Good morning and happy Sunday. The day didn’t have to start as early for me as yesterdays and I’m excited for the extra time to write and process God’s Word. You know God’s Word is a funny thing as it relates to our society today that is so based on instant gratification. We really like instant, quick things today don’t we? I mean the Keurig company has made a fortune because people didn’t want to wait 5 minutes for coffee to brew so they made a way for a cup of coffee to be made in only 1 minute! When it comes to God’s Word though, there is no Keurig. You have to invest in God’s Word. You have to take the time. I’ve learned not to just take the time to read it but also the time to PROCESS it. The Holy Spirit will help you understand it but it just takes time. It’s a process. Through this process we are instructed by the Word of God to have life and have it to the full. (John 10:10) Praise God for the gift of His Word.
Speaking of this, I hope that you are investing 5 minutes in His Word every day. That is, by the way, the whole purpose of the 5 minute challenge, “to encourage all to spend daily time in God’s Word.” I’m so excited that the new website, the5mc.com, allows the quick and easy explanation of just exactly what the 5MC is and how it works. Just go to the website and at the top right is a button that says, “what is the 5MC.” Click on that to read what it is and if you want to go a little deeper and even see the history of how God came up with the 5MC, scroll down to the posts and look for the button that reads, “The 5MC explained.” I hope you accept the challenge and make a commitment to spend time every day getting closer to God through His Holy Word.
Tonight is our second home group studying how to better discern and hear the voice of God. Last week was such a huge blessing as we simply sat and talked about how God speaks in our lives. Please pray that God will bless week 2 of this study and that lives will be moved closer to our Heavenly Father. BTW, if anybody reading this wants to come, bring it! IM me for the address, snacks at 6:30, lesson 7-8.
Well, today is the last day of Acts. There are 28 chapters in Acts and today is chapter 28. Since the 5MC moves through the bible exactly the way it is laid out, tomorrow we will start the book of Romans. There are only 16 chapters in Romans so we’ll only be there a little over 2 weeks. After that we’ll continue to move directly on through the New testament.
Yesterday we looked at one of my favorite chapters, the shipwreck of Paul, as he is journeying to Rome. We ended yesterday with him and his 275 shipmates all making it safely to the island of Malta. This morning we witness the life of the castaways.
There are natives on the island and we are told that they offered “unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all because it had begun to rain and was cold.” (Acts 28:2) Now something happened here that you would not expect. Paul, ever being the hard worker, was helping to gather sticks for the fire and as he was putting the wood on the fire a viper came out and bit him! It actually says it ‘latched onto his arm’. OUCH! (Acts 28:3) Paul’s reaction to getting bit by a deadly viper? He shakes it off into the fire and suffers no harm. Wow, Paul is quite the manly man! He still knew at this moment that God’s promise was more true than ever, he was going to Rome. Paul’s faith in God was so great, he knew that God would not bring him this far to just let him die by snakebite. With utmost confidence in God and his promises, he simply shakes off the viper and goes about his day. Wow, talk about great faith. I came about a foot from getting bit by a copperhead growing up, so I can’t stand snakes. I would have been running around that camp screaming like a monkey on fire!
When the snake latches onto his arm, the natives think that he is being punished for a great wrong, that he must be a murderer. You know I touched on this yesterday about when a storm arrives in our lives that we automatically assume that God is punishing us. It’s just not true. Our sin nature cannot fully understand God’s grace and because of that we demand justice. When someone wrongs us we want them to be punished immediately and harshly. When someone cuts us off in traffic we want them to suffer immediately for their wrong to us. This is man’s sinful way of looking at justice, not God’s. Our God is a God of grace and mercy and I’m so thankful for that. If he gave us the punishment we really deserve we would all be very, very, sorry. So the least that I can do is to try my hardest to offer others even remotely close to that same level of grace and mercy that God offers us. The simple takeaway here? Every single bad thing that happens in your life is not punishment. Life has good and life has bad, that’s just the world we live in. It makes me think of Matthew 5:45, “That you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
The natives are gathered around waiting to see Paul’s arm start to swell greatly and then watch him drop dead. There must have been great anticipation in this moment as they had seen this happen to their loved ones through the years over and over. Nothing happens. They now believe he is a God and take him to the chief of the island. The chief’s dad is very sick and Paul heals him. As a result, the whole island brings their sick to Paul and he heals them all. Chapter 28 doesn’t mention much about Paul’s ministry on Malta but I’ve followed Paul through 27 chapters in Acts and I know that wherever he is, the gospel WILL be preached. I think Paul must have had a tremendous ministry on Malta as he healed the sick and saved the lost.
Paul is shipwrecked on Malta for 90 days before a ship finds them and brings them into Rome. Jesus himself appeared to Paul over 2 ½ years ago in his cell in Jerusalem and told Paul that he would witness for him in Rome and he’s finally here. So whats the first thing he does? Has sweet fellowship with ‘the brothers’ that he has not seen in years. Acts 28:15b, “On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.” When was the last time that you saw someone and was so full of joy in seeing their face that the first thing you did was thank God for them! What a sweet moment of encouragement Paul tells us this was. We need the love and encouragement of other believers in our lives. Seek it out today.
There’s so much to update the church on, he calls them all and spends from morning until evening telling them of all that God has done. But even here, even after hearing all that God has done with and through him, some Jews disagree with him preaching to the Gentiles. Some leave and leave angry. That was the world back then and that is the world today. Some will believe, and some will not.
Here we are at the end of the Acts of the apostles in the book of Acts. Verses 28:30-31 sums up how we leave Paul. “He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” God wanted Paul in Rome to bear witness for him and here we see the sweet plan of God in its fruition, bearing fruit.
Thanks for reading along today and thanks for joining me for the book of Acts. If you missed any particular chapter of Acts, go check out the5mc.com, I have every single chapter listed clearly by number under the ACTS tab. Also, if you have any friends or family that you think could benefit from time in God’s Word then please recommend the5mc.com. The goal of the website is to “encourage all to spend daily time in God’s Word” by “simply giving out the Word of God.” Thanks for your help in sharing the gospel through the5MC.com!
Blessings for your day and I’m so looking forward to starting out the first of Paul’s letters in the New Testament tomorrow, his letter to the church at Rome, Romans.
Take what God has blessed you with from His Word this morning and use it to bless others. You may have no idea how much that person needs the encouragement of His Word in their lives today!
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