52 Week in the Word - Week 47

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 Welcome to Week 47 and Thanksgiving Week here in the United States.  We will finish reading Acts and begin Romans this week.  Acts has been one of my favorite reads so far in this year's journey because I find the words so powerful!

This week in Acts we will read about Paul's Trial.  Up to this point he has had 3 mission journeys around the Mediterranean. Then he was falsely accused and taken to Caesarea, where Felix placed him under house arrest.  Over the next 2 years, Felix met with Paul to hear the Gospel message.  It was time for Paul to go to Rome, so they placed him on a large grain freighter, a large commercial vessel common during that time, to get to Rome.  Due to heavy winds that time of year (probably around October), the ship moved very slowly towards Rome.  Paul warned them about the stormy season, and he was correct.  The ship and crew found themselves in the middle of a horrible storm, for two weeks!  The Roman soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners on board so none would escape during the storm and and chaos, but Julius wanted to spare Paul's life, so he did not agree.  All 276 people on board the ship made it to the shore of the island of Malta.  The people of Malta honored and respected Paul, bringing their sick to him to be healed and supplying him and the group with supplies they needed.

In 60 A.D., Paul was put on another freighter going to Italy, where a group of Christians met him there to help care for him.  Paul had to then take about a week's journey from the city where he landed to get to Rome.  Once there, Paul was again placed under house arrest.  He could not visit the synagogues, but the people came to him to hear about his arrest and also the Gospel message.    

Looking ahead to Week 47:

The reading for Week 47 includes: Acts 19 - Romans 12 .

 A little background info on the book of Acts:

The Book of Romans is a letter written by Paul to the Christians living in Rome. Paul wrote this letter from the city of Corinth in about 57 AD.  In Paul's day, Rome was the greatest city in the world with a population of over a million people.  Remember the Gospel arrived to Rome shortly after Pentecost because we know there were people there from Rome.  Twenty-five years later, Paul was writing this letter to a well-established church.  It is also important to recall that Christianity was illegal at this time, so the church was meeting in people's homes, even some of the wealthy.    

This week I have two questions for you to think on, possibly discuss, while you read this week:

1.  Despite being under house arrest in Rome, Paul continued to spread the Gospel. What does this teach us about resilience and determination in sharing our beliefs? Can you think of modern examples where people have shown similar dedication to their Christian faith in difficult circumstances? 

2. The Gospel reached Rome around 33 AD and by the time Paul wrote his letter, a Christian church was already established there. Given the illegal status of Christianity in Rome and the potential risks involved, why do you think the early followers of Jesus continued to practice their faith openly?

Have a blessed week in the Word! 

 


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