The Final Chapter of God's Church

We're going to read from Acts chapter 28, the last final chapter of the book of Acts. And we're going to begin by reading from verse 11 right through to the end. Acts 28 verse 11. After three months, we, this is Luke, Paul and the others, set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. Putting it in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

And from there, we made a circuit and arrived at Regium. Now, after one day, a south wind sprang up and on the second day, we came to Putioli. There, we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so, we came to Rome. And the brothers there, when they had heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us.

On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who guarded him. After three days, he called together the local leaders of the Jews. And when they had gathered, he said to them, brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.

But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain. And they said to him, we have received no letters from Judea about you and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against. When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers.

From morning till evening, he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement. The holy spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet, go to this people and say, you will indeed hear but never understand and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull and with their ears, they can barely hear and their eyes, they have closed.

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn and I would heal them. Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen. He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. So far, our reading, so far, end of the book of Acts.

Now, the book of Acts is famously ended on a very open ended sort of statement. For the past six chapters, even more perhaps, we've been following Paul's dramatic progress as he's made his way from Jerusalem to Rome. Being captured in Jerusalem at the temple and accused of blasphemy, of sins against God and the temple. Today, we come to the end of the book and find Paul in Rome. And yet, even in this final chapter of Rome, we of Acts, we don't find a resolution to this drama that has been set up.

We are told that Paul lived in Rome for two years, that he was under some form of house arrest, being guarded constantly by a guard, but that he was also able to have people come and visit him at any time. And yet, we're never told about the climax to this drama. We are not told what Caesar decided about Paul's case. We don't know at the end of the book whether Paul was set free or not. That, of course, open ended note has given rise to a lot of speculation from commentators, scholars and everyday Christians alike.

Some suggest Paul died in Rome, that his case went against him and he was sentenced to death there. The reason Luke ends the book of Acts so abruptly is because Luke was heartbroken about Paul's fate and he didn't want to end on the sad note of Paul's death. Others speculate that Paul was fine, that he was released after having spent some time in Rome and that he went on to further ministry. The reason that Luke ended the book here is simply that he had run out of space on his scroll, or that he wanted to, or he intended to write a second volume of the other travelling adventures and mission work that Paul had.

But that never happened. And still others speculate that Luke intentionally and masterfully ends the book of Acts on this particular sort of idiosyncratic note as an invitation for the church of God in every generation to see that they need to step into the next chapter. It doesn't end with Paul because the church never ends. In other words, it's like a Netflix show that ends on a cliffhanger and you have that urgency to roll on to the next episode. And so in this way, the church is invited to see themselves as taking up the mission of Christ.

I prefer this last theory. I like to imagine that this is what it could have been like. This is the reason behind Luke's writing. And yet, we don't have any evidence, really, to suggest why Luke would have ended the book of Acts in this way. We can pull together some circumstantial evidence that might suggest one speculation is more logical than the others, but we can never be sure.

I'm fairly confident that Paul didn't die in Rome at this time. We know from extra biblical evidence that it's very possible Paul didn't remain in custody in Rome for much longer than those two years, or at least, not up until his death. In one way or another, it seems that he obtained freedom and he recommenced his ministry. Old traditions record that he made his way westward from Rome into Spain. We know that from the book of Romans, Paul had written years earlier, that that was Paul's intention, that he would come to Rome at some point with the intention of going to Spain to preach the gospel there.

The early church father, Clement of Alexandria, who was around towards the end of the first century, so he was around still at the time of John the Apostle, he wrote in that time, in his letter, that Paul reached the limit of the West. That's very early evidence to suggest he may have reached Spain. Spain was the most western part of the Roman empire. Secondly, if our dating of the first and second letter to Timothy is correct, we can also understand that Paul was able to go back to Ephesus and Macedonia after this time in Rome. That he didn't die in Rome because he still had the opportunity to go back to these other churches to encourage them.

We know from his letter to Titus that he was also able to visit Crete. It was after this, when Paul was later arrested again for whatever reason by the Romans and taken back to Rome, that Paul wrote his final letter, the second letter to Timothy, in which he starts alluding to his impending death. We see Paul sort of saying his farewells at that point. Tradition has it that during this second imprisonment in Rome, along with the apostle Peter, both became victims of a localised persecution that sprang up in Rome under the emperor Nero, AD 64 or 65. So for these reasons, I'm led to think that Paul did go on to further ministry after Acts chapter 28.

And yet, we are left to speculate why Luke finishes the book here. And so with this context of intrigue, by God's providence, we have this final chapter. And we believe in faith that this was given to us, for us to be strengthened and edified with. And there is much to learn from this final chapter. Great encouragement for us as we finish our look at Acts.

