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
We come to the end of the Book of Acts. We’ve been at it for more than two years.
The last verses in Acts are the last details recorded by Paul’s dear friend and traveling companion, Luke. What is of particular interest is why Luke stopped where he did. More about that in the next post.
For now, Paul was under house arrest in Rome for two more years! Since his initial arrest in Israel, this ordeal interrupted Paul’s life for probably five years. We do not know exactly how much time transpired from his arrest (Acts 23:10) until he was locked up for two years by Felix (Acts 24:27). So Paul was in custody for more than two years in Israel.
We do not know how much time lapsed while being tried by Festus until he was “shipped” to Rome (Acts 27:1). Nor do we know for certain exactly how much time the voyage (including time in Malta) to Italy took. Nor do we know how long it took to travel on land to Rome. But now we know that Paul was held another two years under house arrest in Rome (v.30). It sounds like this entire nightmare consumed more than five years—and at this point in Acts, it is still not resolved!
The point I would like you to join me in considering is how we respond to life’s interruptions. If you are like me, every red light seems to be an impediment to my plans. Argh! And exactly how long is the wait at the longest red light? Well, it is certainly less than five-plus years!
I observe that Paul’s legal problems may have pushed the pause button on Paul’s plans—but it did not push any pause buttons on his devotion to Christ, or on his ministry. In the midst of all these interruptions, Paul loved and served the Lord wherever he was, and whenever he was there!
Lord, may I learn to love and serve You and Your people wherever and whenever. May I see interruptions (especially those beyond my control) as providential opportunities to speak to people about Christ.