📖 Matendo ya Mitume — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 10: Dhoruba na Kuvunjika kwa Merikebu Njiani kwenda Rumi (Matendo 24–28)📖 Acts Intensive — Unit 10: Storms and Shipwreck on the Way to Rome (Acts 24–28)

I. Tertulo, Mdomo wa KukodiwaI. Tertullus the Hired Mouth

Siku tano baada ya Paulo kufika Kaisaria, kuhani mkuu Anania alishuka kutoka Yerusalemu pamoja na wazee na mwanasheria Mrumi wa kukodiwa aitwaye Tertulo. Tertulo alisimama mbele ya liwali Feliki akaanza kwa aina ile ya kujipendekeza ambayo daima hukuonyesha kwamba shauri ni dhaifu. “Kwa kuwa kwa ajili yako sisi tunakaa katika amani nyingi, na kwa maangalizi yako mambo mema yanaletwa kwa taifa hili, basi, kila wakati na kila mahali twayakubali hayo, Feliki mtukufu, kwa shukrani zote” (Matendo 24:2–3, SUV). Kumbukumbu za historia kuhusu Feliki ni kinyume cha kila neno katika sentensi hiyo. Feliki alikuwa mtumwa aliyewekwa huru, ambaye sifa zake kuu za kupata ugavana zilikuwa kwamba ndugu yake alikuwa mwalimu wa Nero, na kwamba yeye mwenyewe alikuwa amemnyang'anya mtu mwingine mke wake. Mwanahistoria Mrumi Tacitus aliandika juu yake kwamba alitumia mamlaka ya mfalme kwa roho ya mtumwa. Feliki alikuwa ameitawala Uyahudi kwa rushwa, ukatili na mauaji ya siri. Kujipendekeza kwa Tertulo kulikuwa mafuta ya kulainisha mahakama, si maelezo ya hali halisi.Five days after Paul arrived at Caesarea, the high priest Ananias came down from Jerusalem with the elders and a hired Roman lawyer named Tertullus. Tertullus stood up before the governor Felix and opened with the kind of flattery that always tells you the case is weak. "Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness" (Acts 24:2–3, NKJV). The historical record on Felix is the opposite of every word in that sentence. Felix was a freedman whose chief qualifications for the governorship were that his brother had been Nero's tutor and that he himself had stolen another man's wife. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote of him that he exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave. Felix had ruled Judea with bribery, brutality, and assassinations. Tertullus's flattery was a courtroom lubricant, not a description of reality.

Mashtaka halisi yalikuja katika sentensi tatu. Paulo alikuwa mtu mharibifu kama tauni. Paulo alikuwa kiongozi wa madhehebu ya Wanazareti. Paulo alikuwa amejaribu kulinajisi hekalu. Tertulo hakuwa na mashahidi kwa shtaka la tatu — shtaka pekee ambalo kwa kweli lilikuwa kosa la jinai — wala hakuwa na ushahidi kwa lolote kati ya hayo matatu.The actual indictment came in three sentences. Paul was a pestilent fellow. Paul was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Paul had tried to profane the temple. Tertullus had no witnesses for the third charge — the only one that was actually a crime — and no evidence for any of the three.

Paulo alitoa jibu la utulivu, hoja kwa hoja. Alikuwa amekaa Yerusalemu siku kumi na mbili tu. Hakuonekana akibishana na mtu yeyote hekaluni. Watu waliokuwa wamemshtaki kwa kweli hawakuwepo hata mahakamani — Wayahudi wa Asia walioanzisha ghasia hekaluni hawakujisumbua kusafiri hadi Kaisaria kutoa ushahidi. “Wala hawawezi kuyathibitisha mambo hayo wanayonishitaki sasa” (Matendo 24:13, SUV). Kisha Paulo akaongeza ungamo pekee ambalo injili huwahi kudai kutoka kwa mmoja wa wahubiri wake. “Lakini nakuungamia neno hili, ya kwamba kwa Njia ile wanayoiita uzushi ndivyo ninavyomwabudu Mungu wa baba zetu, nikiyaamini yote yaliyoandikwa katika torati na katika vyuo vya manabii; nami nina tumaini kwa Mungu, ambalo wao wenyewe nao wanalitazamia, ya kwamba kutakuwa na kiyama ya wafu, wenye haki na wasio haki pia” (Matendo 24:14–15, SUV). Mtu aliyekuwa akishtakiwa aliuhubiri ufufuo akiwa amesimama kizimbani mwenyewe mahakamani.Paul gave a measured, point-by-point response. He had been in Jerusalem only twelve days. He had not been found arguing with anyone in the temple. The men who had actually accused him were not even in the courtroom — the Asian Jews who had started the temple riot had not bothered to travel to Caesarea to testify. "They cannot prove the things of which they now accuse me" (Acts 24:13, NKJV). Then Paul added the only confession the gospel ever requires of one of its preachers. "This I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:14–15, NKJV). The man on trial preached the resurrection from his own bench in the courtroom.

II. Dhamiri ya Feliki na Kalenda ya FelikiII. Felix's Conscience and Felix's Calendar

Feliki aliahirisha shauri bila kutoa hukumu. Kwa siri alitaka Paulo aendelee kubaki karibu kwa sababu mbili. Ya kwanza ilikuwa ya kisiasa — hakutaka kuwaudhi viongozi wa Kiyahudi wala watawala wa serikali ya Kirumi. Ya pili ilikuwa ya kifedha — Luka anaeleza waziwazi kwamba Feliki “alikuwa akitaraji kwamba atapewa fedha na Paulo” (Matendo 24:26, SUV). Liwali wa Uyahudi alikuwa akitumaini kwamba mfungwa angemtolea rushwa.Felix dismissed the proceedings without ruling. Privately he wanted Paul kept around for two reasons. The first was political — he did not want to alienate either the Jewish leadership or the Roman bureaucracy. The second was financial — Luke notes bluntly that Felix "hoped that money would be given him by Paul" (Acts 24:26, NKJV). The governor of Judea was hoping the prisoner would offer a bribe.

Lakini kulikuwa na sababu ya tatu. Feliki alikuwa na mke Myahudi aitwaye Drusila — binti mdogo kabisa wa yule Herode Agripa wa Kwanza aliyepigwa na malaika kwa kukubali kuabudiwa na wanadamu huko Kaisaria miaka kumi na mitano kabla. Drusila alikuwa na umri wa miaka kumi na sita na alikuwa ameshawishiwa na Feliki kuiacha ndoa yake ya kwanza. Feliki alitaka kumsikia Paulo akihubiri. Alimwita mara nyingi katika miaka miwili iliyofuata. Luka anatupa kichwa cha habari cha mojawapo ya mazungumzo hayo. “Na alipokuwa akihojiana naye habari za haki, na kuwa na kiasi, na hukumu itakayokuja, Feliki akaingiwa na hofu, akajibu, Sasa enenda zako; nikipata nafasi nitakuita” (Matendo 24:25, SUV).But there was a third reason. Felix had a Jewish wife named Drusilla — the youngest daughter of the Herod Agrippa I who had been struck down by an angel for accepting the worship of men in Caesarea fifteen years earlier. Drusilla was sixteen years old and had been seduced away from her first marriage by Felix. Felix wanted to hear Paul preach. He sent for him often during the next two years. Luke gives us the headline of one of those interviews. "Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, 'Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you'" (Acts 24:25, NKJV).

