Week 39 (21 - 27 Sep): Look Back, Look Forward, Look Around

This week, RT1 studied the final two chapters of Acts and completed our study of the book.

The book ends with Paul finally reaching Rome, after deeply desiring to visit them for a long time (Romans 1:11), and about two years after hearing directly from God that he would testify there (Acts 23:11). The chapter ends with this verse: “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!” What a cliffhanger! We waited so long for Paul to get to Rome, but we don’t get to learn about what actually happens in Rome. We discussed that Luke may have ended the book in this manner so that he did not emphasise Paul’s individual life, but the collective spread of the gospel instead. This verse also shows the direct continuation of the book of Acts to our lives: because of the gospel being preached with boldness and without hindrance, it has travelled across oceans and continents to reach us!

Another connection between Acts and our lives is that the same Holy Spirit is at work both then and now. The mission to be witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) still applies to us today, and we are all on journeys that God has called us to. These journeys are bound to have their ups and downs, twists and turns. Learning from Paul’s example, we can do the following when we face challenges along the way.

1. Look Back

One of Paul’s strategies when speaking before a crowd was to share his testimony (Acts 22, 26). Paul never forgot the man he once was and how God utterly turned his life around for good – perhaps this gave him hope that no one was beyond God’s reach. Jesus’ personal touch on his life was not a past memory but a present reality for him. If we remember how far God has already brought us, we won’t doubt that he will bring us even further.

2. Look Forward

Paul experienced great suffering on his journey - intense opposition, false accusations, imprisonment, beatings and attempted assassinations. How did he carry on despite all this?

Paul had a clear aim of making it to Rome because he knew for certain that God had called him there. For that joy set before him, he could endure the cross. If we actively seek and know God’s plan for our lives, we will be willing to do whatever it takes to live out that purpose.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote that “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame…” (Romans 5:3-5). To Paul, suffering was never a waste because it was the foundation upon which endurance and character is built, which ultimately led to a tried and tested hope in God. When we suffer, we can look ahead to see what it is creating in us: a proven faith of more worth than gold (1 Peter 1:7).

3. Look Around

God is merciful to us because he knows that we are but flesh (Psalm 78:38-39). Knowing how we are formed, he has compassion on us (Psalm 103:13-14). We were not made to carry our burdens and journey alone. Paul’s ministry was started and sustained by fellow believers such as Barnabas (Acts 9:27), Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5), and the Roman believers – “at the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged”(Acts 28:17). By God’s favour, the authorities often let Paul’s friends take care of his needs when he was unable to do so himself (Acts 24:23, 27:3, 28:30).

Even in times when he was isolated, Paul was never alone. In Acts 23, Paul was imprisoned after a violent riot. “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage…’”(Acts 23:11). Again in Acts 27, in the middle of a raging storm, Paul said “an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid…’”. Paul knew God as a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

When we find ourselves heartbroken or kicked in the gut, it’s easy to turn inwards to mope and wallow. However, we can be encouraged when we look around us to find God’s presence, even in everyday people. Who are the angels that God has sent to stand beside you and to provide for your needs? How can we be more like Christ to each other, meeting together and spurring one another on towards love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25)?

As you reflect on your study of Acts, take some time to look back, look forward and look around. May we all have the spiritual eyes to see where God has been faithfully present and working in our lives!

Jordan

on behalf of RT1