Over the past few weeks and months, we have seen that the book of Acts is a story about God's grace flooding out to the whole world. In Acts 1:8, at the start of our series, Jesus promised a geographic expansion through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts chapter 2, the day of Pentecost, the church is given the gift and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and the rest of Acts records the result of the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection spreading from the small, uneducated, fear filled group of disciples in Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. Acts has many characters, but ultimately, Acts is a story about a single main character and it isn't Paul. It is the account of the continuing work of God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And so we find this last line, this last verse in Acts, which we read this morning, leaving us with Paul proclaiming the news of Jesus Christ, verse 31, without hindrance. Without hindrance. Remembering that Paul has been under arrest for years at this point, he is now under house arrest in Rome specifically. He has faced fierce opposition yet through it all, the gospel continues to advance to the ends of the earth. And we find Paul doing in Rome what he has done in every other city in the places where he has planted churches. We see in verse 23, where we are told three things he did.

He expounded to them. He testified to them the kingdom of God, and he tried to convince them about Jesus from the law of Moses and from the prophets. What Paul does in Rome is no different to any other place he's been to before in his ministry. It's the same pattern. He goes to the Jews first.

He gives them the testimony of the kingdom, remembering what Jesus' command was in Acts 1:8, you shall be my witnesses. Here, Paul is giving the testimony of a witness. Paul secondly expounds to them, which means to teach them. Paul does what he always does, and he goes to the Old Testament, and he takes up the law, and he takes up the prophets, and he explained to them how Jesus is the fulfillment of all of them. And then thirdly, like he always does, he tries to persuade them.

He tries to convince them. His explanations, his testimony, his expounding of scripture doesn't end on a shy anticlimax. He wants them to take action with this news. This is news that must be responded to. There's a call to action which is please receive this Jesus as the Messiah.

Believe in Him for the forgiveness of your sin and the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption for Israel. Paul says, for these for the hope of Israel, I am in chains, he says to them. And that surely would have meant, what hope are you talking about? Jesus Christ is the hope of Israel. Now, I think there's something to be said for us about this threefold structure in how we might be moved to witness to our friends and our family, and we have talked previously about this one theme in the book of Acts, which is the Christian witness.

We are secondary witnesses. The apostles were the first, the primary witnesses of the resurrected Christ saying this is true, but the church has this apostolic authority through the recorded word, through the recorded gospel of being witnesses in a similar vein. And in Paul's approach here, we find, I think, a good pattern, a helpful pattern to follow. Firstly, and this is our first point we're going to put up, is to bear witness. We are to give testimony to the kingdom of God.

We see Paul through Acts constantly talk about his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. This is part of God's overlapping with his personal life. So God's kingdom overlapping with his life. God broke into Paul's world in that moment. That is where Paul met Jesus.

Three times, we have extended speeches of Paul explaining to people what happened to him. That I was this before. I was Saul, the persecutor of the church, then I met Jesus, and now I am the apostle to the Gentiles. We can do the same in the sense that we share a witness, we share a testimony of the work that Jesus has done for us personally. Secondly, however, we have to take them to scripture.

It would have been not enough for Paul to have ended and said, this is my experience. I was Saul of Tarsus. Now, I'm Paul. And I met Jesus and he was really good to me and I'm so thankful. See you later.

Paul goes and he says, this is the fulfillment of everything that's been promised. Let's go to the Old Testament. Let's go to the prophets. Let's go to the law, and I will show you that the Messiah has to be Jesus. Jesus has to be the Messiah.

We need our friends and our family to hear and understand, therefore, the word of God. Why? Because it is God who uses His word to bring people to salvation and faith. Through the inner working of the Holy Spirit, people will need to be convinced of the truth of Jesus from the Bible, from what it has to say about Him, and about our own plight, humanity's plight, and our need of salvation. Those are eternal truths.

Those are universal truths that we must hear and believe. So it's not just now a subjective testimony, it's an objective truth. And then thirdly, we see Paul trying to convince them, trying to bring them to a point of action. Paul shares all of these things to express the reason for them to believe in Jesus. I know this is perhaps the hardest thing for us to do.

Sometimes, we can be tempted to have this passive concept of evangelism or witnessing as I've planted a seed. I've planted the seed. And of course, God can use that seed. God can use anything. But the apostles never just said something and then hoped it would passively rest with people long enough for them to realise their eternal peril and fall to their knees in repentance.

But somehow, they would figure that out by themselves. No. They made their appeals firmly, boldly, courageously, unapologetically. Believe in Jesus Christ, they said. Be baptised.