Isomeni tena mada hizo tatu. Haki. Kuwa na kiasi. Hukumu itakayokuja. Paulo alikuwa hodari sana wa kuwajua wasikilizaji wake. Feliki alikuwa amemnyang'anya mtu Drusila na kujinyakulia ugavana wa Kirumi; Drusila alikuwa amezini ili afike pale. Paulo alihubiri haki, kuwa na kiasi, na hukumu itakayokuja. Mishale ilifika shabaha. Feliki alitetemeka. Naye Feliki akasema sentensi yenye huzuni kuliko zote katika Matendo. Nikipata nafasi nitakuita. Nafasi hiyo haikuja kamwe. Feliki alimweka Paulo kizuizini kwa miaka miwili, akaendelea kutumaini rushwa, akaendelea kumwita Paulo ili wazungumze tena, lakini hakuifikia kamwe ile nafasi aliyoisubiri. Hatimaye Feliki aliitwa arudi Rumi kwa aibu kwa kushindwa kushughulikia vizuri ghasia huko Kaisaria. Paulo aliudumu muda wake wote wa utawala. Mtu yule aliyeuahirisha wokovu wake mpaka apate nafasi alikufa bila kuupata. Tazama, wakati uliokubalika ndio sasa; tazama, siku ya wokovu ndiyo sasa.Read those three subjects again. Righteousness. Self-control. The judgment to come. Paul was a master of audience. Felix had stolen Drusilla and the Roman governorship; Drusilla had committed adultery to be there. Paul preached righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. The arrows landed. Felix trembled. And Felix said the saddest sentence in Acts. When I have a convenient time, I will call for you. The convenient time never came. Felix kept Paul under house arrest for two years, kept hoping for a bribe, kept sending for Paul to talk again, never called for the convenient time. Felix was eventually recalled to Rome in disgrace for mishandling a riot in Caesarea. Paul outlived him in office. The man who had postponed his salvation for a convenient time died without it. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

III. Festo na Rufani kwa KaisariIII. Festus and the Appeal to Caesar

Aliyeshika nafasi ya Feliki alikuwa Porkio Festo. Siku tatu baada ya kufika Kaisaria, Festo alipanda kwenda Yerusalemu kufanya ziara za heshima. Viongozi wa Kiyahudi mara moja walilifufua tena shauri dhidi ya Paulo, wakimwomba liwali mpya ampeleke Paulo Yerusalemu ili ahukumiwe huko. Walikuwa wakipanga kumvizia upya njiani. Festo alikataa, lakini aliwaalika washtaki washuke Kaisaria.Felix's successor was Porcius Festus. Three days after his arrival in Caesarea, Festus went up to Jerusalem to make courtesy calls. The Jewish leaders immediately re-pressed the case against Paul, asking the new governor to send Paul up to Jerusalem for trial. They were planning a fresh ambush along the road. Festus declined, but invited the accusers to come down to Caesarea.

Kesi ilikuwa marudio tu. Mashtaka yalikuwa yale yale. Ushahidi bado haukuwepo. Festo, akitafuta kujipatia upendeleo wa kisiasa kwa viongozi wa Kiyahudi, alimwuliza Paulo kama angekubali kupanda Yerusalemu ahukumiwe huko. Paulo aliuelewa ule ulizo kwa jinsi ulivyokuwa hasa. Alisimama katika mahakama ya Kirumi akasema maneno yaliyobadilisha jiografia ya maisha yake. “Nataka rufani kwa Kaisari” (Matendo 25:11, SUV).The trial was a re-run. The accusations were the same. The evidence was still missing. Festus, looking for political points with the Jewish leadership, asked Paul whether he would be willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial there. Paul understood the question for what it was. He stood in the Roman courtroom and said the words that changed the geography of his life. "I appeal to Caesar" (Acts 25:11, NKJV).

Haki ya kila raia wa Kirumi kukata rufani katika shauri la adhabu ya kifo hadi kwenye baraza la hukumu la mfalme mwenyewe ilikuwa imeandikwa katika sheria tangu kuanzishwa kwa jamhuri. Mara maneno provoco ad Caesarem yalipotamkwa, hakuna liwali wa jimbo aliyekuwa na mamlaka ya kumwachilia mfungwa. Festo alishauriana na baraza lake. Festo akamgeukia Paulo tena. “Umetaka rufani kwa Kaisari? Basi, utakwenda kwa Kaisari” (Matendo 25:12, SUV). Paulo alikuwa ameliondoa shauri lake mbali na mkono wa kundi la watu wa Yerusalemu na mbali na mkono wa liwali yeyote ambaye angekubali kushirikiana nao. Bwana alikuwa amemwambia katika ngome ya askari huko Yerusalemu kwamba atashuhudia huko Rumi. Paulo alikuwa amejinunulia tiketi sasa hivi.The right of every Roman citizen to appeal a capital case to the emperor's own tribunal had been on the books since the founding of the republic. Once the words provoco ad Caesarem were spoken, no provincial governor had the authority to release the prisoner. Festus consulted his council. Festus turned back to Paul. "You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go" (Acts 25:12, NKJV). Paul had taken his case out of the reach of the Jerusalem mob and out of the reach of any cooperative governor. The Lord had told him in the barracks at Jerusalem that he would bear witness in Rome. Paul had just bought his ticket.

IV. Karibu AshawishikeIV. Almost Persuaded

Wakati Paulo alipokuwa akisubiri merikebu ijayo kwenda Rumi, Mfalme Herode Agripa wa Pili — kitukuu cha Herode Mkuu, wa mwisho wa ukoo wa Herode kutawala sehemu yoyote ya Uyahudi — alikuja Kaisaria pamoja na dada yake Bernike kwa ziara rasmi. Festo, ambaye bado alikuwa amechanganyikiwa juu ya nini amwandikie Kaisari kuhusu Paulo (taratibu za Kirumi zilitaka mashtaka yaliyoandikwa yaandamane na mfungwa anayehamishwa), alimwomba Agripa alisikilize shauri hilo na kumsaidia kuandika taarifa. Agripa, aliyekuwa amelelewa katika Maandiko ya Musa na aliyekuwa mtunzaji rasmi wa hekalu kwa niaba ya Rumi, alikuwa mshauri bora kabisa.While Paul was waiting for the next ship to Rome, King Herod Agrippa II — the great-grandson of Herod the Great, the last of the Herodian line to rule any part of Judea — came to Caesarea with his sister Bernice on a state visit. Festus, who was still puzzled about what to write Caesar concerning Paul (Roman procedure required a written charge to accompany a transferred prisoner), asked Agrippa to hear the case and help him compose the report. Agrippa, who had been raised on the Mosaic Scriptures and was the official Roman caretaker of the temple, was an ideal consultant.

