The Gospel Goes to Those that will Listen

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Acts 28:11-31

 

Acts 28:30-31

He lived there two whole years at his own expense,^[d] and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

(ESV)

 

The mission of the Church is eternally etched in the stone of God’s Word in Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20 and is unchangeable. However, the methods and plans for conducting the mission change due to changing circumstances as the Church must function in an ungodly world. The Apostle Paul experienced these changes for he began by taking the Gospel in person to Gentiles in cities like Ephesus, Philippi. When objections arose and Paul found himself in jail, he changed his method to writing letters to these Churches that would become the epistles that continue to teach people about Jesus Christ. Now as a prisoner in Rome, Paul has the Jewish leaders in Rome come to him rather than going to the synagogue. Since Covid19, the Church has experienced many changes and had to adapt its methods and plans for spreading the Gospel.

 

In 2 Corinthians 11:25, the Apostle Paul spoke of enduring beatings, stoning, and shipwrecks. Many of these occurred and represented obstacles after Paul received his calling to go to Rome (Acts 23:11). The text of this posting begins with securing a ship to leave Malta after wintering on the island for three months (Acts 28:11). After several stops along the way, they arrive in Rome (Acts 28:12-14). Even though Paul is a prisoner when in Rome he could stay by himself with a soldier guarding him (Acts 28:16).

 

However, since Paul is a prisoner, he cannot visit the synagogues in Rome as was his custom, and instead invites the Jewish leaders to meet with him. Paul begins by explaining that he is not there because of anything done against his people or the customs of their fathers and yet was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans (Acts 28:17). Even though the Roman authorities found no charges worthy of death for Paul, and wanted to set him free, Paul appealed to Caesar due to Jewish objections (Acts 28:18-19). Paul continues by telling them he is in chains because of the hope of Israel (Acts 28:20). The Jewish leaders let Paul know that they have received no letters reporting any evil about Paul and that they wish to hear from him about the sect he belongs to since it is spoken against everywhere (Acts 28:21-22).  

 

After agreeing to a time to meet, the Jewish leaders, plus others, come to Paul at his lodging with Paul expounding to them from morning to evening about the kingdom of God and Jesus using the Law of Moses and from the Prophets (Acts 28:23). Some of these Jewish leaders were convinced with others disbelieving, causing a disagreement (Acts 28:24-25). They departed after Paul quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 which says,

 

And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“‘Keep on hearing,^[a] but do not understand;
keep on seeing,^[b] but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people dull,^[c]
    and their ears heavy,
    and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

(Isaiah 6:9-10)

 

At this, Paul tells them that salvation from God will go to the Gentiles since they will listen (Acts 28:28). After this Paul remained in Rome for two full years, welcoming all who came to him proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus with boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:30-31).

 

After many obstacles, the Apostle Paul finally arrives in Rome (Acts 28:11-16). Paul then follows the custom of his ministry and takes the message of the Gospel to the Jews first but since he is a prisoner must have them come to him instead of going to the synagogue (Acts 28:17-22). As usually occurred, some of the Jews believed and some did not cause a disagreement among them with them leaving once Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 (Acts 28:23-28). Paul then takes the Gospel message to the Gentiles in Rome. Paul remains in his dwelling in Rome for two years welcoming all who would come to him to hear him proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 28:29-31).

 

The Church has a mission to take the Gospel message to anyone that will listen, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). How the Church proclaims the message may change due to circumstances, but the mission and message remain the same. The Church in the Book of Acts provides a snapshot of the Church in action spreading the Gospel and provides an example for the Church to follow today. My prayer is for the Church to follow this example.

 

This concludes our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Acts. The book ends with Paul in Rome so the next New Testament book we will study verse-by-verse is Romans which provides us with the teachings of Paul to those in Rome. May God challenge and bless those reading this post.

Lessons from the Figs

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Jeremiah 24:1-10

 

Jeremiah 24:6-7

I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up, and not tear them down; I will plant them, and not pluck them up. ⁷ I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.

(ESV)

 

Yesterday the United States took time to pause and reflect on the horrific attack 20 years ago with the loss of over three thousand lives due to attacks by terrorists on U.S. soil. Those of us who were alive during that time in history can remember with detail what we were doing but with the passage of 20 years, there is also a generation of individuals, many of whom are now old enough to vote who were not alive at that time. I want to urge my readers to lift up in prayer those who lost family and friends in these attacks and remember those trapped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan.

 

While figs are not a staple in the diet of many people today, they were something consumed by people during the time of Jeremiah. Like any fruit, it is best to consume them just after they become ripe like the basket of good figs in Jeremiah’s vision (Jeremiah 24:2). While Scripture does not specifically say it, the basket of bad figs were probably figs that had been sitting out for a while and become rotten. The closest example we would have today are bananas which quickly go bad when left out. With this vision of figs, the Lord will illustrate the difference between those choosing to go into exile in the land of the Chaldeans versus those choosing to remain in Judah or seek asylum in Egypt. These two classes of people are,

 

1)      Rebels (Jeremiah 24:8-10) – While it seems noble for the people to resist the invading army of Nebuchadnezzar by remaining in the land God has promised them, the people have been rebellious and subject to the consequences of Deuteronomy 28:15-68. These people have been given numerous opportunities to repent of their rebellion and stubbornly continue to worship pagan gods and God in violation of the First Commandment (Exodus 20:1-3). Therefore, God equates these people as bad figs rotten with rebellion against God.

