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As always, Jesus fulfilled his promise! After a long and dangerous journey, Paul finally made it to his destination: Home Sweet Rome! Luke concludes his story by recapping a few of the major theological themes throughout the whole Book of Acts. I call them the Four Pillars of the Church! Let’s take a look at them!
1.) Providence: The Way God Guides His Church (11-15, 21, 31)
Throughout the Book of Acts, particularly in the last few chapters, Luke has highlighted God’s providence as the guiding force behind the movement of his church. God’s providence worked in many unexpected ways and grew God’s church from a fragile 120 people in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost to countless thousands all over the world. Paul’s arrival at Rome represents the gospel reaching the “ends of the earth.”
Think back through the book for a minute: God’s providence used persecution as the catalyst for the church’s expansion. God’s providence led Paul, a zealous Jew and murderer of Christians, to become a missionary to the Gentiles for the rest of his life. After Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, God’s providence compelled the Romans to protect him from the Jewish religious leaders. Then, unpredictably, God provided a horrendous storm to blow them off course so that they could evangelize the island of Malta before they arrived at Rome. Ironic and unexpected indeed!
Do you see how God was working behind the scenes? Do you see how he orchestrated all of these events exactly the way he wanted them? He was in complete control of all of their individual lives and the whole church.
So, as Luke brings his book to an end, he highlights this theme of providence one more time. After the shipwreck on Malta, Paul and his companions, as well as the other passengers, stayed on the island for the three winter months before they sailed on toward Rome. Now their ship had been completely destroyed by the pounding of the surf, but isn’t it providential that another Alexandrian ship, just like the one they were on before was in the harbor and was bound for Rome. It just happened to have enough room on board to accommodate all 276 castaways.
Luke also highlights God’s providence by including the ironic detail that this ship had the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. These gods, sons of Zeus and Leda, were believed to be protectors of good fortune on the seas, being said to rid the seas of pirates. Whereas most of the passengers believed this superstition, Paul, Luke, and the other Christians knew that the whole journey was guided by the providence of the one true God. Ironically, this time they sailed across smooth waters.
There is divine irony in the south wind they encountered off the coast of Rhegium. Since Rhegium was located in the Straight of Messina, passage through the straight required a strong south wind to push ships through so they could go on to Puteali. It just happened that the very day they left Rhegium the south wind was perfect for sailing through the straight. God blew the wind which moved them at the time and direction he wanted them to go. Once again, God shows his power over the wind and the waves.
Also, don’t you think it is a little ironic that when Paul finally got to Rome, his case hadn’t been transferred from Jerusalem and they hadn’t heard anything negative regarding Paul? Then, my favorite piece of irony in this whole passage is the term “without hindrance” in verse 31. Paul was on house arrest, chained to a Roman soldier, and awaiting trial before the emperor, but Paul was preaching and teaching without hindrance. Now that is humorous?
Just as it was for Paul and the whole church throughout the Book of Acts, God’s providence guides our individual lives and our whole church community today. This is why we have so many unexpected, ironic, and apparently coincidental events happen to us. God cares about every detail of our lives and they all factor into his plan somehow. God’s providence orchestrates every event of our lives, both good and bad, and he uses all of them for his glory.
Take a second and think about just this past year of your life. Have you experienced any life-changing events? Maybe you lost a job or started a new job? Maybe you broke up with a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or maybe you got married or met someone special? Maybe you got pregnant and had a baby? Maybe you lost a loved one? Maybe you were diagnosed with a disease or you have been healed from an ailment? Maybe a relationship with one of your children has been strained or maybe your relationship with your spouse has been repaired. You see, nothing in God’s kingdom happens without a purpose. He is in control of all of these things. His providence is guiding us!
Likewise, God’s providence is guiding our church. Look around! Do you see everyone’s faces here today? What a wonderful group of people God has woven together. Somehow God led you to this community. If I asked each of you to stand up and share how you became a part of this church ,we would hear some pretty amazing stories—none of them coincidences, all of them miraculous! I believe God has big plans for this little church, and we are just at the beginning. His providence is guiding us!
2.) Fellowship: The Way God Strengthens His Church
Just like providence, fellowship is another theme we have repeatedly seen throughout the book of Acts. Christianity is a community faith. It must be lived out with others. When the church was just beginning back in Acts 2:42-46, Luke says, “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” This is the way God strengthens his church.
As we have studied Acts over the past two years, you will notice that no one ever did anything by themselves. During all of his missionary journeys Paul was always accompanied by Barnabas or Silas and a host of others. After he started churches in various cities and towns he went back to visit and have fellowship with them. And he took every opportunity he could to meet, stay with, eat with, and have fellowship with other believers. It was always a mutually and spiritually strengthening experience.
This is exactly what happens here at the end of the Book of Acts. Look at the picture of fellowship that Luke paints in verses 14-16. When their ship came to port in Puteoli, they met some other Christians who invited them to spend a week with them. After fellowshipping and being mutually edified for a full week, they begin their five day march to Rome on two well-traveled roads, the Companion Way and the Appian Way. When Christians in Rome found out that Paul and his friends were on their way they came down to the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet them. What does this mean for us? Well, if you want some fellowship, meet some Christians at three local taverns. Just kidding, Three Taverns is obviously the name of a city. Notice how Paul responds! “At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.”
