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Act 27,1-8

(44j) Judgment >> Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry according to the will of God – People didn’t travel much back then; they generally didn’t have ships that hauled people, but cargo. Traveling was usually a one-way ticket, called migration, and migration was rare, so virtually all ships at sea were cargo ships, which is mostly true to this day, because traveling by ship is far too slow in contrast to flying. They didn’t sneak Paul aboard, but were welcomed so long as there was room, no doubt paying a small fare.

(117d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Let Jesus do the work >> Let Him work on your circumstances – We have Paul going to Rome, but the storm got in the way. A person might say, ‘This storm was of the devil, who was trying to keep Paul from fulfilling God’s purpose,’ but not every storm is of the devil. Storms form because that is what the earth does. It was nobody’s fault; it just happened. There are people in the Church who believe that God is in control of everything, but randomness is part of the curse. The winds blow as they may, and sometimes they blow in ways that create storms, and this ship got caught in one. The storm was not necessarily attempting to thwart the will of God. People are goal oriented, and so is God, but not so much that He becomes anxious about fulfilling His purposes. When we are in God’s care, we need to relax and allow all things to be fulfilled in their proper time. God thinks about time differently than we do; we are usually in a big hurry to accomplish our missions, but God never gets in a hurry to do anything. The storm was not an obstacle to keep Paul from going to Rome; rather, he was destined to go there, so there was no force big enough to keep him from the great city. God was in no hurry to get Paul to Rome, in that He made time to show Paul’s captors who was really in charge.

(121l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in God as you fulfill your ministry – When we look at church history, years after Paul’s demise Rome grew fond of Christianity, but they founded it upon the apostle Peter (because of the erroneous interpretation of Mat 16-18). Paul was probably the most influential of all the evangelists that came to Rome, yet the Roman Catholic Church doesn’t speak that much about him. This was mostly because of Paul’s personality; he was all business. Paul was just not a very likable person, whereas Peter enjoying the limelight as spokesman, was bigger than life, a blusterous fellow with a big heart who immeasurably loved God, but was a bit of a screw-up. That is not to put him down, because “screwup” basically describes us all. The Catholic Church chose him over Paul as their mascot, and Paul, now in heaven, is sure to be perfectly content with that, though perhaps sorry for Peter that he got his name associated with such a demon-infested religion.

Act 27,8-10

(35d) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> No partiality with God’s generosity -- These verses go with verses 23-25

Act 27,9-31

(62o) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Righteous deception >> God deceives the world

Act 27,9-11

(69k) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Executing God’s judgment by His authority -- These verses go with verses 20-26

(70f) Authority >> Sin of familiarity >> Familiarity-enemy of discernment >> Familiar with the spirit of error

(93n) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on the circumstances of this life – They did the opposite of Paul’s advice; they left the shelter of Crete (v7). Paul knew what they were about to do, not because he saw a storm coming or that he could read the weather better than the sailors, but because he knew his God and heard His Spirit telling him that if they go any farther, they would risk everything, the cargo, the ship and even their lives, except that Paul prayed for them.

(168h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world listens to itself >> The world hears it’s own words – What Paul told the men on the ship was the word of the Lord, but the circumstances didn't pan out that way, suggesting the future was edited through prayer. It could be that Paul prayed and God granted the lives of everyone on the ship. They viewed Paul’s advice as coming from a prisoner; they didn’t listen to him, unaware on some level that he was a man of God. They may have known he was a preacher of righteousness and an evangelist of the Christian faith, but for them it was irrelevant. They didn’t know or didn’t care that he was a prophet, but chose rather to tackle the situation using their own resourcefulness. They didn’t think they needed Paul telling them what to do; they were probably competent sailors who had been on the sea all their lives; the last thing they needed was some Christian instructing them about their business.

Act 27-9,10

(152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- These verses go with verses 21-26

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Act 27,10-25

(167h) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Carnality/Secularism (mindset of the world) >> The carnal mind does not receive the things of God >> It does not believe the word of God – Jettisoning the cargo was the first of Paul’s warnings to the crew (v10). The moment their hands touched it they were fulfilling the word of the Lord. Had they listened to Paul they would not have lost a thing, but they must have assumed Paul was speaking on his own behalf to delay going to Rome to face trial, assuming he was guilty of a crime. They must have thought in their hearts when they started throwing the cargo off the ship that Paul knew something, but they would not admit it; they had to lose the ship before they would whisper in their hearts that they should have listened to him. These men were slow to believe in God, and they represent the generations and millenniums that would pass that was full of people just like them.

