Paul Ministers on Melita

November 18, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 28:1 – 10 Lesson Passage: Acts 28:1 – 10 One irony of ministry is that we don’t necessarily get to do it when everything is going well. Quite the contrary, we are often prepared for ministry by first enduring hardship and depending on God for the outcome of our situation. As Paul and his fellow travelers escaped the shipwreck and made their way to land, the opportunity for ministry lay ahead of them. This was not the time for them to exhale and relax. According to Luke, the natives on the island of Melita extended great hospitality to them. Seeing the wet and cold strangers who had barely escaped disaster apparently motivated the locals to show compassion. They built a fire for them to warm by and dry out. Paul assisted by gathering wood for the fire. For his troubles, a poisonous snake came out of the wood that was laid on the fire and bit Paul’s hand. Paul shook the snake off into the fire and continued to function as normal. This amazed the islanders who saw the incident as fate exacting vengeance on Paul even after his escape from the shipwreck. After seeing that he was not hurt by the poisonous snake, they concluded that Paul was a god. Paul healed the father of the head islander. Afterwards, they brought others to him and he healed them as well. This caused the islanders to lavish great honors and necessities upon the strangers who had come to their island. When Paul and his group were ready to depart and continue their journey to Rome, the islanders sent them away with the goods that they needed. The transition from being loss at sea in a storm to being stranded on the island of Melita, afforded Paul the opportunity to minister to the islanders—perhaps in a way they had never experienced. Although Paul endured many hardships, ministry was made possible in the midst of the hardships because Paul availed himself of the opportunity. I believe he had every right to mope and complain after all he had been through. Whether he moped and complained is not revealed to us in the scripture. The scripture does reveal that he used the opportunity to minister to the needs of others. As he ministered to the needs of the islanders, they also ministered to their needs as well. This is another irony of ministry. We receive the most for ourselves as we give the most to the righteous cause of others. On the one hand, Melita appears to be an island that served as a sanctuary for those who survived the storm and the shipwreck. On the other hand, Melita was a mission field that God had especially prepared Paul to serve in. Paul and his fellow travelers needed to be rescued from the fury of the storm-tossed sea so God brought them to Melita as a sanctuary. The islanders on Melita needed to be rescued from the fury of a sinful existence so God brought a missionary to them that could demonstrate through signs and wonders that God is the eternal sanctuary. During the extent of this encounter, the islanders ministered to the needs of Paul and his fellow travelers. During the same time, Paul ministered to the islanders on Melita. Robert C. Hudson November 9, 2012

Paul Survives a Shipwreck

November 11, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 27 Lesson Passage: Acts 27:1, 2, 33 – 44 Suffering hurts! It hurts even more when you know it could have been avoided if only others had listened when you tried to warn them. Nevertheless, no matter how right you were, when pain appears, you have to endure it anyway. Such was the case with Paul in our lesson today. Paul had warned them that it was not wise to set sail even though it appeared at the time that they would have smooth sailing. Paul, however, was not the captain of the ship but rather a prisoner traveling as a passenger on board. Which brings me to another point: it hurts even more when you feel that you were not listened to because you lacked position or title although you were the only one with the information. There would be no satisfaction in saying “I told you so” because you would bear as much grief as the others on board. Paul did receive some emotional relief in the midst of the storm when the Lord assured him that all on board the ship would survive if they stayed with the ship. So when the storm began to rage, the prisoner became the counselor. In the midst of the storm, the ship’s captain might have been in command of the ship, but Paul, the prisoner, became the captain of their souls. The ship would be a total loss but their lives would all be spared. Let’s take a look at how the crew and passengers on board the ship got into this situation. Paul was being transported as a prisoner to Rome to stand trial. Although no formal charges were ever brought against him, nevertheless, he had been imprisoned for over two years and his only recourse to escape the bad intentions of the Jewish religious leaders was to commit himself to the protection of the Romans as a citizen prisoner. Things had gone relatively well until it was time to travel the Mediterranean Sea during the winter season. They set sail on a day when conditions appeared favorable to them. The storm blew in quickly and the crew could no longer control the ship so they let the wind drive the ship in whatever direction it blew. The crew worked hard to steer the ship only when it seemed the ship would be stranded in the quicksands or destroyed on the rocky shore. As they survived from day to day, they began to throw all of the extra weight off the ship—including some of the tackling. Day and night the storm persisted and they did not see the sun or moon or stars for many days. Luke indicated in his notes that they gave up hope that their lives would be spared. There were a total of two hundred and seventy six persons on board the ship including the crew. Some of the crew attempted to escape secretly but were warned that it would cost them their lives to do so. Therefore, they remained on board with the rest. In spite of their effort, fear, and their determination, the ship did break apart and was a total loss. As the ship broke apart, some on board swam to shore while others floated to shore by holding onto pieces that had broken off the ship. All on board survived even as Paul had told them they would because the Lord had given Paul assurance. This entire episode had lasted for over two weeks but God was with them even in the midst of the storm. Robert C. Hudson October 29, 2012