The books of Luke – Acts end with the phrase, “boldly and without hindrance. Since Paul is in prison when the book ends, it is quite remarkable that Luke could describe Paul’s activity not being hindered. But the statement is not about Paul but the rather the Gospel. How is it that Paul’s preaching can be described in this way?
First, Paul’s preaching in Acts and throughout all his letters is based on Jesus as Messiah and his work on the cross. That the person and work of Jesus is the basis of the gospel is clear from the preaching of the apostles in Acts. Beginning with the preaching of the Apostles in Acts 2:22-24, the central theme is Jesus Christ, that he was crucified and rose from the dead. On Acts 13:26-31 Paul emphasizes the death and resurrection of Jesus. Notice that in both Peter and Paul’s sermon the fact that Jesus was crucified is clear, but also that God raised him from the dead and exalted him to his right hand, proving that he was in fact God’s son, the messiah. In fact, in 16:31, Paul says that the only want to be saved is to “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
It is tempting to downplay the centrality of Jesus to our faith since he is still as controversial today as in the first century. People seem to like the idea of spirituality and religion, but they are not attracted to Jesus – the scandal of the cross is very real in contemporary culture. “Spiritual but not religious” is a movement which rejects religions, advocating love and respect without being dogmatic on who Jesus is or whether there is a God or not. It is also possible to place such a strong emphasis on building relationships and social activities that there is no confrontation with Jesus. Our churches need relationships and social activities, but we need to confront people with the truth of the Gospel, the Gospel demands a response!
Paul’s preaching centered on Jesus and what he did on the cross, and what this atonement for sin means for people in the present age. Paul brought his sermons to a decision. As the jailer in Acts 16:31 asks, “what must you do to be saved?”
Second, Paul taught freely and with boldness because his gospel was based on Scripture. If we go back in Acts and read Paul’s sermons, we find that they are based on the fulfillment of scripture. The same is true for the letters, Paul constantly quotes scripture and alludes to the Hebrew Bible as the revealed word of God.
Using Paul’s sermon in Acts 13 as an example, he blends several verses from the Hebrew Bible in order to show that Jesus is the messiah. In fact, ever apostolic sermon in Acts is laced with references to the Hebrew Bible, whether that is Peter in Acts 2 and 3 or Stephen in Acts 7. The only exception are the two sermons of Paul in pagan contexts, but even there he alludes to the story of the Bible without directly quoting it. This implies that Paul knew his Bible well and was able to apply that scripture to new events. In this case, to show that Jesus is the messiah and that his death on the cross means salvation for both Jews and Gentiles.
Here is another potential problem for modern Christians. We lack confidence in the Bible for several reasons:
- Biblical Ignorance – Biblical illiteracy is a problem in the church, it is an epidemic in the world. Most church kids are taught the Old Testament by vegetables, most twenty-somethings only know the few Bible stories that were on the Simpsons. This is a problem which must be overcome, but not by downplaying the text of the Bible.
- Biblical Embarrassment – some of the stories from the Hebrew Bible are difficult to read in a modern context. When I teach freshmen Bible survey classes, frequently I hear from students, “I had no idea that was in the Bible!) There are stories in the Hebrew Bible that are attacked by secularists as violent, misogynist, or portraying God as a sociopath.
- Biblical Replacement – it is sometimes easy to get people to a spiritual idea without using the Bible. (Using movie clips at camp, teaching the gospel through a secular song or literature, the Gospel according to Lord of the Rings, for example). This is a legitimate way to generate interest, but if the Bible is not the foundation of the sermon, it does not matter how crafty your illustration is.
As shocking as it seems, there are churches in America that do not peach from the Bible. Their people do not bring Bibles to church because they do not own Bibles and there is little need for them in the sermon.
Third, Paul taught freely and with boldness because his preaching of the gospel was the fulfillment of God’s plan. We are looking at the last line of the book of Acts and seeing how Luke wanted to end the story. But the idea that God is fulfilling the great story of redemption in the work of Jesus is a major theme of his two books.
