JESUS today YOU will SAVE me.
Eat This Book
Read Proverbs Chapter 18
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 
The beginning of this chapter shows us how Paul went from shipwreck to being treated royally in what he described as a wonderful 3 months on Malta. Talk about a turnaround of events. You have to hold on to Christ through your storms in life in order to get to the other side and come into your victory.
The end of the chapter reminded me that we should always be open and ready to share the gospel with whomever the Lord puts in our path as Paul did.
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.
When Paul should have fallen dead, he didn’t and those around him noticed. Paul had a way about him that people noticed his walk with God. I wonder if we live close enough to God that the people around us can notice we have God with us.
Acts 28:5
And he shook off the beast into the fire and felt no harm.
this means about the beast like in the last day on earth will rise and start to do things to the earth .
we need MORE FAITH MORE REVIVAL and MORE Praise for God so we can make it to heaven.
AMEN
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.
While Paul was building the fire the enemy attacked. The important element here was the fire. In fact the fire was more important that focusing on the enemy would distract from the overall purpose. He shook it into the fire. The enemy knows the fire in our lives, the Holy Ghost and fire will consume him if we stoke its flames. He will do whatever he can to try and cause us to burn out. He will send offenses to throw water on the fire. He will try to get us to throw dust and dirt in the flames, fleshly and carnal desires, to quench the fire. He will try and remove the oxygen needed to fuel the flames, our prayer life.
The enemy will attack just as he has for thousands of years. Our response must not be to dwell on the demons, and the dark forces but rather to shake it off and continue onward. The battle belongs to the Lord. He will go before us and fight our enemy as we do his will.
Through out this chapter, 0 we see the favor of The LORD upon Pauls life. Nothing can bring him down nor take his boldness. He had Great faith through it all!
No time for pity parties!
Acts 28:3-5
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.
We know that old serpent is called the Devil, and Satan. (Rev. 12:9 & 20:2)
Just like Paul shaking off the serpent into the fire and feeling no harm, the “Lord has given unto us the power to tread (trample, crush, and destroy) on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means harm them.” (St. Luke 10:19)
STOMP, STOMP, STOMP
STOMP on the devil.
For You have the POWER and VICTORY in JESUS Name.
iLove to eat More Word
Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip. (Acts of the Apostles 28:9-10 NLT)
Once Paul ministered to the people, the people had no problem ministering to him. As leaders at The Pentecostals of Fort Worth, we must learn to minister to the people of Fort Worth. Once we do that, great resources are going to come in. In Jesus name
5 Paul shook the snake off into the fire, none the worse for wear.
6 They kept expecting him to drop dead, but when it was obvious he wasn’t going to, they jumped to the conclusion that he was a god! MSG
You know I know how Paul felt getting snack bit, I was bit by a cooper head when we lived in the country. I was told that the bite would leave a hole in my foot and all bad news but thanks be to God i don’t even have a scar where i was bit. God is so good to his people, its us as humans that get in the way of God doing his work. We as humans think we should him (GOD) but he has it all under control. He just needs us to be willing and obey him when he calls us.
*snake bit not snack
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.
Paul was given the opportunity to share his testimony but the people did not accept what he shared, therefore it was made known that God had turned his heart to the Gentiles.
We may share our experience and testimony with many people. Not all will accept it. To those that don’t, shake the dust from our feet and go to the next. It doesn’t mean we stop sharing or inviting, it just means move on to the next one. God will lead us to hungry people that are searching for a deeper experience and will gladly accept the truth.
Just like the parable of the sower, the word fell on stony ground, the word was choked out, the word was received but lost , and then the word was gladly received.
CONTENTIONS IN THE FAITH
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,
Having opportunity to share the gospel is one of the greatest privileges of the believer. Testimonies of the gospel are our opportunity to become a part of the eternal story of Christ JESUS as we relate our lives to the lives of the apostles and JESUS. It is obvious that not everyone will hear, believe and accept the WORD of the LORD.
Some BELIEVE and some believe NOT. Thankfully we are not responsible for the results of each heart and GOD in his eternal grace will allow individuals to live life their own way, even though we all know the eternal destruction. The Kingdom of GOD is the Kingdom of choice. He chose us then we chose HIM.
In these last days, I pray that MORE will BELIEVE and that the FAITH of the church will be displayed and many will believe as the result of our FAITH in GOD.
iRepent
iPraise
iBelieve
iPray
iWork
iGive
iReap
26 Go to thisis people and say : Hearing you will hear and shall not understand And seeing you will see and not perceive I think it saying that we hear and see the things of God but we doubt that we do
Going beyond the four walls.
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.
Why do so many Christians believe that the only place to reach people is the church. The church is the people that come into the building. We are the church. We are the ones who knows what God can do in our lives. Yet we become so timid when we have the opportunity to speak truth. Our minds must get out of our box of comfort and expand this great news. That there is hope and life everlasting.
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.
One way or another people are going to notice a change in you. For Paul on this island, it was a snake that didn’t kill him when it probably should have. For you and I maybe it’s resisting temptation in front of our peers. We should be an example like Paul, so no matter what snake tries to come and bite us we can shake it off and share the testimony with those around us.
28 Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
Praise God for Paul taking this decision is the only reason why we now are saved under His Precious Holy Name Of Jesus and HIS BLOOD ALL OF IT was shed for all our sins and applying His Holy Name through Baptisim we then are marked by His Name and co inheriting of all His Riches in heaven.
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.
