Ron Smith Ministries

08/23/2026

Letters From Paul Introduction.
Who Is Paul
Galatians 1:1-5
PCC 3/2/25 pm, Mt Zion 8/23/26

This series of messages is not about Paul , it’s about Jesus and the amazing works that He did in Paul and through Paul. While Letters from Paul isn’t about Paul there are things for us to take to heart and imitate. First, Jesus didn't care about Paul’s past because that was forgiven when he met Jesus in the waters of baptism. Be careful , Satan will keep you focused on your past, Jesus is concerned with our future.
Second. Paul did not question his calling , he was willing to go wherever Jesus sent him. In this regard we must imitate Paul and submit to Jesus.

5 Things about Paul

1.Childhood

Born in Tarsus of Cilicia around 1 A.D. Son of a Pharisee who named him after KIng Saul. From the tribe of Benjamin ( Philippians 3:1-11 )
Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and ]the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Philippians 3:1-11 NASB 1995

he adds he was trained as a Pharisee "at the feet of" Rabban Gamaliel the Elder. As he was "brought up" in Jerusalem, one may conclude his family moved there when Paul was young.
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/8025/what-do-we-know-about-pauls-family

2.Education
, Trained under Gamaliel Acts 22:1-10
“Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”
And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
“But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.’ Acts 22:1-10

3.Tent Maker Acts 18:1-6
After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”Acts 18:1-6 NASB 1995

4.Young manhood.As a young Man Paul was a fervent Pharisee and approved of the stoning of Stephen

1. Chief Prosecutor of the church Acts 9:1-3
2. Approved of the stoning of stephen Acts 22:17-21
“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’” Acts 22:17-21

5. Kept the law Acts 26:1-4 . Paul was fervent for the 616 laws the Pharisees added to the law of Moses

Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense:
“In regard to all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today; especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews; therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
“So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem; since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion. Acts 26:1-4
Paul was a Hebrew’s Hebrew and a Pharisees Pharisee. He was Gamaliel’s star pupil. In modern terms he was an honor student on the Dean’s list and voted most likely to become President of the Sanhedrin. Paul outshined all of his peers and held a place of respect among the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. He was respected and praised among the jewish leaders.
But after an encounter with Jesus all that changed. After being commissioned by Jesus Paul went on 3 missionary journeys fearlessly preaching the gospel and planting churches while becoming public enemy #1 of the Jewish leaders. Paul’s former comrades in arms slandered him, stirred up dissension in the churches of Galatia, denied his apostolic authority and ultimately sought to have him put to death. Being a preacher isn’t easy. Christians didn’t trust Paul because of his past and had to see the fruit of a changed life. And to the Pharisees Paul was a treasonous defector to the other side. Being a Christian is often like that. People need to see fruit to believe that someone has truly been converted and that same fruit often drives away old friends. We have to be like Paul and face these difficulties head on staying grounded in scripture so that no one cuts in on us and leads us off course. This is exactly what happened to the churches of Galatia and can happen to us as well.
We are going to kick off this sermon series by looking at Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia.
This letter is unique in a couple of ways.
First Paul does not praise the recipients
Second, unlike Paul’s letters to the churches at Ephesus , Colossae and Philippi which were all cities, Galatia is a geographical region. It was occupied by people of various pagan backgrounds. In the third century B.C. Celtic barbarians moved into the inner plateau of Asia Minor and set up a kingdom there.Some of the Celtic people were known in France as Gauls. The Gauls living in Asia Minor became known as Gallo-Graeceians which became known as Galatians.
There are 2 theories as to when Paul visited Galatia . The North Galatian Theory suggests that Paul visited Galatia on his second missionary journey and started churches there on his third . In the 1880-90s William Ramsey did archaeological work in Asia Minor proving that Luke was an accurate historian. This laid the foundation for the South Galatian theory. If this theory is correct Paul visited the cities of Galatia on all 3 of his missionary journeys. This would explain his affection for them, Paul usually uses Roman imperial names for provinces which further supports the south Galatian theory. This suggests that Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians around A.D. 48-50.
I’ve given you all this background information on Paul so that we can know beyond any shadow of doubt that his letters are authentic. Now that we know these things let’s look at the introduction to Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
Grace to you and peace fromGod our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil ]age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. Galatians 1:1-5
Paul, an apostle. We get our English word apostle from the Greek word apostolos meaning someone who is sent. But not sent in the sense that we send someone to the store to pick something up. In the first century apostolos carried two ideas.
1. Someone commissioned
2. Someone sent overseas
Paul wants to establish that he is not some Johnny Come Lately philosopher but rather that he is a man under authority commissioned and sent. This type of apostolos is like the Hebrew saluah. According to Jewish oral tradition “ A man’s delegate is like himself “ Jesus delegated Paul with the job of taking the gospel to the gentiles.
Even though Paul is writing a disciplinary letter regarding false doctrine he has no ill will towards them instead , he bids them grace and peace.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Grace or charis in the Greek carries the idea of undeserved generosity or favor. F.F. Bruces says grace is God’s “ unconditional goodwill towards mankind which is decisively expressed in the saving work of Christ.”
Peace is the result of experiencing grace. A state of being whole or complete because the part of us that was stolen by sin has been restored.
DO YOU SLEEP PEACEFULLY AT NIGHT???
Jesus gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. The Greek word exaireomai is translated as rescue in this passage. It is used 5 times in the book of Acts. The rescue of Joseph 7:10 , the deliverance of Israel 7:34 , Peter from prison 12:11, Paul from the temple mob 23:27 and Paul from the Jews 26:17.
In each of these situations someone was in dire need and God showed up just in a nick of time.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN GOD SHOWED UP JUST IN A NICK OF TIME FOR YOU?
In just 5 verses Paul lays out the gospel. We were dead in our sins in dire need of rescue. God in his grace gave Jesus for our sins so that we can be whole again and live in a state of peace.
Paul was called out of his old way of life to go and share that simple message. As we will see he often had to correct people for making the plan more complicated than it is.
We have that same job. Our job is to tell people about how we were dead in our sins in dire need of rescue and just in a nick of time someone introduced us to Jesus. We all have a different rescue story. We were all trapped by different sins. But Jesus is sufficient to rescue anyone from any sin. But that will not happen unless we are willing to tell people.
Closing Prayer

