[Linux4christians] Friday - Acts 27:27 – 28:10

Thu Nov 10 21:15:46 EST 2011

    Friday

      Acts 27:27 – 28:10

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven 
across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were 
approaching some land. 27:28 They took soundings and found the water was 
twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took 
soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. 27:29 Because 
they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they 
threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear.

27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were 
lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going 
to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and 
the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be 
saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let 
it drift away.

27:33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, 
saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have 
gone without food; you have eaten nothing. 27:34 Therefore I urge you to 
take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of 
you will lose a hair from his head.”

27:35 After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in 
front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were 
encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred 
seventy-six persons on the ship.) 27:38 When they had eaten enough to be 
satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a 
bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they 
could. 27:40 So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at 
the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars 
together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward 
the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran 
the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the 
stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. 27:42 Now the 
soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would 
escape by swimming away. 27:43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s 
life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who 
could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, 27:44 and the rest 
were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And in 
this way all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, we learned that the island was 
called Malta. 28:2 The local inhabitants showed us extraordinary 
kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had 
started to rain and was cold.

28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on 
the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on 
his hand.

28:4 When the local people saw the creature hanging from Paul’s hand, 
they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he 
has escaped from the sea, Justice herself has not allowed him to live!”

28:5 However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no 
harm. 28:6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up or 
suddenly drop dead. So after they had waited a long time and had seen 
nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was 
a god.

28:7 Now in the region around that place were fields belonging to the 
chief official of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and 
entertained us hospitably as guests for three days. 28:8 The father of 
Publius lay sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went 
in to see him and after praying, placed his hands on him and healed him.

28:9 After this had happened, many of the people on the island who were 
sick also came and were healed.

28:10 They also bestowed many honors, and when we were preparing to 
sail, they gave us all the supplies we needed.

      Prayer

Lord, the enemy attacked Paul via a snake and the superstitious people 
thought it was a judgment of his sin, but You turned the enemy's attack 
to good. May I prayerfully await Your transformation of attacks, that 
come due to my faithful service to you, into a witness for Your power 
and presence to others.

      Summary & Commentary

Paul warned the captain that everyone had to remain on the ship or none 
would be saved, and so the sailors who had schemed to sneak away in a 
small boat were stopped.

Paul encouraged them all to eat as it had been a long time in-crisis 
then gave thanks to God, broke-bread, and ate before them - they ate as 
well then discarded the rest of the wheat to lighten the ship. They 
grounded the ship in shallow water because the storm still threatened. 
They were successful and, as Paul had prophesied, all were safe.

The shipwrecked crew, including Paul, discovered that they had landed on 
the Island of Malta. The citizens there were friendly.

Paul was bitten by a viper and suddenly their superstition labeled him a 
murderer - but when he was not harmed they imagined him a god.

The Holy Spirit used Paul as His vessel of healing for the father of the 
chief official of the Island as well as many others. [Note: The text 
does not record Paul as having the opportunity to preach Christ, though 
he undoubtedly shared Christ with everyone he met, nor does it record 
any who accepted Christ at the time. It could be that the Holy Spirit 
used Paul to plant seeds for a future harvest there.]

Because of Paul's faithfulness to Christ the people were blessed by the 
Lord God and they sent he and his fellow travelers away with many gifts 
and supplies.

      Interaction

        Consider

Paul, despite being a prisoner, became a major leader on the ship and on 
the island.

Discuss

Isn't it interesting that Paul was faithfulness as a vessel of God in 
healing and sharing on Malta despite the persistent confused-thinking of 
the people? Might one conclude that the Lord God discerned that they had 
teachable spirits and the Holy Spirit had prepared them to listen?

        Reflect

Does this seem to be yet another case where pagans attempted to impose 
their views upon God's work, first the superstition that one bitten by a 
viper must be an unpunished murderer (interestingly that was true about 
Paul), and then that he must be a "god" since the viper had no effect on 
him?

Share

When have you observed a person in ministry first resisted then received?

      Faith in Action

        Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me any place in my thinking where any 
pagan value system may exist.

        Action:

Today I will ask a fellow believer to pray in agreement with me to 
discern any place in my life where a pagan value system has gained 
foothold unnoticed and the strength and wisdom to excise it.

Be Specific ______________________________________________________

    Saturday's text will be:

      Acts 28:11-31

-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Savannah-Statesboro needs a Bible College/Seminary!
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
I don't google I SEARCH! Yippy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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