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Acts 28:11-31

Today’s Reading is Acts 28:11-31.

Paul got mixed reactions teaching the Jewish authorities in Rome. His reaction? – He was pissed. And Paul concluded: “You are to know, then, that God’s message of salvation has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen!”
Duh! If you were a minority of only 10% of the population you depend on the coherence of your religious/ethnic group. Yes, the broad majority of people, at least being secure about their cultural identity is much more receptive for different religious influence.

Explore the meeting of two ancient cultures, Roman and Jewish, in this walk of Rome’s ghetto.

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Acts 27:39-28:10

Today’s Reading is Acts 27:39-28:10.

This is another milestone of early church history: Publius’ conversion led to Malta being the first Christian nation in the West. Here is how the orthodox history of Malta is told. That is a pretty place.

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Acts 27:13-38

Today’s Reading is Acts 27:13-38. It is one of those great stories of men of God managing a voyage on the water.

Paul stands in the tradition of even greater people:
Noah and his Ark and Jesus calming the storm come to mind.

They all make a point: You are not alone – God has your back!

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Acts 26:19-27:12

Today’s Reading is Acts 26:19-27:12.
The end is near: That is the end of the book of Acts and Paul’s career.

After Paul basically preaching to the authorities he invokes his rights as a Roman citizen. And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to the Emperor.”

So with this man we have an example of someone bridging cultural gaps: Pharisee and Roman at the same time. Paul is totally embedded in 1st century Judaism. Paul is able to preach at the Areopagus in Athens so that people of Greek upbringing can relate to it.

Paul describes it beautifully in his own words: “Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized — whoever …”

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Acts 26:1-18

Today’ Reading is Acts 26:1-18.
This is nothing but the third account of Paul’s conversion in the book of Acts. Please refer to my reflection of the first account in Acts 9:1-25.