Luke 1:1 states that his purpose for writing was so that Theophilus might have an accurate record of the “things which have been fulfilled among us.” Luke 24:44-49 concludes the book of Luke with the same idea, Jesus himself states that everything that happened fulfilled scripture. Acts is the story of how that fulfillment works it’s way from Jerusalem to the rest of the world, and ultimately to Rome itself.
If I absolutely knew how a sporting event was going to come out, I would be able to wager with confidence. I might even have a boldness to “bet it all” on the outcome of the game. What Luke is telling us in the last few verses of Acts is that we can have confidence in the outcome because God has already planned the key events of salvation history and he has already won the victory in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Standing on the foundation of the scripture, we can have confidence in the gospel of Jesus Christ and share our faith “with boldness” and “without hindrance.”
Why is it, then, that we pretend we are hindered in our presentation of the Gospel?
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Pretend? Let the question be, Why are we hindered with respect to Gospel?
Leaving aside pretense, there are a host of reasons we are hindered in the churches. You cite one of them: illiteracy. But no amount of literacy will overcome the biases of the translations we have and our dependence on very dirty glasses with which we view the ancient texts. We are also mired in our lifestyles – rich, and we care not for the poor in our midst. Superior, and we care not for those who differ from us. Righteous, only by putting those sinners in their place who again are different from us.
The Gospel will come out of us if we are faithful to it. But will we be able to articulate just how this will happen or even know if it has happened? I speak from my experience of reading the entire Tanakh in Hebrew and writing it in English. But now, how should I approach the NT, a Hebraic text written in Greek, and a text which has been used during history for the creation and suppression of ‘the other’ rather than as a joy in the love of the God portrayed in the OT. What have we failed to learn from those Scriptures?
In society today, the preaching of the gospel to non-believers is viewed skeptically. There is so much controversy around the hypocrisy that comes from Christians, that it is hard for non-believers to take Christians seriously when the preach the gospel. Some Christians who are hypocritical in how they preach about how Christians ought to act opposed to how they behave and live reflects onto all Christian believers and the Christian community as a whole. Therefore, Christian believers who are not hypocritical are viewed in a bad light due to those who are hypocritical. This leads to Christians being hindered to share the gospel with non-believers. Paul is a true example on how believers should view the preaching of the gospel. Paul was strengthened by the Holy Spirit to the point of not being hindered by persecution or even imprisonment. He truly is a testament for believers for all generations on how they ought to live and spread the gospel with boldness and without hinderance. In relation to Luke’s statement for the purpose of him writing this letter to Theophilus was to share about how the Lord was working through those spreading the gospel after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet at the end of the letter is seems that Luke’s message is to encourage all those who read this letter to be bold in their sharing of the gospel. Luke encourages bold action opposed to simply inform of recent events. This message of encouragement continues to be relevant to believers today, despite their view of being hindered by the gospel due to the hypocritical culture that has been created around the Christian community.
In the 21st century world, the Bible is often observed from a skeptical lens. Non-believers are often not open to hearing about the Gospel, especially with the Bible (especially when taken out of context) appearing as violent and vulgar to the new reader. Another piece that negatively influences non-believers’ perception of the Gospel is the hypocrisy that some Christians tend to walk in. Not one person on this earth is perfect, but no matter what we think, Christians are recognized and observed more than we might think. People watch Christians – they like to point out any and all character flaws. While no one is perfect, some people believe that Christians are supposed to embody perfection. With this stereotype in mind, as a Christian, I know that it is difficult to get people to hear or listen to me because I am held at such a high standard with the expectation of perfection by society. Christians today are still persecuted (maybe a little bit differently), just as they were nearly 2,000 years ago. Paul is an amazing representation of a faithful believer. Paul was nowhere near perfect, but his boldness and faithfulness to God and the gospel is more than admirable. His example can still be, and should be, followed today. Persecution is inevitable because the gospel is inevitably offensive to people. However, Luke encourages us to be bold in our actions for the gospel, without letting ourselves be “hindered”, or distracted, by the persecution of this world. The Gospel should not be filtered, or “hindered”, so that the non-believers are not offended or turned away. The Gospel is Truth and should be explained unapologetically, as represented by Paul (who was the long-term victim of persecution).