(181c) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Rebelling against God >> Rebelling against the men of God -- These verses go with verses 30,31. To throw the cargo into the sea was to abandon their purpose for sailing in those dangerous waters. They were still hoping to save the ship, but when it came to throwing the ships tackle and cargo overboard usually the ship doesn’t have much hope either. They were in a race for their lives; this is where rebellion leads. 

Act 27,10-21

(162a) Works of the devil >> Carried away by the storms of the devil -- These verses go with verses 38-44

Act 27,10-13

(178a) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the will of God >> Presumption fills in the blanks

Act 27-10,11

(20m) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the validity of God’s word -- These verses go with verse 21

(89d) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Answers of wisdom – Hugging the shoreline in case they got into trouble was wrong thinking. Paul had extensive experience with the sea and knew how she acted at certain times of the year and knew that the door had already closed on the season for sailing in those waters, that there was no way they would ever make it to their destination. In other words, Paul didn’t warn them by the Spirit; he warned them through his own wisdom. These men were seafaring sailors; they earned their living by the sea, yet Paul seemed to know more about the idiosyncrasies of the sea than they did. They were willing to take the risk, whereas Paul was in no hurry to be shipwrecked. To sail close inshore had its pros and cons; they could steer their course by visible land at their side, which appeared comforting, but if a storm came from the open sea, it would drive them into shore, and that is what happened. Conversely, had they sailed in open water, they would no longer have land as their guide but had more reaction time to battle storms.

(97i) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong things -- These verses go with verses 30&31. The centurion believed the man wearing the captain’s hat more than he believed Paul, which would be expected, since the captain should know better than Paul, who was just a prisoner with no voice or rights, and whose opinion rated lower than the workers of the ship. The man who was guarding Paul was unaware of his experience with the sea and didn’t care to know. The one with greater authority had more influence than the one with greater experience.

(148b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify against unbelief -- These verses go with verses 20-24

(223a) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Conceit >> Thinking you are superior to others >> Thinking you are inherently better than others – The angel said that if they followed Paul’s word, everybody would survive, and it ended up that everyone had to listen to Paul, though he was a “nobody”. He had less than zero status as a criminal, yet they had to listen to him in order to survive, which took humility. When their lives were at stake and they ran out of options, the only thing they could do was listen to Paul, and it is also the only time people are willing to believe in Jesus, after they run through all their options. Everything they tried ended in failure; they played all their cards and had one left, so they listened to Paul and their lives were spared, yet nobody was eternally saved.

(246i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of His words -- These verses go with verses 21-26

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Act 27,14-25

(164f) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> The world system >> Satan’s system of authority >> He is the prince of the power of the air – When it says that all hope of being saved was abandoned, this was the attitude of the men onboard, not necessarily of Paul. He knew that what the men had done was foolhardy, leaving port that time of year; the gale-force winds of autumn would be blowing in winter. Paul was probably disgusted with them after voicing his opinion before the onset of their trip without being heard; they wouldn’t listen to him because he was a prisoner. It didn’t matter how many sailing adventures he had experienced over a lifetime of service to the Lord. Paul had preached the gospel to the whole known world by this time, yet they wouldn't respect his experience or skills or advice on the sea to save their lives, perhaps suspecting he had ulterior motives as though trying to create an opportunity for escape. This is how the religious establishment treats Christians too; we are merely called to sit down and shut-up. See also: Business of religion; Tit 1,9-14; 180a