Siku iliyofuata Paulo aliletwa katika ukumbi wa kusikilizia kwa fahari kubwa. Agripa na Bernike waliingia pamoja na majemadari wao na watu wakuu wa mji. Paulo alisimama akiwa katika minyororo akatoa hotuba ndefu kuliko zote zilizorekodiwa za maisha yake — utetezi, mahubiri na ushuhuda binafsi, vyote kwa pamoja. Alimweleza Agripa juu ya malezi yake kama Farisayo, maisha yake ya kuwaudhi Wakristo, ile nuru ya adhuhuri katika njia ya Dameski, maneno ya Kristo aliyefufuka, na agizo lake la kwenda kwa Mataifa. Alimweleza Agripa kwamba ujumbe aliouhubiri haukuwa kitu kingine zaidi ya kile ambacho Musa na manabii walisema kitatukia — kwamba Kristo atateswa, kwamba Yeye atakuwa wa kwanza kufufuka katika wafu, na kwamba atawatangazia watu na Mataifa nuru.The next day Paul was brought into the audience hall with great pomp. Agrippa and Bernice entered with their tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Paul stood up in chains and gave the longest single recorded speech of his life — a defense, a sermon, and a personal testimony all in one. He told Agrippa about his Pharisee upbringing, his persecuting career, the noonday light on the Damascus road, the words of the risen Christ, his commission to the Gentiles. He told Agrippa that the message he preached was nothing more than what Moses and the prophets had said would come to pass — that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and that He would proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles.

Festo alimkatiza hapo. Hakuweza kuvumilia tena. “Paulo, una wazimu! Kusoma kwako kwingi kunakugeuza akili!” (Matendo 26:24, SUV). Paulo aligeuka, akamjibu liwali kwa heshima, kisha akamgeukia Agripa tena. “Kwa maana mfalme anajua habari za mambo haya, nami nanena mbele yake kwa ujasiri; kwa kuwa nimeona hakika ya kwamba hapana neno moja la habari hizi asilolijua; kwa maana jambo hili halikutendeka pembeni. Mfalme Agripa, je! Wawaamini manabii? Najua ya kuwa wawaamini” (Matendo 26:26–27, SUV). Paulo alikuwa amembana mfalme. Agripa aliwajua manabii. Agripa aliijua historia ya karibuni ya Yerusalemu — pamoja na kusulibiwa kwa Yesu miaka thelathini kabla. Mshale uliruka moja kwa moja.Festus interrupted at this point. He could not stand it any longer. "Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!" (Acts 26:24, NKJV). Paul turned, addressed the governor with respect, and then turned back to Agrippa. "For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe" (Acts 26:26–27, NKJV). Paul had pinned the king. Agrippa knew the prophets. Agrippa knew the recent history of Jerusalem — including the crucifixion of Jesus thirty years earlier. The arrow flew straight.

Jibu la Agripa ni mojawapo ya nusu-sentensi maarufu kuliko zote katika Agano Jipya. “Karibu unanishawishi kuwa Mkristo” (Matendo 26:28, SUV). Karibu. Karibu aongoke. Karibu uamuzi wenye matokeo makubwa kuliko yote maishani mwake. Karibu aingie katika ufalme. Hakuna neno lenye huzuni zaidi katika lugha ya wokovu kuliko karibu. Feliki aliahirisha. Agripa alikaribia tu. Wote wawili walikufa wakiwa wamepotea.Agrippa's reply is one of the most famous half-sentences in the New Testament. "You almost persuade me to become a Christian" (Acts 26:28, NKJV). Almost. Almost converted. Almost the most consequential decision of his life. Almost in the kingdom. There is no sadder word in the language of salvation than almost. Felix postponed. Agrippa almost. Both of them died lost.

Paulo alitoa mojawapo ya majibu mazuri kuliko yote yaliyowahi kutolewa na mtu aliyefungwa minyororo kwa mtu aliyevikwa taji. “Mungu angenijalia kwamba si wewe peke yako, bali na wote wanaonisikia leo, wawe karibu na kabisa kama mimi nilivyo, isipokuwa vifungo hivi” (Matendo 26:29, SUV). Isomeni mstari huo polepole. Paulo alitamani kwamba baraza la kifalme kuliko yote katika Uyahudi liwe hasa kile alichokuwa amekuwa yeye — bila minyororo. Hakumwonea Agripa wivu kwa ajili ya taji lake. Alimhurumia Agripa kwa ajili ya kupotea kwake. Mkristo aliyefungwa minyororo pale sakafuni katika ukumbi wa kusikilizia ndiye aliyekuwa mtu huru kuliko wote chumbani.Paul gave one of the most beautiful answers ever given by a chained man to a crowned man. "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26:29, NKJV). Read that line slowly. Paul wished the most regal court in Judea would become exactly what he had become — minus the chains. He did not envy Agrippa his crown. He pitied Agrippa his lostness. The chained Christian on the floor of the audience hall was the freest man in the room.

Agripa alimwambia Festo faraghani kwamba Paulo angeweza kufunguliwa kama asingalitaka rufani kwa Kaisari. Bwana alikuwa ameiweka rufani hiyo katika mfumo wa mamlaka kwa makusudi. Kusita kwa adabu kwa Agripa hakungeizuia injili kufika Rumi.Agrippa told Festus privately that Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar. The Lord had built the appeal into the chain of command on purpose. Agrippa's polite paralysis was not going to stop the gospel from getting to Rome.

V. DhorubaV. The Storm

Nataka tutulie kwa muda mrefu kabla hatujamfuata Paulo melini, kwa sababu Matendo 27 ni mojawapo ya masimulizi marefu kuliko yote katika Agano Jipya, na Luka alitupa kila undani kwa sababu fulani. Bwana anataka tujue jinsi anavyowavusha watumishi wake katika dhoruba.I want to take a long pause before we follow Paul onto the boat, because Acts 27 is one of the longest single narratives in the New Testament, and Luke gave us every detail for a reason. The Lord wants us to know how He gets His servants through storms.

