Acts 28 Walking with the Spirit

 

Scripture: Galatians 5:25 If we say we desire to live by the plan of the Holy Spirit, then we must walk in the ways of the Spirit.

 

Title: Walking in the Spirit

 

1 We all arrived safely to shore on this island called Malta. 2 The people of the island kindly reached out to us, building a large fire in the midst of the rain and cold. 3 Having picked up some wood, Paul put it into the fire. As he did, a snake running from the heat, latched onto his hand. 4 The islanders made the comment, "This man is a murderer. Justice has been done since he escaped the sea." 5 Paul removed the snake, put it back in the fire and felt no reaction. 6 Expecting him to swell up and die, the people saw no reaction and changed their minds, saying he must be a god.

7 The head official of the island, Publius, owned a home near the beach. He invited us up to his home and took care of us for three days. 8 Paul visited Publius' father who was suffering from a fever. He placed his hands upon him and prayed for his healing. 9 Soon the ill from all over the island came to Paul and received healing from the LORD. 10 When we set sail from the island three months later, the people loaded the ship with all of the supplies we needed.

11 We boarded the Alexandrian ship which had a figurehead of Castor and Pollux, twin gods. 12 We arrived and stayed in Syracuse for three days. 13 Next stop was Rhegium and then on to Puteoli, having received a good south wind. 14 We spent a week with some Jesus' followers in that port and from there we planned to go on to Rome. 15 These knew we were coming and made the journey to meet us at the Forum of Appius and the three Taverns. Paul was greatly encouraged at seeing these fellow followers. 16 At Rome, Paul lived alone with a single guard.

17 After being in Rome for three days, Paul assembled a group of Jewish leaders and said, "Brothers, on a recent trip to Jerusalem I was arrested even though I am not guilty of doing anything against the Jews or our traditions. 18 "The Romans put me on trial a number of times and wanted to set me free because they could not ascertain a crime against me. 19 "The Jewish leadership from Jerusalem objected to their conclusion and I found myself forced to appeal to Caesar. 20 "I wanted to talk with you today. I am a prisoner because of the hope of Israel." 21 They said, "We don't have any information about you and even some brothers who have arrived recently did not bring any news or bring us a bad report about you. 22 "However, we are interested in what you have to say because we have heard of the controversy about the sect you are a part of." 23 They set a time to get together and the crowd that gathered was far greater than Paul expected. He taught them from morning until evening, describing the kingdom of God and what Moses and the Prophets had to say about Jesus. 24 The reaction was mixed, some believed, and others would not. 25 Paul's final statement created a lot of disagreement, "The Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah to our forefathers saying, 26 'Speak to the people, 'You will hear but not understand, you will see with your eyes and not truly perceive.' 27 'The heart of My people has calloused over, they do not hear, and they seem to be blind. If they would see and hear, they could comprehend what I am doing, and they would repent. Then I could heal them.'" 28 Paul continued exhorting them, "God has sent His salvation message to the other nations because they will listen to His truth."

29 They all finally left and found much to talk about amongst themselves. 30 Paul continued in his own rented house for two years, welcoming any who came to see him. 31 Jesus continued to open up opportunities for him to preach about Jesus and the kingdom without any interference.

 

Paul Accepted the Spirit's schedule

 

In the economy of God there is a balance for humans between making plans and accepting the outcome. We have the freedom to pick and choose the things we desire to do. We can live our lives doing evil or doing good. God gives us the freedom to make the choices we think would serve us the best.

 

However, God still reserves the right to intervene into our lives and make some adjustments. For those who have asked Jesus to enter their life and help them, i.e., what some call a born-again Christian, we have given Jesus the right to order our lives anyway He sees fit. That will often mean that our plans will change.

 

If our plans change in the course of a day, we have two choices. One, we can fight it and try to get things to turn out our way or argue with God and try to convince Him we know better. Two, we can thank God for His intervention and ask Him to help us through the adventure that has come our way. My trust is this; if it is from God, it will ultimately be good for me and if it is not from Him, He will protect me and mold me in a way that will be good over time.

 

I can either fight against God or go with the flow that He believes will be best for me.

