God had promised that Paul would preach in Rome against all the odds. In the end he got a free ride, care of Caesar! When Paul arrived it was evident that the Jews of Jerusalem had dropped their flimsy case (knowing it would make things worse for them). As usual, Paul is eager to speak to the local Jewish community about God’s Kingdom. His message was the same: it was a call for them to step into the new phase of what God was doing. Jesus is risen, he is Lord, and he is establishing his Kingdom throughout the earth, not by the power of the sword, but by the power of his Holy Spirit. Some of them accepted this and joined the movement but many rejected it. So, Paul declares: “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” In other words, Paul is saying: God is moving out! He is always moving outward to a wider and wider radius. And those who want to move with God must follow this movement. The problem with the people who rejected Paul’s message is that they would not move with God. In their minds, God was going to come and live with them and all the good stuff would happen within their borders. But that wasn’t the plan. God did come to them in Jesus Christ, but he came to lead them out because all the good stuff wouldn’t happen within the enclave, it was going to happen as they moved out. Are you willing for God to move you out of your safe enclaves?
Ask God to lead you out of your comfort zone into new experiences and new relationships.
Read Acts 28:11-31
