Gospel – Acts 27-28

We have come to the end of the book of amazing acts of God through the hands of the apostles! Someone also told me that my entry is the last of the whole year! Have you passed a year with the acts of God in it? Or were you too busy with your own acts in the world?

Bible Passage:  Acts 27-28

What does it feel to be working with a powerful worker of God?

As we approach the end of the book of Acts, and having been witnesses to the great works that the Lord did through the apostles, and the powerful and unstoppable ministry of Paul, especially his ministry journeys which are full of happenings, I can’t help but think of Luke who was by his side to witness and to record all these.

Chapter 27 was a tempest tossed passage and while Paul was experiencing all these in great faith, Luke was also undergoing the same trial! This also reminds me of some variety program I watched where the tv celebrities were filmed going through some difficult tasks such as of climbing mt fuji and the great wall of China, and they were constantly interviewed how they were feeling going through the journey – but what we sometimes forget is that there is always this unseen perspective of the camera man holding the video camera and going through the same kind of path!

Was Paul afraid of dying?

Obviously not!

But we read here that he warned the sailors about the danger of losing their lives sailing in such seas. Yes we can say he cared about the lives of those who travelled with him, but I believe he has no intention of dying before he meets Caesar.

This reminds me of a movie where this fireman was asked if he feared death and I really liked his reply. He said that he is not afraid because he knows where he is going, but he just did not want to die being ran over by a train.

Indeed as Christians we should not fear for our lives, but surely we should not risk our lives for unworthy purposes and we certainly will not wish to die in an accident. Even though in this age nobody really desires to live up till a ripe old age any longer, most of us would hope that our lives end in a meaningful way, however the way.

So in Chapter 28 Paul finally reached Rome after months of traveling. He made a point to gather the leaders of the Jews there and to preach Christ again. They had not received letters or complaints against Paul, but they had heard of this sect that is spoken against everywhere.

The sect that is spoken against everywhere

So here we read – Christianity was regarded a sect that was spoken against everywhere.

What do you feel towards being in the sect? How do you feel to be regarded in a sect and rejected everywhere?

Sure it may not feel good to be rejected and spoken against everywhere but here it shows that this is what being a Christian is about.

Today many of us are not motivated to preach because of the fear of rejections.

I still remember in the past when our teachers tell us how our common church brothers and sisters can speak to leaders of other churches and theologians and win them in debates and discussions of the truth by speaking from the Bible. They also tell us of how True Jesus Church was regarded as a sect or cult! Those were the times… but are we shameful of those times?

No. Rather now we should consider if we are even qualified to be called a “sect”.

Do people even know our doctrines and know our existence? Do we preach so much so that the members and leaders of other churches will hear about our name? Are we able to flip to Bible verses and overturn the wrong teachings of man and their misconceptions of the Word of God?

Now one of the objectives of our evangelism door-to-door is to create awareness of True Jesus Church, because we need people to start to be aware of our existence to begin with.

Hopefully in the next year our plans to train ourselves to be equipped in spiritual weapons will be successful, making us know the Bible in a systematic way so that we are able to persuade people not by the words of man but by the words of God.

May God prosper the church in her spiritual battle, and we may rise to be called the Sect that is heard of everywhere again one day.