Today's Reading - Acts 28
Background
Paul's trip to Rome ends with quite a bang. On Malta, Paul was bitten by a snake but showed no ill effects, leaving people thinking he must be some sort of god. He denied that and finished his trip to Rome where he was put under house arrest.
That is where the story ends, but as the devotional will remind us, the story of God's work in the church has not and will not end.
That is where the story ends, but as the devotional will remind us, the story of God's work in the church has not and will not end.
Devotional - Without Hindrance
Volumes have been written about the ending of the book of Acts. Acts tells the story of the spread of the gospel in the early days of the church, in Jerusalem , Judea , and Samaria , and to the ends of the earth. The book ends with Paul sitting under house arrest in Rome , awaiting trial on charges of treason. Luke tells us that Paul preached the kingdom of God
“Without hindrance” is one word in the original Greek language (akolutos), an adverb. It is the very last word in the Greek text of Acts. Paul preached with great boldness, “unhinderedly”. And the book stops. It is such a strange ending that some scholars have theorized that the last page or two of Acts may actually be missing, or that Luke was not able to finish the book for some reason.
It is also a strange ending when you think about Paul’s life situation. He had nothing but hindrances in his attempts to preach the gospel of Jesus. We read in 2 Corinthians 11 of Paul’s arrests, persecutions, opponents and hardships. His ministry was one gigantic hindrance! Satan seems to have even taken a personal interest in stopping the work of God through Paul. At the end of Acts, Paul in Roman custody – clearly a hindrance to gospel work. Yet, Luke says, he preached without hindrance.
There is, I believe, another reason why Luke claimed that Paul preached without hindrance. Yes, Paul faced many unbelievable obstacles to his ministry, but he never let obstacles hinder the work of God. Noah faced obstacles when he obeyed God’s command to build an ark, but he was not hindered from obedience. Moses was called by God and immediately had to face the king of the most powerful nation on earth and his mighty army. David was anointed king, but Saul stood in his way, as did Goliath. Each man faced great obstacles but was unhindered in accomplishing the work of God.
Hardships are normal in God’s work, and they are usually bigger than we are able to overcome by ourselves. Too often we assume that obstacles are God’s way of closing a door as if God would never call us to do anything hard. Obstacles do not tell you that God is not in your work. They are not an indication that God wants you to give up. They are the hurdles over which God empowers you to leap as he accomplishes his work through you.
I have known many Christians, even Christian leaders, who assume that God’s work is supposed to be easy and enjoyable. When things do not go exactly as they imagined, or when times get hard, they give up and move on. Every time I face an obstacle, I want to quit (too often with great amounts of whining and complaining accompanying).
But when we are doing God’s work and depending on God’s powers, even the biggest obstacles fail to prevent the powerful work of God. He will strengthen us to endure, to overcome, to grow. Even big obstacles cannot hinder the work of an Almighty God. Let us do the work of Jesus boldly, knowing that no force on earth can stop him.
Father, help me to remember that my life is a product of your grace and is lived by your power. It is you who are working in me and no scheme of the enemy can stop the work that you are doing.
Think and Pray
Do you see yourself as a continuation of the work of God in Acts? What he did then through Paul and others he continues today in us.
Rejoice that we have an importance place in the eternal work of God.
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