Acts 26

In Acts 26, we read of Paul’s defence before Agrippa. Agrippa, like all those who interviewed Paul before him, found no reason to give Paul the death sentence. Agrippa might even have let Paul go, but Paul had appealed to Caesar. Now in Acts 27, Paul, under the care of centurion Julius, begins the voyage to Rome. One of the places where they did a stopover at was the Fair Havens (v.8). It then became the time of the year when the seas were rough, making sailing dangerous. Paul, by inspiration, declared that if they continued the voyage, their lives will be in jeopardy. However, the centurion decided to continue. Sure enough, they encountered a great wind and tempest, and were driven to the point of hopelessness (v.14-20). However, Paul comforted them with the revelation that none of them would lose their lives, though the ship would be lost (v.21-25). They eventually were shipwrecked near an island and they all swam to shore (v.41-44).

If only they had listened to Paul, they could have avoided all that trouble at sea. However, “the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul” (v.11). The master and owner of the ship, with all his knowledge of the winds and seas, disagreed with Paul about the danger. Furthermore, the haven did not seem to be a convenient place to spend the winter in, so the majority agreed that they should sail on (v.12). Paul’s information turned out to be right though; because he obtained his information from God. It is apparent that the centurion and the crew were not Christians, otherwise they might have believed Paul’s advice.

As Christians, we of course know the importance of listening to God’s advice, because God always has the correct information and best advice. However, sometimes even Christians can make the same mistake as Julius the centurion, by listening to worldly sources instead of God. Are there times that we believe other sources instead of God?

Act 28:4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

In Acts 27, we read of Paul’s journey to Rome. Despite Paul’s warning, the ship sailed on and met with a great tempest. The ship eventually ran aground and all the crew managed to swim safely to shore. Now in Acts 28, we learn that the island that they were shipwrecked on was the island of Malta. They received the hospitality of the indigenous people of the island, and after three months, managed to board a ship to continue their journey (v.1-11). When they finally reached Rome, Paul had the opportunity to speak to the Jews. The Jews desired to hear from Paul, as they apparently did not manage to receive a full picture of what Christianity is, except for the fact that it was everywhere spoken against (v.22). Paul proceeded to expound to them the things concerning the kingdom and Jesus (v.23). Some believed the messaged. Others, whose hearts have been hardened, did not (v.25-27). The book of Acts closes out with Paul spending his time at Rome “preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him” (Acts 28:31). I’ll like to zoom in to an incident that happen on the island of Malta. In a show of hospitality to the shipwrecked crew, the indigenous people started a fire to keep them warm. However, a venomous snake jumped out of the fire and bit Paul. “And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live” (v.4). The indigenous people’s thoughts reflect a common belief that we suffer because of our sin. Is that really true? It must be said that sometimes we do indeed suffer because of our sin. One of the ways that God chastises us for our sin is through tribulation (Hebrews 12:6-11). We recall the prodigal son, who after squandering all his money, lived a life of suffering, and finally got a wake-up call to repent and return to the father’s house (Luke 15:11-18). When we face suffering, one of the first things we ought to do is to re-examine our lives, if perhaps we had committed sin against God. However, suffering is not always the result of sin. We may suffer because of the wrong decisions that others do e.g. Paul suffered many times because the unbelieving Jews hated him. We may suffer because of our own wrong decisions e.g. Paul was imprisoned because he chose to go to Jerusalem despite all the warnings. Sometimes, we do not even know why we suffer e.g. Job suffered despite not having done anything wrong (Job 1:8-12). We can regard the trials that we face as a test of our faith (1 Peter 1:7). When we successfully endure through these tests of faith, it strengthens our faith and character (James 1:2-4). Furthermore, I’ll like us to consider that suffering can be a means by which we proclaim God’s glory. Let’s recall what happened after the venomous snake bit Paul. The indigenous people thought that he surely would have died there and then; but nothing happened (v.6). Then, they knew Paul was someone special. We of course do not expect to be bitten by a venomous snake today and expect to live. However, we can actually glorify God through our suffering. “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:14-16) We of course do not want to suffer for the wrong reasons; if we suffer because of sin, we bring shame to ourselves and to God. However, if we suffer for the cause of Christ, there is no reason to be ashamed; rather, we glorify God! When we endure suffering for Jesus, we demonstrate for others the divine strength that we have access to, in order to overcome trials (1 Peter 4:14). Furthermore, when Christ’s glory is revealed on that last day, we have reason to rejoice because we have made ourselves partakers together with the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:13). Brethren, we know that this temporary life will be filled with trials and tribulations. Let’s not be disheartened when we face such. Let’s rely on God’s strength to endure. Let’s be as Paul, who endured persecution, and never stopped proclaiming Jesus till the day of his death. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12)