“And so we came to Rome.”

We’ve come to the end of our study through the book of Acts. This Sunday we’ll finish up by reading Acts 28:11-31.

It’s been quite a journey, reading through the account of this Ragamuffin Revolution. We’ve witnessed a lot of things along the way. Paul has gone through an awful lot, but he finally arrives at the destination God told him he would be going to many chapters back. It’s wonderful to see how he has endured through this amazing journey.

We too are on a journey in this Christian life, and we too are called to endure. This week we’ll take stock of some of the things we see in Paul’s life that helped him continue on, and we’ll consider how we can apply those same principles to our own walk.

In v11-16, Paul is able to meet up with other believers both in Puteoli and on the Appian Way, the road to Rome. V 15 tells us that Paul found courage in this meeting with the saints. How do you think meeting up with other believers encourages us in our journey?

Paul then goes right back into his practice of sharing his faith with his fellow Jews first (v 17-28) – and he meets with the same results of rejection, forcing him to turn to the gentiles instead. Paul didn’t quit sharing his hope even though it didn’t seem very productive. How do you think his faithfulness to his calling effected his ability to endure? What can we learn about being faithful from Paul’s example?

Luke finishes Acts rather abruptly, as though he’s getting ready to say something else but then stops. It creates the effect of an open-ended story. How can that be significant to us? There are three things Luke tells us that Paul occupied himself with while under house-arrest. What are they? It’s not a very complicated agenda, is it? How do you think a simplicity in our faith can provide the ability to endure in our Christian journey?

This study has been very challenging and encouraging to me – I hope it has been for you as well. See you Sunday!