Acts 28 - Rome at Last

For me the part of this passage that stuck out the most to me is tucked away in VS 21.  "none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you."
Paul's character preceded him.  The religious leaders wanted him to be in deep trouble for preaching the message of Christ to the "wrong (Gentile)" kind of people.  As he is arrives in Rome to defend himself he is met with people who are not really sure why he is there or what the problem is.  They haven't heard any thing bad about him.  Not only nothing bad, but had they heard anything it would have been so good.  Think back to his experience on the island earlier in this chapter.  I would think the people he met and inter acted with there would have nothing but good things to say.  And just look at the doors it opened for him to share the gospel in Rome.  They wanted to know what the deal was.  Why are people talking against Paul and the other followers of the Messiah?  As they listened, some believed.  Others didn't, but some did.

Our character matters.  Who we are, what we say, how we act and live....they matter.  Our character has the potential to give us opportunities to speak to the goodness of Jesus the Messiah, or maybe not so much.

So what would people say about you?  We make a big deal about "it doesn't matter what others think about us".  But actually, it does.  Maybe we should all examine our life and consider...could others report something bad about me?  If so, maybe I have some work to do to change that perception.

God be with us as we do this.

Mathew McCabe