2022_11_02 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Acts 26 & 27
The two chapters we are focusing on this week capture a lot. First, we see Paul explaining his case to King Agrippa. As he does, we see Paul being clear, bold, and humble. This is a great example for all of us. Next, we read the account of Paul’s trip to Rome and his coming audience with Caesar. Luke, a doctor who was part of Paul’s team, gives us a first-hand account of the beginning of the trip, with great details of the circumstances. Autumn was typically a dangerous time of year for sea travel, and Paul expressed his concerns to the ship’s officers about it (Acts 27:9-12), but they ignored the danger and pushed ahead. Not long after, they ran into a major storm and were close to losing the ship. Fear gripped even the seasoned sailors. Then “Paul called the crew together and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” (Acts 27:21-26).
Paul could have chastised the ship’s leaders for ignoring his earlier warning since they were all now in significant danger. Instead, he let everyone know that he had voiced concerns, but then he explained how God was ready to protect all of them. He may have been tempted to humiliate the ship’s officers, but instead, he stated the facts. Being snarky is not God-honoring. “I told you so” spoken in a self-righteous manner only serves to alienate people. Paul had been correct before and was doing right again by speaking the truth in love. We could sure use a lot more of this attitude and approach today!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor