Tuesday: Paul in Rome
“Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him” (Acts 28:16, NKJV). What does this text tell us about how Paul finally got to Rome? What lesson can we draw from this about the unexpected and unwanted things that so often come our way?
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Yes, Paul eventually got to Rome, even if it was as a prisoner. How often our plans don’t come out as we anticipated and hoped for, even the ones formulated in the best of intentions.
Paul reached Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey with his offering for the poor, which he had collected from the congregations of Europe and Asia Minor. But unexpected events awaited him. He was arrested and chained. After being held prisoner for two years in Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar. Some three years after his arrest, he arrived in Rome, probably not in the manner that he had intended to when he first wrote years before to the Roman church about his intention to visit the church there.
What does Acts 28:17-31 tell us about Paul’s time in Rome? More important, what lesson can we learn from them?
“Not by Paul’s sermons, but by his bonds, was the attention of the court attracted to Christianity. It was as a captive that he broke from so many souls the bonds that held them in the slavery of sin. Nor was this all. He declared: ‘Many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.’ Philippians 1:14.” – Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 464.
| How many times have you experienced unexpected twists in your life that, in the end, turned out for good? (See Phil. 1:12.) How can, and should, you gain faith from those experiences to trust God for the things where no good seems to have arisen? |
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It is also happening these days of what had happened during the time of Paul in Rome. People hearts were hardened like wax, it seem they are blind and cannot hear the truth. People these days are enjoying the world as it gives pleasure. It is a very sad reality.
The story of Paul's journey to Rome starts in chapter 27 to give context and meaning to the questions asked. What should have been a straight forward journey turned into opportunities for Paul to testify of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He influenced the men and soldiers on the boat, the people of Malta and then when captive in Rome living under guard he continued to proclaim the gospel of Christ. My lesson from his story is that with a willing heart God will turn your trials into opportunities and he did not promise an easy life for those who choose to follow him. The message Paul preached fell on receptive and deaf ears and this is a parallel to what is happening even in our churches today.
Seeing that the lesson on Monday and Tuesday are more of principles of mission work than protocol Ellen White says " The salvation if sinners requires earnest, personal labour. . . The moments now granted to us are few .We are standing upon the borders of eternal world. We have no time to lose. every moment is golden and altogether too precious to be devoted to merely self serving. . ."9T 117.1.
The apostle writes " I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house." What a brilliant way of ministering. He even engaged one family at a time away from the prying eyes of many like Jesus and the woman at the well. Let us greet strangers, neighbours and workmates with the word of God. Let us minister to them at workplaces, in our sick beds, at cattle dip tanks, in prison cells or highways. Against these there is no protocol. We are in the service of God. Let every follower of Christ be faithful to his/her vocation.
Paul planned to be in Europe but it did not happen on his time. Because God was with him in everything he planned for, the plan finally restored from God's authorization.
Many times we have plans the for the future , ninety nine percent did not come the way we expect it. I learn everything you do you have to acknowledge God in all your plans. One of my favorite verses in the bible, proverbs 3 :1-7, says (KJV) (actually I like the whole chapter) My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Bless be the Lord, it is in his great mercy that he allows trials to come, so we can witness to others.
Esther
A God who can turn trials into opportunities!
And this is where prosperity preachers get it ll wrong. They will tell their followers that Christianity is a religion of "favor of God" where it is all roses. They will quote all the verses about God's promises of bounty, grace and great satisfaction. They will tell them they will be heads and not tails. However, they will not tell them that the other side of Christianity involves some really perilous times. If you look at Paul, John the Baptist, Joseph and so many others, even the father Patriarch Abraham, these guys faced some really disturbing, sometimes faith-shaking situations that the clueless believer, who is accustomed to being sprayed with prosperity messages and promises of getting it too easy in Christianity, may not be able to bear with. Upon meeting such situations the uninformed believer wonders whether a loving God would allow, for example, a man like Paul, with a huge cohort of christian converts filling Europe and Asia Minor, to be put in prison on chains....We need to read broadly and get a broader picture so that we are not surprised when these things befall us...The biggest comfort that we have however is Psalms 23:--Even if i pass through the valley of the shadow of death, i will fear no evil...your rod and your staff they comfort me....
It is somewhat easy to criticize others who hold a view different to our own, but one of the lessons we can learn from Paul's letter to the Romans, is that nobody can be complacent.
The first three chapters of Romans should be read as a whole. And stuck right in the middle of it is this:
Something that we need to remind ourselves of from time to time is that when it comes to the Gospel, we are fellow learners along with others. We still have much to learn, and share.
Maurice, you are right but I do not understand the point about somebody judging anybody here!
Ah Pascal, it was just an attempt to focus on the big picture in the first part of Romans. We sometimes look at the Prosperity Gospel preachers (or some other version of Christianity) and compare ourselves with them, thinking we are smarter than them. Paul starts off in Romans talking about the gentiles, and I can see the Jews smugly nodding their heads in agreement with Paul. But then comes the switch, He starts talking about the Jews and ends up saying that they should not judge because they have their own problems.
This message comes out quite clearly when you read the first three chapters together and I would like to encourage everyone to read it before we get bogged down in the detail of a verse by verse study.
And you are right about the Prosperity preachers - we just need to look at ourselves like Paul encourages us to.
I absolutely agree with you. Thanks.
Very few can be strong without knowing struggle. In the heat, that's where refining happens. You only become a conqueror when you have fought. It's when one weak where God's strength is seen. Remember,his Grace is sufficient and his strength made manifest in times of weakness. Christ our bro gives victory,at times victory can be seen in the storm and at times when the storm has calmed.