Acts, Chapter 28

Please, in your Bible read the chapter..

Verses 1, 2, 3 “Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand”

Paul went from threatening disaster of shipwreck to an equally dangerous viper. The powers of evil and darkness did and will never cease, one way or another, to stop the servants of God and the spreading of the Gospel. But . . . GOD!

Verses 4, 5, 6 “When the islanders saw the snake, hanging from his hand they said to each other, ‘This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea justice has not allowed him to live’. But Paul shook the snake off into the fire ad suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up, or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god”.

Verses 7, 8, 9 “There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him”.

Did Paul ever ask ‘Why?’ Why this drifting past Malta and the shipwreck ? Whether or not Paul was asking, is less important for us to know. It may have been a question to Paul, but … God! In a few lines we have His answer to the question.

Verses 9, 10 “When this had happened the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honoured us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Surely, not Paul’s predicament, but the glory of God was of much more importance

“THE LORD stood near Paul and said ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (23:11).

The powers of evil and darkness may turn Paul’s world upside down. They may invent a thousand sidetracks in the road. Obstacles galore! Oh yes! BUT . . . GOD!

Verses 13, 14 “From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome”.

It should never cease to amaze us. How far, how fast and how wide did the Gospel of the Lord Jesus travel through the then known world.. Wherever Paul travelled, in most towns he found ‘ some brothers’. Sinners saved by grace.

Verses 15, 16 “The brothers there (in Rome) had heard that we were coming, and they travelled as far as the forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him”.

He ‘thanked God and was encouraged’! Some 2000 years later, reading this, it encourages me. Paul too was a man of flesh and blood. He too had his very human emotions. Many times he must have been more than tired and much in need of encouragement.. Bu t . . . GOD!.

Verse 17: “Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews . . . . “

‘The leaders of the Jews’. Paul grabbed the bull by the horns. And after much debating and arguing finally faced them with that ages old prophecy by Isaiah.

Verses 25, 26, 27: “They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:

“The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when He said through Isaiah the prophet”

‘Go to this people (the Jews) and say,

You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

You will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts and turn,

and I would heal them’.”

For the fourth time God confronted His people Israel with His mind over them. First through Isaiah ( Isaiah 6:9,10 ). Then through the Lord Jesus ( Matthew 13:13-15 ) . Followed by John (John 12:39,40). Now through Paul (Acts 28:25-27).

Today that prophecy is as valid as it was on the day when Isaiah uttered it.

Verse 28: “Therefore” says Paul, “I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they WILL listen”.

After multitudes of miracles by their powerful, merciful God, Israel was and is determined not to see and not to hear. God’s salvation went to the Gentiles and He saw Israel dispersed from their promised land. Their name means ‘ ‘struggle with God’. In wilful and reckless self-determination Israel did return to the land, causing enormous hurt and harm to innocent people. When in His counsel and wisdom His time comes God will bring them back. That will be so altogether different (read the numerous relating passages in the Book of Isaiah).

“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Apart from this Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, not one other man, has, by the grace of God, been as powerful in my life, as the man Paul. He too was a sinful man – BUT . . . GOD ! Endless glory be to HIM and HIS Name !

Henk C.Kalkman.

Acts, Chapters 25, 26, 27

Please read these chapters in your Bible.

Did the Christian believers in all those towns where Paul had experienced fellowship and where he spent many hours preaching and teaching, did they know that Paul had been taken captive? Did they know about the gross unfairness happening to him and the bitter, false accusations that were being brought against him? Perhaps, in those days of slower than snail mail it was not widely or well known. You and I do know, because for us that snail mail has travelled far and wide; as we read it we may be inclined asking: ’Lord, why did You allow all this to happen to Paul?’

It is only my guess; a pure human guess that suggests this: Paul himself would never dream of asking that question ‘Why’. It would never occur to him wanting to know ‘Why’. We may be thinking of lost time; of opportunities lost. Of people, wilfully wasting days. But none of that on Paul’s mind. To him there was only One Who organized his days; there was only One Who caused those days to be fruitful and Who chose them to be filled with glory. Not the Jewish priests, not the Roman officials, hatred nor disgust would ever stop the sharing of love and grace. Not ‘why?’, but teaching, preaching, testifying to a living Lord, Who once was crucified, died, gloriously arose from the grave, did fill Paul’s every single day! A bright testimony for his dear Lord and Master.

In this and the next two chapters, we find Paul like that. The mighty rulers of this world, in all their proud pomp and high positions are being confronted by Him Who rules over all and forever. They all have died and returned to dust, but JESUS LIVES AND REIGNS FOREVER!

Acts, Chapter 24

Please, read the chapter in your Bible.

Verse 1 “Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor.

Verses 5, 6, 7, 8 , 9 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him. The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true”.

Yes, the high priest, some of the elders and a lawyer, all of them supported by a group of Jews. The charges must be true. This man deserves death! The voice of the majority demands it.. Yes, but . . . God! Please forgive me, I must remind you. One man, with God, is the majority! The minority demands this one man’s death, the majority demands that he testify in Rome.

Verse 10: “When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul (the majority) replied . . .”.

In verse 21 we catch up with Paul’s reply:

“unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence ‘ It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today’ “.