That is what fellowship is all about—being spiritually, emotionally, and physically strengthened by other believers. This modern notion that you can be a Christian and not belong to a local church body is ridiculous. It is completely foreign to New Testament Christianity. Spiritual growth cannot happen apart from the community of Christ. This is why church membership is so important. Just like our wedding vows, we commit to this group of Christians for better or worse. When one of us celebrates, we all celebrate together. When one of us mourns, we all mourn together. When one of us is in need, we all provide encouragement and support.
Fellowship includes hospitality, sharing meals together, encouraging, and supporting. This can happen in so many ways. Are you willing to invite someone to your home? Are you sharing meals with people in your church? When was the last time you went out of your way to encourage another believer? Are you willing to share your income to help someone out? These are all ways that we can embrace fellowship. This is how God strengthens his church!
3.) Evangelism: The Way God Expands His Church (17-28, 31)
When reading the book of Acts, it is impossible top miss Luke’s emphasis on evangelism. The whole book is about how God established and expanded his church. In Acts 1:8, right before Jesus’ ascension, he declares to his disciples: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The first part of the book focuses on how Peter and the other apostles proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. The rest of the book focuses on Paul and his missionary journeys all over the world. He preached in Jewish synagogues and pagan temples. He preached from prison cells and cargo ships. He preached to military commanders and commoners, nobility and nobodies, scholars and scabs. God’s method of expanding his church is evangelism.
As Luke concludes his book he gives us one more glimpse of how God expands his church through evangelism. When Paul finally reached Rome he met with the Jewish leaders and found out that his case had not been transferred yet. But these Jews were curious about Paul’s views, for people everywhere were bad-mouthing Christianity.
So, they set a time and place to meet and the Jews showed up in large numbers to listen to him. From morning until evening, verse 23 says that he “explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the prophets.” Some of them were convinced and the church expanded.
Just like the apostles of old, we are all called to expand God’s church through evangelism. These few verses answer all of our questions about evangelism. What is the content of evangelism? Verses 23 & 31 – the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Who should we evangelize? Verses 17 & 28 – Jews and Gentiles, which represents all people. How should we evangelize? Verses 23 & 31 – explaining declaring, preaching, and teaching—all of this with great boldness! Why should we evangelize? Verse 28—this is the only way God’s salvation can come to sinful souls. And finally, what is the result of evangelism? Verses 23 & 24—Some will believe and some won’t! We shouldn’t be surprised by this!
Are you willing to do your part in expanding God’s church? Are you willing to take the opportunities God gives you to boldly tell somebody about Jesus? Think about it! You wouldn’t know Jesus if someone didn’t tell you about him. You wouldn’t be part of this church if someone hadn’t invited you. Will you do it for someone else?
4.) Faithfulness: The Way God Sustains His Church (30-31)
The final pillar of the church that Luke emphasizes throughout the Book of Acts and recaps in this last section is faithfulness. Individual Christians and the whole church faced insurmountable obstacles and horrendous persecution right from the start. Peter and Paul were both kicked out of towns, suffered death threats, and were imprisoned for their faith, but they remained faithful to the Lord. In chapter 7, Stephen was murdered for preaching about Jesus; the religious leaders crushed his head with stones, but he was faithful to the end. When Paul and his missionary companions traveled all over Asia Minor, many more people rejected their message than accepted it, but in spite of their apparent failure, they pressed on.
Now as Luke concludes his story he pictures Paul on house arrest, chained to a Roman soldier, awaiting his trial. He was in that condition for two “whole” years. He had already been imprisoned for two years in Caesarea; now he had to go through it all again. What did he do for these two long years? Verses 30-31 clearly declares that Paul was faithful to the end and used every opportunity to welcome everyone who came to see him and he continued to preach the Kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ. During this time he also wrote his prison epistles to encourage some of the churches he started. These are the Books of Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Our final image of Paul is one of complete faithfulness, sustaining the church of Jesus Christ.
This image of Paul’s faithfulness is an important one for us today. Despite opposition, hardship, failure, persecution, and pain, he persevered to the end! Does anyone here this morning think the Christian life is hard? Do you ever feel like giving up? Isn’t it easier to live for ourselves than to live for Jesus? Wouldn’t it be easier to sleep in on Sunday morning, sip our coffee, and read the newspaper than getting up, going to church, hugging a bunch of germ infested people, and listening to another boring sermon? Isn’t it easier to just give in to temptation than to make a stand against sin? Isn’t it easier to keep our money for our own pleasures than to give it to the Lord’s work?
I think we all feel like giving up at times! I’m sure Paul did! But he was compelled to be faithful to the end. He knew that there was joy in the journey and a crown of righteousness waiting at the finish line, and the same is true for us. So, with all my heart, I encourage you to hang in there! Fight the good fight! Endure the obstacles! Persevere through the pain! Finish the race! I promise that you will not regret it!
Wow! What a way to end the story? Four pillars of the church—providence, fellowship, evangelism, and faithfulness! May God continue to guide, strengthen, expand, and sustain us for his glory and our benefit!