Acts 28:17-31

Acts 28: 17-31 (NLT)
17 Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, "Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. 18 The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, for they found no cause for the death sentence. 19 But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. 20 I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could tell you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come."
21 They replied, "We have heard nothing against you. We have had no letters from Judea or reports from anyone who has arrived here. 22 But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about these Christians is that they are denounced everywhere." 23 So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s house. He told them about the Kingdom of God and taught them about Jesus from the Scriptures—from the five books of Moses and the books of the prophets. He began lecturing in the morning and went on into the evening. 24 Some believed and some didn’t. 25 But after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 26 Go and say to my people, You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. 27 For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’28 So I want you to realize that this salvation from God is also available to the Gentiles, and they will accept it."
30 For the next two years, Paul lived in his own rented house. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the Kingdom of God with all boldness and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
Devotion (Chris Bunch)
If you are reading this, I just want to start by saying: "Happy New Year." Also, if you are reading this, it means you have gone through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and now Acts in 2009 (or at least most of these). The Bible is such a life-giving message and I hope you found both the Gospels and the book of Acts to give you encouragement throughout this year. Finally, I just want to say: "I am proud of you for making the effort to grow closer to God through our first year of Journey Through the Bible. And, even more importantly, God is proud of you for engaging with His words." Now, as we close out the year, our scripture for today has a celebration tone as well. Paul has arrived back in Rome, and even though he was under house arrest, he came with the Hope of the world as he said, "I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come." Some of the Jewish people in the crowd came to Christ and accepted him as Lord, and others ignored the message of Christ altogether (just like today).

Yet, Paul was not discouraged or disappointed, rather he was excited that he had the opportunity to proclaim and share the teachings and love of Christ to others (Ironically, this is the time that he wrote his Prison writings of Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and a personal letter to Philemon——all of these we will read in 2010).

As we close out this year, I want to challenge you in two ways:
1. Who could you commit to sharing Jesus’ love with in 2010? Who is one person who is disconnected from God that you could pray for daily——-asking God to soften their heart and turn to him? This was the essence of what the people throughout the book of Acts did: they prayed for their friends and showed/shared the message of Christ’s love to them.


2. Will you continue to Journey through the Bible in 2010? Starting January 4th we will begin Romans and continue throughout the year to Revelation. This will get you through the entire New Testament in two years. I hope you will join me in continuing on in the journey. Paul’s hope was in Jesus and as we begin 2010——-our hope must be in Jesus as well. It is his hope that has changed and is still changing my life, and I look forward to how he will bless and change your life in 2010 as well.

Acts 27:13-44

The Storm at Sea
13 When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14 But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a "northeaster") burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15 The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale. 16 We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda,where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us. 17 Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind. 18 The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. 19The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. 20 The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone. 21 No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, "Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22 But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24 and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26 But we will be shipwrecked on an island."The Shipwreck
27 About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria,the sailors sensed land was near. 28 They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep. 29 At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight. 30 Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship. 31 But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, "You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away. 33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. "You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks," he said. 34 "Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish." 35 Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. 36 Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat—37 all 276 of us who were on board. 38 After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard. 39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart. 42 The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. 43 But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44 The others held onto planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.
Devotional (by Mikey Skoglund):
What a crazy passage! Sounds like quite the storm and adventure here. I love how Paul, though one of the prisoners on this boat, is just calm and collected through this whole storm while the sailors and soldiers are running around in fear for their lives trying to figure out something they can do to save themselves.
This passage makes me think of times in my life that storms approach and really seem to mess up where I wanted my life to go. Hard times in life can do that, can’t they? Like these sailors in this passage, who were pushed off course by strong winds, our lives can be pushed off track by hard times in our lives.
But like Paul in this passage, we can breathe easy because there is One who is always in control, and that’s God. Paul trusted in Him to bring them to safety, and he didn’t worry about the storm or the waters because he knew that God controlled all of those things. So let’s remember that even in the most difficult of times in our lives that God is still in control.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see that You are in control of everything. Even when storms hit my life and things aren’t going as I think they should go, help me to remember that You still hold my life in Your hands. Help me to surrender to You all that worries me in this life. Thank You for Your love and grace and the mercy that You grant me each day. Amen.