It is crazy for me to think that people still downplay Jesus and neglect that he was the Son of God. This reminded me of my Pastor’s message on Sunday. He talked about of those who call themselves Evangelicals, almost one third of them do not believe Jesus was the Son of God. They believed he was “a good man” who did good things or good works but not that he was God (I do not remember the source where he got them from). Like the blog post alluded to, that is not the Gospel. I like how Long says, “Our churches need relationships and social activities, but we need to confront people with the truth of the Gospel” (Long 2019). Jesus is the center of the Gospel and without Him, what is the point of gathering and talking about faith? I also did not realize that some churches preached but neglected using scripture. What is a message without Biblical evidence? Paul is an example for us because his messages were centered around Jesus and referenced scripture. I can see how Christians lack confidence in referencing or using the Bible, and see how the three examples are very true throughout our modern culture. The Bible can be used out of context or not used at all. Paul shows us that it is important to believe in Jesus to be saved (Acts 16:31), and to use scripture and apply it correctly to our lives in order to share the Gospel to others with boldness.
I think Long is very accurate in portraying Biblical Ignorance, Embarrassment, and Replacement as reason for “lack of confidence” in the Bible. I think the same reasons relate to hinderance in presenting the Gospel. Most of the time, the average Church goer can barely remember any Scripture to back up a gospel presentation, then they feel inadequate to share the gospel and rely on their pastors, elders, and the “big” leaders to do all the heavy lifting. They might also feel embarrassed because they do not know how to present the gospel, much less defend it. So when their faith is attacked, they might feel stupid for not being able to answer even for themselves what they are challenged with. But there are more problems to. Problems related to the incongruency between the reality of the western culture and lifestyle in contrast with the expectations set in the Bible for the imitator of Jesus Christ. Christians embrace the idea of peaceable and quiet lives (1 Timothy 2:1-2) and ignore the inclusion of suffering in our calling to be like Christ (1 Peter 3:14-18). Besides being stuck in the comfort zone, the western lifestyle does not allow enough margin on people’s schedules to actually build community and open space for the gospel to be shared and transform people’s lives. In a sense, much freedom only generates the bondage. Or freedom is the ability to choose one’s bondage. I can only speak for today’s society and my participation in it. But I imagine that in Paul’s time, perhaps things were not much different. Or, despite the challenges, it still required boldness to speak without hinderance. Boldness, too, is lacking. Often being framed as some sort of negative -ism. That is why Paul counted on the Spirit and on the Lord in living out his calling. Christians today are capable of doing the same. Like Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
I really like your point about confronting people about the truth of the gospel rather than just encouraging spirituality. I think that the book of Acts does a good job portraying the constant need to share truth as we live in a broken world desperate for a fix. We as Christians shouldn’t stay quiet about our faith and the truth we have because others need to hear the good news. Paul knew this because God called him to it, and as Christians it is our goal/ calling to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth like Acts commands. I think that spreading the gospel is a big theme to the book of Acts, and following Christ despite the ways of the world/ ways of the past.
My guy! Don’t do Veggietales like that. They are such a good tool. Yes, after watching them, an adult should explain the story better, but my guy were not going to be able to grasp the kiddos attention if we give them word for word out of the ol’ King James Version
Paul’s preaching can be described in a way that the gospel is not hindered because even though Paul has reached a point, prision, he still is in a good place. When following God it can be so easy to look at a particular circumstance and think that one’s life is so far away from God and so close to the worst possible thing. Paul was a killer of believers until he became one. He went from murdering to sharing the gospel with those who were in need to hear the good news. Although Paul was in prison, he was in a very good place. He was obedient to the Lord and on the path that God had placed before him. God prepared Paul for that moment and it wasn’t something that he couldn’t handle. The central theme of Acts is Jesus and what Jesus did on the cross for us. When looking at current issues among believers and how there is the difference between religion versus relationship people don’t want all the rules and traditions that come along with religion. However, the best news is that Jesus didn’t just die on the cross for us to follow the rules and the traditions and to not have a personal relationship with him. Jesus died so that we would want to follow those rules and traditions because we would see what good comes by having that personal relationship with him. It is so impactful for believers to have that relationship and to focus on that first because then the religious side of things comes more naturally. That is the whole point of the book of Acts is for believers to understand the relationship that comes with following God.
Now that we are at the end of Acts, we can make conclusions about what theme Acts may have had. Acts 28:30 talks about how Paul stays where he is for another two years at his own expense. During this time he was welcoming all who came to him and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. He taught about Jesus Christ “with boldness and without hindrance.” Long points this out in his blog that this statement was actually not about Paul but it being about the Gospel itself. Paul did all of his preachings about Jesus and the work that he has done all the way up to him being on the cross. One of my favorite speeches from Paul was in Acts when he talked about who he was and where he came from but then gave his life to God. To answer the question “why is it, then, that we pretend we are hindered in our presentation of the Gospel”, I believe that it wasn’t fully hindered because of how he overcame those certain obstacles. Paul went through so many things but at the end of the day he stayed faithful to God, so he knew the goodness that would come to him at the end of his journey. As Long mentions above, I do believe the main theme of Acts is about Jesus and is centered around Jesus.
This is a wonderful blog post! As Long’s post mentioned in Paul’s speeches and letters, it was all based on Jesus as the Messiah and his work on the cross. Paul did not hold back any information about the Lord. Especially in those times, the event of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again three days later was still much more sensitive than it is today because it was fresh in the timeline of history compared to today’s era.
It is very interesting because, at the beginning of Paul’s journey, he was killing those who believed in the very thing he was preaching and writing about. But as soon as he started to believe in Christ after the road of Damascus, Paul did not hold back. He “welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31).
Some may think that “Paul’s pattern of turning from the Jews to witness to the Gentiles repeated itself in Rome,” and that Paul was hindered at this moment, but as Polhill continues to state, “there is no reason to think that Paul gave up on the Jews in Rome” because of it. (Polhill, 2008, p. 2145). Paul kept trying to do what he could, and reaching out to the Gentiles resulted in the Jews not wanting to listen because it allowed Paul to witness even more people!
Paul went on his journey boldly and without hindrance because he knows we can have full confidence in God. After all, the battle is already won. However, we do have the question of why we still pretend to be hindered in our presentation of the Gospel if we know the battle is already on ourselves. This I think comes from mistrust or dubious feelings we have towards God. It is really hard to put full trust in anyone even though we think we have full trust in them. We need to acknowledge that sin is any form of mistrust or doubt in the Lord. Every time we sin it is due to a form of mistrust in some way. We are born with a sinful human nature, so we pretend we are hindered in our presentation of the Gospel. Even though we have a sinful nature that does not excuse us to be hindered, we should not be. Paul was human with a sinful nature, he was not hindered. To fix this hindrance, we need to ask God for wisdom and trust in God as Paul did and teach people the Gospel as Paul did without hindrance.
Despite the book of Acts’ powerful examples of evangelism’s boldness and efficiency, there may be a number of reasons why we feel constrained in our presentation of the Gospel. One factor might be a lack of trust in the message itself. In a culture that is skeptical of religious claims, it may be tempting to soften the message of the Gospel or convey it in a way that is more acceptable to nonreligious people. However, this method may eventually reduce the message’s effect and limit its ability to transform. Also, Romans 1:16 goes as a good example of why we should not have a lack of confidence in the message of the Gospel. A fear of being rejected or persecuted might be another factor. Acts 5:40–42 describes how the early apostles encountered strong hostility and even physical injury for preaching the gospel. The fear of rejection or scorn can still be a major barrier for many people, even though the form of the resistance may have changed. Finally, a lack of preparation or training may cause individuals to feel impeded in their presentation of the Gospel. Deep knowledge of the gospel message and strong communication skills are both necessary for effective evangelism. It might be challenging to share the Gospel in a compelling and engaging way without this preparation and training.
