Acts 25-28

Today we are going to look at how God sends the Apostle Paul to fulfill his dream of getting the Gospel to Rome, nearly 3000 miles from where the Spirit first descended upon the church in that Upper Room.

  1. Live provocatively (Acts 25:22)... Paul was arrested and left in jail for two years and seemingly forgotten. A new ruler eventually comes to power and calls before him, but Paul, who is a Roman citizen, appeals to Caesar. So, they make plans to send him to Rome to plead his case, but before he can get there, King Agrippa asks to speak with Paul so he could try to understand Paul's motivations for how he lives. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us our lives should prompt others to ask how and why we live the way we do.

  2. Seize opportunities (Acts 26:27-29).... As Paul speaks to Agrippa he tells Agrippa about Jesus and how the Old Testament prophets point to Him. Paul saw every situation as a platform to proclaim Christ and he knew the Spirit can work in any situation.

  3. Embrace sovereignty (Acts 27:21-26).... At the start of this sermon, Paul had been in prison for two years, and now he is on a ship in a storm. Following Christ is not easy. The storm gives him an opportunity to proclaim his faith and the sovereignty of God.

  4. Live a sent life (Acts 28:30-31).... By the end of Acts Paul is renting a house and welcoming everyone and proclaiming the Gospel to everyone. That's how the book ends.

The book of Acts only has 28 chapters and ends abruptly, But did it really end or are we in chapter 29 right now? Here's some tips on how to live like we are in Acts 29.

Be Sent in your inviting…. We tend to invite other Christians to church events. That's not a bad thing, but we really need to invite non believers even more so.

Be Sent in your volunteering…. Have you been affected by a volunteer? Pay it forward. Volunteer to go on missions or teach a class or do nursery.

Be Sent in your generosity…. Giving is important. It's how we pay for new materials for missions and classes among other things.

Be Sent in your faith…. Share your faith. Don't be afraid to follow God's direction.