Kama unaona kwamba umekuwa na siku mbaya, sikiliza hili. Inasemekana kuwa ni barua halisi, iliyoandikwa na fundi mwashi, akiomba ruhusa ya ugonjwa. Nilipofika kwenye eneo la ujenzi, nilikuta kwamba kimbunga kilikuwa kimeangusha baadhi ya matofali kuzunguka sehemu ya juu ya jengo. Basi nikafunga boriti yenye kapi juu kabisa nikapandisha pipa lililojaa matofali. Nilipokwisha kurekebisha sehemu iliyoharibika, yalibaki matofali mengi. Nikayaweka yaliyozidi ndani ya pipa. Nikashuka chini nikaanza kuiachia kamba. Kwa bahati mbaya, pipa la matofali lilikuwa zito sana kuliko mimi. Kabla sijatambua kinachotokea, pipa lilianza kushuka, likinivuta juu. Katikati ya safari nilikutana na pipa likishuka kwa kasi. Nilipigwa vibaya begani. Niliendelea hadi juu, nikigonga kichwa changu kwenye boriti. Pipa lilipogonga ardhi, lilipasuka sehemu ya chini na matofali yakamwagika. Sasa nilikuwa mzito kuliko pipa. Nikaanza kushuka tena kwa kasi kubwa. Katikati ya safari nilikutana na pipa likipanda kwa kasi. Niliumia mara kadhaa kwenye mapaja ya miguu. Nilipogonga ardhi nilianguka juu ya rundo la matofali yaliyomwagika. Wakati huo lazima nilipoteza akili. Niliiachilia kamba. Pipa likashuka kwa kasi, likanipiga tena kichwani na kunipeleka hospitalini. Kwa hiyo, kwa heshima naomba ruhusa ya ugonjwa. Ndugu zangu, hiyo ndiyo aina ya siku mbaya ninayokaribia kuwaelezea katika Matendo 27. Fungeni mikanda yenu ya kiti.If you feel like you have had a bad day, listen to this. It is reputedly an actual letter, written by a bricklayer, requesting sick leave. When I got to the building site, I found that the hurricane had knocked off some bricks from around the top of the building. So I rigged up a beam with a pulley at the top and hoisted up a barrel full of bricks. When I had fixed the damaged area, there were a lot of bricks left over. I placed the extras in the barrel. I went to the bottom and began releasing the line. Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was much heavier than I was. Before I knew what was happening, the barrel started coming down, jerking me up. Halfway up I met the barrel coming down fast. I received a hard blow to my shoulder. I continued to the top, banging my head against the beam. When the barrel hit the ground, it burst its bottom and the bricks spilled out. I was now heavier than the barrel. I started down again at high speed. Halfway down I met the barrel coming up fast. I received several injuries to my shins. When I hit the ground I landed on the pile of spilled bricks. At this point I must have lost my presence of mind. I let go of the line. The barrel came down fast, giving me another blow on my head and putting me in the hospital. Therefore, I respectfully request sick leave. Brothers, that is the kind of bad day I am about to describe to you in Acts 27. Buckle your seat belt.

Wakristo nao huwa na siku mbaya. Wahubiri wa injili ya afya na utajiri wamejenga himaya kubwa juu ya uongo kwamba kama kweli unamfuata Bwana, dhoruba hazitakuja. Nimeisoma Biblia mara nyingi mno nisiweze kuamini hivyo. Imani ya Danieli ilimtoa katika tundu la simba, lakini imani ya Danieli pia ndiyo iliyomtia katika tundu la simba. Kuokolewa si sawa na kuwa salama. Bwana hawaahidi watumishi wake safari zisizo na dhoruba; anawaahidi kufika salama baada ya kujaribiwa na dhoruba. Matendo 27 ni kielelezo kilichohifadhiwa katika kumbukumbu za umma.Christians have bad days too. The health-and-wealth preachers have built large empires on the lie that if you are really following the Lord, the storms will not come. I have read the Bible too many times to believe it. Daniel's faith got him out of the lions' den, but Daniel's faith also got him into the lions' den. Being saved is not the same thing as being safe. The Lord does not promise His servants storm-free voyages; He promises them storm-tested arrivals. Acts 27 is an exhibit on file in the public record.

Paulo, pamoja na Luka na Aristarko, aliwekwa ndani ya merikebu ya mizigo ya nafaka iliyosafiri kandokando ya pwani huko Kaisaria, chini ya ulinzi wa akida Mrumi aitwaye Yulio. Walisafiri juu kando ya pwani ya Foinike hadi Sidoni, kisha magharibi chini ya kivuli cha Kipro, kisha wakavuka hadi pwani ya kusini ya Asia Ndogo huko Mira, ambapo Yulio aliwahamisha hadi merikebu kubwa zaidi ya nafaka ya Iskanderia iliyokuwa ikienda Italia. Walipofika Krete, msimu ulikuwa umekwisha kwenda — umepita sikusare ya vuli, ukiingia katika miezi ya hatari ambayo sheria ya bahari ya Kirumi ilikataza kusafiri bahari kuu. Wakatia nanga Bandari Nzuri katika pwani ya kusini ya Krete. Paulo, aliyekuwa amenusurika kuvunjikiwa merikebu mara tatu kabla katika safari zake za umisionari, alimshauri Yulio wakae huko wakati wa baridi. “Wanaume, naona ya kuwa safari hii itakuwa na madhara na hasara nyingi, si kwa shehena na merikebu tu, ila na kwa maisha yetu pia” (Matendo 27:10, SUV). Akida aliwasikiliza nahodha na mwenye merikebu badala yake. Bandari ya Bandari Nzuri haikuwa na raha na ilikuwa wazi kwa upepo. Walitaka kufika Foinike, maili arobaini upande wa magharibi katika pwani ile ile, ambako bandari ilikuwa bora zaidi. Upepo mwanana wa kusi ulivuma. Wakang'oa nanga.Paul, with Luke and Aristarchus, was put aboard a coastal grain freighter at Caesarea under the custody of a Roman centurion named Julius. They sailed up the Phoenician coast to Sidon, then west under the lee of Cyprus, then across to the south coast of Asia Minor at Myra, where Julius transferred them to a larger Alexandrian grain freighter bound for Italy. By the time they reached Crete, the season was late — past the autumnal equinox, into the dangerous months when Roman maritime law forbade open-sea sailing. They put in at Fair Havens on the south coast of Crete. Paul, who had survived three previous shipwrecks during his missionary journeys, advised Julius to winter there. "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives" (Acts 27:10, NKJV). The centurion listened to the captain and the ship's owner instead. The harbor at Fair Havens was uncomfortable and exposed. They wanted to make Phoenix, forty miles west on the same coast, where the harbor was better. A gentle south wind blew. They cast off.

Katika muda wa saa chache upepo ulibadilika. Upepo mkali wa kimbunga kutoka kaskazini-mashariki — Luka anauita Eurakilo — ulishuka kwa nguvu kutoka milima ya Krete na kuisukuma merikebu hadi katikati ya Bahari ya Mediterania. Hawakuweza kugeuka kuukabili upepo. Waliweza tu kukimbia mbele yake. Walikimbia upande wa magharibi katika bahari kuu, siku kumi na nne mchana na usiku, bila jua, bila nyota, bila nafasi ya kupima mahali walipo. Waliitupa shehena baharini. Waliitupa zana ya merikebu baharini. Mabaharia hodari kuliko wote walikata tamaa. “Basi tukakatiwa tamaa yote ya kuokoka” (Matendo 27:20, SUV).Within hours the wind shifted. A typhonic northeaster — Luke calls it Euroclydon — slammed down off the mountains of Crete and drove the freighter out into the open Mediterranean. They could not turn into the wind. They could only run before it. They ran westward through the open sea, fourteen days and nights, with no sun, no stars, no chance to take a navigational reading. They threw the cargo overboard. They threw the ship's tackle overboard. The strongest sailors gave up. "All hope that we would be saved was finally given up" (Acts 27:20, NKJV).