Acts 26:24-27:12

24 Suddenly, Festus shouted, "Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!" 25 But Paul replied, "I am not insane, Most Wxcellent Festus. What I am saying is the sober truth. 26 And King Agrippa knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner! 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do—" 28 Agrippa interrupted him. "Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?" 29 Paul replied, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains." 30 Then the king, the governor, Bernice, and all the others stood and left. 31 As they went out, they talked it over and agreed, "This man hasn’t done anything to deserve death or imprisonment." 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, "He could have been set free if he hadn’t appealed to Caesar."
Acts 27
Paul Sails for Rome 1 When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the
coast of the province.
3 The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs. 4 Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland. 5 Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia. 6 There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board. 7 We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8 We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall,and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it. 10 "Men," he said, "I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well." 11 But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. 12 And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.
Devotional (by Derek Young): I love the interaction between Agrippa and Paul in Ch. 26:28-29. It seems as though Agrippa is a bit agitated and feels perhaps a bit overwhelmed by what he is hearing from Paul. Paul
senses this defensiveness and agitation, and in return shows love.
Paul says, "Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains." Paul is not trying to "convert" or "persuade" Agrippa into anything; he is inviting him on the journey he himself is a part of. How powerful is this? The only reason Paul shares the
gospel with people is because he knows first hand what it is like to experience God’s love and grace and knows it as truth.

At one point or another, we have ALL shared in that experience as well. Why wouldn’t we want people to share in that experience with us? When we invite others over to watch the Colts, it is because we ourselves enjoy watching the Colts play. Don’t we want to share that experience with others? How much greater is it to experience God!!!

Prayer: Jesus, we thank you for the grace, mercy, and blessings you have given us. It is because of this and because of who you are that we want to share your love with others. Help us to forget any fears or hesitation that might get in the way of sharing the good news, and let us be reminded of the joy and beauty of what it is like to be in your presence ourselves.

Acts 25:23:26-23

Paul Speaks to Agrippa 23 So the next day Agrippa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered that Paul be brought in. 24 Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. 25 But in my opinion he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I have decided to send him to Rome. 26 “But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no clear charge against him. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially you, King Agrippa, so that after we examine him, I might have something to write. 27 For it makes no sense to send a prisoner to the emperor without specifying the charges against him!” Acts 26 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You may speak in your defense.” So Paul, gesturing with his hand, started his defense: 2 “I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, 3 for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently! 4 “As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion. 6 Now I am on trial because of my hope in the fulfillment of God’s promise made to our ancestors. 7 In fact, that is why the twelve tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, Your Majesty, they accuse me for having this hope! 8 Why does it seem incredible to any of you that God can raise the dead? 9 “I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene.[a] 10 Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem. Authorized by the leading priests, I caused many believers[b] there to be sent to prison. And I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. 11 Many times I had them punished in the synagogues to get them to curse Jesus.[c] I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down in foreign cities. 12 “One day I was on such a mission to Damascus, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priests. 13 About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. 14 We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,[d] ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will.[e]’ 15 “‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. 17 And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles 18 to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ 19 “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. 20 I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. 21 Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me. 22 But God has protected me right up to this present time so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen—23 that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, and in this way announce God’s light to Jews and Gentiles alike.” Devotional(Mikey Skoglund) This passage is a very good example of a personal testimony at work. Paul is being accused by Jewish religious leaders and Paul is given the opportunity to defend himself. Now Paul doesn't try to make up some inspiring story to get people to believe his case, he simply uses his personal life story in order to convey the new hope he's found in Jesus Christ. Now granted Paul does have a pretty inspiring story on how God stopped him on the road to Damascus, but the point is that he used what he knew and what he experienced. You see, if we choose to surrender our lives to God and let Him work through us, then our testimonies will be powerful examples of His love moving through us to change the way we live our lives. In defending our faith to people, they can argue about a lot of stances we take on certain things, but as Paul addressed King Agrippa here in this passage, a personal testimony is hard to argue with. Prayer Lord, please help me to give You more control of my life. Help to shape my life more and more into what You have made me to be. Help me to defend my faith in You and help me to form my own testimony of what You've done in my life. Thank You for the powerful changes You've already made in me, and continue to draw me closer to You. Amen.

