ACTS: THE LAST JOURNEY

Church members sit in church listening to their pastors talk on and on and on saying absolutely nothing that has to do with changing their lives in order to live in Heaven.  Pastors, churches and denominations are struggling to find something “new” to keep their members firmly seated on the pew.  They dig deep into history or eschatology to keep their members thinking they are actually “learning” something that will get them into Heaven.  If they should run out of “new”, fascinating or different topics to keep the members mesmerized, churches resort to fan-fare, entertainment and show.  None of it will get you into Heaven.

Jesus could have made the sun stand still for days, if a “show” could have gotten the people into Heaven.  He could have made all the fish in the Sea of Galilee jump out onto land for the people to take home and eat.  But He didn’t.  The armies of Rome could have been laid low by a wave of His hand.  But He didn’t.  None of that would have brought the Sabbath-keeping, tithe-paying, church-going people one step closer to Heaven.

Think about the knowledge Jesus could have given the Sabbath-keeping, tithe-paying people of His day.  He could have taught them how to build automobiles, airplanes and battleships.  He could have introduced our modern weaponry to them.  Think of the vast sums of knowledge on health He could have revealed.  But He didn’t.  Why?  None of that will get you into Heaven.

Modern advances in science, education, medicine and health were at His disposal.  But He never revealed any of it to the people of His day.  Everything they needed for eternal life had already been given to them in the Old Testament.  There was absolutely nothing new for eternal life that needed to be added.  NOTHING!

And yet, I do not know of any pastor, church or denomination that is actually teaching the teachings that lead to eternal life.  Today, most do not even teach from, let alone read from, the Old Testament.  The devil, through the churches, has done a magnificent job in keeping people from the Old Testament.  Jesus taught the people to go back to the Old Testament.  Everything Jesus taught is in some way a take on the Old Testament.  Paul and all the apostles taught from the Old Testament.  They did not teach it was done away with.  They taught it for eternal life.  There was no “New Testament” for Jesus, Paul or the apostles to teach from.  There was no need for a “New Testament” for eternal life.  Paul, and the writers of the “New” Testament, simply brought up-to-date the stories and admonitions of the Old Testament for the people of their day to understand.  They were just following the example of Jesus.  Nothing new was added.  After all, the Bible condemns adding or subtracting from God’s Word of the Old Testament for eternal life.

Paul is now ready to take his last major journey.  He realizes there is so much that needs to be made plain to the people.  Five of his 13 books were written from prison.  These books are very different from all the other books he wrote.  But the devil did not want Paul to write these books.  He was determined to destroy Paul before he could write them.  Let us now join Paul on this momentous journey to Rome.

Acts 27:1 to Acts 28:31

When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were transferred to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the emperor’s division.

I would assume that Paul was thankful to be on the move.  Locked up in the palace jail for two years probably was not the most comfortable.  His movements were probably restricted.  Being on the move must have been a welcomed change.

After boarding a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the ports on the coast of Asia, we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us. 

An inmate’s life is a very lonely life.  Most inmates find relationships with the outside world diminishing as time goes by.  After a few months or years, most family and friends have forgotten them, moved on or died.  Life moves on for those on the outside while those on the inside are abandoned.

Praise God for men like Aristarchus.  He was with Paul in Ephesus when the city broke out in a riot.  Those looking for Paul found Gaius and Aristarchus and dragged them into the amphitheater.  Aristarchus did not desert Paul.  After the uproar was quieted and the mob disbanded, Aristarchus left with Paul for Macedonia.  He was a true friend and refused to leave Paul alone on his many journeys.  And here again we find him, unwilling to leave Paul, even in the face of hardships, trials and persecutions.  How I wish I had an “Aristarchus” to stand by my side and help me.  Life is hard carrying the burden of this ministry all alone.

The next day we arrived at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to visit his friends there and receive any care he needed. 

