ACTS SERIES: THE DANGEROUS JOURNEY TO ROME – CHAPTER 27

King Agrippa and those gathered with him to hear Paul’s defense about the charges placed against him by the Jews agreed that Paul was innocent and would have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. So, Acts 27 opens with Luke and Aristarchus, the Macedonian of Thessalonica, accompanying Paul and other prisoners who were placed under the guard of Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band, as they sailed to Italy.

At Sidon, the first port to which they stopped on their way to Italy, Paul was permitted to visit his friends. Next, they continued sailing under Cyprus and over the seas of Cilicia and Pamphylia to the port of Myra. There, they boarded an Alexandrian wheat ship sailing into Italy; however, due to the winds, sailing was slow. Eventually, the ship sailed by Crete and made it to the Fair Havens near Lasea. After staying there for several days and the approaching winter weather, the captain decided to continue sailing. Sensing the danger of sailing, Paul spoke to those in charge and suggested the ship remain in Fair Haven. Unfortunately, Julius listened to the captain and the owner of the vessel, who felt that sailing to Phenice and spending the winter there would be more favorable than staying in Fair Haven.

With the soft south wind blowing, the ship took off sailing close by Crete, but then a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon started, and the waters became turbulent. Attempting to secure the ship, they used the minimum sail, undergirded the hull with ropes, and discarded unnecessary cargo into the sea. With no end in sight, days of neither sun nor stars appearing, and maritime skills unsuccessful, the occupants of the ship felt hopeless.

Finally, letting them know they should have listened to him, Paul shared this word of encouragement, “Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.”

It was the fourteenth day, and things were not improving when some of the ship’s crew tried to leave via a lifeboat, but the centurion and soldiers being warned by Paul of the plans of the crew severed the lines, causing the lifeboat to float away. Later that day, realizing the men had not eaten in many days, Paul encouraged them to eat some meat and gain strength for what was ahead of them. Then Paul took some bread, thanked God, and ate. Seeing what he did lifted the two hundred seventy-five men’s spirits, and they also ate.

The next day, noticing a creek with a shore, they took up the anchors and allowed the ship to run aground, which caused the back of the ship to break into pieces from the violent waves. An officer suggested they kill the prisoners so none could escape, but Julius rejected this idea. As the ship broke into pieces, some on board swam to shore while others grabbed onto broken pieces, and all two hundred seventy-six eventually made it safely to the shore.

I close with these nuggets that I gleaned from this chapter:

With God on your side, you can be a prisoner with privileges.

God will give you favor with the people in charge.

God will cause people who don’t know you to take a liken to you.

Winds can propel you, misdirect you, slow forward movement, and delay progress.

There are forces in your environment that can hinder your progress.

Though the truth is shared, men may not listen.

Failure to listen to wisdom results in turmoil.

Prophetic warnings are often ignored, causing the hearers to suffer consequences for not listening.

Safety is sometimes in unsuitable places.

The majority is not always right.

You can go from peace to turmoil in a short period.

Moving out of season can be hazardous.

Storms reveal a person’s character.

When darkness prevails, men lose their hope.

God speaks in the midst of a storm.

Crisi moves believers to the forefront.

When others are fearful a Word from God will give you peace.

Believers belong to God and were made for His service.

God can keep you and those around you safe.

Your presence will save the lives of those around you.

As you go through life challenges, hold fast to your belief in God.

Crises can take away your appetite.

You must eat for strength and to stay healthy.

Despite your circumstances, give thanks.

Your life is more valuable than material things.

Get rid of things that weigh you down.

Yeilding is necessary when a struggle is fruitless.

There are some things that you cannot fight

Sometimes, you must hold on to broken pieces.

No matter what happens, the spoken Word will come to fruition.

Though others around you may not believe, do not let that hinder you from believing.