Acts 27:21-26

²¹After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ ²⁵So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ²⁶Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

Joseph in Egypt

One popular preacher said that faith in God is inclusive. As believers, when we live a life as God intended it, people around us would also benefit from God’s grace.

Take for example the life of Joseph. In Genesis 39:1-6, ¹Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

²The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. ³When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, ⁴Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 

 ⁵From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. ⁶So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Like Joseph, Paul had been rejected by his own people, the Jews. This is why he appealed to Caesar because it was God’s plan for him to testify also in Rome. Interestingly, in the midst of storm, God kept Paul including all who were with him.

Earlier, Paul warned the centurion about a possible disaster. The centurion chose the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship because they were expert sailors. Paul’s advice was rejected and as a result they incurred damage and loss just as Paul told them.

1.  Advice

²¹After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 

Hungry, short of supply, damage and loss, those were the things the pilot and the owner of the ship might have wanted to avoid when they advised the centurion to sail on and ignored Paul’s advice. It was very obvious that they made a devastating decision. And Paul put in words that his advice was the better choice. It was not known how the centurion, the pilot or the owner of the ship reacted after they were devastated.

I told you so!

When someone warns you of something that might happen and eventually, it happened just as the person has told you, and the person who warned you says, “I told you so!” how would you react or accept that? It’s like rubbing salt into the wound. Right?

Well, salt may be very hurtful when it touches the wound. But some people claim that it can help to heal wounds faster. Athlete foot will heal faster when soak into the sea. Accordingly, one practical cure for mouth sore is to gargle with warm water and salt.

If to mention the obvious mistake feels like rubbing salt into the wound, and if salt helps to heal wounds faster, then, would it not help also to heal faster the emotional wound caused by mistake? Would it not help the mistaken person to be aware of his mistake also so that next time around, he would decide better?

Someone said that an obviously terrible thing is hard to comment very honestly. If someone honestly says that you made a terrible mistake, how would you appreciate it?

Some people do not listen even if you advise them for their good. Why?

For instance: Parents want their children to be obedient. The caring reason: It is for their good if they obey. Yet, parents are upset or get angry when children don’t listen. Why? The personal reason: They are afraid of what other people might say. Not a few presume that children’s behavior reflects the kind of parents they have.

God-fearing parent may have children who are God-fearing.  Yet, the Bible has examples of God-fearing people with rebellious children (e.g. Jacob, Aaron, Eli, Samuel, David, Job). Pastor, church leaders, and devoted Christians are not exempted either. That is not an excuse for parents not to train and discipline their children.

Somehow, our lifestyle may or may not directly or indirectly influence others’ action or reaction. God reserves the right to reward each person’s lifestyle.

Christian or not, life is tough. We are surrounded by concerns. Who would benefit because of your faith in God? Have you proven the actualization of inclusive faith?

2.  Actualization

²³Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 

Paul rebuked those who ignored his advice. He pointed out the obvious damage and loss, and that they should have listened to his advice. He did not desire to insult them to their face. Instead, he gave another advice to encourage them.

Did Paul exemplify a biblical way to rebuke those who may ignore advice?

Paul told them that an angel of the Lord appeared to him. Paul did not mention how sure he was that an angel talked to him. He was very assertive of what the angel told him because the message was very similar to what the Lord instructed him to do.

In Acts 23:11, ¹¹The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

“To testify in Rome,” was God’s specific instruction to Paul. The Lord affirmed and re-affirmed of His desire for Paul. While obeying the Lord’s instruction, Paul has experienced many challenges. Did he experience discouragement? God did not neglect to encourage him. Have you been discouraged when you advised your love ones but they won’t listen? Paul was not very outspoken about discouragement but in his life, if he had.

Check what he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:8-11, ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 

That may sound very dramatic but does it sounds like he was discouraged in some ways? What Paul wrote has actually served as an encouragement for believers to keep on.

Some people feel like they are carrying the world in their shoulder because of personal, family problems or concerns at work places. Do you feel that way? Would you agree that God must have been doing something great around you?

²⁵So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ²⁶Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

Faith is proven if we keep on in spite of trials. When God is doing something great in our life and there will always be challenges and different concerns. Others around you would benefit because of our faith in God. Do you agree that faith in God is inclusive?

Joseph in Egypt

Joseph had a good life as manager in the house of Potiphar. That would have been enough. Right? Yet God did not desire for Joseph that a good life would be enough. Instead, God allowed Joseph to be accused of misconduct and thrown in prison.

In prison, the warden put Joseph in-charge of all the prisoners. Joseph attended to the need of other prisoners that included the cupbearer of Pharaoh.

Two years after the cupbearer was released, he remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and he was rewarded. In Genesis 41:41-44, ⁴¹So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” ⁴²Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

⁴⁴Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”

Have you experienced how your faith in God has benefited people around you? Pray for the government, law enforcers, including your employers and TMEC-BOT. As believers, God has positioned us to become blessing to others.  It says in Jeremiah 29:7, ⁷Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

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