Dwell in the Word: Acts 23:12-35

Contemplate these questions as you dwell in Acts 23:12-35:

1. The passage highlights the relentless effort of the enemies of Paul who even make an oath to kill him. In today's context, where believers may face opposition or hostility for their faith, how can Christians maintain courage and trust in God's protection, knowing that the message of the gospel must continue despite challenges?

2. The narrative emphasizes the continuous spread of the gospel, reaching from common people to high-ranking officials. Reflecting on your own spheres of influence, how can you actively contribute to the ongoing proclamation of the gospel? How can believers engage with people from various walks of life, echoing the inclusivity of the gospel message?

3. The passage mentions the importance of the gospel reaching even the highest orders of the Roman government. In our modern society, where influence is diverse and multifaceted, how can Christians strategically and effectively share the gospel in different spheres, including places of authority and power, to impact individuals and communities positively?

Transcript:

 Well, we have high drama here in the life of Paul, don't we? He has been put back in the barracks after his having troubles with the people in Jerusalem and now we find out that they are plotting to kill him and this is This is very clearly a pretty serious thing because they've made an oath not to eat or drink until he is killed now we know the story of Paul well enough to know that we're quite a few chapters away from him being taken away and Uh, we don't even know when all this happened in relation to the death of Paul, really.

And so, these men did either break this vow or they died of starvation because God is protecting Paul. That's kind of the big point that we can see here. There is not a major spiritual point or any real doctrine that we can draw from this passage. Again, it's a transitional passage. A story to get Paul from one place to another, right?

How does he get here and there?  Now look and let's think about where Paul has been.  He goes to Jerusalem, they reject the gospel there, he's arrested, the tribunal is able to hear the gospel, and the people in prison are able to hear the gospel. Now Paul is being taken to Caesarea, and what do we find? He's going before Felix the governor another place where Paul is able to testify.

They're able to hear the story despite everything that's going on and I know you've heard me say this many times through the book of Acts But despite everything that's going on what's happening.  The gospel is going forward Paul is being protected because God is working all of these things together For good that people might hear the gospel Paul is god's messenger That is what we are meant to see here and the message of the gospel must go to the gentiles and now It's not just going to people on the side of the road It's not just going to people that that happen to come to the synagogues and church and house churches Uh, where they meet.

It is even going to the highest orders of the Roman government.  What can we take away from this? It's going to sound like a lot of what we have heard as we've been going through the Book of Acts.  You have to understand where I'm coming from with this. What is the message? The gospel keeps going. The message of Christ keeps going.

The truth must go, not only to the people at the low levels, but also we see it's going to the governors. We're going to see that Paul makes a case before Caesar, right? All of this is happening. That more people might hear the gospel. That more might believe. And it's going to revolutionize the world. Uh, the gospel is going out people are coming to faith They are hearing and it is going to turn the world upside down and it's doing that within a generation, right?

This hasn't taken that much time for this to happen, but the gospel would go forth  And think about the beauty of that  eventually through the faithful proclamation and God using all of this The gospel came to you and to me  and when someone told us the Holy Spirit was at work We believed we had faith and now we have the same charge in our lives That Paul does keep the gospel going and that begins  With what we do in our everyday lives it begins with our family with our friends.

It isn't just like Paul where we're Uh getting arrested and ending up in front of tribunes in front of governors No, it begins with our lives So may we be faithful in the place that God has placed us to keep the gospel going out into the world.