The main focus of Acts should not be Paul himself–or Peter or Philip or John or any of the other apostles–but rather their mission of spreading the Gospel. The fact that despite persecution, beatings, and imprisonment, Paul continues to boldly proclaim the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is astounding. Paul continued preaching this good news despite these threats, and yet so many today would rather be quiet so as to not risk offending someone, rather than preach (what they should view) as a message that will make the difference between eternal death and eternal life. It is often disheartening to listen to many popular so called “pastors” or “preachers.” Many of them claim to be ambassadors for God, and yet never speak of Jesus. Or if they do, it is some version of Jesus that is so far from who he actually us.
This post was convicting for me as well. While I am not shy about my faith, if I am confident of the truth of the Gospel and the reality of what awaits me (and others) after death, then why am I not more bold? I think it’s out of some combination of not being fully confident in my Bible knowledge, and being so inundated with the message that while spirituality may be “in,” Jesus and the truth of the life to which he calls his followers, is not. As Long says in this post, “If I absolutely knew how a sporting event was going to come out, I would be able to wager with confidence.” Many of us would say that we believe without a doubt that the Bible is true, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he rose from the dead, and yet we don’t speak with confidence. We would rather stand aside, or if we do get in discussions, err on the side of “well this is what I think” or “I think this is true” rather than authoritatively declaring the truth of the gospel.
Acts 28:30 says that Paul preached “boldly and without hindrance.” To speak boldly means “unreservedness in speech…without concealment…free and fearless confidence…cheerful courage” (Long notes, p. 155). If we believe that the truth of scripture is on our side, then we too should be able to speak “boldly” in our everyday circles. This does not mean to be arrogant or rude, but rather to walk and speak with the confidence that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that Jesus is the one and only way through which we can attain eternal life.
I see many of the potential problems listed as problems in some of my closest peers who claim to be Christian. The problem of Biblical Ignorance being one of the largest, such as trying to explain how and why we can trust the Bible as God’s word, and how the gospel is not just the idea of “love and acceptance of everyone for everything they do.” Accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ requires us to acknowledge the fact that we are sinners, but the world prefers this idea that “we are perfect just the way we are.” This is super dangerous especially in the Church today. If we start watering down the gospel, what power, or even what gospel would we be sharing? As Jewish resistance to the messiah caused them to be cut out of the branch and Gentiles grafted in (Polhill, 2145), then what’s to say that the same couldn’t happen to the Church today? Boldly and without hindrance means we need to as Paul has said before be “unashamed of the gospel.” Therefore we as believers today need to continue on in the faith, and share the word of God in its entirety, unashamed, and unapologetic in our deliverance of what we do with the message of the grace of God.
There is a lot of importance to the main theme of Acts and the entire book is about the Bible in the New Testament. The first important thing to know is that Paul’s preaching in Acts and throughout all of his letters is based on Jesus as Messiah and his work on the cross. Thinking about this there is also three themes that go along with the theme of Acts and they are the Holy Spirit, the Great Commission, and the Church, this means the Holy Spirit is the entity that empowers the work of the Great Commission, the Great Commission is the commands for followers to share the Gospel message with others. Another thing that goes along with the main theme in the Book of Acts is Paul taught freely and with boldness, because his gospel was based on Scripture, this comes right from the Blog post. Everything that Paul preached comes right from Scripture so at times there was no proof that what he was saying was wrong or not right. Third just like said in the Blog post again relates back to the second point that the reason for Paul preaching the way he was was because everything he was going was from God’s plan and the fulfillment that came along with it. This is seen all over the Book of Acts and is something that is hard to miss. The Book of Acts comes with many lessons and great things to follow and the overall themes are important to keep in mind when we are reading Acts.
