Unhindered

July 3

I Chronicles 6-7

Psalm 78:1-8

Proverbs 17:3-4

Acts 28

Unhindered

“And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, unhindered.”  Acts 28:30-31 LSB

In Acts 23:11, Paul had a vision, “But on that very night, the Lord stood at his side and said, ‘Take courage; for as you have solemnly borne witness to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must bear witness at Rome also.’” LSB  God clearly told Paul that he was going to Rome and that while he was there he was going to tell people about Jesus.  Paul was in grave danger in Jerusalem, but God had plans.  What the Jews meant for evil, God used for good in Paul’s life to bring him to Rome.  Instead of being thrown in prison, he was placed on house arrest and God worked out the details so that people could visit him freely.  He was able to meet with the believers in the  church in Rome and many people came to faith through his preaching and teaching.  During his time in Rome, Paul also wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.  It may have seemed that Paul’s ministry was cut short by his imprisonment, but actually God continued to use him mightily.  Going to Rome was not Plan B.  It was God’s plan all along.   There were Gentiles in Rome who needed to hear the gospel and God put together all the pieces of the puzzle to bring that about.

Paul may not have understood what was happening at the time.  He appealed to Rome because he was afraid for his life, but he may not have known that God had ministry plans there.  We can’t always understand what God is doing.  There seem to be a lot of random pieces that don’t fit together and we cannot see a picture forming, but we can trust that God has it all figured out.  He sees the big picture and is bringing each piece together at the right time and placing it into the puzzle at exactly the right place so that His plans will come together perfectly.  Only God could have coordinated the events to bring Paul to Rome and only God can work out the circumstances in your life to accomplish His purposes for His glory and your good.  Paul trusted God completely so he was able to confidently carry out his mission whether he was in Jerusalem or Rome.  In Romans 15, Paul made it clear that his purpose was to spread the gospel to the Gentiles so that everyone could have the opportunity to come to Christ.  He did that wherever he was.  Like Paul, wherever we find ourselves, we just need to keep doing what God has called us to do and leave the details in His capable hands.