Heralds Digest

“Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭28:30-31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.28.30-31.nkjv Besides the material or emotional inconvenience on its inmates, the prison wall appears to produce more tremendous or attractive impacts on the kingdom of God than the overall forthrightness from the free world Christian workers. For example, Paul's bound of prison walls in Rome received visiting sympathizers turned parishioners, in fulfillment of the divine purpose for the adventurous mission to Caesar's palace. Many other churches outside Rome benefited from the prison ministry, including the revelation of the several epistles for the establishment and expansion of the work of the kingdom of God. Even in contemporary times, it is evident that the soul is inspired to deliver its maximu...

“And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭28:15-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.28.15-16.nkjv The primary source of strength in the race of life is the Lord and confidence in His promises. However, additional call for consistency sometimes requires a supplement source of grace. When Paul had braced up to end the fight of faith in Jerusalem, he got called up to embark on the last phase of missionary journey to Rome, in the waiting hands of soldiers as chief prisoner. Under such ugly experiences and varied expressions of life challenges, additional source of courage and strength became expedient. There are often moments of weariness for faithful labourers, but the fruits of their labo...

“So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭28:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.28.9-10.nkjv Paul and his co-travellers had suffered over 2 weeks of thunderous storm on the sea before arriving Malta - an island of people with myriad of needs, covered by their seeds of love. And he also got welcomed into Malta by a viper. It was a perfect reflection of the different experiences of life with constantly changing perception of curious observers, trying to figure out the essence of life's unpredictable challenges. However, the opportunities to minister to the people of Malta stand out as experiences that can never be forgotten by the people whose lives were touched. In spite of the suffered shipwreck, the survived shockwave from venomous viper, the escaped extermination threat from soldiers, and the list conti...

“And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.27.33.nkjv In the want of today's meteorological capabilities on the voyage to Rome, especially the potential that can manage hurricanes like Katrina, Irma, and Maria, little wonder that no one needed the spiritual perception of Paul in order to manage Euroclydon. And in spite of the significant advances in knowledge today, there is no noticeable difference in the established fact that the natural man is wired to rely on self sustenance. Unfortunately, after human dependence on self fails and reliance on human capabilities falter, confusion, depression and suicide tendency set in. For example, what else would prompt sailors with scientific sounding data, that are in agreement with Paul's spiritual guidance, to attempt jumping over board?; what is the morality...

“Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.27.11.nkjv Julius the centurion had granted Paul the liberty of free association with his friends. Apparently, he was persuaded that Paul had no intention of escaping by jumping into the sea. It was a limited level of confidence in Paul, based on the little exposure to his capabilities and convictions about life and the mission to Rome. However, when the issue of embarking on the voyage from the city of Lasea under a dangerous sea condition was tabled, the centurion trusted the opinion of the helmsman and the owner of the ship more than the advice from Paul. It was a classical illustration of empirical persuasion - based on experiences and observations of the trends of event. Obviously, the experience of the helmsman about the weather and the understanding of the owner of the ship about the design capabilities ...

“Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭26:32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.26.32.nkjv The decision of the Agrippa council that listened to Paul's defence of his faith posed a challenge to the pursuit of purpose in life. Pleasure-driven pursuits often override most decision criteria including career choices, marital considerations, business partners, choice of accommodation or residency, etc. The written or unwritten checklists mostly include 'the average salary for fresh graduates in the career, the industry, the economy, etc'; 'life expectancy ratios of citizens'; 'standard of living'; 'prospect of the proposal, partner, project, etc'; and the list grows with no end. While an honest consideration of these criteria is not necessarily wrong, the temptation to ignore or misplace the central purpose for human existence is high, especially when pleasure takes the primary cons...

“Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭26:22-23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.26.22-23.nkjv A life focused on a self-rescue mission is bound to suffer a recurring depression, especially when all personal efforts suffer steep opposition and the challenges of life. However, the determination to help others to live better gives light to the pockets of darkness in human life. Anyone can feel the sense of appreciation to God in the response of Paul before king Agrippa, compared to the possible life of regret and blame to God for his incarceration while in obedience to the heavenly calling. Infact, the reason for Paul's rescue from being killed by the Jews offers the privilege to provid...