ACTS 28:31

Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

TO PONDER:

I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with how Acts ended. It is abrupt but I feel it contains a lesson for us to always talk about God’s kingdom and the love and death and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ no matter what is going on in our lives.                                                                                                               

Paul was escorted to Rome, to appear before Ceasar regarding charges brought by the Jews in Jerusalem, when the Romans didn’t find any basis for the charge the Roman Jews objected and Paul was placed under house arrest. Paul was renting his house and worked to get the money for rent and living, some commentaries suggest he resorted to his original trade as tent maker. He was a very hard worker, and with that same attitude, to do his very best and not waste any time, he taught the Gospel. Paul passionately preached and taught for two years before being acquitted, during that time he wrote letters to the Ephesians, Phillipians and Colossians. He taught for about another four years before he was again arrested and finally executed.  

Why the history lesson?  Paul’s zeal for spreading the Gospel resulted in his disciples also teaching the Gospel, enabling more and more people to come to know the Gospel and pass that knowledge on.  We are believers in, and have faith in God/Jesus, because of Paul and those early disciples who taught and preached the Gospel. It wasn’t always easy, many suffered and some died for the Gospel.  Paul set us an example that, no matter what is happening in our lives, it is no excuse to stop preaching and teaching the Gospel.                                                                                               

Acts really hasn’t ended, it is a continuing story, in which we too are called to be Gospel teachers, so that the whole world eventually will know about the King who loves everyone so much and has gone to extraordinary lengths that people might get to know him and his son Jesus.                                                         

PRAYER: Lord God you never give up on your people. I thank you for Jesus and his disciples who preached and taught the Gospel, for those who heard and heeded your call to continue to preach and teach right to this present time.  Please protect those who have heeded your call to take the Gospel into dangerous places. Lord, you ask me to tell those around me the good news of the Gospel.  I need your strength and words from the Holy Spirit to do this because often there is no strength within me. Please give courage and strength to go to whomever you have in store for me, in Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen

Today's devotion written by Maureen Macpherson, LifeWay Epping.