VI. Kamba Tatu, Mahubiri Matatu katika DhorubaVI. Three Strings, Three Sermons in the Storm

Paulo alisimama katikati yao usiku wa kumi na nne akatoa hotuba ambayo somo hili limekuwa likiielekea. “Na sasa nawapeni shauri, changamkeni; kwa maana hapana hata nafsi moja miongoni mwenu itakayopotea, ila merikebu tu. Kwa maana usiku huu wa leo alisimama karibu nami malaika wa Mungu yule ambaye mimi ni wake, naye ndiye ninayemwabudu, akasema, Usiogope, Paulo, huna budi kusimama mbele ya Kaisari; tena, tazama, Mungu amekupa watu wote wanaosafiri pamoja nawe. Kwa hiyo, wanaume, changamkeni; kwa maana namwamini Mungu ya kuwa yatakuwa vivyo hivyo kama nilivyoambiwa. Lakini hatuna budi kupwelewa katika kisiwa kimoja” (Matendo 27:22–26, SUV). Nataka kutoa mahubiri matatu kutoka katika mistari hiyo mitano, kwa sababu ndiyo njia ambayo kila Mkristo huvuka dhoruba.Paul stood up among them on the fourteenth night and gave the speech this lecture has been driving toward. "And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island" (Acts 27:22–26, NKJV). I want to lift three sermons out of those five verses, because they are the way every Christian survives a storm.

Kwanza, jua umwamini nani. Paulo hakusema naamini kila kitu kitakwenda vizuri. Paulo hakusema naamini upepo utatulia. Paulo alisema, namwamini Mungu. Imani daima ina mlengwa. Imani inayostahimili usiku wa kumi na nne wa dhoruba ni imani katika Mtu, si imani katika matokeo yanayotarajiwa. Miaka mingi iliyopita rafiki yangu mmoja, mchungaji mkuu wa Kanisa la First Presbyterian huko Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, alikuwa katika saa ya chai baada ya ibada akamwona mtu aliyevaa pini ya mbwa aina ya bulldog. Bila kujua kwamba mtu huyo alifanya kazi katika kampuni ya Mack Truck — bulldog ni nembo ya Mack — rafiki yangu aliuliza, Huyo bulldog anawakilisha nini? Mtu yule alipepesa macho kwa furaha akasema, Anawakilisha ushupavu ambao kwao ninamshikilia Yesu Kristo. Rafiki yangu alitabasamu akasema, Ni nembo nzuri, lakini teolojia mbaya. Inapaswa kuwakilisha ushupavu ambao kwao Yesu Kristo anakushikilia wewe. Sababu ya wanaume wote 276 katika merikebu ya Paulo kunusurika haikuwa kwamba walimshika Mungu kwa nguvu. Ilikuwa kwamba Mungu aliwashika wao kwa nguvu. Mabaharia hawakuamini. Nahodha hakuamini. Mwenye merikebu hakuamini. Paulo alimwamini Mungu. Na malaika wa Mungu ambaye Paulo alimtumikia alikuwa amechora duara kuizunguka merikebu iliyomjumuisha kila mtu aliyekuwemo ndani.First, know in whom to believe. Paul did not say I believe everything will work out. Paul did not say I believe the wind will die down. Paul said, I believe God. Faith always has an object. The faith that survives the fourteenth night of a storm is faith in a Person, not faith in a hopeful outcome. Years ago a friend of mine, the senior pastor of First Presbyterian in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was at coffee hour after church and saw a man wearing a bulldog pin. Not knowing the man worked for Mack Truck — the bulldog is the Mack symbol — my friend asked, What does that bulldog stand for? The man got a twinkle in his eye and said, It stands for the tenacity with which I hold onto Jesus Christ. My friend smiled and said, Wonderful symbol, terrible theology. It should stand for the tenacity with which Jesus Christ holds onto you. The reason all 276 men on Paul's freighter survived was not that they had a strong grip on God. It was that God had a strong grip on them. The sailors did not believe. The captain did not believe. The owner did not believe. Paul believed God. And the angel of the God Paul served had drawn a circle around the freighter that included every soul on board.

Miaka mingi iliyopita, katika mwinuko mrefu wa barabara kuu huko Colorado, niliipita treni ya mizigo iliyokuwa ikienda upande ule ule kwa mwendo wa polepole zaidi. Injini mbili nyuma zilikuwa zikijikaza kwa nguvu zote, zikiisukuma treni kupanda mlima. Mimi ni mtu wa nchi tambarare; sikuwa nimewahi kuona kitu kama hicho. Nilipoendelea kuendesha, polepole nilifika sambamba na sehemu ya mbele ya msururu ule wa mabehewa uliokaribia urefu wa maili moja. Huko nilikuta injini nyingine tano zikiivuta treni. Injini saba kwa jumla. Ninakotoka, tatu ni nyingi. Treni ile ilikuwa mahubiri kwangu siku ile. Nilikuwa chini ya mzigo mzito katika huduma yangu mwenyewe. Nilikuwa najiuliza kama ningeweza kuendelea kuusukuma mzigo. Bwana alisema, kwa maana yake, Hausukumi peke yako. Kuna injini nyingine tano zinazovuta mbele ambazo huwezi kuziona kutoka mahali ulipoketi. Unapopanda kutoka katika dhoruba kwa injini zote ulizo nazo, tazama juu mlimani. Bwana ana nguvu nyingi zaidi zinazovuta mbele kuliko zile ulizo nazo zinazosukuma nyuma.Years ago, on a long uphill stretch of an interstate in Colorado, I overtook a freight train going the same direction at a slower speed. Two locomotives at the back were straining at full power, pushing the train uphill. I am a flatlander; I had never seen anything like it. As I drove on, I gradually came alongside the front of the nearly mile-long string of cars. There I found five more locomotives pulling the train. Seven engines in all. Where I come from, three is a lot. That train was a sermon for me that day. I was under serious strain in my own ministry. I was wondering whether I could keep pushing the load. The Lord said, in effect, You are not pushing alone. There are five more engines pulling at the front that you cannot see from where you are sitting. When you are climbing up out of the storm with all the engines you have, look up the mountain. The Lord has more pulling at the front than you have pushing at the back.

