Don’t Quit—You’ll miss out on what God will do! (We rarely see the fruit of our labor instantly. It takes time. It takes blood, sweat & tears! The harvest can only come after the rocks are removed from the land, the soil is prepared, the seeds are planted, the rain comes, the seeds sprout, and the crop has time to grow. TELL: 5 years in Taiwan before a single response. If we had quit, we would have missed out…)
 
God is not honored when we give up. He is honored when we endure. We must not forget that he has promised a harvest. Results DO NOT come without perseverance! Hear what God says to us:
 
“But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”  (Habakkuk 2:4)
“But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed,
but to those who have faith and are saved.”   (Hebrews 10:39)
 
Today we’re going to watch how Paul operates even when he’s shipwrecked on an unknown island. His ship, transport to Rome, was completely destroyed at sea. He swam or clung to a piece of the ship to get to shore alive. “Now what? I thought I was supposed to go to Rome to testify before Casear, Lord!”  But Paul knows that no matter what happens—danger, delays, obstacles, challenges— he is to keep serving the Lord by doing good. And he does. Watch…
 
GOD’s Story—Serve! Even When Shipwrecked, Acts 28:1-10 (TELL)
 
MAP of the Voyage to Rome  
                                                                                               
1.“Barbarian” Hospitality (1-2 )
• Non Greek speaking people were called Barbarians by Greeks & Romans. “Islanders” here. • These people were of Phoenician ancestry and thoroughly Romanized.• In the story God writes for us, the people we least expect are the ones to show us kindness—to do for us what we, who claim to know God, should do for them.  (Good Samaritan, Luke 10) • In Your Good Samaritan Story, the one Jesus makes up just for you, your Good Sam will be the person you despise. • It was those called “Barbarians” by these Roman Soldiers and Sailors who knew how to practice hospitality.  
2. God’s Protection for the Faithful (3-6)  
• If the horrible storm, being lost at sea, and shipwrecked wasn’t enough, now a snake? Seriously?• And it’s a Viper! The islanders knew this was a poisonous snake. They expected Paul to “swell up” (Luke’s medical term) or just drop dead. • But God isn’t finished with Paul yet, and he’s proving that his purposes will not be undone. • Now, don’t get careless. God doesn’t always save us. (I know I can’t get cocky w/my chainsaw…) But if you are faithful to God’s call on your life, he will sustain you, provide for you, and protect you until you have fulfilled his purposes for you.
Deuteronomy 31:6o (slide) Psalm 118:5-14
3. Shipwreck Service (7-10)  
• Paul simply responded to the needs before him. He did the next RIGHT THING. WWJD? He did it. • When God saves you, you can be certain that he wants to save everyone in your path...  

BIG Idea:   “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time
     we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  
  (Galatians 6:9)
A harvest always comes from the good we do. Don’t grow weary! Don’t give up!
Right On!                          

Scripture Reading: (slide) John 16:33; James 1:2-4; Galatians 6:9
 
This week’s story:  Paul in Rome—Proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Acts 28:11-31