< Acts 28 >

One of the differences between our times and the apostles’ is that we do not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they did. Jesus had said to them “And these signs shall follow them that believe; ... they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” Mark 16:17-18.Waiting for response for Mark 16:17-18 When, therefore, Paul was bitten by a venomous snake, he remained unharmed, to the amazement of the Maltese. The purpose of Spirit gifts in the first century was to ensure the development of the church, and the apostles and others used the power of God to demonstrate that their message was from the Lord. And Paul used this power to heal all the sick on the island who were brought to him.

This has been the case throughout history. Holders of the Truth by Jesus’ definition are few in number (Luke 13:23-24)Waiting for response for Luke 13:23-24 and have always been disparaged.

Given the opportunity of putting these Jews into the right way, Paul “expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening”. As always, the truth was rejected by most of these Jews, prompting Paul to cite the prophecy of the LORD through Isaiah concerning them. The LORD requires our hearts to be receptive to his word, but if we harden them against him then we will be deprived of salvation. Nevertheless there were, and still are, some who rejoice in the truth, and most of those are found among the Gentiles. The message from God is still available in the scriptures for us to believe, enabling us to be saved, and the message remains the same as that proclaimed by Paul while he was held prisoner in Rome “preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ”.