Act 27-14

(216b) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> Suddenly >> Satan uses the element of surprise – If we are doing something that we shouldn’t do, and it puts in a place where we shouldn’t be, we become easy prey for the devil. Paul warned the people in charge of the ship not to set sail but to wait in safe harbor till spring. They considered his advice an attempt to procrastinate arriving in Rome, where he would be tried, convicted, sentenced and beheaded. The captain of the ship assumed he was guilty of the crimes of which he was accused. Why would they listen to his advice about their ship, though ignoring him put themselves at risk of the deadly winds of winter that they knew were coming? These sailors were not novices; they were probably more experienced than Paul, but Paul didn’t need more experience to know better, because he was an intelligent man who had the Lord on his side, who taught Paul wisdom and humility to avoid storms like this along his journeys. He never got caught in a storm of this intensity when he was at the helm, making all the decisions. Paul spent many years in prison; he was used to waiting. Before he jumped in a boat and lifted sail, he checked the calendar, having learned from seasoned sailors when not to sail certain seas. Paul was content to winter storms at safe harbor and preach Jesus to the people in that vicinity before he forged to the places he intended in the spring, when it was safer to travel. Most of his travels were on freighters; he would pay a nominal fee to board and no doubt helped the crew and made converts among them. These sailors knew how to sail a ship, and they knew the ocean, and the captain knew about storms, but he had priorities that preceded the safety of the ship, its crew and cargo; plus there were officers onboard who were used to giving orders that must have told the captain what to do with his ship. Why would he listen to them and put his ship in harms way, knowing that nor’easters were coming and would shove his boat toward land and upon a reef, where they all could have been killed. He was probably showing-off to Roman soldiers, wanting to make a name for himself, hoping one of them would talk to Caesar about him and make him the king’s chief captain of his fleet. People have motives for taking serious risks, but Paul didn’t care if he made it to Rome early or late. What did matter were his life and the lives of the people on the ship. What motivates us becomes the reasons for the decisions we make; and if we are motivated by the wrong things, such as pride and arrogance, we can make wrong decisions that cause us to fall, if they don’t get us killed.

Act 27,18-44

(188b) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man>> Die to the flesh >> Dying to self keeps you on God’s course

Act 27-19

(234i) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Relinquishing your assets to Christ >> Dispose of every asset except Christ

Act 27,20-26

(28e) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects the world through the Church -- These verses go with verses 32-37. Jesus said, "you are the salt of the earth" (Mat 5-13); we are the preservative of the world. Paul was not above telling the men, “I told you so.” We hear it said that this is disrespectful. In Paul’s case and with the case of so many who serve the Lord, we are constantly ignored and rejected. In the case with those who are persecuted for their faith, it would probably do their hearers some good to hear the words, “I told you so.” Paul rubbed it in their faces (this is what it takes to get their attention), that he warned them not to leave the Cretan port. When it comes to spiritual matters, worldly people are hard of hearing; I said, ‘worldly people are hard of hearing!’ Paul was filled with the Spirit and wisdom from God, coupled with his experience and knowledge of the sea. He told them that an angel had spoken to him, but not before he told them that what they had done was a mistake. He wanted God to receive the glory for his wisdom and experience as a seaworthy navigator through a lifetime of service in the many journeys as a missionary of the gospel. He wanted his captors to remember that he told them they were making a mistake long before they even boarded the ship; as God’s bondservant he received this wisdom. Paul wanted them to know that though they didn’t have enough sense to stay in port and wait for better whether, he served a God that led him to develop wisdom that would keep him from facing these kinds of troubles. In their day, having trouble at sea was inevitable, much more to the foolhardy, bounding from the harbor at a time they knew storms were coming.

(31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- These verses go with verses 30&31

(69k) Authority >> Righteous judgment (outcome of discernment) >> Executing God’s judgment by His authority -- These verses go with verses 9-11

(73d) Authority >> Respect Positions Of Authority >> In the Church

(97h) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Facing the direction of God’s will >> Focusing your attention on what matters to you – The angel of the Lord came and spoke to Paul about his immediate circumstances that concerned him and the whole crew; God intended to spare them all. He was not done using Paul; the Bible doesn’t say he stood before Caesar, yet he no doubt did, because the angel said he would. God spared the crewmembers for Paul’s sake, Paul, the man whom they despised. He finally got their attention once their lives were in danger; they didn’t have any other choice but to listen to him. They tried all their ideas, and all it did was get them shipwrecked. Now that they have put themselves in this predicament, they had one last hope, which was to listen to their prisoner, who claimed to be a messenger of God and heard from an angel, who told him that if the crew listened to him, their lives would be spared. These people did not believe in God, but they listened to Paul and followed his instruction, not because they were sure an angel had spoken to him, but because they had no plan B.

