Acts 28 NIV – Paul Ashore on Malta – Once safely on – Bible Gateway
“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” (Acts 28:30-31)
Paul reaches Rome. On his way there they are shipwrecked but land safely on the island of Malta and Paul prays and heals. Once in Rome, he is allowed to live by himself but under guard. In Rome, Paul does what he always does; he preaches to the Jewish community. That’s met with belief and unbelief. Then he focuses his efforts on the Gentiles.
That’s the theme of Acts. God’s Good News of Salvation in Jesus has been sent to the Gentiles. The Gospel is global; it is meant for all. Over and over again Paul travels, goes out to share the awesome news of new life in Jesus Christ. Churches are established and new believers are taught. Out again Paul goes to do the same thing over again.
Reading Acts from beginning to end has been challenging to me for always the message of this book is to go out, go out, go out, be my witness, be my witness, be my witness. It’s easy for me, for us, to stay in the comfort zone of who we know and what we know. But in Acts the church becomes something new almost in every city in which a church is planted. The Gospel is preached and nuanced to both Jews and Gentiles and each church that springs to life. Jesus is at the core of it all; the foundation of the Church. Nevertheless, Acts stretches us, challenges us, and opens us to the creativity and power of the Holy Spirit at work throughout churches across the Greco-Roman world.
“Acts ends on a triumphant note…Despite being under house arrest, Paul is preaching and teaching in Rome, the capital city of the Roman Empire–“with all boldness and without hindrance.” (TNIV Study Bible Notes)
First Pres Joliet 
November 16, 2013 at 7:17 am
My thanks go out to Craig, Dale, Micah and Bo for your time and efforts with this blog experience. In my opinion it has been a great success and I for one am glad we are continuing with it. My hope is more and more folks will join us. I have learned so much more about the Book of Acts than I could have learned on my own. I pray that I can be more bold in sharing the Gospel message. May the Holy Spirit encourage all of us.
November 16, 2013 at 8:52 am
I have thoroughly enjoyed this study and interaction the word and all of you. It’s the first thing I look for in the morning and I’ve started getting up earlier to spend time alone in the morning reading and praying. I agree with Tari– so glad we are continuing on!!
November 16, 2013 at 9:06 am
I also look forward to each morning’s readings and comments. Have learned a lot and look forward to the topic of thanksgiving.
November 16, 2013 at 9:19 am
For the last several chapters, Luke has been logging the trip reports of Paul – one if by land and two if by sea, etc. What I’ve noticed for my own growth is that Paul tailored his message to the crowd (Jew, Gentile, or Greek philosopher) he was addressing. He built his arguments on a base of what they already believed and added a few more points about Jesus. His “stump speeches” were not “believe me or else your going to…” He presented facts to people and let the Holy Spirit do the convicting. I look at the actions of evangelism or church growth as being very similar to the actions of a sales person. What does one say to a diverse audience of unbelievers to maximize conversions with the help of the Holy Spirit? I’d be interested in running or participating in a Sunday School on this subject. What are the best practices for evangelism and church growth for the lay person?
Our study of the Book of Acts has come to a close with Paul in Rome; most likely Nero was emperor. During his stay (60-68AD) in Rome Paul witnessed a horrible civil war over Nero’s despotic leadership with legions marching hundreds of miles down the Roman highways from Western Europe to join the battles. During the dispute, Rome was set on fire. Nero, like most emperors, blamed others, including Christians, for the calamity rather than his own inept abilities to govern. Some things about governments never change. And God saw Paul through it all! His was a life well lived.
I certainly have enjoyed this study, having learned much from the Pastors, Bo and Micah. It’s always good to hear from people that have devoted a fair part of their life studying and learning God’s Word. As Richard pointed out yesterday, we are all made in God’s image. This fact alone means that our experiences, understanding, and comments have value and are worth the bother of posting. I apologize for my long winded comments. My purpose is to let you know what I know and to challenge your thinking and believing, just like I do in our Faith’s Journey SS class – Proverbs 27:17! I look forward to more of this fun.
November 16, 2013 at 11:20 am
Remember that Rome was not built in a day (neither was Joliet!) and neither was the Christian church. Not only do we need to reach out to others, but I believe we need to encourage others within our church family. It has been and will continue to be a great way to stay connected in study with our church family no matter where we are. Thanks to the staff for a great bible study. Looking forward to the coming weeks.
November 16, 2013 at 1:50 pm
Thanks to Craig, Dale, Bo and Micah for your daily commentaries and to all others who added comments. I have never read Acts so thoroughly. Looking forward to our next Book.
November 16, 2013 at 6:03 pm
I thank all who participated in the discussion and all who “tuned in” but perhaps didn’t comment-a special thanks to our church pastors and leaders who made this service to Christ possible-