Related to https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/q/8024/3195 I want to know more information about Paul's family. According to Acts 23:6 Paul's father was a pharisee: But when Paul perceived th...

08/10/2026

Hospitality , Hospitality , Hospitality
Acts 28 PCC 5/9/21 pm , Mt Zion 8/9/26

I own several books on the subject of evangelism, one of them was written by my friend and mentor Rod Hoschouer . But of all the books ever written on the subject of evangelism I have never found one more practical, more complete or easier to use than the book of Acts.The book of Acts is unique. It alone recounts the early days of Christian church , plowing through the first thirty years of her history , A.D. 30-62. It is also unique in that it is the only book written by a Gentile. Fortunately , our author is thorough ; his two volumes Luke and Acts comprise 27% of the New Testament-more actual words than we read from any other New Testament author , including Paul !
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Without Luke's second volume , one could argue that the story of Jesus would be incomplete.
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We would know about the incarnation but not the indwelling of the Spirit. We would know about the resurrection but not the ascension. We would know about the kingdom but not the church. We would know about the church’s Jewish roots but not how the Gentile branches were grafted in. The book of Acts is simply imperative for our full understanding of the church. I believe that JW McGarvey said it best in 1863 in the introduction to his commentary on Acts
“ Acts of Apostles is a much neglected book. It was so in the days of Chrysostom , who lived in the fifth century , and who says : “ There are many who do not even know that this book is in existence , or who can state the name of the author.” It is so to the present time ; and thousands go to other books of the Bible to find that which is the distinctive teaching of this. The reason is to be found in the fact that before the time of Chrysostom, the church had departed from its distinctive teaching , and to this day has not returned to it.”

Here at Princeton Christian Church( Mt Zion ) our goal is to do Bible things Bible ways and call Bible things names . Simply put we want to be a congregation built from the blueprint that is accurately recorded in the book of Acts.
Acts chapter 1 verse 1 Identifies the writer of Acts as Luke the beloved physician. Luke uses the similar wording In Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-2.