(138h) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Exhortation >> Exhorting the people to glorify God

Act 27,20-25

(139b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> The adversity of our brothers encourages us -- These verses go with verses 33-37

(227g) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to deliver us – There is something in this statement that must have really opened the eyes and ears of the men on that ship; Paul said the angel of the Lord had spoken to him and he must stand before Caesar. In the minds of all who were aboard that ship, if they got out of this alive it would prove that Paul was innocent of all charges, because God’s angels don’t speak to law-breakers and criminals. It was God’s idea for Paul to go to Rome, meaning the captain was no longer in charge. God was taking over their circumstances, their destiny and their purpose, and it was the storm that was revealing this to them. Paul must stand trial before Caesar in order to give his testimony about the grace of God and preach Jesus to leaders of a world-empire. Caesar in Paul’s day did not establish the Roman Catholic Church, but a number of kings after him did, namely the Emperor Constantine I in AD 313. He claimed to become a Christian after he saw a strange vision or had a dream of going into battle to slaughter his enemies in the name of the Lord with a cross poised in front of him, and in his military conquest he defeated Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (Wikipedia). Most agree that it never was about faith with Constantine. Paul was not responsible for any of this spiritual mayhem, though it did take pressure off Christian persecution and many millions of souls have been saved throughout the centuries despite the Roman Catholic Church. See also: Paul going to Rome encouraged the formation of the Catholic Church (He never stood before Caesar); Act 28,17-21; 18c

Act 27,20-24

(148b) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >> Solemnly testify against unbelief -- These verses go with verses 10&11

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Act 27,21-26

(88k) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God >> Revering God – They sailed to a place called Fare Havens in Crete (v8), and as a result of leaving that port all their problems befell them. They continued because there weren't many accommodations at that port, but how comfortable were they battling the sea, starving, cold and exhausted? Paul warned them to stay put, because it was too late in the year to travel those treacherous waters. He spoke to the centurion about his trepidation, but it fell on deaf ears; and when his words came true, he earned their respect and used it to save their lives. Paul had made the proclamation that if they listened to his word and did exactly as he instructed, their lives would be spared, and that too was coming to pass, and so the centurion’s respect for Paul grew, indicating that he was a good man. All the prisoners survived because of Paul; they benefited from his life; otherwise the soldiers would have killed them all to keep them from swimming to shore and escaping.

(152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witness of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- These verses go with verse 34. It is not polite to say, “I told you so!” but in this case it was apparently warranted. He spoke this way to get their attention so they would be sure to listen to the next thing he would tell them. When it comes to spiritual matters, we must rub people’s noses in it, because they are actively trying to avoid God. When their lives were at stake, though, it added a special dimension to the situation that they could not ignore, and they had to take Paul seriously. Had they listened to him at first, they would have escaped all the problems that were currently assailing them. 

(246i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of His words -- These verses go with verses 30&31

Act 27,21-25

(15e) Servant >> Angels are messengers from God >> They are sent to impart information – Before Paul received a word from the angel he told the men, “I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives” (v10), but then an angel appeared to Paul and promised that every body’s life would be spared if they followed his word. As their circumstances deteriorated, he didn’t rush to tell the captain about his vision; instead, he waited for the vision to be fulfilled. After it was clear their lives were in danger, Paul then intimated his vision with the centurion.

Act 27-21

(20m) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the validity of God’s word -- This verse goes with verses 30&31. It is sad that after they had all made it to the island of Malta, none of the crewmembers got saved. It said that some of the islanders received divine healing in their bodies, which Jesus equated with salvation (for if they will receive one they generally will receive the other), yet no one from the ship was reported to have surrendered their hearts to the Lord after obeying Him to save their natural lives, showing their allegiance to the flesh but none to God. After their feet touched sand they immediately forgot God, who was responsible for bringing them safely to the island. To the Christian, the saddest thing they know is the fact that most people will not be going to heaven with them, simply because they refuse to believe. As a result, the Christian has a heavy weight upon him as one of many layers of burden that people in the world simply do not experience and are unaware, yet Jesus said this burden is light compared to the weight of sin in the world.

