Acts 28

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Paul’s Arrival in Rome

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Paul arrived in Rome a way he had not planned.

  2. Paul accomplished in Rome a work he had not perceived.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Don’t hide the bad news of the message.

QUESTIONS

  1. What is the context of Acts 28?

  2. Recount the story of Paul with the snake.

  3. How did Paul’s ministry in Malta begin?

  4. Why was Paul encouraged when he came to Rome?

  5. What was Paul’s condition in Rome?

  6. Who were some of the first visitors to Paul’s house in Rome?

ANSWERS

  1. The previous chapter records Paul’s ship voyage and shipwreck. All 276 passengers and crew of the ship survived the shipwreck and made it safely to an island.

  2. While Paul was gathering wood for the fire, he was bitten by a snake. The islanders saw this as a bad omen that he was a murderer, and expected him to drop dead. But Paul survived, so then they thought he was a god!

  3. A wealthy Roman official named Publius welcomed Paul and his team to the island. Paul healed Publius’ sick father, and as a result, sick and diseased people from the whole island began coming to Paul.

  4. Because he was greeted by believers there.

  5. Although Paul was a prisoner, he enjoyed quite a bit of freedom. He lived in a rented house with a soldier who guarded him. Paul had many visitors who came to hear him preach and teach the gospel.

  6. Paul invited the leading men of the Jews to his house and shared the gospel with them. There were mixed reactions when Paul testified that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Paul had always intended to go to Rome, but not as a prisoner! Many of his circumstances were not as he planned, but God had planned all of this. Has God ever changed your plans in your ministry or in your life? How did this turn out better than your plans?

  2. Discuss the work that Paul accomplished while imprisoned in Rome. He may have never imagined these opportunities, and may not have had them if he was not imprisoned. What can we learn from this?

CHALLENGE

  1. Read Acts 1:8. The Lord gave this commission to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. Now we come to the end of the book and see this mission has been accomplished. What a great adventure!

KEY VERSES

  • “The rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.” Acts 28:9

  • “So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.” Acts 28:23

  • “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



Acts, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsActs 28