'28' - Day 28

Wow! We've finally reached the end of our 28 Day emphasis on the POWERFUL Book of Acts!

Can you imagine reading a great novel and getting down to the end of the book only to discover that there was no last chapter. No end of the story. No "happily ever after" tag line? You're left with not knowing what ever happened to the romance between the main characters, or who really killed that guy in Chapter 4, or how the bad guy was finally caught, or how the characters ended up dealing with that tragic loss of a close family member. That would be so frustrating!

And yet, that's sorta how the Book of Acts concludes. Acts 28:30-31 say, "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly, and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ." That's no way to end a book! You know why? BECAUSE IT DOESN'T END THERE!

The POWERFUL Book of Acts breaks off suddenly, with no formal conclusion to what God did through the Holy Spirit and the New Testament believers. Why? Because God intends that the acts of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the gospel continue in the lives of Christ's people until the end of time! Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has revealed God's pattern of what the church should be and do. He has given us examples of the faithfulness of believers, the triumph of the gospel against the opposition of the enemy and the POWER of the Holy Spirit operating in the church and among people. This is God's pattern for present and future churches as well, and we must faithfully proclaim and live it! All churches must measure themselves by what the Spirit said and did among the earliest believers. If the POWER, righteousness, joy and faith found in our churches are not the same as what we read about in Acts, then we must ask God once more for a renewed faith in the resurrected Christ and for a fresh, new outpouring of his POWERFUL Holy Spirit!

As for Paul...Paul remained in confinement for two years. He was able to receive visitor and preach the gospel to them. During this time, he wrote the letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and to Philemon. In approximately AD 63, Paul was acquitted and released. For the next few years, he continued his missionary endeavors, perhaps going to Spain as he had planned (Romans 15:28). During this period, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. Paul was again arrested, about AD 67, and was taken back to Rome. He wrote 2 Timothy during this second imprisonment at Rome. Paul's imprisonment ended with his martyrdom (tradition says by beheading) under the Roman emperor Nero.

It's been a POWERFUL journey through Acts. Can't wait for 28 next year!