Abide
Read This Week: Acts 28
Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 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! – Acts 28:28-31 NIV
In his book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson wrote, “We can decide to live in response to the abundance of God and not under the dictatorship of our own poor needs.” The Apostle Paul has come to the later stages of his ministry life and journey in Acts 28, and he has chosen to live in the abundance of God and not in response to his needs.
He is on house arrest in Malta, and instead of relenting to his confinement and the weight of his imprisonment, Paul kept open house and received anyone who wanted to ask him questions or discuss the Kingdom of God. He could have fallen into depression and felt sorry for himself in his imprisonment, but instead, he chose to preach, teach, and pray with those who came to visit him. Many of these visitors professed faith in Jesus, and Paul’s mission of the gospel continued even while he was chained to a guard for 12 hours a day. Verse 31 says:
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!
Paul made the spiritual and disciplined effort to abide in Christ despite his circumstances. He chose to remain obedient to his calling in the face of many justifiable reasons not to do so. The result of his faithfulness was more Gentiles heard the gospel, many came to faith in God, and the movement of the church continued to advance. Jesus said in John 15, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.”
Paul took this to heart and availed himself to the Holy Spirit to stay connected to God, and because of it, his life continued to bear much fruit even while he sat in a house all day for two years, not being allowed to leave. During these twenty-four months, Paul also wrote Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. So, as he abided in Christ, he continued to establish his legacy for God.
May we look at the example of Paul’s life not only in this chapter but in the whole of Acts as an encouragement to remain and abide in Christ. May we allow it to embolden us to carry out and be obedient to our place in the kingdom no matter what hindrances or challenges we face. May we see it as inspiration to bear spiritual fruit, progress in the gospel mission, and contribute to the movement of God’s church in the world.
This was what God was saying to me through Acts 28: “I will do a work in you, but you must make yourself ready and available for the work. Many hear about My son Jesus, and reject Him, simply because they don’t want to turn to Me and be healed. Don’t be one of those people. Open your heart and mind to Me.
I will never waste your time, though you may waste it by not sensing My purpose for your life at that moment. If you belong to Me, fulfilling My will cannot be stopped, as you go through difficulties in life. Disbelief or rejecting Jesus will not hinder the gospel. The gospel will go forth and find those who believe. My word will continue to spread and continue to change lives for My glory. It is a never-ending story.”
What this said to me was I need to do my part in continuing to bring others to Christ. I need to be ready and available everywhere I go, and I need to open my heart and mind to God so I won’t waste opportunities.
This is a tremendous commentary on Acts 28, Kathy, and a good summation of the ministry of Paul and how it came to its final days. This line really stood out to me as profound:
I will never waste your time, though you may waste it by not sensing My purpose for your life at that moment.
God doesn’t waste His or our time in the carrying out of the gospel or His purposes in this life and how it resonates in eternity. We waste it by not listening to His voice and following His will. That is a practical truth that every believer needs to keep in view in our daily lives.
Thank you so much Jason. I always love your comments. You are such a blessing to this ministry with your encouragement.
Thank you, Kathy! You are a blessing to me every week. I’m honored to be with you all.
God was showing me how he takes care of us daily like He took care of Paul and others in the Bible. When you’re a child of Father God you can count on Him being right there to help you, lead you, and guide you. If you became a Christian, said yes to have a life with Jesus, you have been chosen. I’m so glad I said yes to follow Jesus and now I get to be a part of sharing what God blessed me with a life with Him forever and ever, He is a good good Father,
Jesus is your best friend and the Holy Spirit will help you and you get to help others too. God led me to this song and I hope it will bless you today. It is called “I Choose to Follow” by Al Denson.
I choose to follow
I choose to let You lead
With child-like faith I’ll walk each day
Knowing that You’re all I need
I choose to love You
Because You’ve chosen me
Of all the things that I could choose to do
I choose to follow You.
Voices
I hear them calling for me to come away
Choices
I find them waiting for me with each new day
But when I start to listen
And obey the Voice that knows my heart
It comforts me to know how close You are
I choose to follow
I choose to let You lead
With child-like faith I’ll walk each day
Knowing that You’re all I need
I choose to love You
Because You’ve chosen me
Of all the things that I could choose to do
I choose to follow You.
Questions
You know they flood my mind when I kneel to pray
Lessons
I’ve learned from every answer You’ve brought my way
You patiently remind me
That it is by faith I must be led
Even though I don’t know what’s ahead
I’m very thankful for this insight, Heidi. I agree that it is a joyful, peaceful, and hopeful thing to know every day that we have been chosen by God. What an honor and privilege. I also appreciate the song as well and these lyrics were an encouragement to me:
I choose to follow
I choose to let You lead
With child-like faith, I’ll walk each day
Knowing that You’re all I need
I choose to love You
Because You’ve chosen me
Thank you, Jason! This song is amazing, and I’m so thankful that I get to bless and help others. Have a blessed day!
It is a great song. Thank you for sharing and I appreciate your ministry to others.
I have a poem out of Acts 28 verse 28:
Today if you would hear, if your ears would open
You will hear the truth.
For God will speak, right to your heart
Closing the Persons, keeping you apart.
Today if you listen, you will be able to hear
Jesus calling you to come close and near.
For He wants you to know, for your sins He died
He is waiting for you with arms stretched out wide.
What that means to me is just listen to God and what He has to say. You will discover the truth to a new life and way.
This is a beautiful and creative reminder for us to open our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit and let God speak to us in only the way that He can. We have direct access to Him through Christ (1 Timothy 2:5) and if we will abide in Him, we will discover truth and enlightenment to inform our daily lives and gospel mission.