Read a scripture and sing worship songs.

(Optional) Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. He wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator also between God and man, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all. (Philippians 2:11b; 1 Timothy 2:4-6a)

Choose a way to cast vision for who they can become in Christ or what God can do through them by:

• a scripture that reminds them of the Father’s Heart and of the end vision.
• reflecting on the changes in their life since they started following Christ
• reminding them of what God wants to do through them

Share BIG vision “A church for every village and community, and the gospel for every person.”

Paul Sails for Rome

¹ When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.² We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

³ The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.⁴ From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.⁵ When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.⁶ There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.⁷ We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.⁸ We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

⁹ Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. So Paul warned them,¹⁰ “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.”¹¹ But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.¹² Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm

¹³ When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete.¹⁴ Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island.¹⁵ The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.¹⁶ As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure,¹⁷ so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along.¹⁸ We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.¹⁹ On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

²¹ After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.²² But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.²³ Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me²⁴ 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.’²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.²⁶ Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

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Luke and Aristarchus, one of the Thessalonian leaders who came to Jerusalem with Paul two years before, joined the prisoner transfer to Rome (v2). The sailors took a great risk by trying to sail too late in the travel season, putting everyone in very dangerous circumstances. As far as we know Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus were the only Christians on board with about 273 non-Christians (Acts 27:37). 

We see the heart of compassion Jesus has for people as He promised to rescue Paul and all of those on the ship. Paul lived out his trust in Jesus in front of everyone but he was also very practical in how he met people’s needs. Trust and godliness did not rule out common sense of what people needed. Even though he was in the lowly position of a prisoner, Paul’s leadership character and competence is clearly seen here. The others began to listen to him. We learn that influence is not dependent on our position in life.

 

• Practice needed skills or previous topics to help prepare to minister to others:
  o Prayer, Care, Share
  o Gospel
  o Foundational Bible Studies.