Acts 28:1-31: From the Snakebite to Rome

In this last chapter of Acts, Paul comes ashore on Malta and is bitten by a viper while putting wood on a fire, and the islanders conclude he is a murderer getting what he deserves. When he does not die they decide he is a god. He winters on the island, heals the father of the leading man there, and sails for Italy in the spring. He reaches Rome in custody and spends two years in a rented house at his own expense, receiving anyone who will come and making the case for Jesus out of Moses and the Prophets.  The Rev. Caleb Adams, senior pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bend, OR, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Acts 28:1-31. To learn more about Trinity in Bend, visit trinitylutheranbend.org. The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels leave off. Jesus has risen. He has ascended. And now what? Acts answers that question. Luke tells the story of how the Holy Spirit built the Church from a handful of frightened disciples in Jerusalem into a movement that reached Rome itself. Along the way, you get Pentecost, the first sermons, the first martyrs, the conversion of Paul, the first church councils, shipwrecks, riots, and the persistent, stubborn work of God through Word and Sacrament even when His people didn't have a plan. If you've ever wondered how we got from Easter morning to the Church you sit in today, this is the book. Tune in for this new series on Thy Strong Word with Pastor Phil Booe and guest pastors as we open up the Book of Acts.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected].