An Invitation To All" - Acts 28:1-28

Devotional

Day 1: Firewood, Vipers, and the God Who Shakes Off Curses

A venomous snake latches onto Paul’s hand as he serves others, yet he shakes it off unharmed. The islanders’ assumptions flip from condemning him as cursed to worshiping him as divine. But the real miracle isn’t Paul’s survival—it’s his refusal to let others’ opinions define his identity. God’s power isn’t limited by human labels or circumstantial chaos. Even in mundane acts of service, His faithfulness burns brighter than any accusation. [27:40]

“But the Lord said to Paul… ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking… for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.’” (Acts 18:9–10, ESV)

Reflection: When have others’ assumptions about you (positive or negative) distracted you from your mission? How might shaking off others’ expectations free you to serve boldly today?

Day 2: The Unlikely Hospital on Storm-Wrecked Shores

Shipwrecked refugees become healers. Paul, the prisoner, transforms Malta into a place of restoration—healing a leader’s father, then crowds of strangers. Hospitality becomes a two-way street: islanders provide warmth, Paul offers wholeness. Ministry thrives not in ideal conditions but in the messy aftermath of disaster. God repurposes wreckage into waiting rooms for miracles. [31:09]

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10, ESV)

Reflection: What “wreckage” in your life (relational, vocational, or emotional) might God want to repurpose for others’ healing? Who needs your practical kindness today?

Day 3: Closed Synagogues and Open Living Rooms

Under house arrest, Paul turns his rented quarters into a 24/7 Bible seminar. Jewish leaders dismiss him, but seekers pack his living room from dawn to dusk. When traditional platforms slam shut, ordinary spaces become pulpits. The gospel isn’t confined to pulpits or programs—it flourishes wherever hungry hearts gather around Scripture. [48:19]

“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.” (Acts 28:30–31, ESV)

Reflection: What unconventional space (kitchen table, gym, workplace) could become your “living room” for spiritual conversations? Who needs an invitation to your version of Paul’s lodging?

Day 4: The Stumbling Stone That Became a Cornerstone

Religious leaders trip over Jesus while outsiders embrace Him. Paul confronts their Isaiah-quoting blindness: they knew Messiah’s lyrics but missed the melody. Their obsession with rule-keeping became a roadblock to grace. Yet this rejection unlocked salvation for nations. What man meant as exclusion, God used for global inclusion. [55:17]

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:33, ESV)

Reflection: Are you trying to “earn” grace through spiritual performance? How might embracing your status as a “stumbling recipient” rather than a “self-made saint” deepen your worship?

Day 5: No Backup Plans—Just One Unstoppable Story

Paul’s final sermon in Acts echoes his Romans letter: God’s plan always included outsiders. The church isn’t Plan B—it’s the multiethnic family God foretold through Abraham. Every Gentile convert proves Scripture’s reliability. Our faith connects us to ancient promises, making us heirs of covenants we didn’t author but get to fulfill. [58:28]

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘In you shall all the nations be blessed.’” (Galatians 3:8, ESV)

Reflection: Which part of God’s global story (persecuted churches, unreached people groups, local mission efforts) most ignites your prayers? How can you actively join that narrative this week?

Sermon Summary

Luke sets Acts 28 on the shore of Malta with “unusual kindness” meeting a soaked, exhausted shipload. Paul gathers sticks and gets hit by a viper, the islanders swinging from “murderer” to “a god,” but the episode refuses their verdict. The text echoes Acts 14 as Paul will not accept worship, and instead Christ’s power shows up in healing Publius’s father and a flood of others. The island’s warmth toward the castaways and Paul’s returned mercy draw a line: gospel people seize interruptions to “do good to everyone,” and God turns a soft landing into open doors.

The journey to Rome reads calm after the storm, but the storyline insists Rome has already heard the name of Jesus. Pentecost visitors from Rome, the Claudian expulsion, Priscilla and Aquila, and a delivered letter via Phoebe stitch a timeline where house churches are active before Paul ever sets foot in the city. So when believers meet him at the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns, the scene shows a living church greeting a chained apostle who “thanked God and took courage.”

Paul’s pattern holds: “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Under house arrest he summons the local Jewish leaders and frames his chains as “because of the hope of Israel.” Their claim of ignorance and the loaded word “sect” betray a posture already slanted against him, yet they grant a hearing. From morning till evening Paul expounds the kingdom, pressing Moses and the Prophets into the single line that lands on Jesus: the serpent-crusher, Abraham’s offspring, David’s son, the promised king whose blessing runs to the nations.

When some believe and others harden, the Spirit speaks Isaiah 6 through Paul. Hearts have grown dull, eyes shut, ears clogged, “lest they should…turn and I would heal them.” The prophetic verdict lands, and the missionary turn follows: “this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles - they will listen.” The larger theology comes clear. God is not scrambling a Plan B. Israel stumbled over the stumbling stone, but Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. The blessing of Abraham comes to the nations in Christ, and Gentiles are grafted into one people by faith. That news humbles religious pride and lifts the heads of outsiders.

The closing charge runs on two rails. The gospel calls for personal faith now - not a scale of deeds, but a crucified Christ who became a curse so the guilty could be declared innocent. And the mission insists on speech: “How will they hear without someone preaching?” Shipwrecks and snake bites do not slow a sent life.