I have never read through the book of Acts until now. Many of these stories are new to me. Therefore, it always amazes me that you see people in the New Testament such as Paul quoting the Bible. It amazes me because I think of the Bible as it is now, how could they be quoting a book they are in? God is truly amazing in how his word is spread across the world. As far as the theme of Acts goes, it is clear the spreading of the gospel and Paul’s ministry is a key theme. The question asked is why do we pretend that we are hindered in our presentation of the gospel? For me personally, I do not feel as though I have the right to proclaim the gospel. While this might sound silly, hear me out. I continue to learn new things about the Bible every day. Therefore, how can someone like me, a simple believer of this almighty God, spread this Holy word to others? I always have viewed spreading the gospel as the “perfect” Christian’s job. While that statement is very contradicting, I think we as Christians doubt our abilities. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to interpret and understand Scripture. We need to remind ourselves that that alone can allow us to reach others. Our delivery of the gospel will not be perfect. However, through the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s will, we can reach others even if we do not think we are worthy to do so. While I know not everyone feels unworthy, it is certainly something I relate to.
Pauls ministry can be described as “boldly and without hindrance” because Pauls ministry didn’t stop with Paul. From almost the beginning Paul brought people with him to preach the Gospel beside and send them out to continue this bold ministry. Paul has a bold ministry preaching the Gospel even when he is thrown in Jail and persecuted he isn’t meek. His ministry continues through Luke’s writing and the people who worked with Paul so it is unhindered by Pauls circumstances. Acts is all about the Gospels and wrapping them into a pretty bow. Everything that happened in the first four books of the New Testament is used to set up Pauls ministry in Acts, but setting up the ministry isn’t the point, he is only set up to do ministry because he is spreading the Truth and explaining what happened in the Gospels. Paul’s ministry was not only set up but backed by scripture. We are told in Matthew 5:17-20 that everything is in the Gospels was for told in the Torah. So Paul sticking to the Jewish Law and what has been said from the beginning of the Bible was not afraid to preach the truth because he could explain everything he taught through the Word. We as people pretend to be hindered in spreading the word (P Long, 2019) because we often loose faith. When we are not drawing near to God we miss what he is saying to us because we aren’t used to hearing his voice in the small moments we forget that its him talking in the big moments. Paul was faithful to his part in fulfilling Gods plan because he drew near to Christ listening when he was told to GO!
The fact that Christians suffered so much persecution in the first century as recorded in the book of Acts and yet still continued to proclaim the gospel successfully sets a great example for the modern-day church. Yet, as Long notes, many people in the modern-day church do not take advantage of the opportunities they have to boldly preach the gospel (para. 8). One of the issues that many people in the first century had was changing their mindset from one that said they needed to rigorously follow the Law to one that said all that was needed for salvation was trusting in Jesus. As Long says, even today many people struggle with the idea that to live as God created us to live is to make Jesus the central aspect of one’s faith (para. 2). Often churches seem to give the impression that a relationship with Jesus is just an aspect of being a Christian when really it is the defining characteristic. Long also points out that since it is God’s plan for people to hear the gospel, Christians can be bold when sharing it because they can be sure that they will succeed in some way, even if that success is not immediately apparent to them (paras. 9-12). In the first century Christians risked their own lives by boldly preaching the gospel and if they could do that then surely Christians in modern day America can be bold considering that most of them would never have to worry about being harmed, jailed or martyred for their faith. Christians today have an incredible opportunity to preach the gospel in the most direct way possible with minimal challenges and we need to take advantage of this opportunity and in doing so honor the people who have truly suffered for the gospel.
