Finding Favor

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During our Going Viral series, we have looked at the many things that the early church did to help spread the word about Jesus throughout the known world in a viral manner. We have seen that the message was propelled by the power of the Holy Spirit. That they went boldly with the message. That they shared the love of Jesus publicly. That they refused to obey orders not to talk about Jesus. We saw that God even used unbelievers to spread the news about Jesus.

We saw that sometimes sharing the news was dangerous, but that they were faithful to tell it regardless. We saw how the church being scattered actually helped spread the message even faster. We saw how God transformed the life of Saul. We saw how the early church dealt with racism and discovered that God’s salvation was meant for all people. We saw how prayer empowered the believers: breaking chains, opening prison cells, and releasing people from possession.

We saw that the church was mission minded. That Paul often was either loved or hated by the people. We learned how the early church faced and lovingly handled conflicts. We saw that the early believers considered themselves slaves to God so that they might free those that are slaves to sin. We saw how the Jews responded in jealousy, while the Greeks were intrigued with the message that Paul had to share.

We saw that the Paul and his fellow missionaries made long-term commitments to building relationships and growing churches. We saw how they faced their fears knowing that God was with them. And today we finish this series by seeing how God helped them to find favor, even among their enemies.

When we last saw Paul, he had been seized in Jerusalem, secured in Caesarea, and was shipped to Rome. But the journey to Rome was not just a quick little trip. They didn’t have the modern transportation that we are used to.

It could easily take weeks or months to travel a short distance; even by ship. The ships did not have engines to help push them through the water. They were sailboats. They relied solely on the wind to get them from point A to point B. If the wind wasn’t in their favor, then they might have to wait it out until the wind changed directions.

⁴ When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us.  ⁷ Sailing slowly for many days, we came with difficulty as far as Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ With yet more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea. ¹³ When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. ¹⁴ But not long afterward, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island. (Acts 27:4, 7-8, 13-14)

Remember, God had promised Paul that he would go to Rome. Yet here it seems that even the wind is fighting against God’s plans. Have you ever been faced with a situation like that? You know that God wants you to do something, but everything and everyone seems to be against you? But Paul continued to have faith that God would do as he promised.

After weeks of attempting to sail north with great difficulty, suddenly a gentle south wind springs up and they think they have it made. It was getting close to winter when boats could not safely travel in the Mediterranean Sea. They were anxious to get to a safe harbor where they could winter in safety. But the gentle wind was just the calm before the storm.

We all certainly know what a nor’easter is. Usually we experience those during the winter and we get slammed with wind driven snow that piles up high. They were hit with a nor’easter that pushed against the sails and drove them south. They had to fight against the storm for many days, throwing supplies overboard to keep from being swamped and sunk.

²² Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. ²³ For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, ²⁴ and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ Therefore, take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me. (Acts 27:22-25)

Paul Finds Favor with the Military

Do you think Paul was afraid? I doubt it. He had already been told by God that he was going to stand before Caesar in Rome. He knew he would make it. But God spoke to Paul again so that he might encourage the rest of the crew that they would also be safe.

If you were being held captive by soldiers, would you care whether or not they felt safe during a storm? Would you bother telling them that everything would be OK? These guards were not exactly kind toward Paul and the other prisoners onboard. They didn’t care what happened to the prisoners as long as they did not escape, but Paul shared God’s message with them and found favor with the military because of it.

⁴² The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴ The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore. (Acts 27:42-44)

Finding Favor with the Politicians

Paul also found favor by helping the political leaders. These leaders, men like Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa, could easily have ordered his death at any time. Paul could have chosen to stand defiant against them, yet instead he chose to help even while in chains. Even while unfairly beaten and imprisoned.

⁷ Now in the area around that place [Malta] was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him. ⁹ After this, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰ So they heaped many honors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we needed. (Acts 28:7-10)

Because Paul was humble and compassionate toward his oppressors, he found favor among the politicians. So much so that once he was delivered to Rome, they permitted him to stay by himself in a rented house.

³⁰ Then he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, ³¹ proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with full boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:30-31)

Finding Favor with the Crowds

Paul was in Caesarea for 2 years before being sent to Rome. The journey took months because of the ill winds. And now Paul is basically under house arrest in Rome and we see here that for two years he welcomed any that wanted to visit him so that he could tell them all that he had seen and heard. So that he could tell them about Jesus, the Messiah with boldness and without hindrance. Paul had found favor with the military, with the politicians, and with the crowds.

Do you think Paul would have found favor among these groups if he chose to be offended by his situation? He could have stood his ground and railed against everyone that had done him wrong. He could have demanded that his rights be upheld. Instead, Paul continued to show God’s love to others. The result was that he continued to find favor with others and had to ability to continue to tell them about Jesus.

Can we see how this relates to us? We have a choice to make. We can choose to be offended when a store refuses to say, “Merry Christmas.” We can choose to demand our religious rights because we cannot pray at a football game in public school. We can choose to show our anger because someone “disrespected” a flag that we have elevated to idol status. We can choose to hate a race because some among them have hurt us as part of a war against those who refuse to believe in the God of Islam.

When we choose to be offended, to make demands, to be angry, and to hate others, we fail to find the favor that is needed for us to have a conversation with others about Jesus and His love. We can choose to show love and compassion instead.