Romans 1

In the beginning of his letter to the Romans, Paul starts off by glorifying Christ. He then mentions how thankful he is for the believers in Rome and how he often prays for them and longs for the time he can come in person to share the gospel with them. He underlines the need to stand up for the truth of God so that we won't fall for the lies of the devil.

It is important to recognize the value of other Christians in our lives. We can draw strength and inspiration from them and at the same time we have a duty to pray for them and support their walk with the Lord through actions and prayer. In order to do this, we must stand up for truth - immerse ourselves in it - or be vulnerable to attack by the lies of the enemy. Paul said that God's truth has been revealed through nature to every man so that each of us is "without excuse." Today, we also have God's word preserved in the Bible so that we can have a deeper understanding of His truth. Go deeper in your understanding of God; read your Bible, pray to Him, be in fellowship with other believers. Get to know the Author of truth.

Acts 28:16-31

After Paul arrived in Rome, he met with some of the Jewish leaders to discuss his situation. Paul told them about the charges brought against him and maintained that he had been falsely accused. The Jewish leaders had not had any word from Jerusalem regarding Paul, but were curious to hear His views on the Christian beliefs. Paul preached to a large crowd about Jesus using Hebrew scripture to make his case. Some of the people listening believed, but some did not. Paul then spent two years preaching from his home to anyone who would come and listen.

When someone comes to you wanting to know about Jesus, just tell them what you know and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. There is no perfect formula or surefire string of words to put together to make a person believe. Each person needs to weigh the information they receive and decide what they're going to believe. Pray for guidance when you are speaking; pray for God to open up the heart of the person listening and then let God do the rest.

Acts 28:1-15

On the island of Malta where Paul was shipwrecked, he was bitten by a poisonous snake, but suffered no ill effects. Initially, when the snake bit him, the natives of the island assumed he was guilty of something horrible and the snake bite was his punishment. When they saw that he was all right, they considered him a god. While on the island, Paul healed many of the natives of various illnesses. When Paul's ship set sail, the natives provided them with everything they needed.

It is amazing how fast people's opinions can change. When things are going well, they assume you're doing something right and when things aren't going well, they assume you're doing something wrong. Assumptions like this don't work. We've all seen the godly person who is suffering with some terminal disease and the morally bankrupt person who is living in a mansion with eight cars in the garage. Using status or circumstances to determine the righteousness of a person fails because God does not promise temporal rewards or punishment. Those made righteous through the blood of Christ will receive their reward in eternity just as those who don't accept Him will receive their punishment in eternity.

Acts 27:27-44

Around the fourteenth day of being adrift at sea, some of the sailors became worried that they were going to crash into rocks and tried to anchor the ship. Some of the sailors tried to escape in a smaller boat, but Paul told the centurion that if the few sailors left they'd all be doomed. In order to stop the sailors from leaving, the centurion had the ropes to the boat cut. Paul then had to convince the men to eat, which they did, and when day came, they spotted land and ran themselves aground.

Listening to instructions from the Lord and following them when they go against our natural instinct are two entirely different things. Ultimately, you have to trust that God will see you through. If you take matters into your own hands, there is no guarantee what the outcome will be. Each time you depend on Him and follow His instructions, your trust in Him grows. Eventually, following His will becomes second nature.

Acts 27:1-26

Paul was put on a series of ships to be delivered to Caesar. One of the ships became caught in a storm for many days, causing the crew to lose hope that they would survive it. Paul assured them all that an angel of the Lord had spoken to him and that they would all live, but they would be shipwrecked on an island.

Even when things look their worst, we need to look to God for assurance and instruction. If we listen, He will lead us through whatever troubles we're facing. God knows the best course of action for you at any given time and He wants to help. All you have to do is ask for His guidance and then listen and obey.

Acts 26

Paul made his case to King Agrippa, boldly making a case for Christ at the same time. He appealed to Agrippa's knowledge of Jewish customs as the basis to judge what he was saying. Agrippa was convinced that Paul had done nothing wrong and would have set him free except that Paul had appealed the matter to Caesar.

When witnessing for Jesus, it is important to know the background of the person you're talking to. Start by finding common ground and showing where there is already agreement. Then, build on those things and show how Jesus fits right in with those truths. By doing this, most people become much more willing to listen because they don't feel that they have to defend their position.

Acts 25

Paul was in prison for two years when Festus succeeded Felix as governor. While Festus was in Jerusalem, some high ranking Jews brought up the charges they had against Paul. Festus told them to come to Caesarea to prosecute their case. When confronted with the charges, Paul maintained that he had not broken any laws - Jewish or Roman. Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go back to Jerusalem to stand trial on the charges. Paul replied that he had done no wrong to the Jews and that he had a right to be tried in a Roman court. He then appealed his case to Caesar.

Paul knew what awaited him if he went back to Jerusalem since he'd seen it before. His accusers would stop at nothing to see him dead. Maintaining his innocence, he asked to have his case taken to the highest level. Just like Paul, we shouldn't be afraid to defend ourselves from false accusations against ourselves. Even when the easiest thing might be to just give up, we should use every possible recourse that is legally and morally allowable to stand up for ourselves.