This was a powerful post that really challenged me to reflect on why the gospel can still be preached “boldly and without hindrance”—even in tough situations. I liked how you pointed out that Paul wasn’t free, but the message of Jesus still was. That line from Acts 28 is such a strong reminder that God’s Word isn’t limited by our circumstances. Polhill, in his ESV Study Bible notes, emphasizes that even though Paul was under house arrest, he had freedom to teach and preach to those who visited him (ESVSB, Acts 28:30–31). That fits with what you said about the gospel being the focus, not Paul’s situation. The message kept going because it’s not tied to a location or leader—it’s God’s plan moving forward. I also appreciated the part where you talked about biblical ignorance and how some churches barely even use the Bible. That’s a real concern. Polhill also mentions how Paul’s teachings were always rooted in Scripture, especially when he was talking to Jewish audiences (Acts 13). If Paul relied on the Bible as his foundation, why do we try to swap it out for movies or catchy phrases? Your post makes me wonder about what are some practical ways churches today can regain confidence in the Bible as the core of our message?
Reference:
Polhill, J. B. (2008). Notes on Acts 28. In ESV Study Bible. Crossway.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.
The main theme in the book of Acts in boldness, this boldness has trickled down to generations of believers after. Allowing Christians to be bold with their faith and spread the gospel, even when facing opposition and persecution Paul has shown unwavering faith which provides hope and encouragement for modern day believers. The book of Acts ends with the words “boldly and without hindrance” this phrase speaks less about the freedom of Paul but more about the unstoppable gospel. Through Paul’s story it is cool to see that even when the messenger is stopped the message itself is not. Paul was consistent and stayed confident in the truth of the gospel, constantly preaching about Jesus Christ and how He was crucified and that God raised Him from the dead and elevated Him to His right hand, confirming that He truly is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. You touched on the opposition happening in our culture right now, how people like the idea of spirituality and religion but can’t seem to fully dive in to believe and follow Jesus. This makes it hard to share the gospel because people simply do not want to hear it and like you said churches need relationships and social activities while also confronting people with the truth of the gospel. The opposition in our culture today can be sad and discouraging but to know that many walked through this is encouraging and knowing that God’s message was still delivered is even better.
We live in a time where seeing is believing so I can see how many people have difficulty believing in Jesus but wanting to believe in the afterlife. I think a minor thing to contradict people who don’t believe in Jesus is question if they believe other history why Jesus is so difficult to believe in, Jesus is basically history in a common world sense, so we need to pander to people that way. Ill have to disagree with the idea of biblical illiteracy being fault of the wonderful talking vegetables or versus seen in popular tv shows, the problem would be if that’s the only exposure to the gospel they received. I think starting at a young age the veggies help kids interact and follow the gospel easy but its only for younger children, and then popular tv shows reach far more people who are not actively learning or searching for the Gospel but gives little moments to spark interest. It takes people who are intelligent and willing to have conversation to talk about the bible including its controversial moments, if they are unwilling to listen or talk those people wont be able to receive the gospel and they have to have a change of heart on their own. It’s a scary thought to bet all your chips on one hand, so many people I believe like to keep a few chips in their pocket or maybe even place them on other tables because at that point they know they won’t lose everything immediately and that brings comfort. We need to be able to show that its worth to put it all on one and its won’t end in regret and that Jesus is the hand to put your faith in.