Here it was! Out in the open. It caused them to bitterly hate this man and his message. Not stopping, he was teaching and preaching that the scheming Jesus of Nazareth. escaped from the grave. They had seen him die on a cross. They had made sure there was a Roman seal on his grave. And a detachment of Roman soldiers to make sure the dead man could not escape.. And now, here was this man, a Jew, convincing men everywhere that Jesus is alive. More than that, claiming that this dignified group of theologians had murdered Him. Now there already were thousands who were singing it out: ‘He’s alive, Jesus has risen from the dead. Hallelujah, Jesus IS LORD!’

They must stop this man and his message. Must do so, even when their lies did break the Law of God.

Verses 22, 23 “Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. When Lysias the commander comes, he said, ‘ I will decide your cHe ordered the centirion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs”..

Verses 24, 25 “Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self control and judgment to come, Felix was afraid, and said ‘that’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you’ “.

Felix, whose wife Drusilla was Jewish, was well acquainted with the Way. When the message of the Way was presented to him, he knew he did not want to walk the Way.

Verses 26, 27 “At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison”.

Acts, Chapter 23

Please, in your Bible, read this chapter.

Verses 1, 2, 3: “Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said: ’My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day’. At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him: ‘God will strike you, you white washed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck! ‘ “

It may be difficult for us to comprehend.. Exactly as we read it today, so it literally happened on that day. And what happened on that day, is also happening this day.. The gigantic battle between truth and error, the fierce fight between good and evil, the severe struggle between sinfulness and holiness. ‘Strike him on the mouth’. As if that could stop the truth from prevailing. ’Away with him, he is not fit to live’. BUT GOD!

Verses 4, 5: “Those who were standing near Paul said: ‘You dare insult God’s high priest?’

Paul replied: ‘Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people’.”

Verses 6, 7, 8: “Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, ‘my brothers, I am a Pharisee; I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead’. When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all)’.

Paul was a Pharisee and knew how to divide his opposition.

Verse 9: “There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously, ‘We find nothing wrong with this man’ they said. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?’ “

Suddenly the assembly’s attention shifted away from Paul.. The emphasis moved to that angry argument about spirits and angels.. The ‘teachers of the law’ stirred a wasp’s nest, resulting into ‘a great uproar’.

Verse 10: “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”.

In the midst of all that manmade turmoil, a man, full of peace, empty of all of self and filled with the Holy Spirit and power. Empty, suitable to take in a message.

Verse 11: “ 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’ “.

That message in the Lord’s own words was like a solid rock of protection. Now Paul knew that he was safe at least until after he had testified in Rome. The Jews’ growing hatred against the message and the messenger was very real, BUT . . . GOD!

Verses 12: “The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul”.

Well, they did not know, first Paul would have to travel all the way to Rome. There he would need time to testify to the truth and reality of the existence of a holy God and His love and grace as had been expressed in and through Jesus of Nazareth. By the time all this had taken, their oath would have these guys skin over bones in their graves.

Verses 13, 14, 15:”More than forty men were involved in his plot. They went to the chief priests and elders and said: ‘we have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin, petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here’ “.

How many men? More than forty! How tragic! How futile! How sad! One earthquake could, one lightning strike would, or one hurricane or explosion and none may survive. Whose wisdom, will and power, whose timing and control, whose intelligence rules the earthquake, lightning or hurricane? It all rests in Almighty God, the Great Creator and His prerogative. Forty men or forty thousand cannot stop an earthquake or thunderstorm. Will never stop God.

Verse 16, 17, 18 “But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul; then Paul told one of the centurions and said,’ take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him’.

Verses 19, 20, 21, 22: “The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked ‘What is it you want to tell me?’ He said: ‘The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the

pretext of wanting more information about him. Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request’. The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him: ‘Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me’ “.

Paul’s life, as it were, was hanging by the proverbial silk thread. But . . . God! What did He say? ‘ As in Jerusalem . . . so also in Rome! That young man, the Roman commander, a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen (verse 23), yes, very impressive, and totally insignificant when God speaks. Could they stop Him from speaking? Did God need encouragement or protection? God did speak. In the busy hurly burly goings on around Paul, it happened in the peacefulness of a quiet night. ‘The Lord stood near Paul’. Who? THE LORD ! The Lord of lords, the King of kings! Stood near! That glorious, divine presence could not leave much space for doubts and fear! That near presence did not leave any place for nagging questions! ‘Also in Rome’, the Lord said. In Rome, Paul, that ardent traveller, would get his wings clipped. Spend a couple of years in prison and write some precious letters. By the marvellous, powerful grace of God, two thousand years after Paul wrote them, God still speaks and teaches His people, through those letters that were written in a Roman prison cell. ‘‘Take courage’ there still is much more testifying to do.

History has much to teach us. From the days of Paul to the very day of today, powers of darkness have been busily active to hinder and, if that were possible, silence the testifying Church of the Lord Jesus. They never have been, or ever will be able, to succeed, because they are battling the most Holy, Eternal, Almighty God. Today still HE is speaking.

Verses 31, 32, 33: ”So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks.

When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him.

Verse 35: “He said: ‘I will hear your case when your accusers get here’. Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace”.