 

The book of Proverbs says, “A person makes the plans in his heart, but when all is said and done, the will of the Lord comes to pass.” (Proverbs 19:21 EBV) And Paul suggests to us that we follow his example, “I have learned in my life to find contentment no matter what situation I find myself in... In all situations I have found a secret, whether I was full or empty, whether I had a lot or a little.” (Philippians 4:10-12 EBV) The goal of walking in the Spirit is learning to be like a horse that does not spook when they encounter things they don’t understand. We too, need to put our anxieties over onto Him because He cares for us and will do what is best for us. (1 Peter 5:6-11 EBV)

 

          I perceive that God’s message to us is the same as it was to Jacob back in the days of Genesis, “Wherever you travel, I will walk with you, and in time I will bring you back to your home. I will never leave you. You will get to see the fulfillment of all that I have promised you. (Genesis 28: 15 EBV)

 

Throughout our day, each and every day, as we keep in touch with Jesus and let His Spirit reassure us, we can know that God is with us and that He is watching out for our best in every situation.  

 

Following the Spirit

Paul Sought out opportunities to share his gift and the story of Jesus.

 

Paul’s gift was the ability to persuasively reason with his Jewish counterparts to help them see that the Scriptures pointed to the coming Messiah and that Messiah was/is Jesus. Our gift from God is most likely, quite different from Paul’s. So, we might not call a group of intellectuals together to reason with them from morning to night. But we can sure use our gift to touch the lives of others with the love of Jesus in a way that will draw them closer to Him.

 

Jesus called Peter to follow Him, and He would make Peter into a “fisher of men.” That has never been appealing to me since I don’t like to fish. But I do like to design things and systems and as such I think that Jesus called me to be a designer of others. To help them find their true calling and purpose.

 

We all need to discover the gift God has poured out upon us so that we can walk in that gift and almost effortlessly draw others to Jesus. Whether we are caretakers or helpers, or cooks, or decorators, our calling is to use our gift for the benefit of others and ultimately so that others will see Jesus as we do.

 

Paul took the initiative within his limits to gather a crowd and begin a conversation. All of us can do that. Invite someone else to come along with us on some project that is important to us and help them see the love of Jesus as we connect with others.  

 

Paul wrote to the church in Colossae about the need for them to pray for him that doors would be opened for him to share the mystery of God with others. (Colossians 4:2-4 EBV) He reminded Timothy to take what he had learned and make sure that someone else learns it as well. “Everything I have told you and you have seen in me; I want you to pass it all on to faithful others, who will also be able to teach future generations.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2 EBV) Had the original followers of Jesus not passed on the message, we might not have ever heard about the good news of the forgiveness of our sins or the hope we have waiting for us in heaven.

 

I know people who have the gift of baking cookies and continue to share those cookies with every nurse who cares for her, every workman who comes to her house, the waitstaff at a variety of restaurants and the youth groups at her church. She ends up with hundreds of opportunities to talk about her faith and offer to pray for others and pour out God’s blessing upon them.

 

          Others have the gift of hospitality or teaching or serving or building. Whatever the gift, we need to find ways, in the power of the Holy Spirit to serve others with Jesus’ love and let the Spirit open up opportunities to talk about our faith.

 

Paul Made himself available for the Spirit's influence

 

Over time following Jesus we learn to hunger for more of what He has to offer us. In what we call the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus said, “Those who seek for satisfaction from the things of this world will not find the peace they long for, but those who desire to know the ways of God, will find peace and contentment in this life.” (Matthew 5:6 EBV)

 

There are so many of Jesus’ teachings and Paul’s teachings about our becoming more and more deeply committed to following Jesus and His teaching. It is for us a life-long journey but one that is always fulfilling. Whether we are seeking to understand the meaning of Scripture or spending time in prayer interceding for others in need, it is the desire to be closer with Jesus that draws us to deeper and more mature faith.

 

          Solomon said, “Put your whole faith in Yahweh, do not rely on your ability to understand the situation; 6 seek to have Him with you in everything you do, and He will be the one to straighten out your way.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 EBV)

 

May Jesus Bless you with a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your lives this week.

Pastor Edd Breeden