Key Takeaways

1. Hospitality becomes a gospel runway [30:12] Christian kindness and practical care create plausibility for the message long before arguments land. Malta’s warmth gives Paul room to heal, serve, and point beyond himself when others try to make him more than a man. Interruptions become invitations when the heart is set to “do good to everyone.” God often steers mission through ordinary warmth and shared need. [30:12]
2. To the Jew first, still [40:07] Paul’s pattern honors covenant history while aiming at the whole world. Beginning with Israel dignifies the story God already told and makes Jesus’ fulfillment intelligible. Yet the same gospel does not stop there, because the promise to Abraham always had the nations in view. Faith, not pedigree, is the doorway for all who hear. [40:07]
3. The Spirit exposes willed blindness [51:04] Isaiah’s word names a frightening reality - hearing that never lands and seeing that never perceives. Hardness is not just ignorance but settled resistance to light, a refusal that protects control. The diagnosis is severe so the remedy can be clear: turn and be healed. When the ears stay shut, the mission moves on to those who will listen. [51:04]
4. One people by faith alone [58:56] God is not patching holes but completing a plan - Christ for sinners, Jew and Gentile made family together. Law-keeping cannot produce the righteousness the law demands; only Christ crucified and risen can. Grafting language guards both humility and hope, because no one boasts in their branch. Faith unites to the root, and the blessing of Abraham flows. [58:56]
5. Speak so others can hear [01:06:18] “Whoever calls” is paired with “How will they hear,” which means silence is not love. Prayer matters, but speech carries the news into actual ears. Courage grows as the mission gets personal - a neighbor, a coworker, a cousin whose name is known. Beauty rests on the feet that simply go and say what Jesus has done. [66:18]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[20:58] - Big-picture aim and Acts 28 reading
[21:41] - Snake on Malta and misjudgment
[22:38] - Healings and mutual hospitality
[23:05] - Journey to Italy and smooth arrival
[31:35] - Christianity already present in Rome
[32:21] - Pentecost to Claudius - a timeline
[36:32] - Pitoli to Rome - greeted on the road
[38:54] - To the Jew first - Paul’s pattern
[41:43] - Meeting Roman Jewish leaders
[47:45] - All-day exposition from Law and Prophets
[51:04] - Isaiah 6 quoted - hard hearts named
[56:49] - Not a backup plan - one people
[65:41] - How will they hear - sent ones
[68:05] - Closing prayer and sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Acts 28:1-10, 23-28 (ESV)
(Read the full passage for context: Paul’s shipwreck on Malta, healing miracles, and his dialogue with Jewish leaders in Rome.)

Observation Questions

In Acts 28:3-6, how did the people of Malta misinterpret Paul’s survival after the snakebite, and how did their perception of him shift?
What practical acts of hospitality did the Maltese people show Paul and his companions (Acts 28:2, 10)?
How did Paul use the Old Testament (Law of Moses and Prophets) to explain Jesus to the Jewish leaders in Rome (Acts 28:23)? [48:47]
What was the response of the Jewish leaders to Paul’s message, and how did Paul interpret their resistance (Acts 28:24-27)?

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Paul prioritized sharing the gospel with Jewish leaders first, even in Rome (Acts 28:17-20)? How does this reflect God’s covenant faithfulness? [40:07]
The sermon emphasized that hospitality creates a “gospel runway.” How did the mutual kindness between Paul and the Maltese people open doors for ministry (Acts 28:7-9)?
Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 to describe spiritual blindness. Why is this diagnosis both severe and hopeful for those who hear the gospel? [51:04]
The sermon stated, “God is not scrambling a Plan B.” How does Paul’s turn to the Gentiles in Acts 28:28 align with God’s broader plan in Scripture (e.g., Genesis 12:3)?

Application Questions

The Maltese people showed “unusual kindness” to strangers. Who in your life (e.g., neighbors, coworkers) could you intentionally serve this week to create opportunities for gospel conversations? [30:12]
Paul’s chains became a platform to explain “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20). What challenges or interruptions in your life could God use to point others to Jesus?
The sermon warned against “willed blindness” to truth. Are there areas where you’ve resisted God’s Word or rationalized disobedience? How can you actively “turn and be healed”? [51:39]
Paul’s mission required bold speech: “How will they hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). Who is one person you know who needs to hear about Jesus, and what step will you take to share with them? [01:06:18]
The gospel unites Jews and Gentiles “by faith alone.” How can your church better reflect this unity and guard against pride in cultural or religious pedigree? [58:56]

Sermon Clips

37s

“But you know what else is important? How will they hear unless someone preaches to them? That doesn't mean me standing up front with a microphone. That means you. That means go and tell them what God has done in your life. That means go and tell them about the hope that you have, not because things always work out okay, not because life is easy. I think Paul would object to that statement. Right? We got a shipwreck and a snake bite, and it's not always easy, but it's always worth it. How will they hear unless we go and tell them?”

42s

“The good news is that there is one who has measured up. That there is one who is good enough to stand before God, and Jesus is able to say, I did it perfectly. I measured up. I obeyed. I I hit the mark. And when he died on a cross as a wrongly convicted criminal, he made it available so that I could be forgiven and you could be forgiven, that we can stand before God boldly and be received, adopted as sons and daughters because not because we're good, but we stand there in the righteousness of Christ that is made available to us. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.”

31s

“Paul has centered his life. His life's mission is focused on sharing the good news that Jesus died so that sinners like me and like you could be forgiven. That we could be forgiven by a just God. That we could be his people like he has come to establish among the people of humanity. That he has come to redeem a special people for himself. And so, Paul has centered his life around sharing the good news that that people could be accepted into that family by faith.”

40s

“Paul's not here in Acts 28 rewriting the playbook. Right? This isn't new information. This isn't new news that he's sharing with these hard hearted Jews who are in Rome. He's just telling them what he already told them in his letter. I told you this three years ago. Are you going to reject Jesus? And if you do, God is gonna take the message that he has set aside first for you, Jewish people, and he's gonna take it to the outsiders. He's gonna take it to the dogs. He's gonna give it to the Gentiles. God's plan all along, Paul is arguing, is that, God has been creating one people for himself.”

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An Invitation To All" - Acts 28:1-28 - 05/31/2026