At last. Paul had made it to Rome, ready to preach the gospel. And nothing has been able to prevent him from his mission: not persecution, not natural disasters, not religious or political authorities. Not even house arrest.
He welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. —Acts 28:30–31
Although he had a guard present with him at all times, he was still able to enjoy a large amount of freedom. For two years, Paul was able to preach the gospel. Even in limited freedom, he remained committed to helping others know and understand the kingdom of God.
This is for us an example of what it means to serve God faithfully in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. Acts has shown us that our status as followers of Christ doesn’t exclude us from opposition. Instead, as we share the message of hope in a broken world, we should expect resistance. The gospel had transformed Paul, along with others mentioned in previous chapters, that they passionately proclaimed the kingdom of God.
Perhaps Acts doesn’t end the way we would expect it to; many consider the ending abrupt. It is widely known that Paul died in Rome; however, Luke mentions nothing about the apostle’s death. Acts is more than a historical account that biographs the lives of the apostles or any other member from the early Church period. As prominent as Paul and Peter are throughout the book, the gospel is the main character and its journey from Jerusalem to Rome drives the plot.
Jesus told His disciples that they would carry His message from Jerusalem to the world. Ancient Rome was not considered the world’s edge during the first century. However, it was one of the most important, populated cities. It was also a major gateway city through which visitors traveled. As the gospel spread throughout Rome, it also had the opportunity to extend beyond Rome to other parts of the world.
The story of the spread of the gospel and the Church’s growth doesn’t end in this last chapter. Instead of giving us a conclusion, Luke sets us up for a continuation of the story—one that has continued up to our present day. As members of God’s community of believers, we have been transformed by Jesus’s message of good news. Like Paul, we actively participate in “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31).
We take the truth of the gospel everywhere we go, eager to see the Holy Spirit at work in us and around us.
Happy friday dearest sisters!
I cant believe we have finished another book together! God is alive and working within all of us!
I loved seeing the early church grow throughout this whole book. I loved seeing the disciples working together instead of against each-other.. and most importantly, I loved seeing the disciples never stopping preaching Jesus, even when it got hard. I think that’s the main lesson I got here… to always keep going when it comes to preaching about Jesus.. no matter what the consequences are. Its always better to have a whole town saved then to quit!
I love all of u.. thank you for praying for me and helping me to give all of myself to our amazing God.. who’s more than just our father.. He’s our friend too
I pray that I would live the way the apostles lived; sharing the gospel during ever season of life. I know that I get distracted from what is truly important. I pray that I listen to the spirit and see opportunities to share him with those around me.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time for my departure is close”. This is such a prophetic statement of Paul concerning his death, and a baton passing milestone marking the end of his wholehearted race. Paul did not hold back his life, but poured out all for God’s kingdom. This reminds me of the verse, “whoever loses his life for My sake will save it”. May I be courageous and wise enough to give up the temporal things of this life for the Lord’s sake.
Great study. I did Acts over the summer (Kristy Cambron’s study) and loved it. I still got more things out of this study. So grateful for this community here. Traci I am continuing to pray for Tanner. ERB I will pray for Cheryl. So good to hear from you. Jessi thank you for sharing your note from your study Bible. I am a huge language nerd and I love studying what the Greek words are, sometimes translations don’t capture the truest and fullest meaning of the original word !
What an incredible life Paul lived! Oh that I would have the same boldness he had in sharing the gospel – and in accepting his “chains”, without complaint, but simply considering it one more opportunity to share Jesus with others…so much to learn from his example!
So often we tend to dwell on all the negatives about ourselves – everything we don’t like, everything we have failed at, all the ways we’ve disappointed God. Yesterday I was reminded that God rejoices over us with gladness, He quiets us with His love, and He rejoices over us with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)And was also challenged, to try and see myself as God sees me, and all the things in my life that brings Him joy, asking Him to show me what those things are – that I might be encouraged and have hope for every tomorrow, putting a smile on my face as well as on His.
@Erb – continuing to pray for your brother and will also pray for your friend Cheryl and her husband as they mourn the lose of their beloved.
@Traci – I have been praying for you and for Tanner and will continue. May God give each of you His perfect peace. May He be merciful and may He do a miracle in Tanner’s body.
Have a blessed weekend my dear SRT sisters! Keep on looking up! ❤️❤️❤️
22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” – Acts 28:22. This verse always stops me and causes me to consider. If I had lived in that time period, what might my reaction to the gospel have been? Would I believe? Would I be dismissive? Honestly I’m not sure. I do know that I feel humbled by the dedication and perseverance of Paul and all the apostles who risked everything to make the “Good News” known and that in “my time” I believe wholeheartedly. Mostly because of their testimonies. Thank you Lord God for the steadfast witnesses of all who believe and share the truth. Blessings this weekend SRT sisters.
I have an asterisk after verse 28 in my Bible before going on to verse 30. In the footnotes it has this, “Some manuscripts add verse 29 ‘And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, greatly disagreeing with each other.'” I find this very interesting how Paul had the Jewish hierarchy debating among themselves. I wonder how many of them did convert.
Tamisha reminded me that I need to go and spread the Good News no matter where I am. There are many ways to spread the Great News. Word of mouth is one, my actions are another, I find just smiling, — yes even with a mask on you can tell when someone is smiling — and my body language.
I have enjoyed and learned so much in this study. This is the first time I have actually done the full book of Acts and I didn’t realize how much was in there. There are so many “small” Christians and people — some unnamed — had it not been for them the Gospel may not have spread the way it did.
Sisters be powerful in spreading the Great News and be blessed and have a fantastic weekend.
Beautiful study. Always enjoy all the comments. Continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to give me discernment in all things.