(93h) Thy kingdom come >> Following Jesus >> Through the leadership of men

Act 27-22

(206h) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >> Conditions to salvation -- This verse goes with verse 31

Act 27,23-25

(35d) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> No partiality with God’s generosity -- These verses go with verses 8-10

Act 27-23

(213j) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> His will becomes our will >> As a master owns a servant

Act 27-24

(23o) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Fear of death

(235a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Be a blessing >> God blesses those around you

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Act 27,27-31

(57d) Paradox >> Opposites >> World’s wisdom versus God’s wisdom – Traveling by sea back then was hazardous. We will probably never know how many ships have sunk since man started traveling the sea. The fact that wood submerged in water dramatically slows the decaying process suggests that many of the ships that died at sea are still at the bottom of the ocean, which must be littered with debris, especially along the coastlines and reefs, and nearly every ship represents a loss of life. Millions of people have drown at sea over the course of six millennia, so it was a good chance that Paul and those on the ship were about to drown, except that Paul was in the hand of God, and if the crew precisely followed Paul’s instructions, they would become recipients of God's grace through Paul. After making so many bad decisions, they couldn’t afford to make any more. At this point everything they did was focused on saving their lives, floating to the island on pieces of the ship as it was torn to shreds by the force of the waves.

Act 27,30-37

(123e) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Spiritual affection >> Compassion >> Being willing because you are able – Paul was the kind of man that would have sacrificed his life for any one of those guys, but God wanted him alive. God through Paul touched the men so much that the prisoners who had earlier tried to escape, when they arrived safely to land didn’t run.

Act 27-30,31

(20m) Sin >> Disobedience >> Demonstrating unbelief in the validity of God’s word -- These verses go with verse 10&11. The deal was, everybody is saved or nobody is saved. Paul told them, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” He introduced all the men on that ship to the ways of God, which is defined by one word “obedience.” If they followed Paul’s command explicitly, not veering to the left or to the right, but walking a straight and narrow course, they would be spared. It happened just as he said, though some of the crew needed correction, who were threatening the lives of everyone by transgressing the divine command. In order for this prophecy to come true, they had to follow directions, for all God’s promises are conditioned on obedience. God turned the tables on everybody: Paul the prisoner who always maintained his freedom barked the orders, and the crewmembers, who were now prisoners of the sea obeyed his word. See also: Conditions to promises; 31j

(31j) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Being responsible with it -- These verses go with verses 20-26. When God performs a miracle, He does it primarily for his own glory to further the gospel of Christ, so people would believe in Him and be saved. God can speak a word to us about something, and we must do what He said, being the condition that He includes with every promise. In this case the condition was that God would save the people as a unit. By this they were doing what was right, which is important to God, but acting against their conscience, provoking mutiny in the midst of catastrophe, would be grounds for termination regarding the promise, for He has no interest in saving people in the midst of rebellion. See also: Conditions to promises; Act 27-31; 206h

(97i) Thy kingdom come >> Attention >> Giving attention to the wrong things -- These verses go with verses 10&11

(181c) Works of the devil >> Practicing witchcraft >> Rebellion >> Rebelling against God >> Rebelling against the men of God -- These verses go with verses 10-25

(246i) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of His words -- These verses go with verses 10&11

Act 27-31

(54e) Paradox >> Opposites >> The prisoner is in charge – The guards appeared to be in control, when in fact Paul was in control, not really Paul but God, who was in charge of Paul. In this way, Paul was in control of the situation of traveling to Italy from beginning to end. The guards thought they were taking Paul to Rome to prosecute him, but little did they know they were merely giving him a personal escort to the emperor’s city, thus alleviating the threat of robbers, so he could speak of his faith in Jesus to the highest authorities on earth.

(206h) Salvation >> God makes promises on His terms >> Conditions to promises >> Conditions to the gifts of God >> Conditions to salvation -- This verse goes with verse 22. Everyone on that ship was God's prisoner. Some of the crewmen were planning an escape using the ship's boat, but Paul saw what they were doing and told the captain that unless they stayed on the ship, God’s promise would be null and void. Paul was doing more to guard the prisoners than the centurion, but was watching them for a different reason. He didn’t care if the prisoners escaped; it wasn’t his job to guard them; Paul’s job was to make sure that the conditions to God’s promise was met, giving the centurion incentive to keep everybody onboard saying, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” Note that Paul didn’t say if these leave the ship they will die, but if they leave you will die! That was strong incentive! Everyone needed to stay on the ship because it was the condition of God’s promise. God wasn’t interested in helping a band of rebels escape the sea; the implication was that if everyone did what they were told and stayed together, they would all be saved as a unit. The prisoners who were attempting to escape in the ship’s boat were about to lose their lives in the sea. Moreover, to let them go would have broken the condition of God’s word to Paul, so that the rest of the crew would no longer be under God’s protection. Note also that Paul exempted himself from this condition, since he would remain faithful to the Lord and be saved regardless of the others. If they screwed up the conditions of God’s promise and everyone died, that would have no bearing on Paul’s safety, for Paul was the reason of God's protection. One way or another he would stay alive, for he was destined for Rome according to the word of the Lord; he was merely trying to bring everyone alive with him to the island, just like he did on his missionary journeys when he sought to bring as many people with him to heaven as possible. Paul was like Moses in that he interceded for the people, instructing them that they had to do something to save their own necks, and like Moses he made sure everyone knew that when they came through this alive, they would give God all the credit. See also: Conditions to promises; Act 27-30,31; 20m