What is the relationship between the gospel of Luke and Acts?
From the first first sentence of Acts , Luke makes his agenda clear : What Jesus began with the disciples , the Holy Spirit brings to fruition in the church. This two-volume work is deliberately linked in a number of ways. First, both introductions address Theophilus , and both lay out Luke’s primary agenda for the book, the gospel records the history of Jesus’ life on earth and Acts records events after Jesus' ascension back into heaven. Secondly, Acts begins where Luke left off. The gospel ends with a lengthy description of the resurrection and a snippet on the ascension whereas Acts briefly mentions the resurrection and expands on the ascension. Acts picks up where Luke ends.

So let's dig into Acts chapter 28 and see what lessons it has for us.

Paul Ashore on Malta
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
Paul’s Arrival at Rome
After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

“‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! Acts 28:1-31
One of the first things we see in this passage is God’s providence. We know from chapter 27 that the shipwreck occurred at daybreak. The timing alone shows the providence of God but also that the wreck occurred on an inhabited island further shows that God had his hand of protection on Paul and his shipmates. God was ensuring that the gospel made it all the way to Rome.
Malta is an island eight miles wide and twenty five miles long. In Paul's day it was inhabited by fishermen and farmers. As the fishermen were making their morning rounds they would have been greeted by the wrecked ship , survivors on the beach and men floating on debris in the surf. Although Luke does not record it commentators believe and so do I that the fisherman used their boats to rescue the survivors and bring them safely to shore. The overnight temperature in Malta in November is around 40-45 degrees. Being exposed to those temps after being submerged in the ocean would have been certain death from hypothermia if God had not provided a rescue party that built a bonfire.

Verses 7-10 teach us that hospitality is a two way street.
Publius, the leader of the island, entertained Paul for three days. The language Luke used was not so much about throwing a party as showing honor. It would be like a visit from a neighboring statesman. The receptions and banquets were not for entertainment so much but respectful dialogue between persons of power. Notice that Luke was invited along with Paul. He was after all a part of his entourage.
During these three days Paul “ Raised “ Publius’ father . Two observations add color to this healing. First, Publius is the chief of the island , he is most probably past forty years old.That would likely put his father somewhere in the vicinity of 70 years old. For an ancient , that’s ancient.His age only exacerbated the illness. Second , though the NIV translates” fever” singular, the word is actually plural. This likely suggests recurring fevers that were accompanied by dysentery. One likely cause is the infamous” Maltese Fever” caused by infected goat's milk. Picture if you will a feeble , bed ridden old man making a dozen or more trips a day to the outhouse. The healing of Publius’ father endeared Paul to Publius and the locals . Publius’ villa became an outpatient clinic.Paul was overrun. Fortunately , he had a physician on staff who could help. Verse 10 says “ They honored us…” the word timao indicates financial compensation. And Luke includes himself by using the word “ us”. In fact the word “ healed “ iaomai in vs 8 seems to suggest miraculous healings while the word “ cure “ therapeuo would suggest medical treatment. From this we can conclude that while Paul did perform a miraculous healing on Publiu’s father ,Luke worked and earned an income practicing medicine. Paul worked as a tentmaker , Luke as a Physician both to support the preaching of the gospel.
After three months on Malta they finally sailed for Rome.
When Paul finally arrives at Rome he is greeted with great hospitality by brothers from surrounding towns that have come out to meet him. And Paul begins to preach.

VS17-30
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

“‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
For the past 22 months we have journeyed through the book of Acts, the blue print for the church. We have looked at 9 separate accounts of conversion of both Jews and Gentiles. We have seen how first century Christians led thousands of people to Christ wherever they went and planted all over the known world. We learned how love for the lost ,compassion and hospitality produced fruit for the kingdom.
Now it’s our turn to go out into this community and do what the 1st century church did.
When Charlie and I sat down with the elders of Princeton Christian Church and discussed the needs of Mt Zion and how we could best serve Mt Zion we prayed for you as a congregation and for Charlie as your shepherd. After much prayer I felt led by the Holy Spirit to share the blueprint for the church with you. I dearly love the books of Acts because it shows us who we are and what the church should look like. I’ve been blessed to share this series of sermons with you and as we move forward we will be beginning a series of sermons from Paul’s letters. Paul loved the churches and often wrote to admonish and encourage them to walk uprightly and teach the gospel by their walk. I pray that his letters will do that for us as well.