2)      Repentant people (Jeremiah 24:4-7) – Being uprooted from one's homeland is not a desirable situation but in this instance, the consequences of continued rebellion against God. However, those going into exile are placing themselves in a position where they will be under the watchful eye of the Lord and have time to reflect and repent of their rebellion. The descendants of these people will be those returning to the land after the completion of their time of exile.

 

The vision of the figs given to Jeremiah is symbolic of those choosing to go into exile and those choosing to remain in Judah or go to Egypt. Those choosing to go into exile are showing obedience to God understanding they must suffer the consequences of  Deuteronomy 28:15-68. These people, represented by the good figs, will repent while in exile and their descendants will return to the land (Jeremiah 24:4-7). Those remaining in the land are hanging on to false prophesies promising no consequences for rebellion (Jeremiah 23:16-17). Those choosing to follow the lying prophets and not repent suffered the consequences of their rebellion.

 

All of us have sinned and live under a death sentence for our sin (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Thankfully, God has provided a way of exile for sinners through the death of Christ, the spotless lamb of God, who took the death penalty for everyone’s sins. The choice for everyone is to remain in the land of sinful rebellion and suffer the consequence of death or repent and leave the land of sin, not going into exile, but to eternity with Christ. For those choosing to leave the land of sin and rebellion, I invite you to pray with me now.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post. 

Snakes in the Wood

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Acts 28:1-10

 

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(ESV)

 

Before beginning this post, I wanted to explain why I have missed a few postings. My doctor recently diagnosed me with multiple kidney stones in both kidneys and am undergoing treatment to get rid of them with laser therapy. I had my first treatment this last Tuesday and they were able to pulverize 40 percent of the stones in my left kidney, which means that in a couple of weeks I will be undergoing another procedure on the same kidney to attempt to eliminate the remaining 60 percent of the stones. After the procedure, there is a lot of pain and fatigue which makes it difficult to concentrate, which is why I have missed some posts on this blog. Please pray for my full recovery as I will have at least two more procedures, and possibly more over the next weeks. Until completion of these procedures, the plan is to only make one posting to this blog per week, on Sundays. Please pray for a complete recovery from these kidney stones.

 

Perhaps due to humanity’s encounter with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, snakes are not usually on the list of favorite animals for most people. There is also the fact that some snakes are poisonous and have venom that is poisonous and even deadly. For Paul, his encounter with a snake was of the venomous variety with the natives of Malta believing Paul would die from his snake bite (Acts 28:6). However, God intervened, and Paul suffered no harm.

 

As promised, Paul and his shipmates have survived the shipwreck with no lives lost and only loss of the ship (Acts 27:22). They now find themselves safely ashore on the island of Malta where they encounter the natives who offer them unusual kindness, building them a fire since it was rainy and cold (Acts 28:1-2). Paul gathers sticks for the fire and discovers a snake in the wood who latches on to his hand (Acts 28:3). The natives who are familiar with the wildlife on the island knew the snake was highly poisonous and believe the snake has brought justice to a murderer who escaped death from the shipwreck (Acts 28:4). Paul shakes the snake off and suffers no harm (Acts 28:5). As the natives wait for Paul to die from the poisonous snake bite, they realize that Paul is suffering no harm and change their minds from believing Paul to be a murderer, to Paul as a god (Acts 28:6).

 

In the neighborhood of the natives lived the chief man of the Island, Publius, who received Paul and his shipmates, entertaining them hospitably for three days (Acts 28:7). Publius’ father lay sick from fever and dysentery with Paul visiting him, praying, and laying hands on him so he receives healing (Acts 28:8). Word of the healing of Publius’ father spreads throughout the island with people bringing their sick to Paul to receive healing (Acts 28:9). The people of Malta who were hospitable from the beginning now express gratitude for their healings and supply Paul and his shipmates with the supplies they will need to complete their journey to Rome (Acts 28:10).

 

Paul has a word from the Lord clearly stating that he will be going to Rome (Acts 23:11). Now having survived a shipwreck, the enemy makes one last effort to stop Paul, reverting to the use of a serpent, as he did in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7). However, instead of giving in to the venomous deceit of the devil, like Adam and Eve, Paul shapes off the venomous snake and suffers no harm (Acts 28:5). Instead of stopping Paul from going to Rome, the snake in the wood provides an opportunity for Paul to demonstrate the power of God by ministering healing to the natives of Malta (Acts 28:7-9).

 

Like the Apostle Paul, the Church has a clear mission from God to share the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20). However, Jesus also told his followers that in this world they would suffer persecution with the promise He had overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus also told his disciples that the world hated Him and would also hate them for following Him (John 15:18-19). For revival to occur, the Church must understand its mission and that this mission will cause the world to hate them just as it hated Jesus, and that this will bring tribulation. However, Christians have the promise that Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33) and the blessed hope of Jesus’ return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.