Acts 28 11:15 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. (ESV)
As the book of Acts comes to a close, Paul and his companions have wintered for three months on the island of Malta. They have been through fierce storms and have found a safe habour.
· In the Spring of 2003, a traumatic series of events resulted in 450 believers leaving Bayfair Baptist. Hurt and afraid, God gathered the scattered flock here to this Safe Haven. He comforted them, reassured them and healed their hurts. As much as this Safe Haven was a blessing, it was also a haven that was generally unknown to the outside world, and that original 450 began to dwindle to about 250.
We continue back in Acts 28:11. After spending the three months of winter on Malta, Paul and his companions were finally able to leave. With sea travel beginning again, Julius was able to arrange transport to Italy for his soldiers and prisoners on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. The Alexandrian ship was probably another in the imperial grain fleet. Luke’s note that it had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead serves to identify the specific ship on which they traveled. The Twin Brothers were Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus in Greek mythology and viewed as the gods who protected sailors.
· The blessing that Safe Haven has enjoyed thus far has not been primarily because of Sam Martin or Matthew Porter. Although they have been lights during dark times, that light has not originated from them, but they have reflected the light. The source of the Light has been and always will be Jesus Christ. Safe Haven has been a beacon of light in an environment of rough seas, because that light has been Jesus Christ. He has called people to the harbor of safety and His light has brightened the soul.
Acts 28:12 notes that after leaving Malta, the ship put in at Syracuse, 100 miles away on the southeastern shore of Sicily. According to tradition, Paul founded a church in Syracuse during the three days the ship stopped there. After their short visit, verse 13 notes that the travelers sailed around (tacked against the wind) and arrived at Rhegium, on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula. There they waited for a favorable wind to take the ship through the Straits of Messina (which separate Sicily from the Italian mainland). The next day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day after leaving Rhegium, the ship arrived at Puteoli. Puteoli, modern Pozzuoli, was the most important commercial port in Italy. Although almost 150 miles from Rome, it was the capital’s chief seaport. (Ostia, an artificial harbor near Rome, had already been built. It would not significantly affect Puteoli’s trade, however, until early in the second century.) Located on the bay of Naples near Neapolis (modern Naples) and the doomed city of Pompeii, Puteoli in Paul’s day was a city of 100,000 people. It is thought to have been the chief port for the Egyptian grain fleet.
· As the book of Acts began, in Acts 1:8 Jesus has appeared to His disciples and told them that: “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV) Paul and his companions needed a Safe Haven to wait out the storm. The storm has now passed and they have left the harbour to fulfill what God called them to do.
· This location has been a Safe Haven during a difficult storm. The storm has passed, the people have healed and the time has come to leave the harbor to resume the mission. As we shall see tonight, it seems as if the door on this harbor has closed and God has opened a door for us to go through to resume our calling. As in Acts 1:8, we have the Holy Spirit leading and empowering us to be Christ’s witnesses. We can’t really be the witnesses from the safety of the harbor.
Not unexpectedly in Puteoli, a city of that size, Paul and his companions in verse 14 found some brethren (Christians). Those believers invited the travelers to stay with them, and, with Julius’s permission (cf. 27:3), they stayed for seven days. From there, Luke notes with dramatic understatement, we came to Rome. Luke then fills in, briefly, the details of their journey along the Appian Way from Puteoli to Rome. The brethren (Christians) of Rome verse 15 says, when they heard about us (undoubtedly from the Christians of Puteoli), came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. Some walked as far south as the Market of Appius, forty-three miles from Rome; others, possibly getting a later start, met Paul ten miles closer to Rome at the Three Inns. Deeply moved by their visible demonstration of love for him, Paul thanked God and took courage.
· God has prepared souls for us to call brethren and minister together, but thus far they have not heard about us. Like Paul, we need to thank God for us provision and care, and take courage. It takes courage to leave the port, but in doing so we find new brethren to join in the mission.
(Format Note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (Vol. 2, pp. 364–366). Chicago: Moody Press.)
