Acts 28:1-10 

¹Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. ²The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. ³Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. ⁴When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” ⁵But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. ⁶The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

⁷There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. ⁸His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. ⁹When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. ¹⁰They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Introduction

If I were to ask you: What practical situation or incident has inspired you to be more committed in your relationship with the Lord? What miracle has God done in your life that made you more devoted in your faith in Him?

The initial miraculous encounter of Paul was when the Lord appeared to him as a bright light and Paul became blind. The Lord sent a disciple named Ananias to restore his sight. Miracles have been regularly experienced when Paul obeyed the Lord.

In Mark 16:15-18, ¹⁵He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

The Lord is Lord of all. Nothing is impossible with God. May it be healing the sick or surviving snake bite, the Lord revealed His miraculous power in the life of Paul.

1.  Snake

¹Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. ²The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. ³Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.

The island of Malta is less than 100 kilometers south of Italy. The islanders who were unusually kind might have observed how the ship was destroyed. The warmth of fire is the best gesture of welcome for those who are soaked with cold water. With 276 shivering individuals [soldier, sailors and prisoners], the fire build by the islanders needed to be made bigger. Paul was no bystander. He thought it best for everybody to gather more firewood. Incidentally, a snake coiled in Paul’s hand and bit him.

⁴When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

If you come upon a person in handcuffs or chains, what would easily come to your mind about the prisoner? The prisoners including Paul were in chains. Like the common assumption about prisoners, the islanders presumed that Paul was imprisoned for murder. They assumed that Paul cannot escape death and deserved to die being a murderer.

⁵But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. ⁶The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

Have you ever been bitten by snake? How about back-biters? Bitten by snake or back-biters hurts, right? As long as we are doing what God has told us to do, we can rely upon the Lord for safety and provision.

The Lord has instructed believers to witness for Him. He has already arranged a series incidents or situation as opportunities to witness. Tough situations are opportunities for believers to practice faith, experience miracles and to testify for the Christ.

Unusual Kindness

Have you been in a foreign country where you don’t understand the language?

In 2014, on the first day of our actual mission immersion, grouped by twos, we were instructed to find a specific cite. Except for emergencies, no cell phones or taxi cab was allowed. My partner and I prayed that God would send His angels to guide us.

At least three instances, people were unusually kind to help us. A lady invited us to take the first bus, paid for our fare, and then told us which bus to take next. Inside the next bus, nobody understood us. Suddenly, a man handed a paper with instruction where to get down. After finding our assignment, we asked a woman which bus to ride back to where we came from. Not knowing which bus, she called someone who gave the right bus number. Among 17 pairs, my partner and I arrived to our headquarters first.

In a foreign land, God’s grace is much more apparent. The Lord has regularly shown His grace in the life of Paul. In the midst of storm, the Lord saved Paul including those who were with Him. The Lord saved Paul from poisonous snake, and he prayed for healing for the sick the people of Malta.

2.  Sickness

⁷There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. ⁸His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. ⁹When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. ¹⁰They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Was it by the Lord’s grace that islander were unusually kind? Has God influenced their chief official to shower them with generous hospitality? Was it accidental that the father of the generous official was sick?

Paul cannot help it but to pray for the sick father of the chief official including all who were sick. God has performed miracles in the life of Paul in the island of Malta.

The islander must have been very thankful. And when Paul and his companions were ready to sail, the islander supplied the things they needed. Those experiences of Paul were tangible evidences of God’s faithful sustenance while in missions.

In Philippians 4:19, ¹⁹And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Indeed, Paul has confidence that as long as he was doing what God told him to do, God will sustain him. God added provisions so that His command will be accomplished.

Paul assured the Philippians of God’s sustenance because they also actively participated by providing what he needed in the ministry God has given him. God knows all the necessary things needed in the completion of project or assignment He gives.

Has God given you a project He wanted to accomplish through you?

Nehemiah

In the story of Nehemiah, God has given him a burden to rebuild Jerusalem. In Nehemiah 1:1-4, ¹The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah: In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, ²Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

³ They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 

Weeping for a need, mourning, fasting, and praying for God’s intervention are indications of God’s Spirit at work in the life of believers. The story of Nehemiah tells us that the king, he served as cupbearer, was unusually kind to grant Nehemiah’s request. The materials and manpower needed to complete the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem were all provided. There were oppositions to the project God has given to Nehemiah that which made Nehemiah and his fellow workers became more resilient.

All God-given projects invite opposition. God-given projects are never easy to accomplish by human effort. When God gives instruction, we need to seek His help because we cannot complete God’s commands by human strength. Human efforts always fall short to the glory of God. Human effort is never perfect in God’s standards.

In Hosea 10:13, ¹³But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength
and on your many warriors…

In Hebrews 11:6, ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God’s instructions are opportunities to experience miracles. God gives assignment or instruction commensurate with each believer’s faith in Him. Pray and listen very carefully to the voice of the Lord. Seek God’s help when you sense urgency to obey.

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