2022_11_11 Insight Post- Emma Keeton
This week’s reading- Acts 28
Much like Kim Feld and Pastor Rusty, I’ve been considering themes through the book of Acts this week. Something that has stood out to me is the legacy Paul leaves behind as he travels on his ministry journeys, and we can see that in the last chapter of Acts as Paul seeks refuge on the island of Malta. It is no accident that Paul’s shipwreck leads him to Malta. Paul is under Roman guard and on his way to stand trial in Rome, but along the way, God lands Paul on an island to further spread the gospel.
Today, Malta is considered the most religious nation in Europe, with 98% of citizens professing to be Catholic. The story of Paul is one that is well known and told through art at Shipwreck Cathedral in St. Paul’s Bay. Four anchors were dug up in the 1960s at the depth described in Acts 27. These are on display at a maritime museum. The legacy of Paul’s three months in Malta lives on.
Paul’s legacy would not have been such if he had not been an imitator of Christ wherever he went. Ephesians 5:1-2 tells us:
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
Another image of Jesus, who we are to imitate, is described in Hosea 14:6:
“His shoots will sprout,
And his beauty will be like the olive tree
And his fragrance like the cedars of Lebanon.”
I can often fall foul, acting as if my faith is only for certain occasions. If nobody knows I am a Christian, it is all too easy to keep my faith under wraps so as not to complicate the situation. When I choose this path, I do not leave a legacy for Christ behind me.
Following Paul’s example, it does not matter what situation we are in; ANY time is a good time for a God story. Paul did not see his lack of freedom as a hindrance to sharing the gospel. He followed the path God had for him and trusted that he was right where he needed to be. May the same be true for us 2000 years later!
Emma Keeton
Prayer Team Lead