Pray Today
Day 27: Acts Ch.27. Add surviving a shipwreck to Paul’s long list of harrowing experiences as a missionary. Although Paul was a prisoner at the time, he assured the crew that they would survive the pending shipwreck if they followed God’s guidance. Pray for God’s strength to be faithful during the storms of life. Pray for the Church to Go in Faith, always believing God is in control.
JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 7
Acts 28
1 And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.
2 And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.
3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
7 In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.
8 And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
9 So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.
11 And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.
12 And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
13 And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
14 Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.
15 And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.
16 And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
17 And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
18 Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
19 But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
20 For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.
21 And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.
23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
24 And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
25 And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26 Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.
30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
The POFW Daily Bible Reading 
saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; And seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes have they closed; Lest they should see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should be converted, And I should heal them.”
Acts 28:26-27 KJV
Broken hearted, to know this is where much of our own nation stands at. But what hurts me the most is this is where some of my own flesh and blood stands at now.
Deception has blinded their hearts and bound them to chains that may seem to not be broken.
I know that Jesus Christ is merciful and desires that all would come to repentance. But the power of choice is within themselves.
Though many, many, many times as a mother I feel so disappointed and discouraged by all that my heart has felt, my eyes have seen, and what my ears have heard.
If I am not careful I too may be deceived and by the lies of the enemy and this world to forget and see what GOD is doing all around me in the midst of Pofw/Lpdfw.
Don’t be distracted. It’s another lie of the enemy to keep you out of relationship with Jesus, your ministry, and with your church family.
Keep the faith. Keep believing. Be wise. Be prayerful. Stay connected with your pastor. Stay anchored in Jesus.
There’s much work to be done in our city. Many more children to reach. Stay in HIS KINGDOM 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
The enemy has nothing in his hands! It is Jesus Christ that has it all in His hand!
It is word and HIS righteousness that will prevail in our lives.
“SING UNTO THE LORD A NEW SONG, SING UNTO THE LORD ALL THE EARTH!”
“I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High. The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: For thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.”
Psalm 9:1-2, 9-10,
Sadly, there are so many of us who feel your pain of lost ones in our own families. Praying every day for each one of them. Just keeping the faith. Sisters in prayer.
Verses 10-11 MSG “We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey. When an Egyptian ship that had wintered there in the harbor prepared to leave for Italy, we got on board. The ship had a carved Gemini for its figurehead: “the Heavenly Twins.” What started out as their doom ended up wonderful. We must trust in God’s plan and not our own. Psalm 23:4 VOICE “Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness, I am not overcome by fear. Because You are with me in those dark moments, near with Your protection and guidance, I am comforted.” ReVIVE and trust in your Maker, as He will take care of all your needs and make you ReADY for the ReST of your journey.
23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
when you are given an opportunity to preach or teach, take it don’t waste it.
A.L.M.A.S.
24. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
Whether the man of God has spoken over our lives personally, or our church as a whole, it’s up to each individual if we believe what was spoken, and what we will do with it.
25And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,26‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. 27For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.
Isaiah said this in this passage from Isaiah 6:9-10: “If you reject Jesus, you can hear, but never understand; you can see but never perceive. You heart is, and will be, hard, your ears closed, and your eyes shut – because you really don’t want to turn to God and be healed of your sin.” This is a message just as true today as it was when Isaiah first said it – or when Paul quoted it. Many hear and reject simply because they don’t want to turn to God and be healed of their sin.
Acts 28:31 [ KJV] Preaching , the kingdom of God ,and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
For two years Paul wad technically a prisoner, that lives in his own hired house , and preached concerning the Kingdom of God.
Stay connected to Jesus,your pastor and his wife, your church family, and your ministry, it all up to all of us to keep faith, and preach with confidence ,and don’t let nothing stop you.
We must trust God’s plan not our own!
Our Chidren and there families need hear about Jesus.
Thank you Jesus.
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Faith comes by hearing. It is God that draws mankind to listen to His voice. The grace of God allows us to have saving faith.
