Intro to Acts 28:17-31

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/7/2018 8:40 PM

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  Intro to Acts 28:17-31

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 28:17-31

            Message of the verses:  : “17 After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 “And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. 19 “But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20 “For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel." 21 They said to him, "We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. 22 “But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere."

    23 When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24 Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. 25 And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26  saying, ’GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, "YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 27  FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM."’ 28 “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen." 29 [[When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]]

    30 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, 31 preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”

            As we read this section and then as I comment on these verses it will be the end of our study in the book of Acts, a study that we began on June 21, 2017.  One thing that I am not entirely sure of is which New Testament book that we will be looking at next.  I think the choice at this time is between the three epistles of John or the book of Ephesians.  I can say that I will be in prayer to see where it is that the Lord leads me and then after finishing this book we will begin a new adventure.

            As we look back at our study in the book of Acts, the second book that Luke wrote we saw that it talks about the early church that began in Jerusalem, and was exclusively a Jewish church and then it expanded to the Samarians, and finally in the tenth chapter to the Gentiles.  The book can be divided into two parts with Peter being the main person in the first 11 chapters and then Paul in the final 17 chapters.  The first part speaks mostly of the Jewish church and the last part about the Gentile church.  The book begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome the capital of the Roman Empire.  

            Paul and the different people who went with him on the first three missionary journeys planted many NT churches as the Word of God spread through the Roman Empire and many were saved. 

            John MacArthur writes about what probably happened after Paul stayed in Rome for the two years that we see at the end of the book of Acts.  “But the story does not end there.  Released from the Roman imprisonment recorded in Acts 28, Paul resumed his missionary efforts—probably even reaching Spain (Rom. 15:24).  Arrested a second time a few years later, he was finally executed.”  (John MacArthur talks more about this in his commentary on 1 Timothy.)  “But the story of the church did not end with Paul’s death or that of the last surviving apostle, John, near the end of the first century.  The apostles handed the baton to a second generation of leaders, who in turn handed the baton to a second generation of leaders, who in turn handed it to others.  As a result, the church’s history is still being written today.” 

            Now the following quote from his introduction which tells us the outline we will follow MacArthur writes “Acts ends with Paul in Rome.  Proud capital of the greatest empire the world has ever known, Rome was a center of decadent paganism.  Paul thus found himself a prisoner in the middle of a vast mission field.  It is fitting that Acts, which has focused so much on evangelism, closes with the account of Paul’s first (but not last, cf. Phil. 1:13; 4:22) evangelistic effort in Rome.  That effort unfolds the five stages:  Paul’s introduction, the Jewish leaders’ interest, the gospels presentation, Israel’s rejection, and the story’s incompleteness.”  With that said we will begin, Lord willing, with Paul’s introduction in our next SD.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “A leper” (Matthew 8:2).

Today’s Bible question:  “Where was Jesus born?”

Answer in our next SD.

10/7/2018 9:08 PM