Jesus made six statements in the gospels of Luke and John about discipleship: three from the negative, saying, if this or this is true you cannot be my disciple, and three from John in the positive, saying, this is how people will know you are my disciple. We put those six statements together to derive a working definition of a disciple of Jesus.
In one final sermon from the Acts series, we go back to the beginning and tie everything together in one simple little bow: We proclaim the kingdom of God by proclaiming Jesus – crucified, buried, resurrected and ascended.
How would you live your life if you knew Jesus was going to return in 5 years? What kind of urgency would you have? Paul is nearing the end of his life, and he is finishing well, making the most of every opportunity. Always on mission. Never off duty.
There are two major theologies that seem to stand against each other - the theology of God's sovereignty and the theology of people's free will. But as Paul and his crew are blown across the Mediterranean Sea, both God's sovereignty and people's responsibility are on full display.
Resurrection Sunday – As Peter and John visit the empty tomb, there are three ways of "seeing" that happen. First, just a glance. Second, more investigation. Third, seeing with the eyes of the heart. In similar fashion, there are three ways of seeing Jesus today: Either he is "a" savior; he is "the" Savior; or he is "your" Savior.
Paul has appealed to Rome, and finally it is decided that they should set sail. But Paul's dream (and most of our lives) doesn't end up looking the way he expected it to look. First of all, he was going to Rome as a prisoner instead of on his own terms, and secondly, they ended up being blown way off course before they were even halfway there.
As Paul stands trial before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, he recounts his conversion story one last time in the book of Acts, including details that he hadn't mentioned before – namely, the specific call of Jesus on his life: to be a servant who turns on the lights in people's stories, and leads them to repentance and faith.
The next morning, as Paul sits in prison thanking Jesus for visiting him in the night, his nephew stops in for a visit and lets him know there is an ambush waiting for Paul. The Roman commander takes action, and gives Paul a VIP security escort out of town in the middle of the night to Caesarea where he will await trial.
Paul is now moved away from the mob, and into a formal trial in front of the Sanhedrin. It doesn't last long. Paul's speech is two sentences, he gets slapped in the face, and then spots an opportunity to get the attention off of himself. But that night in the jail cell, he gets a special visit from the Lord himself, encouraging him to stay the course.
Paul was nearly beaten to death by the Jerusalem mob, and as he is being taken away for questioning by the Roman soldiers, he asks if he might speak to the crowd who hates him. They oblige, and Paul gives his testimony to the crowd, recalling what Jesus did for him on the road to Damascus.