As the book of Acts comes to a close, Paul and his companions have wintered for three months on the island of Malta. They have been through fierce storms and have found a safe habour.
· In the Spring of 2003, a traumatic series of events resulted in 450 believers leaving Bayfair Baptist. Hurt and afraid, God gathered the scattered flock here to this Safe Haven. He comforted them, reassured them and healed their hurts. As much as this Safe Haven was a blessing, it was also a haven that was generally unknown to the outside world, and that original 450 began to dwindle to about 250.
We continue back in Acts 28:11. After spending the three months of winter on Malta, Paul and his companions were finally able to leave. With sea travel beginning again, Julius was able to arrange transport to Italy for his soldiers and prisoners on an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. The Alexandrian ship was probably another in the imperial grain fleet. Luke’s note that it had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead serves to identify the specific ship on which they traveled. The Twin Brothers were Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus in Greek mythology and viewed as the gods who protected sailors.
· The blessing that Safe Haven has enjoyed thus far has not been primarily because of Sam Martin or Matthew Porter. Although they have been lights during dark times, that light has not originated from them, but they have reflected the light. The source of the Light has been and always will be Jesus Christ. Safe Haven has been a beacon of light in an environment of rough seas, because that light has been Jesus Christ. He has called people to the harbor of safety and His light has brightened the soul.
Acts 28:12 notes that after leaving Malta, the ship put in at Syracuse, 100 miles away on the southeastern shore of Sicily. According to tradition, Paul founded a church in Syracuse during the three days the ship stopped there. After their short visit, verse 13 notes that the travelers sailed around (tacked against the wind) and arrived at Rhegium, on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula. There they waited for a favorable wind to take the ship through the Straits of Messina (which separate Sicily from the Italian mainland). The next day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day after leaving Rhegium, the ship arrived at Puteoli. Puteoli, modern Pozzuoli, was the most important commercial port in Italy. Although almost 150 miles from Rome, it was the capital’s chief seaport. (Ostia, an artificial harbor near Rome, had already been built. It would not significantly affect Puteoli’s trade, however, until early in the second century.) Located on the bay of Naples near Neapolis (modern Naples) and the doomed city of Pompeii, Puteoli in Paul’s day was a city of 100,000 people. It is thought to have been the chief port for the Egyptian grain fleet.
· As the book of Acts began, in Acts 1:8 Jesus has appeared to His disciples and told them that: “ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV) Paul and his companions needed a Safe Haven to wait out the storm. The storm has now passed and they have left the harbour to fulfill what God called them to do.
· This location has been a Safe Haven during a difficult storm. The storm has passed, the people have healed and the time has come to leave the harbor to resume the mission. As we shall see tonight, it seems as if the door on this harbor has closed and God has opened a door for us to go through to resume our calling. As in Acts 1:8, we have the Holy Spirit leading and empowering us to be Christ’s witnesses. We can’t really be the witnesses from the safety of the harbor.
Not unexpectedly in Puteoli, a city of that size, Paul and his companions in verse 14 found some brethren (Christians). Those believers invited the travelers to stay with them, and, with Julius’s permission (cf. 27:3), they stayed for seven days. From there, Luke notes with dramatic understatement, we came to Rome. Luke then fills in, briefly, the details of their journey along the Appian Way from Puteoli to Rome. The brethren (Christians) of Rome verse 15 says, when they heard about us (undoubtedly from the Christians of Puteoli), came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. Some walked as far south as the Market of Appius, forty-three miles from Rome; others, possibly getting a later start, met Paul ten miles closer to Rome at the Three Inns. Deeply moved by their visible demonstration of love for him, Paul thanked God and took courage.
· God has prepared souls for us to call brethren and minister together, but thus far they have not heard about us. Like Paul, we need to thank God for us provision and care, and take courage. It takes courage to leave the port, but in doing so we find new brethren to join in the mission.
(Format Note: Some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (Vol. 2, pp. 364–366). Chicago: Moody Press.)