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Act 27,32-37

(28e) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects the world through the Church -- This verse goes with verses 20-26. Paul knew the time had come for the ship to be destroyed on the reef and to swim for their lives to the island on whatever makeshift raft they could find from the boat. All the food on the ship would be lost, so they might as well eat some of it to sustain their energy for the long swim to the island, for they could not very well go through the tumultuous experience starving; they could have fainted in the ocean and drown. The actions they performed were as though choreographed by the God whom Paul served, who provided them with a step-by-step process of salvation, like the salvation that God has given us in Christ, which also has a choreographed feel to it, suggesting that these are the ways of God. This was much easier than trying to figure out a strategy on their own to get to the island in one piece, never knowing what insurmountable circumstances might develop to foil their own plan of salvation. These concerns were no longer relevant because God was in control now. It’s just a matter of following the steps provided for them through Paul’s prompting. They put their trust in Paul, which in this case was tantamount to trusting God.

Act 27,33-37

(139b) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Encouragement >> The adversity of our brothers encourages us -- These verses go with verses 20-25. Wheat was their cargo. People didn’t travel much back then, so they didn’t have passenger ships; if anyone wanted to travel, they had to hop on a cargo ship. They really were in a bad situation. Part of saving their lives was the realization that they weren’t going to save the cargo or the ship. They had two things against them: the storm and the sea. The fact that they were in a place where two seas meet, which usually generates tremendous currents and whirlpools, where waters have different temperatures and directions causing turmoil, this was a place that swallowed ships. Apparently they got past all that and hit the reef and got a ticket to the island on the surf riding a plank of wood.

Act 27,33-36

(189k) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Masochism (Self-made martyr) >> Fasting >> Fasting is a state of mourning

Act 27-34

(152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- This verse goes with verses 42-44

Act 27,38-44

(162a) Works of the devil >> Satan determines the world's direction >> Carried away by the storms of the devil – This was a very dramatic narration of the events that transpired (Luke wrote it), being one of three shipwrecks in the adventures of Paul (2Cor 11-25), and God was always with him. After this terrible storm, wouldn’t it be nice to land on a sandy island beach with a view, but that is rarely how storm work. Many options were taken from them, being driven by the wind and the waves, which were making all the decisions for them about where they were going, and if there was a reef between them and the beach, they couldn’t stop the boat, and so they were at the mercy of the sea. This too is what happens to people when they make bad decisions; they spend what remains of their lives jettisoning the cargo, their purpose for being on the water in the first place, after realizing it is weighing too heavy on their ship that is entering dangerous, shallow waters. They must abandon their vision and throw everything overboard in attempt to salvage what remains of their lives. Perhaps they can make a new start after the storm passes if they can reach land. Paul used his shipwrecks as analogies in regard to a lack of faith (1Tim 1-18,19). They made ashore, but most shipwrecks end in loss of life. Throwing their cause (cargo) overboard requires an admission that they were wrong about everything, in their case wrong in leaving Crete, saying that it wasn’t a good port to stay the winter, it didn’t have much for restaurants and sleeping quarters (or a tavern), but it was better than being stuck on a reef in the midst of a storm. They regretted their decision to set sail as Paul warned them.