I am so amazed at the kindnesses shown to Paul by the pagans.  Julius, a centurion with the responsibility of many prisoners, still took the time to show great care to Paul.  That level of care and concern is rare in the prison system.  I do admit, God provided a few correctional officers during my time in prison who showed care and concern.  I thank God for good people.  This shows the true character of Paul.  His gentleness, kindness and levelheaded commonsense came from his commitment to Christ.  Paul was no longer the brash, hothead ready to drag men and women before a church tribunal.  No, after years spent in the service and presence of Jesus, he was humble and full of love.  Even a pagan centurion was able to see and feel what the church could not.

Another interesting observation, I never hear Paul complaining.  Inmates love to complain.  Each one thinks his situation is different from everyone else and he has the “right” to gripe and complain.  Paul never thought of himself.  He followed the example of Jesus.  Before meeting Jesus, he was a child led about by the church.  He griped and complained about those who refused to believe and act as he or his church did.  But after meeting Jesus, he realized that no other person on the face of the earth had as much to complain about as Jesus; yet he did not.  No one has ever put up with more abuse than Jesus; yet he did not gripe or complain.  Paul learned that as we keep our eyes on Jesus, serving others as He did, we have nothing to gripe or complain about.  God will take care of us.

After putting out from there, we sailed on the sheltered side of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 

In our many travels as Christians, the winds of life can be against us.  Those winds are permitted by God in order to develop the character needed for Heaven.  It wasn’t the theological arguments, debates or knowledge Paul needed.  It wasn’t miracles he needed.  What he needed, as each of us, were character developing winds in his life.  We must learn to trust God and obey His every Word.

We sailed along the sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia and reached Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and put us on it. 

In my own life, in this ministry, the sailing has not always been smooth.  The winds have been challenging.  So little funding to purchase equipment, keep it repaired and running, gas in the car, lights and hot water, food in the refrigerator and supplies to send out God’s messages to inmates.

But through it all, I can look back and see my character developing and changing in preparation for Heaven.  It is a process.  As Jesus told Nicodemus, the Spirit of God is like the wind you cannot see but is definitely felt.  I look back upon this ministry and wonder how Jesus has continually provided for it.  My faith has grown tremendously since 1997.

We sailed slowly for a number of days and with difficulty arrived off Cnidus. Then, because the wind was against us, we sailed on the sheltered side of Crete off Cape Salome.  Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 

At times, it seems as though this ministry is sailing slowly.  At times, I wonder if we are ever going to make headway.  However, as I look back over the years, I see the Lord’s wonderful hand in it all.  I am so thankful that He also cares enough about me to prepare my character for Heaven.  It isn’t just about doing the work for God, it is about constantly finding those little hidden sins that need to be eradicated from the life.  I thank God for His “Fair Havens” to park my soul and rest in Jesus.

Much time had been lost, and because navigation had become dangerous and the day of fasting had already past, Paul began to warn those on the ship, “Men, I see that during this voyage there will be hardship and a heavy loss not only of the cargo and ship, but also of our lives.” 

I understand.  Sometimes Jesus warns me it is too dangerous ahead and we need to take a break.  God knows what is coming.  All we need to do is wait on Him.  But if we continue in our own headlong pursuit of “I want to do it”, then hardship and heavy loss may be encountered.

But the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship and not by what Paul said. 

Many times, I have warned others of the hardships and heavy losses ahead, but few have listened.  There are those who continue to let their egos, pride and arrogance lead them into the dangers ahead.  My soul is bowed down because of their unwillingness to listen to the messages God is giving them.  So many turn their ears to the “professionals”, the “captains” of their churches, denominations and the world for advice.  Few are opening their ears to what God is saying.

Since the harbor was not a good place to spend the winter, most of the men favored putting out to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix and spend the winter there. It is a Cretian harbor that faces southwest and northwest. 

How true in our lives!  We look around and feel that our present situation is not as pleasant as we would like, therefore, we covet some other place or something else.  Coveting is the devil’s trap.  It is a mirage that keeps us grasping for what is not there.  We refuse to go to Jesus, instead, we take a vote and see what the majority want.  After all, we don’t want to look like the oddball out, do we?  Jesus is holding out His hands for us to come and abide in His “Fair Haven” of rest.  He is the only one who can bring us peace and security.

When a gentle breeze began to blow from the south, they thought they could make it to Phoenix, so they hoisted anchor and began sailing along the shore of Crete. 

