Message: In the last chapter of Acts Paul and
the shipwrecked crew washed up on the beach of the unknown island where they
ran their ship aground. The people were good and hospitable to them but they
didn’t know them so they were watching and speculating. When the snake latched
onto Paul’s arm, they speculated that he was a murderer who escaped punishment
at sea. They watched Paul shake it off, but waited to see if he would swell up
or drop dead suddenly. When he didn’t, they speculated that he was a god. I
find it interesting just how quickly and easily the speculation came and then
shifted directions. None of it had anything to do with Paul’s behavior,
reputation or character. They knew nothing about Paul so it was solely based on
what happened to him. The rest of the story shows that they trusted him after
he didn’t die from the snake and that after he healed the leader’s sick father
they all came for healing of all kinds of things. I found it interesting that
he gained so much favor and performed all of those miracles but there is
nothing mentioned about him sharing the gospel. It seems these were completely
unreached and unknown people and Paul had clearly found favor with them. He received their favor and provisions and
went straight to Rome. The first thing he did in Rome was call for the Jews. He
preached to them from dawn until dusk for days. He told them that he wore the
prisoner chains for the hope of the Jews. They finally left him when he quoted
the prophet Isaiah telling them that they listen but never understand and look
but never perceive because their hearts were calloused. After they left it says
he stayed there for two years being guarded in a rented house. He welcomed all
the people who visited him teaching about the salvation of Jesus with boldness
and without hindrance. It doesn’t mention who he was teaching but it implies
that he was teaching gentiles who came to visit him after the Jews left. I’m
not making any accusations at the apostle Paul but he was certainly human with
flaws like the rest of us. We see a pattern here of God calling Paul to reach
the gentiles, but in spite of that we see Paul was constantly hanging onto his
pursuit of ministry to the Jews. The more he tried to reach them, the more they
rejected Jesus and launched Paul right back into ministering to the gentiles. I’m
not saying that Paul was disobedient, but it seems God had a plan for him to
reach the gentiles and no matter what Paul did, that was the only plan that was
being blessed. He endured a lot of suffering in his pursuit of the Jews but all
roads always led right back to the gentiles for Paul. This isn’t to say that
the Jews weren’t reached. It just seems that Paul was not the one called to do
it even though his heart carried the burden and desire for them. Paul seemed to
believe that his affinity for the Jews would give him the reach. He might have
believed they would trust him based off his history and reputation with them.
He was a highly educated Jew with high ranking before he was saved so he might
have been relying on his own status, reputation and education in his hopes to
persuade the Jews. It’s interesting that he was most successful at reaching
people that were nothing like him and had no prior knowledge or connection to
him. Even the people on the unknown island with their quick speculations
trusted him very quickly. If he had shared the gospel there he may have even
won them all over.
Command: It’s a common thing for people to say
“follow your heart” but doing so can lead us into all kinds of things that God
has not called us to. It’s much better to follow God’s voice.
Promise: God will bless the things he has
called me to do.
Warning: If I am pursuing something based on
my own desires, qualifications, past reputations or experiences I may need to
examine the fruit of it to see if I am spinning my wheels to make it work while
God has other plans for me.
Application: As I observe this from the outside I
wonder what I may be pursuing that God has not called me to. Am I relying on my
own qualifications, past reputations and experiences to minister in one way,
when God is calling me to do something completely different?
