Resource Detail

Questions for Acts 27:1-44

Key verses 27:23-24

GOD STOOD BESIDE PAUL IN THE STORM

1. Look at the map below to follow Paul’s voyage to Rome. Who was Julius, and what might have motivated him to show favor to Paul (1-3)? What circumstances led to the delay in their voyage (4-8)?
2. What might have influenced the centurion to disregard Paul’s warning and instead follow the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship (9-12)? What was the consequence of this decision (13-20)?
3. How did Paul point out their mistake and encourage those who were in life-threatening danger (21-26)? Reflect on God, who stood beside Paul in the storm and gave him a promise (24, 23:11).
4. How could Paul have prevented the sailors from attempting to escape from the ship (27-32)? What kinds of guidance and encouragement did Paul give to those on board (33-38)? What plan did the soldiers make, and how did the centurion save Paul’s life (39-44)?
5. Reflect on Paul’s leadership during the crisis. What are the challenges in the voyage of your life, and how could you overcome them?

Acts 2024 Juan Seo (Nov 10, 2024)

GOD STOOD BESIDE PAUL IN THE STORM

Acts 27:1-44

Key Verse 27:23-24

Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and 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.’

Do you enjoy traveling by boat? I once rode a small boat at a beautiful beach called Morrocoy in Venezuela. Usually, the waters at that beach are calm, making it a great place for boating. However, on that day, the waves were unusually high and rough. The boat I was on was tossed around by the waves, unable to move forward, and was shaking all over. Water began coming into the boat, and I felt a fear that we might be shipwrecked. At that moment, I regretted getting on the boat, thinking my life could end in vain.

Our lives are often compared to a voyage. Generally, our journey is as peaceful and calm as crossing the Pacific Ocean. However, there are times when we encounter storms. We may face great dangers, like a ship losing its direction and nearing a shipwreck. In those moments, we are seized by a fear and anxiety that feels like death. No one wishes to encounter such storms in life. Yet, these life storms come upon us suddenly, regardless of our will. So, how can we navigate through these storms of life? We can find the answer in the story of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck.

Last Sunday, we learned about the Apostle Paul standing before Governor Festus, King Agrippa, and many other authorities, proclaiming the gospel with courage. He urged them to accept the gospel, saying, “I pray to God that all who are listening to me today may become what I am.” Festus and Agrippa, after investigating Paul, concluded that he was innocent. However, as Paul had appealed to Caesar, they decided to send him to Rome. The distance from Caesarea to Rome was approximately 1,500 miles, and under normal conditions, such a journey by ship in those days would take around 2 to 3 months.

Do you know who accompanied Paul as faithful co-workers on his journey to Rome? In verse 2, it mentions Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, who traveled with Paul. Aristarchus was also Paul’s fellow prisoner in Rome (Col 4:10). Additionally, Luke, the author of Acts, accompanied Paul as his personal physician. One other significant figure in this story is Julius, a Roman centurion. Though a soldier, Julius seems to have been a man of good heart. When they arrived in Sidon from Caesarea, Julius allowed Paul to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. At that time, prisoners depended on their family or friends to supply them with necessities, so through Julius’s kindness, Paul was able to get what he needed for the journey. Later, Julius even saved Paul’s life when the soldiers intended to kill the prisoners.

Look at this map. After leaving Sidon, the ship passed to the lee of Cyprus. Then, it sailed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia and landed at Myra in Lycia. At Myra, they transferred to an Alexandrian ship that was sailing for Italy. At that time, the Roman Empire depended on Egypt for its grain supply, so large quantities of grain were transported from the Egyptian port of Alexandria to Puteoli in southern Italy. Therefore, the Alexandrian ship Paul boarded was likely a large vessel carrying grain. However, due to headwinds, the ship could not make much progress. After many days, it passed Cnidus and the lee of Crete, eventually arriving at Fair Havens. By this time, many days had passed, and it was after the Day of Atonement, so continuing the voyage had become dangerous. In those days, it was not advisable to sail on the open sea after the Day of Atonement. Paul, who was familiar with sea travel, knew this well. In 2 Corinthians 11:25, Paul testifies that he had been shipwrecked three times and spent a night and a day in the open sea. So Paul warned those in charge of the voyage, saying, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” However, the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and the owner of the ship.

From a human perspective, I think the centurion’s decision was reasonable. Although Paul had extensive experience traveling by ship, he likely didn’t have more sailing experience than the pilot. Additionally, the owner of the ship was responsible for the economic loss of the vessel and the cargo on board. If a problem occurred by following Paul’s advice, the owner would likely hold the centurion accountable. However, reasonable decisions are not always the right ones, especially in unusual situations where logical choices may offer little help. People often base their judgments on what is reasonable and experiential, yet life frequently presents us with situations that go beyond reason and experience. Paul may have warned based on his own experience, but he was also a spiritual man who walked with the Holy Spirit. It’s possible he heard the Spirit’s voice and warned them accordingly. In other words, Paul’s warning may have come from spiritual discernment, which surpasses our experience and reason. Thus, listening to the advice of someone with spirituality can be amazingly beneficial for us, as they listen to the Holy Spirit through prayer and guide us to follow God’s will.

They decided to head for Phoenix, which was about 40 miles from Fair Havens because Phoenix was a much better place to spend the winter than Fair Havens. After making this decision, a gentle south wind began to blow, and they thought they had a good opportunity to sail. So they immediately lifted anchor and set out for Phoenix. But what was the outcome of their decision, based on human experience and reason? Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and began to drift. The crew tried to prevent the drifting but was not successful. Eventually, they had to throw the cargo overboard. By the third day, they even threw the ship’s tackle into the sea. When we encounter the storms of our lives, many things we value and hold onto become useless. There comes a time when we must let go of what we once considered precious. In the face of death, does a multimillion-dollar luxury home hold any meaning? Does a fancy sports car have any significance? Ultimately, we will all leave everything behind one day. For many days, neither the sun nor the stars appeared. At that time, sailors navigated by the position of the sun and stars, so not being able to see them meant that they had no way to find their direction. Furthermore, the storm continued raging. They finally gave up all hope of being saved.