Repent and believe for the forgiveness of your sin. We can bear testimony to Christ's work in our lives and say, this is what Jesus has done for me. We can take them to scripture and explain why Jesus had to come, but then we must bring our friends the opportunity to respond. We have to try and convince them of the truth, to persuade them to believe. So in this last scene of Paul in Acts, we find helpful reminders of what effective gospel ministry can look like.

But as helpful as Paul's structure is, I also need to say that it isn't the main point of Acts chapter 28. The main point of this chapter is found in the last verse as the book closes. In this last verse, we see that Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. That's how the book closes. Why is this the main point of the chapter?

Because it leaves us hanging on for more of the story. What I wouldn't give for a little Netflix icon to pop up right now that says, next episode starts in ten, nine, eight, seven. But in God's providence, we are left with this open ended finish. And I believe it's because we, as the readers, are invited to step into the next chapter. For this reason, organisations like the church planting group Acts Twenty Nine have taken their name.

Acts 29 signifies the twenty ninth chapter, which this church planting organisation, which we today are stepping into. And yet, if we have come to know anything during our study of the book of Acts, is that we are not the author of this final chapter. We are participants. We are partakers in the final chapter. We are not the main actor.

God remains the centrepiece of that history. But we are invited to participate in God's mission as He uses the church to overcome all opposition and to bring His word of forgiveness, that living and abiding word that one Peter talks about, the word of forgiveness to all people across the world. You see, the church does many things. The church is involved in many things. But Acts is not centred upon what the church does.

The book of Acts is not about evangelism. The book of Acts is not about church leadership or about missions. It's not even about discipleship. Acts reminds us that we are involved in God's work, in His story. We've seen over the past few months how Acts reveals God's passionate pursuit of His people, beginning with His followers in Jerusalem, expanding to Samaria, and then going to the rest of the world.

The gospel draws people in. It constitutes the church of God, centred on the grace of Jesus. And then we see how this church is sent out in mission to the world by the Holy Spirit. We see then at every stage how the Holy Spirit marks this distinctive group by empowering them to live sanctified, holy set apart lives. These groups, as Paul plants them, as Peter plants them, are so distinctive, so holy, so wholesome that people can't help but be drawn into those communities.

At the same time, the church is driven by God to take the message of Jesus to new people and new lands, making His grace known to the ends of the earth. And so Acts makes clear that no one is beyond the scope of God's incredible saving power, nor is anyone exempt from the need of God's redeeming grace. Luke is showing that this new movement, this church of God is not a fringe Jewish sect. That is the accusation of the Jews here in Acts 28. We we've heard about this sect, and it's spoken against by everyone, they say.

Obviously, an exaggeration. But Luke is saying that this is not a Jewish sect. This is not people that have mistakenly believed this man is another messiah like the others who have come before. The book of Acts is making the point that the church is the culmination of God's plan of redemption. The gospel's expansion to the point where it is proclaimed here by Paul in Rome, in the capital of the Roman Empire.

This expansion is the culmination of what God has been doing since the beginning of time. Luke consistently grounds salvation in the ancient purposes of God. That's why Paul keeps going back to the Old Testament and says, Genesis, it begins here. Egypt, Israel, it begins there. It continues there.

It's reemphasised in the Old Testament prophets, and now Jesus is the fulfillment of all that. The book of Acts is therefore the culmination, the extension of God's ancient plan for humanity. And what we've seen only in a shadow in the Old Testament, God has revealed finally and fully through Jesus Christ. And now, through the Holy Spirit, Christ is driving the Christian church towards the final task, the final act in the play, and that is the ingathering of the elect. Heaven isn't full yet.

There is not enough people who have received God's grace. His grace is even bigger. And He is waiting, and He is directing, and He is guiding us to go and fetch them. It's this chapter that we are writing now. This is the mantle we carry today.

It is the task that is now before us. And so the book of Acts should therefore inform us of this one main thought. Acts isn't concerned primarily to provide us with human patterns to emulate or to avoid. Our main focus isn't necessarily on learning what Peter or Paul did when they preached and what their ministry pattern was, although that can be useful to some extent, is not the main point of Acts. The book of Acts repeatedly calls us to reflect upon the work of God fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and to be encouraged and spurred on by the knowledge that He is establishing His church by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That is the main point. And so this corrects two errors that we can make if we read the book of Acts. Firstly, you would be mistaken if you think all of this is just passive information that we read. That by reading the book of Acts, we are simply filling our minds with information, with knowledge. The intention of Acts is not to give us a pattern or a model to follow on the other hand.

So that's the one mistake you can make, is to think that this is just history that I'm needing to learn. But on the other hand, it is not, this is how you must do church forever and ever. Because that was never the intention. There was something amazing and unique that was happening in this time as well. The main aim of Acts is meant to be read by us and is meant to deeply encourage us with these three sorts of encouragements.

