Acts 28:15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as the Appii Forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
Oh Friends, on this bright Monday morn, many of us are singing the Monday morning blues, especially after the Independence weekend in the U.S, dreading the drudgery of another work week. But just remember the Lord is still in control, the same way He was long ago, when Bruh Paul set out from Jerusalem bound for Rome. And if you have Jesus buried deep in your heart and soul, then, like He watched over Bruh Paul, He’ll also watch over you. And Friends, we’re now in the home stretch of that journey. After Bruh Paul’s exhortation to his fellow passengers to eat and be of good cheer, they did so, all two hundred and sixty six souls. And having satisfied themselves, they further lightened the ship by throwing out the wheat. At daybreak they saw a bay and a beachhead of land close by, and though they didn’t recognize it, it looked promising. So they upped anchor, committed themselves to the seas, hoisted the mainsail and steered a course, as best they could, towards the inlet. Between the high seas and the bay, they ran the ship aground. Unfortunately the bow became stuck, while the stern was broken up by the violent waves, causing the soldiers to consider killing the prisoners so that none could escape and swim to shore. But Friends, a guardian angel is always present in the difficult times of believers. This time it was Julius, the centurion. ‘But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.’ (Acts 27:43-44) All thanks to God, my people, for remember Bruh Paul had promised in the Lord’s name that none would lose their lives. So how would it look if some died eh? But again, through his courage, feistiness and faith, our God was glorified. And that wasn’t the end of God’s glorification mih people! In fact it intensified after that. When they hit dry land, they realized that they’d run aground on the island of Melita, modern day Malta. ‘And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us everyone, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.’ (Acts 28:2) Yes Friends, barbarians welcoming so many total strangers in the rain and cold. Doesn’t that sound strange? But here’s the piece de resitance: when Bruh Paul gathers some wood to put on the fire, ‘there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.’ (Acts 28:3) The natives began murmuring amongst themselves that he must surely be a murderer, and though he escaped the sea, justice was nevertheless being served. But lo and behold, Bruh Paul simply shook off the venomous snake into the fire, with no ill effects, though the natives fully expected him to bloat up or just die. ‘But after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.’ (Acts 28:6) Not a god, but a faithful servant of the Most High God Jehovah! And it really endears me to our God when He keeps His promises; and not in a small way either, but always in a manner that glorifies Him. He’d already promised that Bruh Paul would reach Rome safely, though not how, when or after what trials. But as we saw, He made a way for him to overcome each trial and also open the eyes of unbelievers. And wouldn’t you know that the estate of the chief official on the island, the Magistrate, was close by to where they landed. His name was Publius; ‘who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux (dysentery): to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island came, and were healed. Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.’ (Acts 28:7-10) Now isn’t that our great God moving in mysterious but practical ways? Note, the scholars claim since two different words were used for healing in verses 8 & 9, Luke, the physician did the general healing, and Bruh Paul only healed Publius’ father. But please remember Friends, that however lowly our estate, social standing or work, it’s still possible to do stuff that glorifies our Heavenly Father. God considers offering a thirsty man a sip of water, or a hungry man a morsel of bread as honouring our beliefs and glorifying him. So don’t think you have to move mountains or do great works to honour the Lord. Moving molehills are also important in the wide scheme of things. The shipwrecked travellers spent three months on Malta, then departed on another ship of Alexandrian registry that had wintered there. From thence it was clear sailing; to Syracuse, for three days, then circling around to Rhegium, then to Puteoli, where they found brethren with whom they spent seven days, then onwards to Rome, where the brethren heard about them and came as far as the Appii Forum and The Three Taverns to greet them. That simple act of appreciation and brotherhood caused Bruh Paul to give much thanks and boosted his courage, for even those of great faith also need encouragement. Bruh Paul’s favour in God’s sight continued at Rome, for instead of being housed with the other prisoners, he was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him. Three days later he called the elders together and explained the situation to them. They hadn’t heard anything about it, but desired to hear his views on Christianity, since only negative opinions were being aired. So one day they came to his house, ‘to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. (Acts 28:23-24) All was fine until he said; ‘Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.’ (Acts 28:23-24) And just like the Jerusalem Jews, they listened quietly until Bruh Paul mentioned the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. Then they all got up and left with great dispute amongst themselves. That didn’t stop Bruh Paul’s ministry, but set the pattern for the Church to become a Gentile entity. He rented a house in Rome and lived there for two years; ‘Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him.’ (Acts 28:31) And so ends one part of the saga that was Bruh Paul’s life. Friends, very few of us will ever be tested so strenuously for our belief in Christ, but I sincerely hope that when tested, we’d use this small portion of Bruh Paul’s walk for Jesus as encouragement to stand steadfast and strong and withstand whatever trials we face, for it’s certainly an awesome testimony that includes many negatives, but also courage, a deep faith in Christ, and above all, an enormous desire to spread the Word and glorify God. That’s my sincere wish for all of us this day. I hope you all appreciated the journey we took with Bruh Paul the last few days. I certainly did. It definitely opened my eyes to what being a true believer means, and what we sometimes must endure in Jesus’ Name. Much LOVE!…true faith is…belief, trust, surrender, patience, perseverance, courage…and then some more of them all…
