleeding, Paul has only one thing on his mind. Convincing these people to become students of Jesus!

Even in pain, Paul has a one-track mind! He asks the commander of the soldiers who rescued him for permission to speak to the crowd.

This is an incredible example of dedication to the Teacher who said – Go and make students in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds them of his former life as a persecutor of Christians. How he participated in the stoning of Stephen and of his efforts to kill other followers of Jesus!

Then he tells them how Jesus appeared to him and he became a student of Jesus. Commissioned to take the Good News to the Gentile nations!

He tells how Ananias taught him the necessity of being baptized into Christ - And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.

He defends his mission efforts among the nations - Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'

The crowd listened quietly to Paul until he mentioned the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s plan. At this, they began again to call for his death and the soldiers carried him away.

Did Paul believe his testimony would change their minds? That they also would become students of Jesus? He must have hoped so.

In any case, he was doing what the Jesus asked of him. He was being a good student of the Teacher! And like Jesus, he loved them.

Saying someone has a one-track mind usually isn’t a compliment. But if it is a mind set on pleasing the Teacher it is high praise indeed!

NO COINCIDENCES

Acts 21:27-36

Sometimes unpleasant circumstances seem to conspire against us. When in reality they bring us closer to our destiny. This is exactly what happened to Paul when he went to the temple.

Here Paul coincidentally meets some Jews from the province of Asia. No doubt from a city Paul had visited on one of his missionary journeys. They recognize him and are very upset to see him in the temple!

Perhaps they are some of the men who were in the mob who stoned him in Lystra or other irate men who unsuccessfully opposed him in Ephesus. Angry with Paul because of his success in teaching about Jesus in their synagogues!

They begin to shout to everyone - Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place.

Paul is a victim of circumstances. They bring a false accusation that he had defiled the temple by bringing Greeks there - They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.

The riot spreads through the city like wildfire. They drag Paul from the temple and begin to beat him to death. Only the intervention of a Roman troop saves his life!

Coincidence? Students of Jesus do not believe it. What seems to be accidental may be a part of God’s plan. Even unpleasant circumstances may be lead us to fulfill our destiny. God is sovereign!

When Jesus called Paul to be an apostle to the Gentiles, He told him how he would suffer for his Name and be a witness before Kings.

Now, because of this incident Paul will be tried in several Roman Courts. As an attorney, Paul will make his own defense. And his message about Jesus will be heard by the Kings who sit in judgment over him.

Eventually Paul will be executed for his faith. But not before he fulfills the work Jesus gave him. And it’s no coincidence that these men who tried to kill Paul actually propel him along on the path of God’s Will.

GOOD PLAN

Acts 21:17-26

Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

Paul arrives in Jerusalem and meets with the Elders. He’s excited to share the results of his mission trips. When they heard this, they praised God.

God gave Paul incredible success in reaching out to the Gentile people. His reputation of establishing churches with large Gentile populations has preceded him to Jerusalem. But not all rumored about Paul’s work is true.

The elders inform Paul the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem have been told Paul teaches the Gentiles to reject the teaching of Moses. The elders are concerned that Paul’s presence will disturb the peace of the Jewish Christians there.

Of course Paul taught the truth, that following the teaching of Jesus is all-sufficient. However, he didn’t teach Gentile Christians to reject Moses, he only informed them they didn’t need to keep the customs of the Jews to be pleasing to God.

But, as we have already observed, some Jewish Christians do not yet understand this truth. They believe in Jesus for salvation, but erroneously believe everyone must also keep the teachings of Moses.

The elders have a plan to remove any doubt about Paul’s personal acceptance of Jewish customs. They ask Paul to take four men to the temple and pay for their purification rites.

Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you.

It is very informative that both the eldership and Paul know that these rites in the temple have nothing to do with salvation in Jesus. Yet, they are willing to participate in them for the purpose of unity with the Jewish Christians for whom these traditions are culturally relevant.

So Paul goes into a temple and makes an offering to priests who do not believe in Jesus. What does this say about our own willingness to become all things to all people that we may win them to Jesus? It's a Good Plan.

FAMILY UNIVERSAL

Acts 21:1-16

All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.

The University of Jesus is also the Family Universal. Every student of Jesus finds a brother or sister in every other student of Jesus! All believers everywhere in the world are children of God in the Heavenly Family!

Now Paul is on the final leg of his third missionary journey. He finds fellow Christians – Family - in every place he stops on his way to Jerusalem. In the cities of Tyre, Ptolemais and Caesarea!

Christian hospitality is extended. Food and lodging. But Paul finds much more than a meal and a roof over his head every time he meets fellow students of Jesus.

They pray and worship together. There is also genuine concern for one another.

A mutual love that seems strange to those who do not know Jesus!

How can you care so deeply for someone you met only today?

It is a love that can only be explained as the Love of God at home in the hearts of those who know Jesus. And it is this love that changes everything! For the love of God in our hearts causes us to love everyone, especially our friends in Christ.

Here we observe brothers and sisters genuinely concerned over Paul’s safety if he ventures into Jerusalem. A prophet named, Agabus, graphically predicts Paul’s imprisonment in Jerusalem.

When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem…Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."

This is what Family is all about!

SERVING OTHERS

Acts 20:25-38

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Paul knows what Jesus says well enough to quote Him. Paul is a good student of the Teacher. He pays attention to what Jesus says and tries to pattern his life after Him.

And like Jesus, Paul is living the sacrificial and joyful life of a giver. Devoting his life to serving others!

Here, he charges the elders from the church in Ephesus to be faithful in their service as shepherds in the church.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

This is God’s plan for the church. Elders! Mature men who can serve others as examples of what it means to follow Jesus. And as teachers in the church!

As he says goodbye to these elders, he reminds them of his own lifestyle, the way he lived during the time he was with them.

He reminds them of the importance of preaching to others about the kingdom of God. He asks them to be on guard against those who might distort the truth of Jesus and lead people astray.

And Paul reminds of the importance of working in order to support their own families and to help others in need.

You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak…

When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.