Act 27,42-44

(152ia) Witness >> Validity of the Father >> Witnesses of the father >> Prophets >> The Church holds the position of a prophet >> Church operates under a prophetic anointing >> Delivering a prophetic message from God -- These verses go with verses 9&10. The centurion who first ignored Paul, when his prediction came to pass learned to respect Paul. He probably began to suspect that he was innocent of whatever charges were against him. Making predictions and having them come true and then attributing them to God engendered reverence in the centurion. Had Paul been a criminal and knew the sea, he wouldn’t have made any suggestions but would have waited to see what opportunities might arise to escape in the midst of their distress, but Paul clearly wasn’t thinking this way.

Act 27-44

(173e) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Catholicism >> Scripture that contradicts the catholic faith >> Catholics who are converted to the faith

Act 28-1,2

(127b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> Be kind like God >> Kindness is meeting the needs of the saints – Paul wasn’t always received everywhere he went, and when he was received, he was grateful. When entering a town, he would go to the village square and there preach the gospel to everybody within earshot of him, and sometimes the people believed him and other times they ushered him out of town at the end of the mayor’s foot. It was usually leaders of the town that conspired against Paul, and many of them were religious leaders, and most of them were some form of Judaism. So when these natives received Paul, they also received the gospel. Paul was able to perform healings among the people, and the way Jesus taught, if they received healing, they would also receive the gospel and vise-versa.

Act 28,3-6

(18e) Sin >> False Judgment lacks evidence >> Presumptuous speculation – The natives were adherents of the Hindu belief that revolves mostly around karma, the doctrine dictating that whatever a person does whether good or bad will return to him. According to karma, if something bad happens to someone, it is not just evidence but absolute proof that he did something evil and is getting his just deserts, or if something good happened, he too is getting what he deserves. How then does God get the glory for the gifts that he showers on both the evil and the good (Mat 5-45)? One thing absolute about Hinduism, it is absolutely false! According to the Hindu faith, God only gets credited for evil that happens in the world and not for the good, since the good that comes is always deserved, but evil is a judgment from god. The Bible teaches that consequences are not a hard and fast rule, as though it were a law written into the creation like the law of gravity. According to the natives, the snake hanging from Paul’s hand was a consequence of his past sins, leading them to assume that he was guilty of whatever crimes he was being accused. They were convinced of this and intended to treat him as a criminal. Paul never ministered the gospel to them. See also: Hinduism; 157j / Karma - God does not baby-sit mankind; Rom 2,9-11; 166g

(19f) Sin >> Having the mental disease of the world >> Incorrect thinking – Mk 16-18 says, “They will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them.” The proper interpretation of this verse is that if a poisonous snake bites a disciple of Jesus, it will not harm him, in the same way that drinking deadly poison will not harm him. This renders Christian snake charmers fraudulent, for if they want to fulfill this Scripture, they must let their snakes bite them! These snake charming Christians mostly from the south pick up rattle snakes during church services and walk around with them. They have become very proficient at handling snakes, yet so are many other snake charmers, so what does that prove? The point they want us to believe is they must be spiritual because they are not getting bitten, claiming the snakes are not biting them because God is protecting them. I’ll believe they are spiritual based how they live, not how they handle snakes. Solomon built God an elaborate house but didn’t get any points for doing it; his favor with God remained contingent on whether he obeyed His laws. Therefore, the greatest evidence of spirituality is a life that has been set free from bondage to sin by the power of the Holy Spirit; these are the ones most likely to survive a deadly snake bite.

(28j) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> God protects us from the devil – The natives were familiar with this highly venomous snake. Some can deliver a dry bite, meaning no venom was transmitted but perhaps the snake merely grazed the skin with its fangs and the injection never occurred, but this was not the case with Paul’s bite, since it hung from his hand by its fangs. Nothing happened to Paul because God looked after him. He didn’t pray about it but went on with his business, knowing that God didn’t send him to Rome to be killed by a snake. Why doesn’t it happen this way for other Christians; all kinds of things happen to God’s people and they are rushed to hospitals and some die? Paul was unaffected by this potential tragedy because he was in the exact will of God, which is not something most Christians can confidently say about themselves. God was using him and he was irreplaceable. In contrast, most Christians are living in a way they think will give them the best advantage to glean as much as possible from this life, but there is only so much spiritual blessing that can come of this kind of so-called service to God. If we want this level of divine protection, then we must be dedicated to driving God’s purpose into our lives. The person living for himself as a "Christian" may go to heaven, but he will miss many benefits in this life that God had planned for him and many rewards in the next life. 

