Title: Providence of God
love for kin
Although Paul was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, his love for his people was also extraordinary. Paul traveled around the world preaching the gospel to the Gentiles and establishing many churches. As he saw the Gentiles accepting the gospel and believing in Jesus as their Savior, Paul was always heartbroken on the one hand. The Gentiles accepted the Gospel so well, because their fellow Jews did not accept the Gospel. So wherever he went, he did not forget to go to the Jewish synagogue first and preach the gospel to the Jews. Everywhere he went he was persecuted by the Jews, but Paul did not give up preaching the gospel to the Jews. Even in Rome, Paul first invited the Jews to preach the gospel to them.
Do we have love for the nation like Paul did today? Have you ever shed tears while praying for your nation? Today, many people shed tears and pray for the country and people. It is because of the people who pray that our country is so peaceful in the midst of so many sins and difficult circumstances. However, the greatest love for the nation is to preach the gospel to save this nation. I hope that you will become a saint who prays for the country and nation, and a saint who dedicates himself to evangelizing this nation. I hope that you will become a saint who spreads the gospel to your neighbors.
excusing himself to the Jews
Three days after arriving in Rome, Paul invited some of the most prominent of the Jews. It was to justify their position to them. Paul had now appealed to the Roman emperor and came to Rome, because he was afraid that the Jews in Rome who did not know the details would think that Paul was accusing his people to the emperor. Paul could not find them because he was bound as a prisoner. So he invited the Jews to his place.
Paul explained his appeal to the emperor. “Three days later, Paul summoned the high-ranking of the Jews, and after they had gathered, he said, “Brothers, I have not rejected the customs of the people of Israel or of our ancestors, and I have been delivered into the hands of the Romans in Jerusalem; I wanted to release him, but the Jews objected, so I reluctantly appealed to Caesar, not to accuse my people” (verses 17-19).
Paul said that he did not come to Rome to accuse the Jews, that he had never rejected the traditions and customs of his ancestors, but that the Jews wanted to kill him and handed him over to the Romans. After interrogation, he knew he was innocent and tried to release him, but he explained to them that he was forced to appeal to the emperor because the Jews objected. And he explained that he became a prisoner because he preached that the hope of Israel, the long-awaited hope of the Messiah, had come true in Jesus.
opportunity to share the gospel
The Jews who heard Paul's excuse replied that they had not yet received any letter from Judea, and that no one had come and said anything bad about Paul. And about Jesus of Nazareth, whom Paul is talking about, he said that he knew that the faction was opposed everywhere. And the Jews said they wanted to hear Paul's words more closely.
"They said, "We have not received a letter from you in Judea, nor have any of your brothers come and tell you anything bad about you." So we would like to hear what you think. Because they know that they have received it” (verses 21-22), so they gathered again and set a date to listen closely to Paul. In this way, Paul was given a good opportunity not only to defend his position, but also to preach the gospel.
This is another important aspect we will learn from Paul. He devoted himself to preaching the gospel wherever he went. If there was an opportunity, we wanted to spread the gospel through it. Today we don't seem to put much effort into creating opportunities to share the gospel. Because the most important thing for us is to share the Gospel, we must do our best to create opportunities to share the Gospel. When it's the birthday of a neighbor or friend who doesn't believe in you, or they are hospitalized, you should congratulate them or comfort them and make it a good opportunity to share the gospel.
true revival
It is said that the growth of Korean churches these days has slowed or stopped. Nevertheless, there are still churches that are being revived. However, if you look closely at such churches, there are many cases in which the number of churches has increased due to the influx of members from other churches, rather than by evangelizing non-believers. It must be revival by evangelizing people who do not truly believe in genuine faith.
The Willow Creek Church and Saddleback Church, which are famous in America these days, are famous for revival by evangelizing unbelievers. Their slogan is “to evangelize unbelievers and make them devoted disciples of the Lord.” Those churches teach their saints to make friends with unbelievers first. And invite them to church to attend the services prepared for them. Then they nurture them into dedicated ministers. In this way, they transformed tens of thousands of unbelievers into dedicated ministers. The church in Busan is a representative church that has been revived through evangelism. Whatever you do, make an opportunity to reach out to your unbelieving neighbors or friends and share the gospel. And, relying on the Holy Spirit, challenge them with the Gospel. Then you will surely have good results. This is true revival.
two reactions
When the promised date came, many Jews came to Paul's house. And they listened to Paul's sermons from morning to evening. Paul told them that Jesus was the Christ with the law of Moses and the words of the prophets. In other words, with the Old Testament that Jews believe and acknowledge, Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. “They set a date, and many of them came to the house where he lodged, and Paul preached from morning to evening, testifying to the kingdom of God, and admonishing them concerning Jesus by the law of Moses and the words of the prophets” (verse 23). How amazing is it to have listened to Paul's sermons until now?