Pili, jua wakati wa kusubiri. Wengi wetu huomba kisha hukimbia. Tunasema Amina na kukimbilia mlangoni kabla Bwana hajajibu. Kuna majibu matatu ya kawaida ya maombi — ndiyo, hapana, na subiri kidogo — na la tatu ndilo gumu kuliko yote. Paulo alikuwa amepokea ujumbe wa malaika usiku wa kumi na nne. Kuvunjika kwa merikebu hakukutokea mpaka asubuhi iliyofuata; katika masaa yale ya giza walitupa nanga nne na kuomba kuche (Matendo 27:29, SUV). Paulo hakuruka baharini mara ujumbe ulipokuja. Alibaki ndani ya merikebu akala chakula cha asubuhi pamoja na mabaharia akasubiri. Ayubu alisema, “Ajaponiua, bado nitamtumaini” (Ayubu 13:15, SUV). Hiyo ndiyo imani ya mtu anayesubiri.Second, know when to wait. Most of us pray and run. We say Amen and bolt for the door before the Lord can answer. There are three classical answers to prayer — yes, no, and wait awhile — and the third is the hardest. Paul had received the angel's message on the fourteenth night. The shipwreck did not happen until the next morning; through the dark hours they dropped four anchors and prayed for day to come (Acts 27:29, NKJV). Paul did not jump overboard the moment the message came. He stayed on the freighter and ate breakfast with the sailors and waited. Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15, NKJV). That is a waiting man's faith.

Nilikuwa na rafiki, mzee mmoja aliyekuwa mlinzi na msafishaji wa seminari, ambaye alikuwa akisubiri pembeni ya ukumbi wa michezo wakati wanafunzi wa seminari walipocheza mpira wa kikapu. Daima alikuwa akisoma Biblia yake. Siku moja nilimwendea nikamwuliza alikuwa akisoma nini. Hakusema Biblia. Alisema, Kitabu cha Ufunuo. Nilishangaa. Unakielewa kitabu cha Ufunuo? Akasema, Ndiyo, nakielewa. Basi, kina maana gani? Akasema kwa utulivu, Maana yake ni kwamba Yesu atashinda. Ndugu zangu, hayo ndiyo mahubiri yote. Mkristo anayesubiri ni Mkristo aliyekisoma ukurasa wa mwisho wa kitabu na anayejua matokeo kabla dhoruba haijaanza. Subiri. Yesu atashinda.I had a friend, an old seminary janitor, who used to wait on the sidelines of the gym while the seminarians played basketball. He was always reading his Bible. One day I went up to him and asked what he was reading. He did not say The Bible. He said, The book of Revelation. I was surprised. You understand the book of Revelation? He said, Oh, I understand it. Well, what does it mean? He said quietly, It means Jesus is gonna win. Brothers, that is the whole sermon. The waiting Christian is the Christian who has read the last page of the book and knows the score before the storm starts. Wait. Jesus is gonna win.

Tatu, jua wakati wa kuondoka. Mahubiri ya tatu ya Paulo merikebuni yalikuwa kinyume cha yale ya pili. Walipokaribia miamba ya Melita, mabaharia waliamua kuishusha mashua ndogo ya kuokolea na kuiacha merikebu kubwa. Paulo alimwambia akida, “Hawa wasipokaa ndani ya merikebu, ninyi hamwezi kuokoka” (Matendo 27:31, SUV). Askari walikata kamba. Mashua ikaanguka baharini, tupu. Wafanyakazi wa merikebu walibaki ndani mpaka mchana. Kisha, walipoiona hatimaye ghuba na mawimbi yakipasuka juu ya miamba, waliiendesha merikebu ikapwelewa mchangani, ikavunjika chini ya mawimbi, na watu wakajitupa baharini. Wengine waliogelea. Wengine walishika vipande vya mbao zilizovunjika wakaelea juu ya mawimbi hadi pwani. “Ikawa hivyo wote wakafika salama nchi kavu” (Matendo 27:44, SUV). Nafsi zote mia mbili sabini na sita. Hakuna hata mmoja aliyepotea.Third, know when to walk away. Paul's third sermon on the freighter was the opposite of the second. As they neared the rocks of Malta, the sailors decided to lower the lifeboat and abandon the bigger ship. Paul told the centurion, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved" (Acts 27:31, NKJV). The soldiers cut the ropes. The lifeboat fell into the sea, empty. The crew stayed on the freighter until daylight. Then, when they finally saw the bay and the breakers on the rocks, they ran the freighter aground in the sand, broke up under the surf, and the crew went over the side. Some swam. Some grabbed pieces of broken planks and rode the waves in. "And so it was that they all escaped safely to land" (Acts 27:44, NKJV). All two hundred and seventy-six souls. Not one was lost.

Kuna wakati wa kubaki ndani ya merikebu, na kuna wakati wa kuruka nje, na ni mtu anayemjua Nahodha peke yake ndiye anayejua ni wakati upi. Wafanyakazi wa merikebu walitaka kuondoka mapema mno na wangekufa. Bwana, kupitia Paulo, aliwaambia wakati. Bado anafanya hivyo. Baadhi yenu mnaosoma haya mnajaribu kukimbia kutoka katika ndoa, huduma, kanisa au wito ambao Bwana bado hajawaachilia. Bakini ndani ya merikebu. Baadhi yenu mnaosoma haya mnashikilia huzuni, kinyongo, kushindwa kwa zamani, au uhusiano uliokufa ambao Bwana aliwaachilia zamani sana. Kuna wakati wa kupanda farasi na kuondoka mbali na mauti, kama mzee Gus alivyosema katika Lonesome Dove kando ya Mto Nueces, baada ya kijana kuuawa na nyoka wa majini aina ya water moccasin. Bwana huwezesha kubaki na kuondoka pia. Umtwike Yeye mzigo wako. Atakutegemeza, naye atakuambia wakati wa kuogelea.There is a time to stay on the ship, and there is a time to jump off, and only the man who knows the Captain knows which time is which. The crew wanted to leave too soon and would have died. The Lord, through Paul, told them when. He still does. Some of you reading this are trying to bail out of a marriage, a ministry, a church, or a calling that the Lord has not yet released you from. Stay on the ship. Some of you reading this are clinging to a sorrow, a grievance, a past failure, a dead relationship that the Lord released you from a long time ago. There is a time to mount up and ride away from death, as old Gus said in Lonesome Dove on the bank of the Nueces River, after the boy had been killed by the water moccasins. The Lord enables both stayings and leavings. Cast your burden on Him. He will sustain you, and He will tell you when to swim.