Paul worked to pay his own rent. He rented his house! He was no longer looked at as the Evangelist. People today and then, like to have their ears tickled, and to be told what they want to her. Even though Paul had to find his own place to sleep, he sill ad n problem inviting others in and teaching them about Jesus.
The eyes are useless if the mind is blind. The same way ears are useless if you don’t use them hear the Word. Paul is talking about how the people who came to hear him preach then disagree and turn away. A mind that does not want to see or hear out of a calloused heart will never heal. The Lord offers to heal them if they “turn” (vs27). To turn away from the sin that binds, blinds them, stops up their ears and hardens their hearts. Paul tells them that because they have refused to believe, that God has given salvation to the Gentiles in their place because unlike them they will listen. It is a dangerous thing to be out of postition when God is calling for your attention, because He can call someone to replace us. We have the opportunity to turn and repent daily because we have the Holy Ghost, we also have a responsibility like Paul to share it with others. Others who very well may reject it too and when they do we shake the dust off and keep it moving.
Eze 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”
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,
A walking living bible study. What an example Paul was. I see here how he meditated on the law night and day and taught the word and shared. He may not have had physical children but spiritual children many to which he instructed. Many people will hear you out and recieve the word and many will not. I remembered I was told once by some one; ” can you stop talking to me about God, it gets kinda boring.” Those were the exact words. Up to that point I have not had anyone directly reject the message of God, so heart was really sadden. So like the word says I dusted my feet and moved on. It’s not personal we must remember that. They will no be rejecting us, but God. Despite those bitter scenarios, we must continue to preach and share God everywhere we go.
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.
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.
The only reason Paul did not die then was because he was truly living for God, and God was on his side. Just as they did, others will begin to notice you, and how we look and act different, that is if your really living for God!! Lord I pray that everywhere I go people will see you in me, that every word I speak people will hear your voice. Lord help me to live a life for you and you alone!!
23 So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24 Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe.
Even though Paul preached from morning to til evening, people still did not believe. You can talk to someone about God all day, for weeks, for months or for years and they will continue to resist and fully believe in God. We must continue to reach out to them until their eyes & ears are opened to understand who God is.
2 years in Rome
28:30 Paul lived there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ101 with complete boldness and without restriction.
Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ac 28:30–31.
Paul had a pleasant stay during these two years in Rome. He had visitors and practically served his time in house arrest. He was awaiting to see emperor Nero. It is erroneous to perceive that Paul had a rough prison life during this time. While his stay was not like we would at first assume, it was not pleasant in the fact that he was indeed a prisoner. Nonetheless, he did not live in harsh conditions.
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 can imagine this is how the world looks at us… They see us dealing with trials and tribulation and when we should have swollen up, or fallen dead we survived and was victorious!! We have the victory in Jesus and this is the victory that overcometh the world: OUR FAITH!!
Viper !!!! 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. Thank you Jesus we have power over things so they can’t harm us in the name of Jesus !!!! Hallelujah !!!!
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.
Paul (the man of God) tried to tell them the truth and even told them what was written, yet they would not hear or see. The man of God today tells the truth and even reads what is written in the word of God, yet there are still some that refuse to hear or see. Jesus (God himself) will one day open the books and record of one’s life, which one shall clearly hear and shall clearly see; however there will be, no more time. Dear God, please forgive me of self, and let me hear and see, while there is time; “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”. In God we trust! What a mighty God we serve! Thank God for his word. God bless America, Jerusalem, and you all in Jesus name, Amen!
Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. (Acts of the Apostles 28:24 NLT)
Not everyone will believe what you teach, but that doesn’t mean you should change or stop what you have taught. Keep teaching, keep reaching!
31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
Thank God that Pastor is preaching the Word of God and teaching me the things that pertain to Jesus. He is a true Pastor leading and guiding the flock to the right path but it’s our choice wether we want to take his advice or not. I thank God for him because POFW has really truly impacted my life!!! Nothing is better than truly living for Jesus!!!!
He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:30-31 ESV)
Without hindrance – that is amazing that Paul had so much freedom to minister to those who came under his roof.
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. (Acts 28:16 KJV)
Paul finally made it to Rome, but asked to stay with the soldier that kept him. They had gone through many things together. They were abletoencourage each other with the things that the Lord had done to get them out of their troubles. They were able to build the faith of one another. It doesn’t tell us that the soldier said no, that leads me to believe that the soldier liked the arrangement as well. Just think about it, in the last chapter it talked about how Paul talked to an angel and how that conversation saved more than 200 lives that were on the boat. I think I would want to hang around Paul as much as he wanted to hang around me.
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.
Barbarous: uncivilized, cruel, wild, savage or crude. This is how they are defined yet they showed kindness because of the rain and cold. Their acts of kindness paved the way for great miracles in their midst and an opportunity for Paul to leave them with the knowledge of God.
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.
When something tries to sting us and spread poison or venom to us in our lives, whether it be from people, from circumstances or attacks from the devil, we need to learn to shake it off into the fire.
It would be easy to let these things stay on you and let the venom seep into your system until you spiritually die. But that’s when you need to remember that there is a fire right next to you, and that fire is the anointing of God on our lives, when we shake off the things of the world that are trying to hang onto us into the fire of God, it burns and it cleanses us from the things that are trying to bring us down.
boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him. (Acts of the Apostles 28:31 NLT)
Preaching the word of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence we have in him we will rejoice and be glad in his presents.Though Paul could not travel, for he could teach and preach to all the people who came to him – and this he did. For he also wrote letters that were two years of Roman custody to thank for the letters to the Ephesians, the Philippians, and the Colossians. In Jesus Name Amen !!!
5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
Shake It Off!