COVID and the Church Part 3 – Acts 27 v 31-38

Recap:

Paul is on his way to Rome as a prisoner to stand trial before Caesar.

There have been terrible storms, but God has told Paul that everyone will be safe. Only the ship will be lost.

They have taken such a violent battering that cargo has been thrown overboard just to keep them afloat.

We have talked about the Covid Storm our ship has been through and the cargo we have had to throw overboard just to stay afloat.

They have been driven across the Adriatic Sea and taken soundings which suggest they are nearing land.

We thought about the soundings we might take – what are the indicators around us that we are coming out of this storm, or that we might find dry ground again soon. We can listen to all sorts of sources, but throughout this story we see how Paul kept his connectedness to God, must have been constantly remaining in Him, praying, abiding, listening. This is what we must do.

The last thing we read in the story was that

³⁰ In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.

Pretty cheeky. But it’s possible we all want to jump ship from time to time. We also spent time praying for those who had found their own lifeboat and left the church boat. No judgement, just prayer for those who belong in the safety of the fold that they would come back to the safest place for them. They are missing out, we are missing out, we belong together.

Let’s read the next section of the story, starting at verse 31.

³¹ Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”

Paul has noticed the sailors’ attempt to escape! God had told Paul that everyone on the boat would survive and – I assume directed by the Lord – tells the centurion that staying together was also part of the deal.

Perhaps there’s a message here for us too. Unless we as brothers and sisters in Christ stay together we can’t move forward the way God desires.

God brought a verse to our attention last year where Jesus says,

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Matthew 23:37)

In the same way, Jesus wants us together in the storm, not apart. Together under his wing, in the same boat.

Back in Paul’s boat, I wonder how the rest of the people felt about those sailors who tried to escape, leaving the others behind.

How would you feel?

We must not respond in the flesh, the natural self which would see it as far easier to cut someone loose.

Like Paul, we have to seek the Lord, listen to his voice. It would have been easy to let the sailors go. They were no help, and by leaving with the lifeboat the ship would be lighter. But God would say,

‘You can lose the lifeboat, but don’t lose the people.’

By his Spirit we will show outrageous love, compassion and grace and watch as miracles of transformation take place in the lives of those we have not stopped loving, even when they have tried to desert us.

³² So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

Listening to Prisoner Paul, they actually cut the lifeboats loose! Now no one can escape!

But if God has spoken the outcome, it doesn’t matter about your own personal safety mechanisms or backup plans. You might as well ditch them now. They only weigh you down and are a temptation to stray from his plan to your own.

I wonder what some of our lifeboats are at BCC or in our personal lives? What plans might people hang on to in case it doesn’t work out? It will work out. What lifeboats do we need to cut loose? We are looking to Jesus and he will build his church and he knows those who are his own.

Pause – what lifeboats do we need to cut loose? Ask the Lord to show you anything that you are holding on to as security in place of him. Surrender all of your heart to him anew today. The soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

³³ Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. ³⁴ Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”

Thinking again about the past year – 12 months of a global pandemic – many people have been in constant struggle, constant suspense.

Have you ever felt so uptight that you’ve not eaten? That would take a lot for me! I will force breakfast down even on the morning of an important interview when I’m really nervous. But they have gone without food in this story and these verses tell us that there was plenty of food on board.

As we continue into uncertainty, may I encourage you to keep feeding from the word of God. Don’t just read it, listen for his voice. Faith comes by hearing. Don’t wait for the constant suspense to subside before resuming your connection with God. Don’t put God on furlough, where you stop calling him in to work on your behalf and offer him the bare minimum. You need him now more than ever! Bring him in and feed from him, benefit from all that he has to offer. Draw near. Go back to John 15 and become intertwined with the true vine again.

You might be stressed, but don’t forget to eat!

Anyway, Paul was talking about food in the natural, so let’s get back to the story.

³⁵ After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. ³⁷ Altogether there were 276 of us on board. ³⁸ When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

Remember the evangelistic thread running through this story I mentioned last time?

1. Paul begins this story as just another prisoner.
2. He then offers advice based on a revelation from God which, although ignored, proves to be accurate.
3. This allows him to have a voice later on. He’s gained credibility. Not ashamed of the gospel, Paul refers to the God he serves even though he is talking to non-believers.
4. Then we saw these non-believers praying for daylight. They may have had their own gods but by now I’m thinking some of them will have been weighing up this God who Paul serves. Did some of them begin praying to Paul’s God?
5. Now prisoner Paul is taking a lead, feeding them, and thanking God in front of them all! Notice the irony here – this is the very reason he’s a prisoner on the boat in the first place – for preaching and promoting Jesus! Now he’s showing them how to say grace before a meal!
6. And they are all encouraged (v36). Food does that! I love it.

But we can learn from Paul as we pray for our lost loved ones. Speak when the Spirit prompts. Let him increase your influence. Don’t be afraid to talk about prayer. Non-Christians can pray – otherwise they’d never be able to ask God to save them! Thank God openly among non-believers, and keep an atmosphere of encouragement.

We will finish the chapter next time. But for now let’s reflect on what God might be saying through this portion today:

1. God has a plan for us as a church that includes everyone. Keep praying for those who feel like jumping ship.
2. We may have our own ‘lifeboats’ that we hang on to – is God asking us to cut something loose and trust in his word? When you cut the lifeboat and let it drift away, you know you’re all-in. This is the kind of commitment to Jesus that God calls us to. You can lose the lifeboat, but don’t lose the people.
3. Some of us have been in constant suspense and gone without food. Let’s return to him and feed from him. You might be stressed, but don’t forget to eat!
4. Even as a prisoner, Paul continued to be an evangelist just by being close to Jesus. Can we do the same, even as prisoners in our own home?