If any single believer has come to understand the wonder of God’s grace, it is Paul and the final chapter of Acts is a testament to this. Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward man, the undeserved kindness of God shown to His people. Paul walked in the favor of God, which is why he was so well treated by the centurion on the ship. Whatever comes our way, we have the same authority, in Jesus’ name, to overcome anything that comes our way, just as Paul did. These things cannot cling to us…why? Because we walk in His grace. Are you fearful? Anxious? Feel abandoned? Don’t let these things cling to you! You have the same authority as Paul did. You possess God’s life and nature. Believe this and you will walk in His grace, in the same way that Paul walked in the grace of God.

As if things aren’t bad enough, Paul now sets sail for Rome to appear before Caesar when he finds himself shipwrecked. Can it get any worse? He is on a ship headed to Rome with soldiers, sailors and prisoners in a heavy storm. It is Winter and conditions are dangerous for sailing. He has survived three shipwrecks already and is unphased. Listen to his words of encouragement to the other men onboard - You may be facing a storm right now and you may feel you are in unchartered waters, but here are two simple thoughts that may encourage you today. Stay the course (Don’t abandon ship.... i.e. don’t panic!) The ship is in danger and the sailors are planning on jumping ship. May this be a reminder that wherever God has planted you right now, that’s where you need to stay until He tells us to shift.

Paul is still giving his defense, this time to King Agrippa, who was known as an expert in Jewish customs and religious matters. As a true evangelist, Paul never wastes an opportunity to present the Gospel in the most compelling way to Agrippa. Why is Paul so direct with Agrippa? Paul knows that if Agrippa did believe the prophets, then it is reasonable to expect that he might also believe upon Jesus. It seems a natural progression. So Paul brings a challenge to his listener and then he asks him to make a decision, such a key part of bringing the Good News to people. Who can you pray for today as Paul did for his listeners? Then trust that God will use you to share the things you have seen Jesus do in your life too.

After a couple of years of waiting, the trial against Paul continues, though now it is a retrial before Festus, and it is here that Paul appeals to Caesar. The religious leaders know that Paul would be acquitted in any fair trial and so this is why they’re plotting instead to ambush and murder him, before the trial begins. These are religious men, religious leaders who have become so corrupt as to sanction lying and murder. So this is why Paul cleverly appeals to Caesar, which was the right of every Roman citizen. It was the equivalent of appealing to the Supreme Court of the Roman Empire. Have you ever been in a situation where you felt the odds were stacked against you but God supernaturally showed you a pathway out? Praise God we are His sheep and we hear His voice. You can expect God to guide you in the same way today.

Things are getting serious now as the Jewish leadership is set on convicting Paul. So they have called in one of their “big guys”, Tertullus, a skilled lawyer to present their case. This Tertullus opens his arguments with lavish flattery of the governor, Felix, saying Felix has brought peace and prosperity to the region. These are lies disguised as flattery. Instead, Felix was renowned amongst the Jewish population for his cruel brutality, even ordering the massacre of thousands of Jews. Tertullus, the flatterer, is now Tertullus, the fabricator. The two go hand in hand – flattery and lies. In spite of false accusations and the corrupt nature of the trial, Paul is unafraid. He has Jesus on His side. In all situations, never forget that you have Christ living in you, always ready to fight your battles!

When Paul stands before the High Council, we see a Godly passion and boldness exuding from him. When the High Priest, Ananias, orders Paul be struck on the mouth for his opening remarks, Paul turns to him saying, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!” Paul accuses Ananias of judging Paul according to the law, yet violating it himself. It was not lawful for someone to be struck who had not yet been found guilty. In spite of the fact that Paul stands before a corrupt man “on trial”, Jesus Himself speaks to Paul and exhorts him to take courage, reminding him that just as Paul has been Jesus’ spokesman here in Jerusalem, he will now be His spokesman in Rome. God is never impressed by our outward actions if they do not line up with what is going on in our hearts. This is where the Pharisees fell short. How important is authenticity to God? How will Paul’s courage and conviction encourage you today?

Paul is now jailed in Jerusalem after accusations being falsely accused. Paul addresses the crowd by explaining his Jewish heritage, his zealous persecution of Christians, and his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was blinded by the light of Christ. This is the same crowd who had tried to kill Paul and who had then listened intently to his whole sermon. What has enraged them in the first place? One simple word – “Gentiles”. The Jewish mob denied that God’s salvation could be freely available to believing Gentiles. The beautiful truth of the message preached by Christ, and now here preached by Paul is this – we may come to God exactly as we are, Jew or Gentile, American, Australian or North Korean; no matter our nationality or culture or upbringing, our marital status or our bank balance, we come to him exactly as we are, through Jesus Christ! Who in your world might be considered an “outsider” to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Who can you pray for today, believing that they would receive the gift of salvation?

Paul and his missionary team have now made their way back to Caesarea and are staying at the house of Philip. It seems that, just as you cannot stop God at work, you cannot stop Paul in his tracks. Paul is aware of the fate that lies ahead of him, yet he is still willing to return to Jerusalem, and if necessary, to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. What a great inspiration for all of us! What if the issue were not what happened to us in life, when things aren’t going so well, but what Jesus did through our obedience to Him? What testimonies do you have in your life of the blessings that came through obedience to God, even when the circumstances in front of you were not as you’d like them to be?

Ever fallen asleep during a sermon? Of course you haven’t! Eutychus, who we read of in this chapter will never forget when he did! Paul senses the need to preach a long sermon, at least six hours in fact, as he knew he may never see these particular Christians ever again! Did he have notes? What do you imagine Paul may have been preaching on? It kept the crowd engaged for more than six hours. In the middle of his sermon, he raises a young man back to life. In reading through the book of Acts, have you noticed the working of miracles accompanies the preaching of the Word? Today, after having read the Word and refocusing on your faith in Christ, speak His miracle working power over any and every area of your life and expect Him to work in your favor!

These Ephesian disciples displayed that they really did not know much about God’s nature as revealed in Jesus. They were obviously students of Jesus, disciples, but they had not yet grasped all that Jesus accomplished for us, especially in His promise to send the Spirit when He ascended to Heaven. They had only a basic understanding of the Messiah’s message, which they had gained through John the Baptist’s ministry. As Paul instructs, John’s baptism was one of repentance, but it did not guarantee faith unto salvation. John’s calling and ministry was to point the way to Jesus. But it is up to each person individually to place their trust in Jesus for themselves, to receive the life of Christ. If someone were to look at our lives today, would they notice the person and power of the Holy Spirit at work in us? Are we living under His divine influence? Are we walking in the power He have provided us?

It is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict people of truth. Because Paul understood this he decided not to waste his time trying to persuade the Jews we read about in this chapter that Jesus was the Messiah. They only want to argue contentiously with Paul and contradict him at every turn. Then God encourages Paul in a vision one night, telling him to keep on speaking, and not to let anyone intimidate or silence him and as God is with him, no one is going to attack or harm him. Is there someone you have been trying to reason with lately and you find yourself getting nowhere as Paul did? Maybe you simply need to hand it over to God. With God, nothing is impossible.

God, creator of the Universe, doesn’t live in a man made building. He lives in YOU! Think about that! He doesn’t need the humans to run errands for Him. He made us for His delight; God desires that we find freedom and delight in a relationship with Him. He is not playing hide and seek. Through Christ His son He has made himself on full display for us! ‘In Him we live and move and have our being’. Spend some time meditating on this thought and thank God for it at the start of this new day.

After reading this chapter, you will see that the Holy Spirit closed certain borders to Paul and his missionary team as they travelled. We may never fully know the reasons that the Spirit did this – perhaps for the protection of the men, maybe the hearts of the people were not ready. However, we must simply trust that God knows best! How often do we blame the devil when a door in our lives closes? What if the Holy Spirit closed that door? It is interesting that no sooner has one door closed than another one opens. In the midst of uncertainty trust that your Heavenly Father is at work in your life and knows exactly where He is leading you.

You have been saved by the same grace of Jesus that those in Acts were saved. God showed He accepted them in the same way He displays His acceptance to us, by giving the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Don’t allow others to places yokes of religious duty on your shoulders. Today, simply be reminded that it is not adherence to a set of rules and regulations that saves anyone... instead it’s the uncomplicated but beautiful grace of God.

