DAILY STUDY OF ACTS
MESSAGE SEVENTY-TWO
Bible Reading: Acts 1:8; 27:20-26, 33-37; 28:15-16, 23-31; Philippians 1:19-21a; Ephesians 2:14-18; Philippians 3:2-8; Colossians 3:10-11; Hebrews 1:1-3; 9:12; 10:9-10, 12, 14; 13:13
Read and pray: “But what was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." (Philippians 3:2-8)
A PORTRAIT OF PAUL'S LIFE
Acts chapters 27 and 28 do not present any doctrine. Rather, we have a record of someone living Christ to the fullest. He was imprisoned, bound with chains, and surrounded by guards.
The sea was very violent, and navigation was difficult. Moreover, he was far from his homeland and most of his friends. Although he was in this difficult situation, he lived like a king ruling. The life of Paul presented in these two chapters of Acts reminds us of what he said while imprisoned in Rome: "For I know that through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:19-21a).
This describes his life on the journey from Caesarea to Rome. Regardless of the situation, he magnified Christ in his body. Reflecting on the picture in Acts 27-28, we see that Paul was an extraordinary witness of Christ. He was the type of witness the Lord spoke of in Acts 1:8: "Both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
In Acts 1:6, the disciples of the Lord had asked Him if that would be the time He would restore the kingdom to Israel. The Lord showed them that it was not for them to know the times or seasons that the Father had set by His own authority. However, after receiving power through the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them, they would be His witnesses. Paul was such a witness in Acts 27-28.
In these chapters, Paul lived among Gentiles. There were very few Jews on the ship, if any. Everything in that journey was Gentile: the food, the environment, and the atmosphere. Moreover, there was nothing Jewish on the island of Malta. He was surrounded by Gentiles and their Gentile way of life. But in this situation, he lived like a king in a palace. I greatly appreciate the picture of Paul's life in these chapters.
We should all live Christ in the way Paul did in Acts 27-28. If we only live Christ in a situation that matches our culture, character, constitution, and disposition, then our living is not authentic. In Acts 27-28, he lived Christ in a situation completely contrary to his culture and character.
Many things were discouraging and disheartening, but he lived a life of the highest standard. As we have already pointed out, in Paul, the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-Man who lived in the Gospels, continued to live through one of His many members. It was Jesus living again on earth in His divinely enriched humanity.
Therefore, Paul's life was a repetition of the life of Jesus. After he arrived in Rome, as described in chapter 28, Paul wrote the Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Hebrews. He was imprisoned twice in Rome. The first time was between 62 and 64 A.D., due to the accusation from the Jews (28:17-20). During this time, he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. After being released for the first time, it is likely that he visited Ephesus and Macedonia, and then Crete and Miletus, from where he probably wrote Hebrews. The second time Paul was imprisoned, around 65 A.D., was due to the sudden persecution of believers initiated by Emperor Nero.
Paul went through many things in Acts 15-28. Without these experiences recorded in these chapters, he could not have written Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Hebrews, or he could not have written them in such a complete way.
Enjoy more: Hymn 208
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