Whatever situation you may be experiencing, when you put your trust in God you are going to make it. Our studies in the book of Acts have shown us that there were many times when it looked like the apostle Paul would not make it to the capital of the powerful Roman Empire where he believed God wanted him to testify about Jesus. There were times when he looked finished, times when the road ahead looked just too difficult to carry on, times when the dream seemed over.
Yet as we reach the final part of the last chapter of Acts, we read in Acts 28:14 'And so we came to Rome'. This very matter of fact statement is actually an amazing phrase which means that despite everything Paul and his companions faced, they made it. If you have been reading through the book of Acts and following each twist and turn in the dramatic story of Paul’s turbulent travels, you will understand what a big deal this was to get to Rome. In Acts 28:12-31 we see what was involved in Paul making it to Rome and the lessons that we can learn.
1. You can overcome every challenge (1 Corinthians 11:23-29; 2 Corinthians 4:9)
2. You can receive grace for every situation (1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 1:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Philippians 4:11-13)
3. You can succeed in fulfilling your life’s calling (Acts 28:15-31; 2 Timothy 4:6-8; 2 Timothy 4:18)
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Do you believe the Lord will bring you through any and every challenge you are currently facing? Reading through the book of Acts it was a series of miracles that Paul ever made it to Rome. Here are just some of the battles that he had to overcome:
• His life was threatened in Damascus and Jerusalem (Acts 9:23, Acts 9:29)
• He was persecuted in Pisidian Antioch and expelled from the region (Acts 13:50)
• Stoned and left for dead in Lystra (Acts 14:19)
• Seized by an angry mob, stripped, severely flogged and imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16:23)
• At the centre of a city-wide riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41)
• Beaten by a violent crowd in Jerusalem who were trying to kill him (Acts 21:27-30)
• Arrested and detained by the Roman authorities (Acts 22:24)
• Imprisoned for two years in Caesarea. Acts 23:33-27:2
• And that’s all before the great storm of Acts 27 and subsequent shipwreck.
When comparing his life to false leaders who were deceiving the church, Paul summarised some of the hardships that he had gone through to faithfully spread the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). It's a big roll call of troubles that he had faced and yet he had come through them all. And you too can overcome every obstacle you will face in life, no matter how difficult it may be to see a way through at the time. Right now you may be feeling overwhelmed with all that is coming at you. But the Lord will bring you through. If things look over, God will make a way through for you. You may have been knocked down but you are not knocked out (2 Corinthians 4:9). And you are not going to be. You will survive. You will come through your storm. Your problems will not overcome you. You will overcome them with the help of the Lord who never leaves us or forsakes us.
Have you learned to receive the grace and help of God in all situations? Paul was not some superhuman spiritual machine who never felt inadequate in times of trouble (1 Corinthians 2:3; 2 Corinthians 1:8-10). In other words, the great apostle Paul knew what it was to feel intense pressure in the trials of life, even to the point of despairing of life. But it was through such experiences that he learned a key secret: we must rely on God who has delivered us and will continue to deliver us. When he had one particular persisting trouble, which he described as a ‘thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment’ him, the Lord told him “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul learned to receive the grace and help of God in all situations (Philippians 4:11-13). God’s grace and strength are also always sufficient for each one of us, but we need to daily rely on Him. So be sure to really give your burdens to the Lord and to trust in Him with all your heart.
Do you believe that, with the Lord's help, you can succeed in fulfilling your life’s calling? Luke describes the moment that he and Paul finally arrived in Rome in early AD 60. He found that the good seeds he had sown in his letter to the believers three years before had born fruit (Acts 28:15-16). It took Paul just three days to settle in before he started ministering in Rome as he had always believed he would. As usual, he spoke first to his fellow Jews and their leaders who came in large numbers to where he was staying, and then focussed on sharing the gospel with the Gentiles (Acts 28:17-31). The story suddenly ends with Paul busy doing what he had always done: proclaiming 'the kingdom of God’ and teaching 'about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance' (Acts 28:31). We don't know why Luke finished the book of Acts here, but Acts is essentially not a history of the apostle Paul, although he figures prominently. Rather it is an account of how the gospel spread from a small group of disciples in Jerusalem and was established within a generation in the very heart of the Roman Empire, from where it would spread across the world. In other words: mission accomplished. As we see in this last reference to the apostle Paul, we must always be busy about our Master’s business of spreading the good news of God’s Kingdom. Paul knew his end was and near and that he was ready for it (2 Timothy 4:6-8). Paul faced his imminent death and promotion to heaven with hope and joy. God had never failed him in the past and He was confident that 'The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen' (2 Timothy 4:18). Paul made it through every challenge of life and he was sure that when the moment came he would make it safely to heaven. Whatever you are experiencing right now, be assured that when you have the Lord at your side, both in life and in death, you too are going to make it.
