We finally reach the last chapter in the book of Acts!  Paul’s journey to Rome ends without a resolution! That’s because it’s the job of the church to pick up where Paul left off! How are you going to respond to the Mission of God?

The last two chapters of Acts are devoted mainly to Paul’s journey to Rome (27:1–28:16). And the voyage to Rome is given with great detail and with remarkable precision.  But the main point of the story is the providence of God, especially the saving of Paul’s life so that he could share the gospel in Rome!

We sometimes think God is not working… When we don’t see visible signs of his activity, we figure he’s gone dark. But the quiet, invisible hand of God is always working, always functioning, always operational.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ. Disney didn’t create it. Pixar can’t animate it. Marvel can’t match it. Jesus came out of the grave alive! And he can come into your life and be alive in you! Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Today we come to the part in the Easter story where the Gospel according to Matthew reveals that Jesus was not only accused for us, he was also punished for us.  In my place!  Instead of me!

"Accused for Me"

Our Easter series will look at some of the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, and how those events expose the human soul.  We are the ones who are on trial here!   Today as we focus on the accusation and trial of Jesus, we will see how the four primary characters involved in the trial represent us and show us four ways people still respond to Jesus today.

For the last decade of his life the Apostle Paul has intentionally engaged strategic cities like Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus with the gospel. But now we will observe Paul playing defense. The Apostle becomes a prisoner, and the rest of his ministry recorded in Acts is basically a set of reactions to opposition.

"Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
These words are often repeated as part of the Lord's Prayer, but how devoted are we really to the expansion of God's Kingdom on earth?