Oh yes, many have rejected this little ministry because they began to feel the gentle breezes from the devil encouraging them out of God’s safe harbor.  The churches are constantly blowing a gentle breeze over their congregations in order to make them think they have what they want.

But it was not long before a violent wind (called a northeaster) swept down from the island. 

However, sooner or later, that gentle breeze will turn into a “northeaster” and lives will be in great danger.  It is amazing how our egos, pride and arrogance can keep us from common sense.

The ship was caught so that it couldn’t face the wind, and we gave up and were swept along. 

I know many who turned from the safe harbor of this ministry and were caught up so that they “were swept along” to destruction.  How sad.  My heart aches in astonishment.  When will people listen?

As we drifted to the sheltered side of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the ship’s lifeboat. 

Instead of floating gently in God’s harbor, many are drifting along in the storms of life trying to secure their life to the things of the world.  They won’t hold you.  There is nothing secure outside of Jesus to anchor upon.  We have our “lifeboat” with us and think we can survive the storms of life.  We have our churches, our savings accounts, our retirement accounts, our families, our homes and a great job.  But all of that is temporary and in a flash of lightning, or a crashing wave, can be taken away.

The ship’s crew pulled it up on deck and used ropes to brace the ship. Fearing that they would hit the large sandbank near Libya, they lowered the sail and drifted along. 

I know inmates and non-inmates who are in a raging storm, but instead of finding the safe harbor of Jesus, they pull up everything they can around them, brace their lifeboat and drift about waiting for something better to come along.  And all the time, Jesus is waiting for them.  But they are not interested in such a boring, safe harbor.

The next day, because we were being tossed so violently by the storm, they began to throw the cargo overboard. 

And yes, the storms of life can get so bad, people start throwing their things, spouses, children and friends overboard.  They just refuse to get it.

On the third day they threw the ship’s equipment overboard with their own hands.  For a number of days neither the sun nor the stars were to be seen, and the storm continued to rage until at last all hope of our being saved vanished. 

Many sit in prison, on a street corner or in church without any light of hope in their lives.  They have lost the navigational “Star” in their lives and are being tossed about in the storms of life.  The storm of life around them rages on until at last all hope vanishes from their lives.  All because they refused to listen to the message God has given them through His servants.

After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood among his shipmates and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete. You would have avoided this hardship and damage. 

Therefore, God sends this ministry with a message of encouragement.  Yes, they should have listened.  Yes, they should not have set sail on their own course.  Yet, God is willing to save them if they will do what He commands.  So much hardship and damage could be avoided in our lives if we would just listen to Jesus and live in obedience to Him.

But now I urge you to have courage because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship. 

God is encouraging us to let go of the world and the things of the world.  This world and everything in it will be destroyed.  If you let them go, you will save your life.

For just last night an angel of God, to whom I belong and whom I serve, stood by me and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul! You must stand before the emperor. Indeed, God has given to you the lives of everyone who is sailing with you.’  So take courage, men, because I trust God that it will turn out just as he told me.  However, we will have to run aground on some island.” 

We can take courage in God.  He knows the future.  He knows the island we are going to “run aground on”.  If we listen to Him, obey His Word, all will be fine.  God will save our lives as we sail with Jesus and those who are His messengers.  Of course, sailing with Jesus means letting go of the things of this world.  The people of this world have no clue that the blessings they are now enjoying are given because of God’s few servants around them.  Take away those servants and they would lose those blessings.  Yet few realize how much their prosperity is dependent on those who serve and obey God.  And yes, sometimes we do have to “run aground” to find God’s peace.

It was the fourteenth night, and we were drifting through the Adriatic Sea when about midnight the sailors suspected that land was near.  After taking soundings, they found the depth to be twenty fathoms. A little later they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms.  Fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and began praying for daylight to come. 

Even after God has encouraged us to stay with His boat, His plan for our lives, we still feel the necessity to take “soundings” in our lives and fear the depths of the unknown below and ahead.  Yes, there will be lots of rocks we might run into in our lives, but if we will stay firmly in God’s hands, all will be well.  God’s “daylight” will come to our lives as we live in obedience to Him.  Therefore, stay firmly aboard His ship called “Obedience” and don’t try to save yourself by going to church.