Robert Louis Stevenson alikulia Uskoti akiwa mwana wa mhandisi aliyejenga minara ya taa katika pwani za Uingereza na Uskoti zilizopigwa na dhoruba. Siku moja baba yake alimchukua kijana Robert pamoja naye katika safari ya ukaguzi hadi Bell Rock katika pwani ya Uskoti. Dhoruba kali ilitokea. Ilidumu saa ishirini na tano. Merikebu ndogo iliyumbayumba baharini na Robert aliogopa sana. Baba yake alipanda juu sitahani kumtafuta nahodha. Nahodha alikuwa amejifunga kwa kamba kwenye mlingoti wa mbele ili asisombwe na maji baharini. Stevenson mzee alirudi chini hadi chumba ambamo mwanawe alikuwa amejikunyata. Robert akauliza, Baba, merikebu itavunjika? Tutazama? Baba yake akajibu kwa uhakika wa utulivu, Hapana, mwanangu. Tutaishinda dhoruba. Nilimtazama rubani usoni, naye akatabasamu. Rafiki, dhoruba za maisha zinapokujia, mkaribie Yesu — Kiongozi wa wokovu wetu (Waebrania 2:10) — kiasi cha kuweza kumtazama usoni. Atatabasamu. Ameushinda ulimwengu.Robert Louis Stevenson grew up in Scotland the son of an engineer who built lighthouses on the storm-battered coasts of England and Scotland. One day his father took young Robert with him on an inspection trip out to Bell Rock off the Scottish coast. A gale blew up. It lasted twenty-five hours. The little ship rolled in the seas and Robert was terrified. His father went up on deck to find the captain. The captain had bound himself with a rope to the foremast to keep from being washed overboard. The senior Stevenson came back below to the cabin where his son was huddled. Robert asked, Will the ship break up, Father? Will we drown? His father answered, in calm assurance, No, son. We will outride the storm. I looked into the pilot's face, and he smiled. Friend, when the storms of life come on you, get close enough to Jesus — the Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10) — to look into His face. He will smile. He has overcome the world.

VII. Melita, Nyoka, na Baba yake PublioVII. Malta, the Viper, and Publius's Father

Merikebu ilipwelewa katika ghuba ndogo upande wa kaskazini wa kisiwa ambacho wenyeji walikiita Melita — Malta ya leo. Wenyeji, Luka asema, walionyesha wema usio wa kawaida. Waliwasha moto wakawakaribisha manusura waliolowa maji na kutetemeka kwa baridi. Paulo alikuwa akikusanya kuni kwa ajili ya moto — mtume wa Mataifa hakujiona mkuu mno kubeba vijiti — wakati nyoka, aliyekuwa amepumbaa kwa baridi, alipojinasa mkononi mwake alipoweka kuni motoni. Wamelita walitazama. Walijua kwamba Paulo alikuwa mfungwa. Walihitimisha kwamba Haki — mungu mke wa Kiyunani aitwaye Dike — ilikuwa imemwacha anusurike baharini ili afe ufuoni tu. Akamkung'uta nyoka motoni asipatwe na madhara. Wamelita walimtazama kwa muda mrefu. Alipokosa kuvimba na kufa, walibadili mawazo yao wakaamua kwamba yeye ni mungu. Mtu ambaye watu wa Listra walitaka kumvika taji kama Herme sasa alikuwa akiitwa mungu na wavuvi wa Melita. Bila shaka Paulo hakukubali kuabudiwa na kundi lolote kati ya hayo mawili.The freighter beached on a small bay on the north shore of an island the locals called Melita — modern Malta. The natives, Luke says, showed no ordinary kindness. They built a fire and welcomed the soaked, freezing survivors. Paul was gathering wood for the fire — the apostle of the Gentiles never above hauling sticks — when a viper, dormant in the cold, fastened itself to his hand as he laid the wood on the flames. The Maltese watched. They knew Paul was a prisoner. They concluded that Justice — the Greek goddess Dike — had let him survive the sea only to die on the shore. He shook the snake into the fire and felt no harm. The Maltese watched him for a long time. When he did not swell up and die, they changed their minds and decided he was a god. The man Lystra had wanted to crown as Hermes was now being called a god by Maltese fishermen. Paul, of course, did not accept the worship of either crowd.

Mkuu wa kisiwa alikuwa afisa Mrumi aitwaye Publio. Baba yake alikuwa mgonjwa wa kuhara damu na homa iliyokuwa ikirudiarudia. Paulo aliomba juu yake, akamwekea mikono, na mtu huyo akaponywa. Habari zikaenea kisiwa chote. Wagonjwa wengine wa Melita walikuja, na Paulo akawaponya. Miezi mitatu ya baridi ya kukaa kizuizini Melita ilikuwa miezi mitatu ya uamsho Melita. Bwana hakupoteza kitu kwa kuvunjika kwa merikebu. Alipata kisiwa.The chief man of the island was a Roman official named Publius. His father was sick with dysentery and a recurrent fever. Paul prayed over him, laid hands on him, and the man was healed. Word ran around the island. The rest of the diseased Maltese came, and Paul healed them. The three winter months of detention on Malta were three months of revival on Malta. The Lord lost nothing by the shipwreck. He gained an island.

VIII. Maili ya Mwisho kwenda RumiVIII. The Last Mile to Rome

Miezi mitatu baadaye, mwanzoni mwa majira ya kuchipua, merikebu ya nafaka ya Iskanderia iliyoitwa Ndugu Pacha — kwa ajili ya Kastori na Poluksi, miungu walinzi wa mabaharia wa Kirumi — ilikuwa imekaa wakati wa baridi huko Melita. Yulio aliwahamishia wafungwa wake ndani yake. Walisafiri kaskazini hadi Sirakusa katika pwani ya mashariki ya Sisilia na kukaa huko siku tatu, kisha hadi Regio katika ncha ya Italia, kisha juu kando ya pwani ya magharibi ya Italia hadi Puteoli katika ghuba ya Napoli. Kutoka Puteoli walitembea katika Njia ya Apio kuelekea kaskazini hadi Rumi.Three months later, in early spring, an Alexandrian grain freighter named the Twin Brothers — for Castor and Pollux, the patron deities of Roman sailors — wintered at Malta. Julius transferred his prisoners aboard. They sailed north to Syracuse on the east coast of Sicily and stayed there three days, then to Rhegium on the toe of Italy, then up the west coast of Italy to Puteoli on the bay of Naples. From Puteoli they walked the Appian Way north toward Rome.

Luka anahifadhi jambo moja dogo kwa ajili ya barabara kutoka Puteoli, nalo ni mojawapo ya sentensi zinazogusa moyo kuliko zote katika Matendo. “Na kutoka huko ndugu, waliposikia habari zetu, wakaja kutulaki mpaka Soko la Apio na Mikahawa Mitatu; na Paulo alipowaona alimshukuru Mungu, akapata moyo” (Matendo 28:15, SUV). Waamini wa Rumi — kanisa ambalo Paulo hakuwahi kulitembelea, lakini alikuwa amelielekea barua yake kuu miaka kadhaa kabla — walisikia kwamba yuko njiani. Walitoka nje ya Rumi kwa miguu kwenda kumlaki. Soko la Apio lilikuwa maili arobaini na tatu kusini mwa mji. Mikahawa Mitatu ilikuwa maili thelathini na tatu kusini. Paulo aliwaona njiani na nguvu zake zikarudi. Ndugu zangu, kamwe msidharau kile ambacho kikundi kidogo cha kukaribisha katika nyumba ya wageni kando ya barabara kinaweza kumfanyia mtumishi wa Bwana aliyechoka. Mtu aliyepigana na hayawani huko Efeso (1 Wakorintho 15:32) na kunusurika katika kina cha Mediterania alipata nguvu kutoka kwa kikundi kidogo cha waamini waliotembea kwenda kumlaki katika Njia ya Apio.Luke saves a single small detail for the road from Puteoli, and it is one of the most touching sentences in Acts. "And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage" (Acts 28:15, NKJV). The Roman believers — a church Paul had never visited, but had written his great letter to several years earlier — heard he was on the road. They walked out of Rome to greet him. The Forum of Appius was forty-three miles south of the city. Three Inns was thirty-three miles south. Paul saw them on the road and his strength returned. Brothers, never underestimate what a small welcoming party at a roadside inn can do for a tired servant of the Lord. The man who had fought with beasts at Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15:32) and survived the floor of the Mediterranean drew strength from a handful of believers walking out to meet him on the Appian Way.