Acts 24:1-27

Paul States His Defense 1-4 Within five days, the Chief Priest Ananias arrived with a contingent of leaders, along with Tertullus, a trial lawyer. They presented the governor with their case against Paul. When Paul was called before the court, Tertullus spoke for the prosecution: "Most Honorable Felix, we are most grateful in all times and places for your wise and gentle rule. We are much aware that it is because of you and you alone that we enjoy all this peace and gain daily profit from your reforms. I’m not going to tire you out with a long speech. I beg your kind indulgence in listening to me. I’ll be quite brief.
5-8"We’ve found this man time and again disturbing the peace, stirring up riots against Jews all over the world, the ringleader of a seditious sect called Nazarenes. He’s a real bad apple, I must say. We caught him trying to defile our holy Temple and arrested him. You’ll be able to verify all these accusations when you examine him yourself." 9The Jews joined in: "Hear, hear! That’s right!" 10-13The governor motioned to Paul that it was now his turn. Paul said, "I count myself fortunate to be defending myself before you, Governor, knowing how fair-minded you’ve been in judging us all these years. I’ve been back in the country only twelve days—you can check out these dates easily enough. I came with the express purpose of worshiping in Jerusalem on Pentecost, and I’ve been minding my own business the whole time. Nobody can say they saw me arguing in the Temple or working up a crowd in the streets. Not one of their charges can be backed up with evidence or witnesses. 14-15"But I do freely admit this: In regard to the Way, which they malign as a dead-end street, I serve and worship the very same God served and worshiped by all our ancestors and embrace everything written in all our Scriptures. And I admit to living in hopeful anticipation that God will raise the dead, both the good and the bad. If that’s my crime, my accusers are just as guilty as I am. 16-19"Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do. I’ve been out of the country for a number of years and now I’m back. While I was away, I took up a collection for the poor and brought that with me, along with offerings for the Temple. It was while making those offerings that they found me quietly at my prayers in the Temple. There was no crowd, there was no disturbance. It was some Jews from around Ephesus who started all this trouble. And you’ll notice they’re not here today. They’re cowards, too cowardly to accuse me in front of you. 20-21"So ask these others what crime they’ve caught me in. Don’t let them hide behind this smooth-talking Tertullus. The only thing they have on me is that one sentence I shouted out in the council: ‘It’s because I believe in the resurrection that I’ve been hauled into this court!’ Does that sound to you like grounds for a criminal case?" 22-23Felix shilly-shallied. He knew far more about the Way than he let on, and could have settled the case then and there. But uncertain of his best move politically, he played for time. "When Captain Lysias comes down, I’ll decide your case." He gave orders to the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to more or less give him the run of the place and not prevent his friends from helping him. 24-26A few days later Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ. As Paul continued to insist on right relations with God and his people, about a life of moral discipline and the coming Judgment, Felix felt things getting a little too close for comfort and dismissed him. "That’s enough for today. I’ll call you back when it’s convenient." At the same time he was secretly hoping that Paul would offer him a substantial bribe. These conversations were repeated frequently. 27After two years of this, Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus. Still playing up to the Jews and ignoring justice, Felix left Paul in prison.
Devotional (by Emily Alsobrook): The polar opposite personalities in this Scripture really grabbed my attention: Paul’s dedication and Felix’s complacency.
After reading up to this point in the Bible, we know full well that Paul is a devoted servant of Christ. And what is the result? He’s been flogged (whipped), ship wrecked, stoned close to death, put on trial, etc. His dedication led others to falsely accuse him and put him on trial.
Sometimes, because of our commitment to Christ, people will become uncomfortable and make up stories and accuse us of things we never did, as they did with Paul. I hope that when this happens to me I can respond like Paul, "Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do." Paul stands firm for what he believes and lives with conviction.
Felix, on the other hand, wavers with the public’s opinion and his only conviction is his ego. Felix, a governor of the area, is praised by the prosecution and he soaks up every word. The first four verses are the monologue of the prosecution buttering up the governor. I don’t know about you, but I was thinking, "Oh please! Get on with it and ‘be brief.’"
When it comes to making a decision, Felix hesitates. He wavers on making a political call for Paul’s verdict, and he wavers in making a personal decision about Christ. Talking about Christ was getting uncomfortable for him, and he was hoping Jesus would come at a more "convenient time." But the thing is, Jesus isn’t about convenience. When he comes into your life, He turns things upside down and everything changes, as we’ve see with Paul. I am sad for Felix and his attempt to fit Jesus in with everything else in life. Jesus needs to come first, then everything else in life fits in.

Prayer: Jesus, in this busy time of the year, with traveling, gatherings, gift giving, and barely hanging on, help me to be dedicated to You, like Paul was. I don’t want to be complacent like Felix. Help me to put You first, by reading Your teachings, living them out, and loving others, and then fitting everything else in. Thanks for coming downstairs to this earth, and showing us how it’s done. Help me to follow in your footsteps. I love You. Amen.