Hello, I’m James and it has been fantastic to share these podcasts with you this week. Today we are jumping to the last chapters in the book of Acts – Paul in Rome, under house arrest, doing the same things he has done all the way through the book of Acts – the things of Jesus, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching people about Jesus. Next week, the wonderful Alan Ward will be starting the book of Ephesians from Monday, so stay tuned.

If this podcast is helpful to you – why not share it with someone new – especially from next week as we can start a new book of the Bible together and see it as a bit of an advent challenge – using the podcast to connect with God in the build up to Christmas. Is there someone who could hold you accountable to this?

REFLECTION:

Lets start with today’s Bible reading. As mentioned at the start of this podcast, we have come to the end of the book of Acts. If you have been listening since September, you will have come to understand that the last couple of weeks have been about Paul boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching people about Jesus – all people. And remarkable things have happened.

However, towards the end of this book, everything goes wrong for Paul. He is falsely accused of doing wrong and almost assassinated. He is imprisoned put on trial infant of Festus and Felix (the officials of the area) and appeals to Rome in order to get a fair trial… on the way to Rome he’s shipwrecked. Everything is going wrong for this guy.I don’t know if you have ever had one of those days. Where you wake up optimistic thinking – today I am going to be a glass half-full kind of guy or girl. I’m going to have heavens perspective on my job/life – I’m going to join in with what God is doing without murmuring or complaining. And then the whole day precedes to feel like one big shipwreck. Well let’s see what happens to Paul. If we take our time – there is a lesson to learn here about ending well.

Since we have been following Paul, we don’t know in the end if he gets a fair trial and if he gets freed. That is purposefully left out. Let me read the last two verses of todays reading – the very last words in the book of Acts.

For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

We know from earlier that he was arrested but we now know he was not put in a dungeon. As before with the story we looked at on Tuesday with the Phillippian jailor. He was under house arrest. He was able to have guests and people come and go. In some way, he was free to still do the things God had asked him to do – namely tell people about Jesus. It just probably didn’t look anything like what he thought it was going to look like.

Let me just pause for a moment and let that sink in.

Paul’s life probably didn’t look anything like what he thought it was going to look like.

Sometimes that happens to us. I don’t know if you are much of a planner. When I was 16/17 I thought I wanted to be an accountant. Look at me now. I remember the day when I told my Mother that I wanted to change my degree at Sheffield University from maths and financial management to Biblical studies. She freaked out. She told me I was throwing away my career. She was right. I’m convinced I would have made a great accountant. I’m better doing this job though. I feel close to Gods purpose for my life. Now you don’t have to do what I do to do Gods purposes. I might not be able to do what you do and you might not be able to do what I do. But there is nothing quite like being in the place that God has destined for you… even if that place looks nothing like what you once imagined. My Mother is thankful for my decision now. I guess becoming a Christian helped.