Huko Rumi, Paulo aliruhusiwa kuishi peke yake katika makazi ya kupanga pamoja na askari mmoja Mrumi aliyefungwa naye kwa mnyororo mkononi. Luka anaiita hii nyumba yake mwenyewe aliyoipanga. Kwa miaka miwili aliwakaribisha wote waliomjia. Alihubiri ufalme wa Mungu. Alifundisha mambo ya Bwana Yesu Kristo. Aliandika barua kutoka katika nyumba hii — Waefeso, Wafilipi, Wakolosai, Filemoni — ambazo zimeunda kila karne ya Kikristo tangu hapo. Mnyororo haukuondoka kamwe mkononi mwake, lakini injili iliingia katika kila sehemu ya kikosi cha walinzi wa Kaisari, zamu ya saa nne baada ya zamu ya saa nne, askari mmoja baada ya mwingine. Baadaye Wafilipi inawataja watakatifu wa nyumba ya Kaisari wakituma salamu. Ule mnyororo ambao Bwana alikuwa amemwambia Paulo habari zake katika ngome ya Antonia miaka miwili kabla ulikuwa umeipeleka injili hadi ndani ya jumba la Kaisari mwenyewe.At Rome, Paul was permitted to live by himself in rented quarters with a single Roman soldier chained to his wrist. Luke calls this his own hired house. For two years he received any who came to him. He preached the kingdom of God. He taught the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He wrote letters from this house — Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon — that have shaped every Christian century since. The chains never moved off his wrist, but the gospel walked into every household of Caesar's praetorian guard, four-hour shift by four-hour shift, soldier by soldier. Philippians later mentions the saints of Caesar's household sending greetings. The chain that the Lord had told Paul about in the Antonia barracks two years earlier had carried the gospel into Caesar's own palace.

Luka anakimaliza kitabu chake kwa mojawapo ya sentensi zilizoachwa wazi kwa makusudi kuliko zote katika fasihi. “Paulo akakaa muda wa miaka miwili mizima katika nyumba yake aliyokuwa ameipanga, akawakaribisha wote waliokuwa wakimwendea, akihubiri habari za ufalme wa Mungu, na kuyafundisha mambo ya Bwana Yesu Kristo, kwa ujasiri wote, asikatazwe na mtu” (Matendo 28:30–31, SUV). Hakuna hitimisho. Hakuna kifo cha kishahidi. Hakuna mwisho. Luka hatuambii jinsi shauri la Paulo lilivyoishia. Hatuambii kama Paulo alisimama mbele ya Nero. Hatuambii lolote kuhusu miaka ishirini iliyofuata ya kanisa. Anaacha tu mlango wazi. Akihubiri… akifundisha… asikatazwe na mtu. Kitabu cha Matendo hakiishi kwa kweli bali kinasimama ghafla, katikati ya hatua, juu ya vitenzi vyake vinavyoendelea: akihubiri… akifundisha. Hadithi ya Matendo bado inaandikwa. Matendo 29 ni sura ambayo mimi na wewe tunaiishi sasa hivi.Luke ends his book with one of the most deliberately open-ended sentences in literature. "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him" (Acts 28:30–31, NKJV). No conclusion. No martyrdom. No ending. Luke does not tell us how Paul's case turned out. He does not tell us whether Paul stood before Nero. He does not tell us anything about the next twenty years of the church. He simply leaves the door open. Preaching… teaching… no one forbidding him. The book of Acts does not so much end as stop, mid-stride, on its participles: preaching… teaching. The story of Acts is still being written. Acts 29 is the chapter you and I are living right now.

IX. Mafunzo Matatu ya Kuchukua NyumbaniIX. Three Lessons Home

Kwanza, karibu haitoshi. Feliki alisema nikipata nafasi. Agripa alisema karibu. Wote wawili walimsikia Paulo akihubiri. Wote wawili waliondoka bila kuongoka. Nafasi inayofaa haifiki kamwe, na karibu ni mahali pale pale pa kufikia kama kutokuamini kabisa. Tazama, wakati uliokubalika ndio sasa. Tazama, siku ya wokovu ndiyo sasa.First, almost is not enough. Felix said when I have a convenient time. Agrippa said almost. Both heard Paul preach. Both went away unconverted. The convenient time never arrives, and almost is exactly the same destination as not at all. Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

Pili, dhoruba ni sehemu ya ratiba ya safari. Bwana alimwambia Paulo huko Yerusalemu kwamba atashuhudia huko Rumi. Ahadi hiyo ilijumuisha kimbunga, siku kumi na nne za giza, kuvunjika kwa merikebu, nyoka, na miezi mitatu huko Melita. Dhoruba si njia za kando zinazotutoa nje ya mapenzi ya Mungu; mara nyingi ndizo njia ambayo kwayo Yeye huyatimiza. Mtumaini katika dhoruba. Subiri mpaka akuonyeshe njia. Ondoka anapokuachilia. Ameushinda ulimwengu.Second, storms are part of the itinerary. The Lord told Paul in Jerusalem that he would bear witness in Rome. That promise included the typhoon, the fourteen days of darkness, the shipwreck, the viper, and three months on Malta. Storms are not detours from God's will; they are often the route by which He fulfills it. Trust Him in the storm. Wait until He shows the way. Walk away when He releases you. He has overcome the world.

Tatu, Matendo hakina sura ya mwisho, kwa sababu sura ya mwisho ni yako. Luka anamaliza katikati ya hadithi. Bwana alikamilisha orodha ya vitabu vya Maandiko, lakini hakukamilisha utume. Ufalme bado unahubiriwa, mambo ya Bwana Yesu Kristo bado yanafundishwa, na hakuna mtu — hakuna Feliki, hakuna Agripa, hakuna mnyororo, hakuna dhoruba ya siku kumi na nne — anayeweza kuizuia injili kumfikia mtu anayefuata atakayeisikia. Bwana na aiandike sura inayofuata kupitia wewe.Third, Acts has no final chapter, because the final chapter is yours. Luke ends mid-story. The Lord finished the canon, but He did not finish the mission. The kingdom is still being preached, the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ are still being taught, and no one — no Felix, no Agrippa, no chain, no fourteen-day storm — can stop the gospel from reaching the next person who will hear it. May the Lord write the next chapter through you.

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