And Thus We Came to Rome

In one paragraph

This final message in the Acts series walked through Acts 28:11-31, following Paul from Malta to Rome and tracing the last recorded words of Luke's account. Pastor Mark drew three points from the passage and reflected on what it means that Acts ends not with a grand climax but with Paul under house arrest, preaching unhindered. Paul and his companions left Malta after three months, boarding an...

Read together

1. Acts 28:14 latter half of verse 14, 'and thus we came to Rome', used as the anchor text for the sermon
2. Acts 28:11-31 the full passage walked through in the sermon
3. Acts 1:8 quoted to show the gospel commission: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses
4. Acts 4:12 there is salvation in no one else, God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved
5. Romans 1:16 Paul quoted as saying he is not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God saving everyone who believes, the Jew first and also the Gentile
6. Acts 8:4 the believers who were scattered preached the good news about Jesus wherever they went
7. Acts 8:35 Philip beginning with the same scripture told the Ethiopian eunuch the good news about Jesus
8. Acts 9:20 immediately Paul began preaching about Jesus in the synagogue saying he is indeed the Son of God
9. Acts 13:5 in Salamis they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God
10. Acts 28:25 Paul quotes Isaiah as the Holy Spirit speaking to ancestors about hearts being hardened
11. Acts 21:20-21 Jewish believers in Jerusalem told Paul thousands of Jews had believed but heard he was teaching Jews to turn from the law of Moses

Talk about it

1. Pastor J.D. pointed out that everywhere Paul traveled, he found believers who welcomed him and gave him a place to stay. When have you experienced that kind of welcome from fellow Christians, either as a host or a guest, and what did it mean to you?
2. Paul arrived in Rome chained to a soldier, yet Luke describes him as preaching 'unhindered.' What does that tension between being physically bound and spiritually unhindered look like in your own life when circumstances are working against you?
3. When Paul presented the gospel in Rome, some believed, some rejected it outright, and some said 'maybe later.' Which of those responses have you seen most often when you have shared your faith, and how did you handle it?
4. Pastor J.D. said the ending of Acts is intentionally open because the story is still continuing, and that your own life is part of Acts 29. Where do you feel like you are in that story right now? Are you moving, standing still, or feeling bound by something?
5. The three closing points were that the gospel must be shared, cannot be stopped, and is the only thing that saves. Which of those three do you find hardest to hold onto in your daily life, and why?