DISASTER OR DIVINE OPPORTUNITY? Luke wrote how the people on the island of Malta welcomed them with kindness after their ship wrecked on its shores. It must have been a wonderful relief after the terrifying time they had at sea, being blown from Crete to Malta by a storm. The sailors had lost their ship
NEITHER SAILOR, NOR SOLDIER, BUT SERVANT OF JESUS When it appeared that Paul and the 276 people aboard the ship would survive the storm, he and his fellow prisoners were threatened by the soldiers. Yet, even in this, God protected Paul, giving him favor with the commanding officer. The storm, the sailors and the soldiers,
OUR INFLUENCE GROWS IN HOW WE FACE STORMS The Roman officer in charge of getting Paul and the other prisoners to Rome showed great favor to Paul, allowing him to travel with his friends, Luke and Aristarchus, and permitting him to go ashore at Sidon to visit friends and get personal supplies. However, his kindness
OUR EYE-OPENING ASSIGNMENT Paul gave his faith testimony before the Roman governor Festus and the last of the House of Herod, King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice. In his testimony, he shared the calling that Christ had given him. First, he was sent by Jesus (“I am sending you”). The Greek word for this
PAUL STANDS BEFORE THE POMP AND PROMINENCE OF ROME Porcius Festus was the new Roman governor over Judea. He replaced Felix who had been recalled to Rome by Nero. As a result, Festus inherited the case against the apostle Paul, which Felix had delayed, hoping for a bribe. Historians agree, that overall, Festus was a
DO YOU WEAR THE NAME OF THE NAZARENE? Some of the Jewish leaders who had accused Jesus before Pontius Pilate, now traveled to Caesarea to bring accusation against the apostle Paul before the Roman governor, Marcus Antonius Felix. This time, they hired a Roman orator and attorney named Tertullus to represent their case. He began
DESCENDANTS OF ADAM Ezra, the writer of 1 and 2 Chronicles, began with a lengthy genealogy that began with the first man, Adam. The genealogy continues through chapter nine. Its purpose seems to be to retain a record of all the family lines of Israel, especially that of King David. This need being made more
AMERICA, BLESS GOD! On this date, when we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, we are appropriately thankful for God’s blessing on America. Yet, we are troubled by the constant news of economic woes, wars, pandemics and rioting. There is so much anger in our world. The first century Christians quoted this same Scripture when they
ARE YOU TELLING EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS? Paul gave his testimony and explained the calling that the Lord Jesus had given him to the rioting crowd in Jerusalem. Just moments before, many in the crowd had tried to kill Paul. However, the Roman guard was alerted and intervened, putting Paul in chains and taking him away.
PAUL GIVES A DETAILED ACCOUNT This was a wonderful day in the history of the early church. Paul returned from his third and longest missionary journey to give “a detailed account” to James and the elders in Jerusalem. After hearing the report of how the Gentiles all over Asia Minor and Greece had received the