A visit with Paul
For the conclusion of our VBS program, I wrote this monologue as a closing message for our church program. This is a fun piece of creative writing based on Acts 28.
Hello friends, what a joy to have you visit my humble home. I do wish we were meeting under different circumstances. I wanted to visit Rome in person, but I did not expect to visit Rome while in chains. Living my life dedicated to the preaching of the gospel has definitely been an adventure. I came to Rome by ship, and once we had arrived in Crete, I warned the centurion that our voyage would end in disaster, but he didn’t listen to me. As a result, we were caught in a terrible storm for 14 days. An angel of God appeared to me and told me that I must be brought before Caesar and that God had granted me all those who sailed with me. Sure enough, we ran the ship aground, and those who could swim jumped overboard while others held on to some boards and other parts of the ship and made their way to shore. Just like God had said, everyone escaped safely to land. (Acts 27)
This experience was quite exciting, and I’ll never forget it for as long as I live. But it was by no means a pleasant or comfortable experience. If God wanted me to be brought before Caesar, then why didn’t He make my journey easy and comfortable? Why didn’t the Centurion believe me when I told him that the voyage would end in disaster? God sent an angel to tell me that one would die, but 14 days on a ship fighting for our lives was exhausting! Swimming to land while the waves broke our ship apart was terrifying. I trust in God with my whole heart, but several times it felt like we would die. Many times, it felt like God was distant and might have forgotten His promise. In the end, it all worked out, but my journey here was not a pleasant one.
Once we survived the shipwreck, we realized that the island we were on was called Malta. It was raining and cold, and we had been wet and cold for about two weeks. The natives of the island showed us unusual kindness; they kindled a fire and made us feel welcome. I was so happy to be on land and excited at the prospect of finally being dry and warm that I went to gather a bundle of sticks to lay them on the fire. When I laid the sticks on the fire, a viper came out from among the sticks! The heat from the fire must have been a great motivator because that snake moved faster than I could react, and it bit down hard on my hand.
I felt the teeth of the viper sink into my hand. It was not a pleasant experience. For a while, the snake just hung there on my hand. I was so tired of everything going wrong that I just shook the snake off my hand and into the fire. Later, I found out that when the natives saw the viper bite me, they were sure that I must have been a murderer and a terrible criminal, and even though I had survived the shipwreck, justice would not allow me to live. They were expecting to see me swell up and suddenly drop dead, but when I was fine after a long time, they changed their mind and became convinced that I was a god.
That is a great illustration of what my life has been like recently. In some ways, I feel invincible because God has a plan for me and for my life, and no power on earth can stop God. So if God wants me to be brought before Caesar, there is no storm or shipwreck or venomous snake that will be able to stop me. On the other hand, I also feel cursed that I had to deal with a shipwreck and a snake bite. It can be so confusing. I know that God is with me, protecting me, and keeping me alive. But sometimes it feels like God is against me because of how difficult my life has been. So on the one hand, I am unstoppable, and nothing can kill me until I have fulfilled God’s mission for my life. On the other hand, my life has been so difficult it is challenging to feel blessed.
While I was in Malta, a leading citizen named Publius received us and entertained us courteously for three days. Sadly, his father was sick, so I went and prayed with him and laid my hands on him; by God’s grace, he was healed. Once word got out, everyone who was sick on the island came, and I was able ot heal them by God’s power. When we left, they provided us with everything we needed for our journey. While in Malta, I was honored in many ways, yet I remained a prisoner. What a contradiction I must have been to all around me. A criminal, a prisoner, so likely a bad man, but also favored by God with knowledge about the future and power to heal and survive snake bites, so that would make me a good man. But if I am a good man and favored by God, why am I in chains? Why was I shipwrecked? Why did the snake bite me?
Looking back on my life, it is always easier to see God’s hand at work. My prediction of the ship's fate revealed to everyone that God had indeed communicated with me. My surviving the snake bite revealed to the natives of Malta that God was with me. God used me to bless and heal the people who had been so welcoming to us. Maybe if our ship had not been shipwrecked, the natives of Malta would have never experienced the power of God as they did, and I was able to preach the gospel to them. I would not be surprised if everyone who was with me on the ship began to believe in Jesus and accept Him as Lord and Savior. When I think about it that way, it kinda makes sense. But part of me still wishes that my life were not so difficult.
How does it feel for you to hear about God’s love and power from a man in chains? What honor can a prisoner have? Who am I to tell good news to anyone else? Can I preach the gospel when my life is still a mess and I am not sure what will happen next? Following Jesus is not about living a comfortable life, but a meaningful life. If God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son, and if Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins, then I count it a privilege to suffer for Him.
I may be in chains today, but I am free in Jesus. I have more freedom in this house and in these chains than sinners who have their physical freedom but are in bondage to sin. I have no fear of death, and my greatest desire is simply to faithfully share the gospel with all. While under house arrest, I have written 4 letters: one to the church in Ephesus, one to the church in Philippi, one to the church in Colossae, and a personal letter to Philemon. I will never know the full impact of those letters or of any of my efforts. But I take comfort that the results are in God’s hands. I have been called to faithfully do my part, and though being in chains limits what I can do, it does not mean I can’t do anything.
I have been waiting for two years to see Caesar, and I am beginning to wonder if he will ever see me. These have been a long and at times frustrating two years. But I trust in God’s plan. I do not know what's ahead or how long I’ll be in chains. But what I do know is that I will continue to preach the gospel to all who are willing to come visit me (since I am not allowed to go anywhere). And just as I have been doing it every evening this week, I will make an appeal to you. Since I am not allowed to leave my home, will you please share with others what I have shared with you? Please let your friends and family know that God loves them, that nothing can separate them from God’s love, and that God’s love can transform them. Invite them to accept Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior and to accept His sacrifice for their sins.
