Real Hope: A Study of Acts 24-28Sample

It’s About the Journey

Acts is about journeys: the apostles, the early church, Paul; all journeying to talk about the risen Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection enabled the apostles and other followers to share what they had witnessed themselves and how the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection was changing lives. We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen (10:39–40).

The Holy Spirit comes, bringing power to speak about Jesus with healings, miracles, lives changed, and confrontation with Jewish authorities. The church was heavily persecuted, yet the Gospel went out beyond Judea and surrounding cities and was taken all over the Roman world. People who were visiting Jerusalem, people in Ephesus, Corinth, Philistia, Galatia heard Jesus’ story, were convicted of its truth and shared it with others.

And that was the significance of the amazing, confronting conversion of Paul. In each place he visited, no matter what happened, he preached the story of Jesus. It was not easy for Paul – he was arrested, beaten and jailed many times, and was finally taken to Rome. Even under guard in Rome, he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ – with all boldness and without hindrance! (Acts 27:31). We see Paul continued to speak about Jesus because he knew what a difference Jesus made through His death and resurrection. And we, like the early church, and Christians through history, can speak about Jesus and His saving work and the difference He makes in our lives.

Written by DAVID BARKER

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