Have you ever experienced a situation where you gave up all hope of being saved amid such a violent storm in your life? Humanity has made great scientific advancements, overcoming many natural threats. We have built warm, heated homes to protect ourselves from the cold. We have invented cars and airplanes to travel long distances quickly. Now, we even travel to outer space. With advancements in medicine, human life expectancy has increased, and some say we are entering an era where people live to 100. Yet, we remain helpless in the face of natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, etc. The more we explore the universe, the smaller and humbler we feel in the face of its vastness. Even if we live to be 100, we are still frustrated by the ultimate limits of life. Sometimes, we encounter unexpected storms. Some face storms of life-threatening illness or accidents. Others experience the storm of losing loved ones. Some go through financial storms due to business failures or job loss. Among students, some face the storm of potentially being expelled for not passing their classes. We make various efforts to overcome these storms, but despite all our efforts, when the situation not only fails to improve but even worsens, we eventually give up.

How can we overcome such storms in life? Look at the example of the Apostle Paul. He, too, must have felt fear in the midst of that violent storm. But how did he overcome it? He encountered God standing beside him in the midst of the storm. Read verses 23-24: “Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and 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.’” Last night, an angel of God stood beside him and said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar.” “Do not be afraid, Paul.” What a comforting message! God sent an angel who called Paul by name and said, “Do not be afraid.” The angel reminded Paul of God’s promise: “You must stand trial before Caesar.” Paul had already received this promise from Jesus, and now God reaffirmed it, giving him even greater confidence. To stand before Caesar, he would not die in that storm. He would safely reach Rome. In this way, when we encounter God and receive His promises, we can overcome fear and find peace. And with that peace, we can act in faith.

When I was in Venezuela, I faced a life-threatening situation when I was kidnapped. The kidnappers threatened me, pointing a gun at my head. At that moment, there was nothing I could do but pray. I prayed for God to forgive my sins and to save me, entrusting my life to Him. Then, God gave me peace. After that, I was able to speak calmly with the kidnappers. When I told them I was a missionary, they respected me and didn’t harm me physically. They even confessed to me that they go to church. They excused themselves to me, saying, “Unfortunately, this is our job.” By God’s grace, I was released after two and a half hours. When we are in a crisis, the most important thing we need is to encounter God and hear His voice. If we have a deep relationship with God in our daily lives, we will be able to hear His voice even in moments of crisis. Therefore, we must constantly seek and meet God, trying to hear His voice through His word.

Moreover, God gave Paul another promise: “God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.” This was God’s assurance that everyone on board with Paul would survive. Through this, we understand that God spared their lives because of Paul, a man of God. This reminds us of God’s promise regarding Sodom—that He would not judge the city if there were even ten righteous people. Some may ask why God has not yet judged this world. It is because there are still more than ten righteous people here. God desires to save even one more soul. Remember, the reason this world still exists is because of believers like you who follow God. Remember that when you fly and the plane lands safely at its destination, it may be because you, a person of faith, were on board.

After receiving this promise from God, the Apostle Paul began to help those who were trembling with fear. He first pointed out that they were in danger because they hadn’t taken his advice: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.” In these words, we sense Paul’s authority as a servant of God. He then delivered a message of hope to those in crisis: “But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.” “Not one of you will be lost.” What comforting words these are! Paul confidently declared that no one would die. His confidence in delivering this hopeful message came from the promise that he had received from God. This assurance did not come from Paul himself but from God. Therefore, this promise would surely be fulfilled.

Look at verse 25: “So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” Paul repeatedly said, “Keep up your courage.” Also, he expressed his faith in God. Faith is entirely different from human confidence. Faith comes from God, while human confidence comes from ourselves. Human confidence often fails because we lack the power to fulfill our promises. If any one of us in such a situation were to say from his own confidence, “We will all survive,” who would believe it? We don’t even have the power to save ourselves. But when our assurance comes from God, it will surely be fulfilled because God is one who keeps His promises. We may fail, but God never fails. So Paul spoke with confidence: “For I have faith in God.” Paul believed that God would accomplish what He had promised.

The Apostle Paul was a prisoner, yet in this crisis, he became the leader of those on the ship and played a crucial role in saving their lives. First, he prevented the sailors from escaping from the ship. Paul was able to catch their attempt because he carefully observed and watched the situation. To overcome the crisis, he remained alert, prayed, observed, and took action. He also encouraged everyone on board to eat. After 14 days without food, they were all exhausted and needed strength to survive. Paul told them, “Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” Usually, when people eat and are filled, they feel much better and find hope in life. So Paul encouraged them by giving them food. Moreover, Paul offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God in front of everyone present. When he took some bread and gave thanks to God, everyone likely responded with “Amen.” Through this, Paul had a positive influence by demonstrating his faith in Jesus Christ. In the end, all 276 people on board arrived safely on land. Their lives were saved through Paul’s leadership.

Our lives are like a voyage shared with many others on the same ship. In the crises we face on this journey, the way to survive and help others survive is by encountering God, hearing His voice, and trusting in Him. This faith is made possible by meeting God regularly in our daily lives. I pray that all of us will continue to grow in faith by encountering, relying on, and experiencing God in our daily lives. May God’s glory be revealed through us, and may many others find salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.