But how did the people who heard Paul's sermon react? Some believed it and some did not (verse 24). From morning to evening, there were people who did not believe even though they had heard the word. Whenever the Word is proclaimed, there are always two reactions: those who believe and those who do not believe.
Do not stand on the side of the unbeliever, but become a believer. The difference between these two is greater than heaven and earth. There are always people who do not make a decision even after hearing the Word. They are not saved. Even the saved saints must always make a decision when they hear the word. Only then will your faith grow and your life will change. However, believers who do not make a decision will always have to live with shame. I hope that you will become the blessed saints who make decisions while listening to the Word during this time as well.
Do not be discouraged while preaching the gospel
The reason we are afraid to evangelize is because we are afraid that people will not believe even if we evangelize. However, even though Paul, the great apostle, preached the gospel, there were people who did not believe it. Don't be too disappointed if you don't believe in evangelism. We evangelize because the Lord has commanded it. But it is not up to us to believe or not to believe. Of course, we must do our best so that those who receive evangelism will accept and believe the Gospel. But don't be discouraged if you don't believe it. That is what God will do. Anyone can believe only if God allows it. “All who were ordained to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).
Therefore, do not be afraid of evangelism that it will be of no use, and always do your best to evangelize whether you have the opportunity or not. When God calls those who are ordained to give eternal life, He always calls through our evangelism. Therefore, when we preach, those whom God has ordained to give eternal life will believe.
interpreted in the bible
Paul preached the gospel from morning to evening with all his might, but there were many who did not believe. Like us, Paul must have been very upset and disappointed. But Paul soon solves this problem through the Bible. Why didn't people believe me when I told you this? He found the answer in the Bible. Paul came up with Isaiah 6:9-10. “Go and say to this people, ‘You will hear, but you will not understand, and you will see, but you will not understand,’ said the Lord, ‘and dull the hearts of this people, and block their ears and close their eyes. I hope that I will understand it in my heart and come back to be healed.” Those who did not believe in the gospel belong to this group. They were not God's chosen ones. Paul is
I interpreted this incident with Saya's words and cast off all the disappointment and disappointment in my heart.
Are you interpreting the events that happen to you in words? In other words, do you see all these things in the light of the Word? It is always disappointing because many people interpret every event with their own thoughts and standards. And blame others. However, those who know how to interpret all the things that happen to me through the Word do not get discouraged and look to God more and receive comfort. And you know clearly what to do. If you truly live by faith and faithful to the Lord, then everything that is happening to you is proceeding without a hitch in the good providence of God. No regrets and no disappointments. Only looking at the good God will give you comfort and confidence. The question is, can I interpret all of this in the light of the Word?
When one door closes, another door opens.
Paul confirms his calling once again by seeing how sadly his fellow Jews do not accept the Gospel. “Therefore, know that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it” (verse 28). This is God's missionary strategy. As Paul saw the Jews hardened and rejected the gospel, he realized once again that God had sent salvation to the Gentiles.
Preaching the gospel is God's work and God's will. Therefore, this is unavoidable. However, the way to preach the gospel was blocked. So, is the preaching of the gospel over now? It never is. God will surely open another way. We were able to confirm this principle in Paul's second missionary journey. Paul wanted to preach the gospel in Asia. But God blocked the way to Asia. “The Holy Spirit prevented them from preaching the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). But instead of blocking the way to Asia, the way to Europe was opened. “A vision appeared to Paul at night, and a man from Macedonia stood and begged him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). However, he went to Macedonia and preached the gospel and achieved remarkable results.
God opens a better way for us
Even though we want to live for the gospel and be faithful to the Lord, there are times when the road is blocked. In that case, God will surely open another way. And the new way God has opened is a much more effective and better way. Although Paul gave up preaching the gospel to the Jews, he saved thousands of Gentiles as an apostle to the Gentiles. Although the Jews rejected the gospel, the Romans accepted it instead. Later, when Rome recognized Christianity, it turned out that there were even believers in the Roman imperial family. Even in the midst of such persecution, the gospel was preached powerfully.