Acts 28:17-31

Rome

We don’t really know that much about what happened to Paul in Rome. We do know according to strong Christian tradition that Paul was beheaded at Rome around 68 AD. That does not mean that he died on this trip to Rome. There is also tradition supporting the idea that Paul was released and continued his missionary activities in Spain and perhaps even Britain.

What we do know is that Paul was afforded the opportunity to share the gospel with virtually the entire Jewish community in Rome. We know that some believed as a result of Paul’s testimony and arguments. We also know that Paul stayed in his own house for two years. He apparently had free access to visitors. He definitely found the time to write a few letters.

The Acts of the Apostles ends with the verse: Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. That doesn’t seem to be the end of a story, and in fact it isn’t the end. The Acts of the Apostles is really the Acts of the Holy Spirit. Though the original apostles are no longer with us, the Holy Spirit is most certainly with us and Acts 29 is still being written. The date of its publication has not yet been announced but I am looking forward to getting my hands on a first edition.

Let me close the blog on this book with a final word about the term “apostle”. The word itself literally means “one who is sent”. Before it became so closely identified with the church it was originally a secular term used by the Greeks and the Romans to describe special envoys sent out to establish the dominion of the empire. These envoys were sent to certain territories and charged to subdue, conquer, convert, instruct, train and establish the new subjects in the culture of the empire. How appropriate. We are all “sent ones” but there are some who are sent to be culture changers. They are not called to change a “barbaric” culture a “civilized” culture. They are called to change the world’s culture to the kingdom’s culture: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Amen.