Meanwhile, the sailors had begun trying to escape from the ship. They lowered the lifeboat into the sea and pretended that they were going to lay out the anchors from the bow.  Paul told the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain onboard, you cannot be saved.” 

Churches and religious institutions are all trying to save their own lives.  They are all trying to escape the ship God has for them.  Yet, unless you remain where God commands you, you cannot be saved.  You can pretend all you want to be doing it God’s way, but it won’t work.  All the church-going you do, all the religious activities you do, all the donations you make, none of it will get you into heaven.  Only by living in obedience to Jesus Christ will you make it through the storm.

Then the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and set it adrift. 

Sometimes, going against your own “common sense” is the only way to survive.  Obedience to God is contrary to worldly “common sense”.  The world is under the control of Lucifer.  It is smoke and mirrors.  The only way to reach Heaven is by living in obedience to Jesus Christ no matter what you think, feel or understand.  Cutting loose the worldly “lifeboat” can be scary, but it is the only way to trust in Jesus.  Many times in this ministry, I was sure what God had asked me to do was totally “crazy”.  And it was, by common sense.  However, by being obedient, all has worked out just fine.  Since 1997, this little ship is still secure in the safe harbor of God.

Right up to daybreak Paul kept urging all of them to eat something. He said, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, not eating anything.  So I urge you to eat something, for it will help you survive, since none of you will lose so much as a hair from his head.”  After he said this, he took some bread, thanked God in front of everyone, broke it, and began to eat.  Everyone was encouraged and had something to eat. 

All sinners are onboard a ship that is sinking.  All sinners have gone without the food of God for a very long time.  To survive, we all need to partake of God’s food.  It will nourish us and strengthen us to survive the coming breakers we must cross to get to Heaven.  The Word of God, not man, is our only hope of salvation.

There were 276 of us on the ship.  After they had eaten all they wanted, they began to lighten the ship by dumping its cargo of wheat into the sea. 

And yes, to get to Heaven, we must get rid of the baggage in our lives.  Old habits, material things that are sapping us of our duties for Jesus.  Old ideas and opinions must be cast overboard in order to “lighten the ship” for Heaven.  Our characters need to be lightened by throwing this world’s baggage overboard to rise to Heaven.

When day came, they didn’t recognize the land, but they could see a bay with a beach on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if possible. 

In our lives, we may not recognize Jesus as our Saviour, however, if we can see the peace, joy and happiness He wants to give us, maybe we can run our ships into His beach and find rest.  Each of us is to be a “fair haven” to those around us.  We are to represent Jesus, inviting those around us to the opportunity of finding the true “Fair Haven”.

So they cut the anchors free and left them in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes that held the steering oars, raised the foresail to the wind, and headed for the beach. 

But again, the path to Heaven is a very narrow path.  It keeps getting narrower as we approach the gates.  We must cut loose from everything this world has to offer.  The worldly things only weigh us down.  Cut it all loose and raise the foresail into the winds of the Spirit of God and let Him move you into the safe harbor of Jesus.

But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck and couldn’t be moved, while the stern was broken to pieces by the force of the waves. 

Yes, there are obstacles ahead.  The devil does not want you finding the safe harbor of Jesus.  He wants to sink you in his sandbars of feelings, emotions, drugs, alcohol, sex, church and the material things of this world.  Your world may seem like it is going to be broken to pieces, but you can depend on Jesus.  He has a plan for you.

The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming ashore and escaping, but the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.  The rest were to follow, some on planks and others on various pieces of the ship. In this way everyone got to shore safely. 

Again, the devil would rather kill you than for you to find the peace, safety and rest on the shore of Jesus.  But you can jump from this world and leave it behind.  Jesus will see you safely to His “Fair Haven”.  Jump from your church now!

When we were safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 

According to an encyclopedia, the name “Malta” means either “honey-sweet” or “haven”.  Paul’s experience across the Mediterranean Sea in that little boat, as a prisoner of Rome, is an awesome metaphor for the Christian life.  Even if we are a prisoner of this life, God will watch over us until we reach our “honey-sweet haven”.  How sweet that will be!

