When Your Plans Collapse, Make Sure You Don’t
By Dr. Jack R. Hodges, Jr.
Burke County
The Book of Acts is the story of those who committed themselves to following Jesus as Savior and Lord and who responded to His commission to “go and make disciples of all nations.” The Apostle Paul would become a central figure of Luke’s account, as he answered the call to take the gospel beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria unto the remotest parts of the earth. Paul would suffer for the sake of the call. But he was resolute in his commitment to live out the gospel message of Christ and gather the church together to accomplish the plans and purposes of God. He labored under hardship and persecution, but he persevered and carried the gospel to the Gentiles.
After Paul had completed two successful missionary journeys, Luke gives an account in Acts 21-28 (and specifically in Chapters 27-28) of Paul’s trials and final journey to Rome. This story is a compelling story of faith amid adversity. It is the story of Paul’s Mediterranean Sea journey to Rome. He was sent as a prisoner of Rome from Caesarea in Israel to Rome to stand trial before the higher courts of Rome. Though a Jew, Paul was a Roman citizen and he had the right and privilege, as a Roman citizen during a provincial trial, to “appeal to Caesar.” Festus, the Roman procurator at Caesarea was bound by Roman law to grant that appeal and he sent Paul as a prisoner of Rome to stand trial in Rome. Acts 27:1-2 reads, “When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.”
A while back, I came across a sermon by Pastor Robert Morgan entitled, “The Mediterranean Sea Rules,” which highlighted Paul’s journey to Rome and mentioned several intriguing spiritual principles or “rules” that we may apply to our lives as Christ followers. The first rule is “when your plans collapse, make sure you don’t!”
Paul’s obedient life of service to the Lord was filled with difficulties, hardships, persecution, and many spiritual victories—all of which stand as an inspiring testament to the mighty hand of God upon his life. Every step that he took, he took by faith. Paul’s daily testimony was “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20) His commitment would place him in jeopardy time and time again. When, after completing his 2nd missionary journey, Paul arrived back in Jerusalem, the religious leaders pounced. A frenzied mob dragged him out of the temple and sought to stone and kill him. But God’s providential hand appeared in the form of the Roman commander, who stepped in and took him in for questioning. Finding that he wasn’t the rebel he thought him to be, the commander released Paul and Paul stood before the mob and preached Jesus. The mob sought to rush in and take him again, but the commander stepped in again, taking him to the barracks to scourge and question him. But before he could be flogged, Paul questioned whether it was lawful and permissible for a Roman citizen who had not yet been found guilty of a crime to be scourged. It was not! So, the commander released Paul and commanded that he return the next morning to face an assembly of the chief priests and the council. Paul, once again, has a captive audience—and he witnessed the only hope of the resurrection. Afraid that Paul would be torn to bits by the warring factions of the Jews, the commander once again stepped in and rescued him. Then, a little later, after a plot to assassinate Paul surfaced, the commander ordered that a squadron take Paul to Caesarea to stand trial before the governor, Felix. Paul was in and out of court for the next two years with Felix presiding. When Felix was recalled to Rome, he was replaced by Porcius Festus. Festus continued the trial and when he asked if Paul would be willing to go to Jerusalem and continue the trial there, Paul appealed to Caesar.
It just so happened that King Agrippa and his wife, Bernice, had come down to Caesarea to pay a social visit to Festus. Hearing about Paul’s case, Festus asked the king to render his skilled opinion on matters of Jewish law. King Agrippa agreed to hear Paul. So, not only did Paul preach the good news to religious leaders seeking to destroy him and Roman commanders and soldiers seeking to carry out Roman rule of law, but now, Paul is placed before King Agrippa himself and he delivers a powerful and stirring testimony. His defense (more like a sermon) tells of his past zeal for the Judaic law, his persecution of Christians, his personal encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus, and his conversion and calling to share the good news with all, in Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and even to the Gentiles far and wide.
In the face of pressure from all directions, from the most powerful people of his time, and from the most destructive forces imaginable; as Paul’s plans collapsed around him—God’s plans didn’t! After all, wasn’t it God’s plan all along to bring the gospel message and the name of Jesus Christ to the nations? Wasn’t it God’s plan for kings, rulers, soldiers, commanders, priests, rabbis, Pharisees, Sadducees, court officials, Roman governors, and everyday normal people to hear that Jesus, the Son of God, saves? Isn’t it God’s plan when you and I face challenges, difficulties, threats, persecution, trial, and false charges—a plan for us to stand tall and true in the testimony of the goodness and power of the Lord? As followers of Christ, we will not cave or collapse, but instead boldly and humbly proclaim that Jesus is Lord. As children of God, we will faithfully testify that Christ came to save and that the Lord Jesus has changed our lives—and that He can also change their lives too!
Paul’s journey was just beginning. Much was ahead. But armed with a saving faith and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, Paul was ready to give witness to God’s providential hand as he boarded that cargo ship bound for Rome. Where is God taking you today? Be assured that if you are walking by faith and committed to His will and way, then that path will take you to a place and a time where and when you can witness to the Lordship of Christ
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Dr. Jack Hodges is the Senior Pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Morganton, NC. He has served as a pastor, a biblical counselor, and an International Mission Board missionary.
Read more from Dr. Hodges here.
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