Boldly Preaching to the Ends of the Earth

Acts 28

You can’t top a good viper story. You can’t outdo a whole island cured of their diseases. You can’t surpass the story of a traveling man finally reaching his destination. And you can’t exceed the witness of a man in chains who’s still preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. This concluding chapter in the book of Acts has it all.

Following such a perilous journey, you can’t help but picture Paul landing in Rome overflowing with gratitude and joy. Yes, he’s still a prisoner, but not of Rome. Paul’s a prisoner of the Lord and, as he wrote during this imprisonment to the church in Philippi, his chains really served to advance the gospel.

And like he wrote to Timothy, Paul knew God’s Word can never be chained. So he keeps enduring this suffering for the sake of the elect. He keeps proclaiming the very truth about Christ which landed him in trouble in the first place. He keeps witnessing for Christ among the Jews as the hope of Israel while taking the message of God’s salvation to the Gentiles.

Never forgetting where he came from. Never getting over God’s mercy and grace. Never tiring of telling his story. Never relying upon his own ability. Never backpedaling on the scandal of the cross. Never losing sight of the empty tomb. Never taking his eyes off Jesus. Never ashamed of the gospel.

No chains can hinder the bold preaching of the gospel.