(58b) Paradox >> Opposites >> From being condemned to death to being worshipped

(117d) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Rest in Jesus (Sabbath) >> Let Jesus do the work >> Let Him work on your circumstances

(147d) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself >> God exercises authority over every living thing

(157j) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of being hell-bound >> Unable to know the truth – Paul didn’t stop the natives of Malta from believing he was a god anymore than he showed concern in their thoughts of him as a murderer. In Acts chapter fourteen after Paul and Barnabas performed miracles of healing, the people considered them to be gods, intending to deify and worship them, but the evangelists stopped them, explaining that they were mere men, but in the case of the natives at Malta, there was no evidence that Paul attempted to stop them, their minds twisted around Satan’s finger in the teachings of Hinduism. Unraveling such a devious belief system cannot be done in a day, being no less malevolent than Satan’s original lie in the Garden of Eden. When Satan spoke to Eve, he said, "Did God really say...?" (Genesis 3-1), questioning whether God said they could not eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and defying what God said would be the consequence, “You will not certainly die” (v4). He spoke to them in half-truths, but are half-truths true enough? Obviously not! Satan went on to explain in his own terms what would happen if they ate the forbidden fruit, that their eyes will be opened, suggesting that God wanted them ignorant, thus planting a seed of conspiracy about God’s motives. He told them another half truth when he promised they would “be like God, knowing good and evil.” The fact was, they were already like God, having been created in His image, but after they ate the forbidden fruit they were more like God than ever, in that now they knew about sin, but they had to sacrifice other godlike qualities to obtain this knowledge, namely their relationship with God, their perfection and their innocence. Looking at this from our limited perspective is convoluted enough, but from Adam and Eve's standpoint, who were completely inexperienced in deception, this was impossible to understand. The only way out was to obey God’s word verbatim without asking any questions, because stepping away from God's simple command was a level of darkness that was inconceivable, but really no worse than Hinduism, which they say is the oldest religion in the world, suggesting that it was the second lie of Satan, no doubt related to the first. Satan kept speaking half-truths, just like karma is a half-truth. Sometimes it is true that bad things happen to bad people, but it’s not a law that every bad thing that happens is the result of past sin. It is really hard to unravel half-truths. See also: Hinduism; 166g / Satan lied to Adam and Eve; Rev 12,7-11; 46h

(166g) Works of the devil >> Manifestations of the devil >> Wisdom of the world >> Nature Of Man’s Wisdom >> Man’s wisdom contradicts itself – On the one hand, Hinduism actually fosters evil, and in so doing, according to their own religion, evil should come back on them for being a Hindu, and in this way sin increases as a snowball effect in Hindu societies. On the other hand, Paul taught just the opposite of Hinduism in 1The 5-15, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.” The Bible teaches that if someone has sinned, we should attempt to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness, lest we too be tempted to practice the same sins (Gal 6-1,2); that is, we may be tempted to fall into the trap of Hinduism. Neither sin nor its consequences are contagious in a state of humility, but in judgment yes. If we judge another, their sin will become ours. See also: Hinduism; 195f

(175m) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Ignorance >> Ignorant of God

(176k) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> False doctrine >> Extremes >> Truth is never found in your thinking on either extreme of any subject – It is a shame that while the natives of Malta were overhauling their opinion of Paul, they didn’t also overhaul their religion that led them to their false beliefs. Instead, they merely changed their minds and started calling Paul a god, probably with the intension of worshipping him. These natives swung from one side of the pendulum to the other, embracing opposite notions, and there was no truth on either side. The truth is always in the middle; he was a servant of the Most High God, being neither murderer nor divine.

(178c) Works of the devil >> The religion of witchcraft >> Presumption (Hinduism) >> Presuming the facts about the circumstances >> Presumption interprets our observations

(195f) Denying Christ >> Man exercises his will against God >> Idolatry >> Worshipping men >> Idolizing men – There are many gods in Hinduism but no one god at the pinnacle of the Hindu faith, giving room for man to worship himself through Hindu philosophies. This also allows other regions that boast in a god to append a variation of Hinduism to their deity and thus derive a near infinite combination of beliefs. Hinduism can therefore be seen as an add-on religion, which only adds on confusion to the world’s already skewed beliefs about God. See also: Hinduism Act 28,7-10; 145d