A Wild Ride — Adam’s Angle

People pay big bucks to ride roller coasters. Why is it so fun to race, drop and twist out of control? Because (dare I say it?) roller coasters are safe.

Think about it. Most everyone who gets on a roller coaster knows they’re gonna make it safe back home in just under two minutes. That’s why the lines are so long: people want a thrill, but they want to know they’ll be OK in the end.

But what if there was a sign at the entrance to the coaster that said, “Warning: Survival rate 50 percent — ride at your own risk.” You’d have the coaster to yourself — everyone else would be in line for the teacups.

It’s that sense of security that gives people boldness to ride the coaster in the first place.

The same should be true for us as we follow Christ. We all face times when we’re not in control of the circumstances in our lives: when we’ve got to move to Idaho because of our work or when we face an unexpected health condition. But when we know that God is guarding over His plans for our lives and that He will safely bring us back home, we can fearlessly seize every opportunity to live and witness for Him.

The Roman Roller Coaster

The apostle Paul was in for a wild ride at the end of the book of Acts. Despite the pleading of his friends and against all common sense, Paul was headed back to Jerusalem by the urging of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:22). He knew he would be in danger from many of the Jews there who didn’t like that he had begun following Jesus. Sure enough, his mere presence in the temple area caused a riot and he was beaten within inches of his life (Acts 21:27-31).

Fortunately, the Roman authorities broke up the mob long enough to drag Paul to safety. If I had been Paul, I would have been glad to get away from the crowd as soon as possible. But instead, he does something curious: he asks the Roman centurion for permission to address the crowd. He then proceeds to tell the crowd of his conversion testimony and of God’s plan to save both Jew and Gentile through Jesus (Acts 21:40-22:21).

While other people may have seen a riot and a beating as major bummers, Paul saw them as opportunities to boldly witness to the people of the city he had left behind before his conversion on the road to Damascus.

And God continued to embolden him: “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, ‘Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so must you also testify in Rome’” (Acts 23:11).

What a comfort. The road to Jerusalem hadn’t been easy, but now he knew that God was going to bring him safely to Rome. As it turns out, Paul would need that encouragement because his wild ride had barely started.

Assassins, Lawyers and Other Serpents

The last five and a half chapters of the book of Acts tell of Paul’s journey to Rome. There are three things to take note of.

First, he faced a lot of opposition. He was almost ripped to pieces by the Jewish religious leaders, he barely escaped a conspiracy against his life by 40 assassins, and he was forced to go head to head against a top lawyer (gasp — hide the kids!) when his case came before the Roman governor. On top of that, he was stuck in corrupt government quagmire for two years, got shipwrecked in the perfect storm and was even bitten by a poisonous viper. His God-ordained road to Rome was hardly a walk in the park.

Second, Paul was confident that God would safely bring him to Rome to carry out His purposes for his life. In the middle of that raging storm on the sea, after all of the sailors had given up hope of survival, Paul boldly said to them, “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you’” (Acts 27:23-24). His sense of security in God’s hands enabled him to speak and act.

Last, Paul used the trials and the attacks against him as opportunities to boldly witness for Christ. He used the court case against him to witness to not only the local governor and his family, but also to the visiting King Agrippa. In the midst of the storm, he was witnessing to the sailors, crew and soldiers on board. Even the serpent’s bite on the island of Malta served to give him credibility in the sight of the locals.

During any of these trials Paul could have just sat back and said, “Well, this trial is inconvenient, but I’ll just keep quiet and ride it out until I get to Rome. Then God and I will be back in business like usual.” But he didn’t. He spoke up boldly in the presence of kings and scurvy sailors and made the most of the opportunities he had. Even as the book of Acts ends, we see Paul making the most of his house arrest in Rome: “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31).

Whee!

Maybe God hasn’t called you to Rome, but He does have a purpose for you (Psalm 57:2, Ephesians 2:10). Beyond that, if you have put your faith in Christ, you know that no matter what trials, dips or loopty-loops you’re facing right now, you’re going to get safely back home with Him when this life is done. So take courage. Live boldly for Him and see each trial as an open door to witness for Him. Things in life are often out of our hands, but they’re never out of His hands.

— Adam Pivec
7/5/08