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Something that I will always be grateful for is the fact that salvation came though you’re not in the bloodline that was originally chosen. We arent required to follow the law of moses Or the traditions of the Jewish culture, but we are given the same benefits.
*even though WE’RE NOT in the same bloodline.
REVIVE
FOLLOW THE FIRE – THE INSTABILITY OF PUBLIC OPINION
3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.
We learn valuable Leadership Lessons here from Paul.
FOLLOW THE FIRE and be prepared for unexpected attacks and false accusations.
24 “Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.”
Don’t be discouraged by people when they reject the Word. Not everyone will listen to or believe the Word of God.
amen!
REVIVE
“And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live”
I reckon these barbarians thought karma caught up with Paul however, it rains on the just and unjust. That ole serpent grabbed ahold of Paul, but he simply shook it off into the fire. It wasn’t karma, it was just life. Paul wasn’t playing with snakes, he was just minding his own business. The thing about it is, folks will sometimes judge you if they see you going through a situation. I reckon that’s human nature, we just have to remember to let judgements roll off our back like water off a duck’s back. 💦🦆. People’s judgement of me does not define who I am.
Acts 28:31 (KJV), “Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”
God Believes In Us! So wherever we go, we can Preach and Teach about JESUS and The Word with All Confidence.
vs-4
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Justice: The word capitalized in the NIV as justice (Dike) refers to a goddess worshiped in Malta. The snakebite was first assumed as proof Paul was a criminal. When he survived, it was thought to be proof he was a god.
How foolish it is to jump to conclusions from observation of an incident or two. Let’s be more wise in withholding judgment on others, whether that judgment condemns or exalts.
3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand
🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍🐍
Just when you’re doing your best to follow Christ, you are following the commitments you made, you are flaming up the fire with invitations and testimonies, then comes along that old serpent to test your loyalty. It attacks your home, your family, your job, finances, even breaking down something that you need for every day. That sneaky snake with grab holds of all you can handle, and hiss out lies to get you to fail. Be a Paul, shake it off and continue on. God will see you through all the shipwrecks, and snake bites, imprisonment or anything else that this life brings. Trusting in the Lord.
Acts 28; 24-27 Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:
Go to this people and tell them this:
“You’re going to listen with your ears,
but you won’t hear a word;
You’re going to stare with your eyes,
but you won’t see a thing.
These people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.”
Matthew 13:15
For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
Psalm 119:70
Their hearts are hard and callous, but I delight in Your law.
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt
no harm.
——
It’s crazy how we can easily assume…
and jump to conclusions concerning someone else’s businesses.
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm
I want to be so full of faith and of his Spirit.
that when something happens the Lord may look down and be pleased of my reaction, on how I was able to handle whatever situation I may face.
I didn’t say that I want to have all the faith, no.
But whatever amount of faith I have let it be put into practice and be noticeable.
🙏🏼
Thank you Jesus!!!
Acts 28
3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand
Paul shook off the viper and the barbarians were surprised that he did not die. Paul I feel was, no big deal! Jesus had his back as he always did. Paul would be taken to heaven in his time!
Thank you Jesus for this day.
Rosalind Ayers-Clark
Vs 1-9) Preach/Teach that we prevail! see Vs 31) Preach that we prevail see Acts 1:8…every believer is a witness whether he wants to be or not.
Acts of the Apostles 28:28, 31 NLT
[28] So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”
[31] boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
Salvation is for everyone. God doesn’t show favoritism. Go in Jesus name sharing the gospel and God’s love for everyone
Acts 28:2 MEV
[2] The natives showed extraordinary kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because of the rain and the cold.
Extraordinary kindness. Imagine you being one of those that has just come up from the shipwreck of life. In the wold of the storms, and being exposed to all the elements and all you want is a little shelter. It is our duty as a church to kindle the fire. To let it burn that those whose flame was gone can catch on fire again, that those that are coming from the cold world can warm themselves and find comfort. Imagine going through the hardship of life and entering into a cold church? Extraordinary kindness is to have the place already lit that others can join in.