Closing Prayer

07/20/2026

The Eye Of The Storm
Acts 27
PCC pm 5/2/21, Mt Zion 7/19/26

We have reached the climax of the book of Acts. Paul is now on his way to Rome where he will preach to Caesar. Chapter 27 also brings us to a turning point in Luke's writing. Up until this point Luke has been writing in third person.
If you would please hold Acts 27 and turn over to Luke chapter 1

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4
Luke was not just a physician but he was a great detective. He interviewed eyewitnesses to the gospel story and then wrote an orderly detailed account. Then he goes on to apply his detective and literary skills to give us an accurate detailed blueprint of the early church, which also serves as a manual for evangelism.
Luke opens Acts by mentioning his former work, and once again he is writing in third person. The events recorded are from eyewitness testimony.

Acts 1:2-26
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
“For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:
“‘May his place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in it,’
and,
“‘May another take his place of leadership.’
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:1-26
Luke repeatedly uses the word “ They” but in chapter 27 and 28 he uses the word “ We” . He switches from reporting from eyewitness accounts to giving us his own personal eyewitness testimony. Luke is longer saying “ This is what they told me” now he is saying these are the facts as I experienced them. Luke is telling us what he witnessed in his own words.
Now let's dig into Acts 27.

Paul Sails for Rome
When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
The Storm
When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
The Shipwreck
On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. Altogether there were 276 of us on board. When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.
The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. Acts 27:1-44
There are three Important elements in this story.
The Storm
The Shipwreck
The salvation

Paul, having been shipwrecked three times before warns of what is likely to come and recommends that they winter in Fair Havens. But the centurion listened to the pilot and they set sail for Phoenix hoping to winter there. Very often we act just like these men ignoring the warnings of people that have been there , done that and know the consequences.
A gentle wind begins to blow and they set sail thinking all is well when they were hit with hurricane force winds.They dump the cargo bound the ship with ropes in hopes of holding it together. Then an angel appears to Paul and gives him a message for the crew. Paul begins with an “ I told you so but you didn’t listen” and then explains that God is going to safely deliver them on an island.
Two weeks after setting sail the storm becomes so severe that some of the men try to escape in the lifeboat but Paul warns the centurion that in order for them to survive they must stay. God’s promise was to deliver everyone together with Paul. After going 14 days without food Paul encourages men to eat for their survival, he no doubt knows that the men will need their strength when the ship runs aground. When daybreak came they pointed the ship at the beach cut the anchors loose and hoisted the sail . The ship was torn apart by the surf on impact. Paul’s wisdom in getting the men to eat for their strength pays off and all the men that can swim safely swim to shore, the rest float in on planks from the ship. All totaled 276 were saved .

The storms of life are inevitable and sadly we often disregard the storm warning and as a result we make a wreck of things. But in this case , in the middle of the storm God had a plan for salvation. Even though the crew ignored the storm warning, salvation was available through obedience.
We are just like that. God warns us “ Don’t commit that sin it will cause a storm in your life”, but we do it anyway. Then our Heavenly Father looks down and says , “ I’ve got to get them out of this storm, I’ll send my Son to show them the way”. And some people listen and obey Jesus, repent and avoid further damage. Others continue on their journey doing things their way until their lives are smashed to pieces. But even then there is hope, if they repent of their sins, confess Jesus as Lord and have their sins washed away in baptism they can avoid the final destruction.

Right now you might be doing things your way and enjoying smooth sailing. Or you might have already drifted into the storm . Rest assured that no matter how strong or smart you think you are you cannot deliver yourself from the coming destruction. Jesus is your only hope. If you turn to Him in repentance , confess Him as Lord, are baptized INTO Him and remain in Him you will be saved. Jesus is your lifeboat but you can only escape destruction and reach your destination if you remain in Him.

Closing Prayer