Oh Friends, on this bright Monday morn, many of us are singing the Monday morning blues, especially after the Independence weekend in the U.S, dreading the drudgery of another work week. But just remember the Lord is still in control, the same way He was long ago, when Bruh Paul set out from Jerusalem bound for Rome. And if you have Jesus buried deep in your heart and soul, then, like He watched over Bruh Paul, He’ll also watch over you. And Friends, we’re now in the home stretch of that journey. After Bruh Paul’s exhortation to his fellow passengers to eat and be of good cheer, they did so, all two hundred and sixty six souls. And having satisfied themselves, they further lightened the ship by throwing out the wheat. At daybreak they saw a bay and a beachhead of land close by, and though they didn’t recognize it, it looked promising. So they upped anchor, committed themselves to the seas, hoisted the mainsail and steered a course, as best they could, towards the inlet. Between the high seas and the bay, they ran the ship aground. Unfortunately the bow became stuck, while the stern was broken up by the violent waves, causing the soldiers to consider killing the prisoners so that none could escape and swim to shore. But Friends, a guardian angel is always present in the difficult times of believers. This time it was Julius, the centurion. ‘But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.’ (Acts 27:43-44) All thanks to God, my people, for remember Bruh Paul had promised in the Lord’s name that none would lose their lives. So how would it look if some died eh? But again, through his courage, feistiness and faith, our God was glorified. And that wasn’t the end of God’s glorification mih people! In fact it intensified after that. When they hit dry land, they realized that they’d run aground on the island of Melita, modern day Malta. ‘And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us everyone, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.’ (Acts 28:2) Yes Friends, barbarians welcoming so many total strangers in the rain and cold. Doesn’t that sound strange? But here’s the piece de resitance: when Bruh Paul gathers some wood to put on the fire, ‘there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.’ (Acts 28:3) The natives began murmuring amongst themselves that he must surely be a murderer, and though he escaped the sea, justice was nevertheless being served. But lo and behold, Bruh Paul simply shook off the venomous snake into the fire, with no ill effects, though the natives fully expected him to bloat up or just die. ‘But after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.’ (Acts 28:6) Not a god, but a faithful servant of the Most High God Jehovah! And it really endears me to our God when He keeps His promises; and not in a small way either, but always in a manner that glorifies Him. He’d already promised that Bruh Paul would reach Rome safely, though not how, when or after what trials. But as we saw, He made a way for him to overcome each trial and also open the eyes of unbelievers. And wouldn’t you know that the estate of the chief official on the island, the Magistrate, was close by to where they landed. His name was Publius; ‘who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. And it came to pass that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux (dysentery): to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island came, and were healed. Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.’ (Acts 28:7-10) Now isn’t that our great God moving in mysterious but practical ways? Note, the scholars claim since two different words were used for healing in verses 8 & 9, Luke, the physician did the general healing, and Bruh Paul only healed Publius’ father. But please remember Friends, that however lowly our estate, social standing or work, it’s still possible to do stuff that glorifies our Heavenly Father. God considers offering a thirsty man a sip of water, or a hungry man a morsel of bread as honouring our beliefs and glorifying him. So don’t think you have to move mountains or do great works to honour the Lord. Moving molehills are also important in the wide scheme of things. The shipwrecked travellers spent three months on Malta, then departed on another ship of Alexandrian registry that had wintered there. From thence it was clear sailing; to Syracuse, for three days, then circling around to Rhegium, then to Puteoli, where they found brethren with whom they spent seven days, then onwards to Rome, where the brethren heard about them and came as far as the Appii Forum and The Three Taverns to greet them. That simple act of appreciation and brotherhood caused Bruh Paul to give much thanks and boosted his courage, for even those of great faith also need encouragement. Bruh Paul’s favour in God’s sight continued at Rome, for instead of being housed with the other prisoners, he was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him. Three days later he called the elders together and explained the situation to them. They hadn’t heard anything about it, but desired to hear his views on Christianity, since only negative opinions were being aired. So one day they came to his house, ‘to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. (Acts 28:23-24) All was fine until he said; ‘Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.’ (Acts 28:23-24) And just like the Jerusalem Jews, they listened quietly until Bruh Paul mentioned the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. Then they all got up and left with great dispute amongst themselves. That didn’t stop Bruh Paul’s ministry, but set the pattern for the Church to become a Gentile entity. He rented a house in Rome and lived there for two years; ‘Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concerned the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no man forbidding him.’ (Acts 28:31) And so ends one part of the saga that was Bruh Paul’s life. Friends, very few of us will ever be tested so strenuously for our belief in Christ, but I sincerely hope that when tested, we’d use this small portion of Bruh Paul’s walk for Jesus as encouragement to stand steadfast and strong and withstand whatever trials we face, for it’s certainly an awesome testimony that includes many negatives, but also courage, a deep faith in Christ, and above all, an enormous desire to spread the Word and glorify God. That’s my sincere wish for all of us this day. I hope you all appreciated the journey we took with Bruh Paul the last few days. I certainly did. It definitely opened my eyes to what being a true believer means, and what we sometimes must endure in Jesus’ Name. Much LOVE!…true faith is…belief, trust, surrender, patience, perseverance, courage…and then some more of them all…
SCRIP-BITS 