Friday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 28
28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”
30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
28 So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”
30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
Commentary:
28:30–31 For Paul’s provision of his own quarters, cf. v. 16. His sharing the gospel with all who came to him would have included both Jews and Gentiles (cf. note on v. 28). This situation continued for two whole years (a.d. 60–62), at which time Luke’s account ends. Information as to what happened beyond that time comes from extrabiblical sources and from hints in the last few of Paul’s letters. First Clement 5.7 (written a.d. 95, perhaps the earliest known orthodox Christian writing after the NT) speaks of Paul preaching in “the limits of the west,” which probably indicates his fulfilling his desire to preach in Spain (see Rom. 15:24). That would point to his release from the first Roman imprisonment. The church historian Eusebius, writing in a.d. 325, cites the tradition that Paul was freed from confinement and carried on a further ministry until he was arrested and placed in a second Roman imprisonment, at which time he was martyred (Ecclesiastical History 2.22). In God’s sovereignty, Paul’s time in prison was not wasted, for it was during his Roman imprisonment that he wrote the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The time after Paul’s release from his first imprisonment (mid-60s) would be when he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. He probably wrote his last letter, 2 Timothy, during his second imprisonment, as he awaited execution (cf. 2 Tim. 4:6–8).
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2145.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2145.
Questions:
- Acts closes saying that Paul continued to preach the gospel and "no one tried to stop him." Remember back in verse 5, after a poisonous snake bites him, Paul shook it off into the fire. This is an allusion to the prophecy in Genesis 3 that the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. This prophecy is ultimately about Jesus, but is true of His followers as well! The devil is going to resist the church, intimidate the church, bite the church, but we will trample him and overcome him by the blood of the Lamb! As a Christ-follower, you are all dragon killers and snake crushers! How much different might your life look if you walked in this kind of authority over the enemy?
- Paul was ultimately martyred in Rome. After Paul's conversion, he dedicated every minute of the rest of his years to the advancement of the gospel and telling people about Jesus. As Jesus followers, we are called to do the same. Where is your level of dedication to this cause? How committed are you to spending your energy showing Jesus to the world around you?
Pray:
- That God would help you to walk in His authority over the enemy.
- That you would give your life to the cause of Jesus.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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