The people who lived there were unusually kind to us. It had started to rain and was cold, so they started a bonfire and invited us to join them around it. 

And yes, when we get to the safe harbor Jesus has provided for our lives, we can warm ourselves by the fire of the Spirit of God.  I like being warm.  I don’t like being wet and cold.

Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put it on the fire.  A poisonous snake was forced out by the heat and attached itself to Paul’s hand. 

Paul was not one to sit down and let others do the work for him.  He didn’t say, “Where is the local church for me to go sit down in”.  He was a Christian and knew his duty.  As a Christian, he was to serve, not be served.  He got up and began gathering wood for the fire to warm up the other prisoners and guards.  But again, the devil is always trying to attach himself to us and keep us from doing our duty.  Don’t worry about the devil and his obstacles in life.  I’m learning that myself.  Just shake off the devil’s problems into the fire of God’s warmth and keep serving.  God will take care of you.

Just as Paul had to stand before Nero, God had a plan for my life.  I didn’t know what it was for the first 40 years of my life, but God took care of me through all the storms in my life.  Let’s see, I totaled out about four cars, two motorcycles and one airplane.  Two of the car accidents, along with the airplane crash, should have been fatal.  I didn’t know I had narcolepsy.  Now I do.  I almost died scuba diving.  The devil tried to kill me in prison.  Through it all, God has taken very good care of me because He had a work for me to do and I am willing to do it.

In one of the car accidents, the car took out twenty feet of guardrail, went over the embankment, flipped and rolled.  Not a scratch on me.  Those who saw it did not think anyone could survive.  The other one was coming down a mountain road and we flipped and rolled.  I only had a cut knee.  The airplane crash, well, even the FAA said we should have burned up.  I came out with a broken back.  But today, I am very healthy and even jogging.  There are no excuses in God’s world for not living in obedience to Him.  He can take care of you if you surrender to Him by living in obedience to Him.

When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, “This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice won’t let him live.”  But he shook the snake into the fire and wasn’t harmed. 

The world may look at the snakes and obstacles hanging from you and come to the wrong conclusion, but what others think is not our problem.  We just keep going about our duties and let the Lord take care of the rest.  In time, people will see the truth.

They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 

We can do much good in a world of rain, cold and sorrow.  Let us do all we can to bring to those around us the warmth, comfort and joy of the safe haven that Jesus provides us.

The governor of the island, whose name was Publius, owned estates in that part of the island. He welcomed us and entertained us with great hospitality for three days.  The father of Publius happened to be sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, and healed him by placing his hands on him.  After that had happened, the rest of the sick people on the island went to him and were healed. 

Interesting to note, Paul did not ask what the religion of Publius was.  He didn’t give him the “cold shoulder” because of his pagan ways.  Paul didn’t try to bring Publius to church.  Paul was a Christian, and in return for the hospitality of the islanders and the governor, Paul returned the favor by giving what he could.  I think that in our lives, we too often overlook wonderful opportunities to bring glory to God.  We look upon the outward appearance and forget to see the warmth radiating from a heart of love.

The islanders honored us in many ways, and when we were about to sail again, they supplied us with everything we needed. 

What goes around, comes around.  These pagans were good to the crew of the ship and Paul was good to them.  In return, they repaid with an outpouring of thankfulness.  Let us do all the good we can to those around us for the glory of God.  On the other hand, the people who belonged to the Seventh-day, Sabbath-keeping, tithe-paying church were trying to kill Paul.  How sad.  Let us love everyone as Jesus does.

Three months later, we continued our sailing onboard an Alexandrian ship that had spent the winter at the island. It had the Twin Brothers as its figurehead.  We stopped at Syracuse and stayed there for three days.  Then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. A day later a south wind began to blow, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.  There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. After this, we arrived in Rome. 

How wonderful it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.  The Bible is so full of love, warmth and kindnesses.  We need to do more study of the Bible, not for theology, but for the love, warmth and kindnesses that will bring peace and joy to our hearts.  The safe harbor Jesus offers us starts in our hearts.  That safe harbor is always revealed in acts of love and kindness to others.  In your life, be somebody’s “safe harbor”.

