Dear Student of the Word,
Here is the next-to-last installment from our study of Acts, which we began in January, 2011. I am glad to see it come to an end, not because I did not enjoy and learn from it, but because it means we get to move on to another book! In this study, we are on the ship with Paul as he went to Rome, encountering a huge storm while on the way there. You would think Paul would have had smooth sailing since he was going in God's will, but he did not. This week I wrote in part four of this seven-part study:
Study Thirty-Three, Part Four
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.
27:27-32 – So who was no in charge of the ship? In a sense, Paul was. When some of the sailors tried to escape, Paul knew what they were trying to do. How did he know and not the captain or the centurion? Then Paul gave a simple piece of advice to the military men onboard: if the men were successful in lowering the lifeboat and escaping, the others would die! At this point, Paul had earned their trust and was credible, so they cut away the lifeboat.
Even though these soldiers were not believers, they had seen enough to know that they needed to heed Paul’s advice. How did Paul get this kind of respect?
- He shared what he knew, even though it was ignored and rejected.
- He was on the ship with the men, sharing in the danger and uncertainty.
- He continued to speak, even though his first advice was ignored.
- He did not take his rejection personally, but became a source of strength and, in some ways, salvation for those onboard.
- He was listening for what God would say, and God sent an angel to advise him.
- He was vigilant, even though as hungry and distressed as everyone else.
- He was a confident man of purpose and knew he had to arrive in Rome to do God’s will.
If you want to have influence on your job, in your church or in your family, do what Paul did, as listed above. People should seek you out for advice. You are connected to God and should hear what He says and report the same to the people around you.
Who is listening to what you have to say? Do you have anything to say? Are you involved with people, living where they live, feeling what they feel? This is symbolic of Jesus, who took on human flesh in His divinity so that He could identify in every way (except sin) with his “target audience.”
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished volume of The Faith Files.
Comments