Acts 28
COMMENTARY:
: 3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. (2191 “viper” [echidna] means snake, poisonous snake, or adder.)
DEVOTION: Paul had just escaped being shipwrecked at sea. The soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners including Paul but the centurion in charge didn’t want to see it happen. They finally made it to shore safely and were gathering around a fire because of the cold and rain.
Paul was a worker. He was not using his position to send someone else out to gather sticks to put on the fire. He was out gathering sticks. It was then that it was found out that there was a poisonous snake in the group of sticks. As Paul put the sticks on the fire the snake bite him.
The people around thought for sure that he was going to die soon as they had witnessed it happening many times before. They thought he must have been a very bad person who could escape a shipwreck and be bitten by a snake.
However, that all changed when they saw that he didn’t die and then their mind changed to think he was a god. That also was wrong thinking. He was a man under the protection of the one true God.
Today we have people who think that because Paul was spared and the gospel of Mark says that “they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them….” Those who read these things think that all believers are safe from anything poisonous. That is not what is meant in these passages.
We are not to try God by looking for occasions to handle snakes or drink poison. It is stating that at times those who are believers will accidently pick up snakes or drink poison and it will not hurt them. God is in control of the circumstances in which HE places HIS servants. We are not to test God by our own actions.
Paul was spared because an accidental bite didn’t kill him so that he could be the witness God said he would be in Rome. God had a plan and no snake bite was going to hinder HIS plan.
CONCLUSION: Don’t test God by being foolish. Let God work HIS plan in your life. HE is watching over all of HIS servants
: 15 And from there, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The Three Taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and too courage. (2294 “courage” [tharsos] means confidence, be given hope, receive encouragement, manliness, boldness, or to be of good cheer.)
DEVOTION: We are to be encouragers and be encouraged by other believers. Here we find Paul coming close to Rome and fellow believers came to meet him on his way to Rome.
This was a group of men and women who wanted to encourage Paul on his way to Rome to face trial. He saw them and Luke records that he was encouraged and thanked God.
When the LORD sends us people to encourage us we should make sure that we thank them and God for the encouragement. If we are not a thankful people we can think that it is all us and not God who is working. Paul didn’t have these thoughts.
We might be the only ones who can encourage someone who is going through a rough time. They don’t have to be going to trial for something they were not guilty of or they may not be suffering a great health issue but they still need to be encouraged. Every believer needs encouragement at some point in their walk with the LORD. Even a smile can be an encouragement.
CHALLENGE: Find someone to encourage today. Write a thank you note to someone who has encouraged you in the past.
: 27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (3975 “waxed gross” [pachuno] means to thicken, stupefy or render callous, be unable to understand, to make fat or fatten.)
DEVOTION: Paul has his journey to Rome. On the way he is ship wreaked. While on the Island he is bitten by a poisonous snake. The natives think he must be a murderer but when he doesn’t die they think he is a god.
While in Rome he rented a house to live in. He invited the Jewish leaders to his home to present his story. He told them that he was falsely accused. They told him that they didn’t know anything about what was happening to him and wanted to know more.
A group came to his house to listen to his teaching. Some of the people believed but others did not. After this reactions Paul told them that he went to the Gentiles and they believed. He also quoted this verse that explains to us that they had caused their heart to become calloused to hearing another view of the law and the prophets. He taught that Jesus was the Messiah.
When we hear something that we disagree with regarding the word of God, do we check it out? Our responsibility is to find out if what is being said is the truth. Our responsibility is to let the Holy Spirit help us understand the word of God. There are many false teachers in our world. There are many false doctrines that are being taught in some of our churches. We need to check them out with what the Bible says to be true. Let’s not let our hearts be calloused. Keep digging!!! Keep learning!!!
CHALLENGE: Search the Scriptures daily to make sure you are keeping a Biblical Worldview.
: 31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. (3954 “confidence” [parrhesia] means boldness, freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, openly, frankly, without concealment, or without ambiguity or circumlocution.)
DEVOTION: Restrictions are never easy to work within during our life. We like freedom to do as we please when we please. We want to go where we want to go when we want to go. We want to be with people that we want to be with when we want to have a good time in the LORD.
Paul didn’t have these freedoms. He was under guard in a rented house while he was waiting for trial. He used this opportunity to serve the LORD within his restrictions.
How would you like to be under arrest for two years for doing nothing wrong? What would your attitude be? Would you be praising the LORD or wondering what the LORD was doing in your life?
Paul used this time to reach people in Rome with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The guards had to listen to each message and we know that some of them became believers.
He used his time wisely not in self pity. He was busy preaching the kingdom of God. He was busy teaching those who were believers, so that, they would be good witnesses for the LORD in Rome. He did all this with confidence that the LORD was with him and giving him this opportunity. He was glad to be serving the LORD in his present situation. We need to do the same.
He had an open door with no man forbidding him from speaking the truth in love.
CHALLENGE: Our open door is available to us. We need to go through it too. Forget the past and work for the future.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Fellowship with brethrenverses 14, 15
Fellowship in his hired houseverses 30-31
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Paul prayed for the sickverse 8
Paul thanked God for believersverse 15
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Expoundingverse 23
Testifyingverse 23
Persuadingverse 23
Preachingverse 31
Teaching verse 31
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law of Mosesverse 23
Prophetsverse 23
Isaiahverses 25-27
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 15, 23, 28, 31
Kingdom of Godverses 23, 31
Salvation of Godverse 28
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Jesusverses 23, 31
Lordverse 31
Christverse 31
Lord Jesus Christverse 31
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Holy Ghostverse 25
Holy Ghost spoke through Isaiahverse 25
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Island: Melitaverse 1
Barbarous peopleverses 1, 4
Show kindnessverse 2
Publius: Chief man of the islandverse 7
Publius’ fatherverse 8
Alexandriaverse 11
Sign: Castor and Poluxverse 11
Syracuseverse 12
Rhegiumverse 13
Puteoliverse 13
Romeverses 14, 16
Appii forumverse 15
The Three Tavernsverse 15
Centurionverse 16
Captain of the guardverse 16
Soldiersverse 16
Romansverse 17
Caesarverse 19
Gentilesverse 28
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Murdererverse 4
False godverse 6
Accuseverse 19
Believed notverse 24
Not understandverse 26
Not perceiveverse 26
Heart waxed grossverse 27
Eyes closedverse 27
Dull of hearingverse 27
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
No harmverses 5, 6
Prayerverse 8
Healing (physical)verse 9
Brethrenverses 14, 15
Thank Godverse 15
Take courageverse 15
Examinedverse 18
Sectverse 22
Expoundedverse 23
Testifiedverse 23
Believedverse 24
See with their eyesverse 27
Hear with earsverses 27, 28
Understand with heartverse 27
Convertedverse 27
Healed (spiritual)verse 27
Salvationverse 28
Preach the kingdom of Godverse 31
Teachingverse 31
Confidenceverse 31
No man forbidding verse 31
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Chief of the Jewsverse 17
Customs of our fathersverse 17
Jerusalemverse 17
Jewsverses 19, 29
Hope of Israelverse 20
Letters from Judaeaverse 21
Desire to hearverse 22
Great reasoning among themselvesverse 29
Church (New Testament people of God)
Paulverse 3
Viper bite
People changed their mind
Laid hands of Publius father
Healed Publius’ father
Healed others of diseases
Brethrenverses 14, 15
Sectverse 22
Expoundingverse 23
Testifyingverse 23
Persuadingverse 23
Preachingverse 31
Teaching verse 31
Last Things (Future Events)
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