Firstly, that God is in control of His salvation plan. God is in control of His salvation plan, not us. We can and we should work hard in our church. We can pray with urgency for our church and for the worldwide church. We can invest our time and money into the mission of the church.

We can wholeheartedly be engaged in all of that, but our great hope is that God will make it all work according to His irresistible, unstoppable plan. So investing in God's church is never a bad investment. We can make terrible choices with our investments. Investing in the church is never going to not give us good returns. Why?

Because God is in control of the story and in the world's salvation, not us. And we know that God's salvation does come about for those that He has set His heart upon. It cannot be avoided. It will happen. The elect will be saved.

The second thing that encourages us from the book of Acts, this is part of the summary of the book, is that God directs His church, not us. Peter and Paul did not direct the church. As much as they were a focus in the book of Acts, that is not the main actor here. And while it's not harmful to think strategically about all the things that Peter and Paul did, our great encouragement is that God will not only be drawing others to Himself in that great plan of salvation, but that He is going to be dictating the course of His people and His mission as well. The Holy Spirit is as active in our day as He was in the apostles' days.

And so in this way, the excitement, and the urgency of our Pentecostal brothers is correct. The Holy Spirit is working in our church. The Holy Spirit is as active now as He was back then. Now remember, that is not to say that the Spirit needs to reinitiate the church as He did in Acts chapter 2 because the church was established. Acts isn't meant to be read as a handbook or a pattern, but we are given this abiding truth.

The Spirit is and will continuously work in and through His church. Because of the Holy Spirit's constant presence then, we can be assured that God won't let things slip. Every victory that we win is a victory that has been won by God. And every mistake we make, every sinful error in judgement our leaders make, that in no means has meant that God has somehow slipped up. And God has somehow overlooked and didn't know what was happening in His church.

Every single thing is being used by God for the strengthening, the building up of His church, and the completion of the mission. God directs His church, not us. And then thirdly, resistance to the gospel is normal and can even be expected so we don't have to worry too deeply. Again and again, we see that God beats His opposition. We see it wonderfully in the story of Paul here in Rome.

The mandate was given, by Jesus, you shall be my witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Meanwhile, the church's enemies wanted to silence Paul and the apostles by capturing them, sentencing them to death, and what does what happens? Paul is spared by the Romans, and he's taken all the way to Rome where Paul always wanted to go so that he can jump across to Spain. The Jews in Jerusalem think, well, at least, okay, he's not dead, but he's not here anymore. That's a good thing.

Meanwhile, he sits in Rome, and the Jews there are hearing the gospel. They don't receive a letter. They have no idea that they should avoid this Paul and not listen to him. They listen to him. And what happens?

Some of them believe. When the enemies of God think they win, they are losing. Resistance to the gospel is normal and yet we don't have to feel worried. Resistance to the gospel can be expected but we don't worry too deeply because God is using it for your good and for the good of the church. And so finally, as we wrap up our series on the book of Acts, and its particular emphasis on the church of God, we are called to fix our gaze firmly on the God of His church.

The hope of our victory and the assurance of our entry into His kingdom. And so you and I are busy writing the next chapter. There's great urgency, there's great purpose in what we do and we are all participants, we are all partners in this witnessing to the ends of the earth. And so please pray and work with me as we work together to be obedient to the Lord's mandate. But let's also take courage that the Holy Spirit is with us, that He will empower us and sustain us no matter what happens and that we will have the victory for the kingdom of our God and that He will be glorified on the final day.

Let's pray. Lord, it is a huge thought that we are part of this eternal body that little old me can be a part of this thing that will resonate across all eternity. That what I do and what I can invest into this is somehow used by You to bring about Your good, faithful, abundant purposes for humanity. And so, Lord, on the one end, we feel intimidated by that thought. We are humbled that You would choose to work through us, so frail a creature.

And yet, Lord, You will receive so much glory that You would use our weakness and perfect it by Your strength. Father, give us the wonderful joy of seeing these things come to fruition at least in part in our lifetime. Help us to sense always the urgency that what we do matters, that what we invest our time in counts, that this church of Yours is so precious to You. And forgive us, Lord, when we don't see it as precious for ourselves. Help us to be encouraged, Lord, that You will ultimately still win, that Your purposes for this church, for humanity will come to complete and perfect success.

And so Lord, equip us by Your Spirit. Thank You, Spirit, that You are so with us, that You are so near to us, that You will not leave us. And we pray that You will find us to be willing servants. Lead us, oh Spirit, direct us, guide us, sustain us, protect us, we pray. In Jesus name, amen.