The Message, Sustainability Through Your Revelation! Part 3

Acts 27:21, “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.” Revelation from God ensures survival but there is still a requirement for individual participation. Three important elements of the God Factor come into play: Repentance, Faith, and Obedience.

Paul reminded his shipmates that they should have listened to him because it was more than Paul who had discouraged this voyage. It was God through Paul! How many times has God tried to warn us along our journey and we discounted the messenger who delivered the warning? But God always has the last word. We determine our outcome by our obedience or lack thereof! So, the first thing these sailors had to deal with was their decision to sail, admit that it was a mistake and be willing to change directions and follow Christ. The Bible calls this concept, Repentance. Second, they had to believe what Paul was telling them. This was the beginning of their Faith which would sustain them in the coming days.

Acts 27:27, “But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down...29Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. 30And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. 32Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.” The third element of the God Factor was that they must stay in the ship continuing to exhibit faith in the revelation and Obedience to the man of God. God's plan of deliverance included the debris of the broken vessel, the vessel that had sustained them thus far. But they had to be willing to stay with the ship until she literally broke apart on the rocks. Those broken pieces became their salvation. When our circumstances are falling apart, we must stay true and obedient to God’s command in order to be saved. (To be continued). The Message: A Critical Review Of End Time Events, p20-21, available at Amazon.com.