It is always important to reflect on a course at college, a passage in Scripture, or an entire book of the New Testament, like we are now. In doing this we are able to recognize the main points and see what we have learned and apply it to our lives as Christians. I just did a blog post on “Nothing will hinder the Gospel” and a sentence in this post clarifies something in the last: “But the statement (of hinderance) is not about Paul but rather the Gospel.” The gospel can and will reach everywhere and anyone who desires to know it through the Holy Spirit, as shown throughout Acts. Something that resonated with me in this post is the “spiritual but not religious” portion. In December I took up a job at a moving company similar to Two Men and a Truck. The full-time mover I work with, Andy, describes himself this way. However, like Cliffe Knetchle always says, the story of Jesus demands a response. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, and that is a heavy claim. If Jesus was a liar, sure, your response to him may not matter because he was a fraud. However, if Jesus’ truth claim is legitimate, and our belief in him grants us eternal life through grace, it is something to consider. Like P. Long says however, a ton of people try to submerge Jesus, Christianity, or religion and exemplify just being a good, moral person. It is evident that followers of Christ in the first century truly believed that Jesus died and rose again. Otherwise, they would not have gone to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth preaching it. Furthermore, they would not have sustained the beatings and martyrdom that they did either! It is extremely important for others to acknowledge this, let alone the churches that do it too. I always see many meme videos depicting Paul if he were able to write to certain churches in America, writing passionately with a face full of anger and confusion. Although they are funny, they are true! Many churches like P. Long says do not even use the Bible for sermons. I also agree with the biblical illiteracy among Christians. If you believe in inerrancy and the importance of the Word of God, why not dive into it more and deepen your knowledge and relationship with God? For me, coming to Grace changed my life similarly to this. I had the basics down, knew some Old Testament stories, and knew of the Gospel message. But my Bible knowledge needed to be deepened, and I have seen the impact it has had on my life!
The final verses of Acts present a deeply theological portrait of the Gospel’s unstoppable reach. Paul, though imprisoned, proclaims the kingdom of God “boldly and without hindrance” (Acts 28:31), a striking statement given his physical constraints. This tension is not paradoxical, but purposeful. The Gospel’s freedom is not measured by human mobility or institutional favor, but by its rootedness in the divine plan and its power to transcend every cultural, political, and spiritual barrier.
What often gets lost in modern readings is how deeply Paul’s preaching is situated within a framework of fulfillment. He is not merely announcing a new religious idea; he is articulating the climax of Israel’s redemptive story. Luke’s narrative throughout Acts emphasizes that this Gospel is both grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures and pressing forward into new cultural worlds. The apostolic sermons, rich in citations from the Septuagint, are acts of interpretive continuity (not just proof-texting!). Paul interprets Jesus through the prophetic lens of God’s covenantal faithfulness. This hermeneutic matters because it anchors the Gospel in a story that extends back to creation, exile, and promise.
And yet, this Gospel is also confrontational. It invites (demands?) a response. Paul’s message is not accommodated to the cultural preferences of his hearers. It breaks categories: it is both profoundly Jewish and radically inclusive of Gentiles. That disruptive edge may explain why the Gospel is often domesticated today: filtered through sentimental spirituality, detached from Scripture, or obscured by entertainment. But the Gospel that arrived in Rome did not need permission. It had authority because it was God’s word fulfilled.
Paul’s presence in Rome, even in chains, symbolizes the arrival of the kingdom in the heart of empire. His message, rooted in Scripture and revealed in Christ, challenges every power and reorients every identity. The final line of Acts is an open invitation to continue participating in the unhindered movement of the Gospel through every cultural boundary.
Polhill states that the central message of Acts is “The two belong together: the good news of God’s kingdom is the good news about Christ” (Polhill, 1992). I think sometimes we act like we can’t share the Gospel because we are scared, me included. We might be afraid that people will make fun of us or even get upset. In today’s society, it feels like if you have differing opinions then you can’t be friends. A lot of people like the idea of being religious just to say they are, but they don’t want to hear about Jesus and the cross. That makes it harder for us to speak up and with courage. Because these things make us worried about what people will think, it can make us quiet when we should be bold in our faith. When looking at Acts 28:30, we see something super cool happening. Even though Paul was in prison, the Bible says, “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.” He kept preaching about Jesus “boldly.” Paul wasn’t free to leave or move around, but the message of Jesus was still free for him to share. Nothing could stop him from spreading the Gospel. We need to remind ourselves to have the same boldness. Even if people don’t listen or even if they reject our message as Christians, God’s truth is powerful. This is something personally that I struggle with and need to improve on and I’m sure many other people feel the same way.