The brothers there heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and felt encouraged. 

I am always thankful for those who welcome this ministry into their hearts.  The love they give me is wonderful.  I get too many cold shoulders and sharp winds of criticism.  But the gentle breezes of love, comfort, support and appreciation are truly heartwarming.

When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who was guarding him. 

I have a feeling the soldier guarding Paul became a Christian.  Sitting around listening to and guarding Paul all day would be a heart-changing experience.  His assignment was probably the easiest he ever had.  Not a worry in the world.  This was one prisoner who would be obedient and not try to escape.  Would you?

Three days later, Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. When they assembled, he told them, “Brothers, although I haven’t done anything against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.  They examined me and wanted to let me go because there was no reason for me to receive the death penalty in my case.  But the Jews objected and forced me to appeal to the emperor, even though I have no countercharge to bring against my own people.  That’s why I asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” 

He was a true Christian.  Unlike church people, Paul had no ill feelings toward his people.  He loved them and wanted to see them saved.  Paul was living the truth of Jesus, “love your enemy” and “do good to those who hate you”.  That he did.

The Jewish leaders told him, “We haven’t received any letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or mentioned anything bad about you.  However, we would like to hear from you what you believe, because people are talking against this sect everywhere.” 

Could that be said about you?  No report or anything bad to be said about you?  Are you willing, right now, to change your life and find the safe haven in obedience to Jesus.  He will bring you through the storms of life and take good care of you.  Get out of your church, go to Jesus, trust and obey.

So they set a day to meet with Paul and came out in large numbers to see him where he was staying. From morning until evening he continued to explain the kingdom of God to them, trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 

That isn’t done much anymore today.  Our churches try to separate the Old Testament from the New Testament.  They do not want you to know that Jesus is the same God in the New as He was in the Old Testament.  How could they have known Jesus was the Messiah of the Old Testament?  He lived the Old Testament perfectly.  So simple.  He was sinless, perfect and commandment keeping.

Some of them were convinced by what he said, but others wouldn’t believe. 

Same today.  Very few, said Jesus, will believe.  The majority are all caught up in their churches, their religion, their feast days, their own prideful and arrogant beliefs and opinions.  But to believe the simple truth, that would be too humbling.

They disagreed with one another as they were leaving, so Paul added this statement: “The Holy Spirit was so right when he spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah!  He said, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will listen and listen but never understand, and you will look and look but never see!  For this people’s minds have become stupid, and their ears can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes so that they may never see with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn and let me heal them.”’ 

The same is true of our churches and their members today.  They truly have, voluntarily, shut their eyes and ears.  Their minds have been turned off to Jesus because their minds have been turned completely over to the church system.  Like the Seventh-day Adventists of Paul’s day, the churches today, all of them, are refusing to look to Jesus for the truth.

You must understand that this message about God’s salvation has been sent to the gentiles, and they will listen.” 

And yes, they will.  Very few church people listen to this ministry.  Even fewer of those who go to church on Sabbath.  They are all about church, pride, arrogance and their own traditions and ceremonies.  How sad.  But the “gentiles” are listening.  They may sit in a cell, but their hearts are firmly sitting with Jesus.

For two whole years Paul lived in his own rented place and welcomed everyone who came to him.  He continued to preach about the kingdom of God and to teach boldly and freely about the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. 

Paul is soon to stand before the most powerful man on earth.  He is not worried one bit.  Instead of finding a good lawyer to represent him, he was finding hearts for the Kingdom of God.  Instead of writing arguments to be presented in his defense before the emperor, he was writing letters to God’s people and encouraging them to stand firm before Jesus.  He never thought about himself or his future.  It was just one day at a time, one heart at a time.  He did his duty for God and left his future in the hands of God.

I see again where Paul taught “about the kingdom of God” and not about building or joining any church.  The “Kingdom of God” is within you, said Jesus.  And so it is.

Since 1997, this ministry has been preaching about the kingdom of God.  I try to teach it boldly and freely.  I pray the Spirit of God will be able to touch more hearts, open more ears and eyes.  Please pray with me for that to happen.