When the gospel is preached, there will be opposition. Expect opposition when we bring the good news of Jesus into a situation. Opposition is not always a sign that we are doing something wrong; it may, in fact, be proof that we are doing something right.

The enemy is always trying to divert and distract us away from the things of God. He is still at work today, using the same tactics. The enemy’s schemes are no match for a Spirit filled believer, one who understands the power and authority of the name of Jesus. The reality is that we will also be confronted by the schemes of the enemy but the same Spirit who empowered Paul empowers us.

I wonder how many times we have been in the presence of angels without even knowing it! They are, after all sent to us believers as our protectors, messengers from God, even God’s warriors, sent to fight on our behalf.

The news of Peter’s visit to the house of Cornelius has spread all over Judea, and not surprisingly, many people are not happy. Ethnic barriers have been broken. Peter has crossed the line and the Jewish believers are not happy. Peter, the rock, the one who denied Jesus three times, gives us a great example here of a man who has been radically transformed, who has allowed God to bring down his wall of prejudice and change his heart.

Peter had put God in a box and now God was going to challenge his thinking and smash that box! Grace had transformed Peter’s heart. He had begun his journey of an encounter with those he had always viewed as the unclean, common, unholy, impure, unacceptable to God. Grace met the “grub”, at least that is how Peter had always viewed a Gentile up until this point.

Paul is a perfect picture of God’s incredible and inconceivable grace. If you and I had met Saul, we may have said “He is too far gone! There is no hope of him ever considering a life lived for Jesus. He’s a murderer, a zealous maniac.” Yet in God’s economy, no one is too far gone. God chooses Saul as his “chosen instrument.”

Simon the sorcerer is amazed by the power and gifts that he witnesses in the life of the apostles, so much so that he offers to pay for them. His motivation is wrong and Peter can see it from a country mile. It is a sobering reminder that for all who are called into ministry, their hearts must be transformed by the power of God and their minds renewed by His word.

Stephen was a man filled with God’s grace and power who performed many great signs and wonders amongst the people. And once again, there are a few people who don’t like it. They try to run him down with their arguments but they are no match for the wisdom and empowering grace that’s at work within him. So they decide instead to frame him, accusing him + stone him.

It’s interesting to read here that even though the first disciples knew that they were called and anointed to preach and teach the gospel, they were also aware of their responsibility to care for the poor. Just like the early church, at Calvary our mission is to declare and demonstrate the gospel.

The Holy Spirit has been poured out. The apostles have begun to speak - filled by the Spirit, and people are getting saved and healed. Signs and wonders are taking place, so much so that Christ’s power residing within Peter is enough to bring healing. The mere touch of his shadow on the sick, lying on their beds and mats as he passes by, is all they need. There is one thing that is most definitely unstoppable and that is the momentum of God. If God is for us, who can be against us? If it is from God, it cannot be stopped. These men cannot be stopped. It is fruitless to fight against God.

Sometimes when we choose to do the better thing, it upsets a few people. The priests and the Sadducees were very disturbed because Peter and John healed the lame man and now the apostles were teaching the people about Jesus. The impact was so great that the number of believers grew to about five thousand. The enemy always tries to censor the work of God. And He hates the name of Jesus.

The lame man mentioned in this chapter is waiting by the temple gate called Beautiful. Jesus is the only true “gate” as He promises in John 10:9 and whoever enters through Him will be saved. What Peter and John bring to the lame man is the better thing - healing and that healing comes through the gateway that is Jesus, and through faith in His name and the authority it carries. Next time you meet a friend who has a problem, remind yourself that although you may not have an obvious solution to their problem, you carry the presence of Jesus with you and His presence is more than enough.

What an amazing sight this would have been on the day of Pentecost! It had never been seen before. Under the Old Covenant, specific people were filled with the Spirit but only at certain times and for a special purpose. Now, under the New Covenant, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is available for all who call on the name of the Lord. Notice what else we will witness in these last days – men and women prophesying, God dreams and visions, signs and wonders and salvation to all who call on His name.

We are empowered to go out into our neighborhoods, into our workplaces, into our schools and universities and even to the nations and tell people about Jesus and what He has done for us personally. As His witnesses, we can testify to the truth of the difference that Jesus has made as He has touched our lives.