“He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and 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 28:30-31)
After his conversion to Christianity, the Apostle Paul went on at least three missionary trips. On each of these trips, he consistently preached the Gospel to Jews and non-Jews alike, planting churches and encouraging believers. Even when people hated him for what he said, he kept on teaching. He refused to let anyone stop him from telling the truth about Jesus and His sacrifice. He witnessed to a large portion of Europe, as well parts of Asia. One place he hadn’t gone, however, was Rome. A church emerged there, but Paul hadn’t been able to go there on any of his previous missionary journeys. He planned to stop there and visit the church when he headed for Spain on his fourth journey. But his plans became a bit complicated when he was arrested by the Jews in Jerusalem. The Romans saved him from death and kept him in prison for two years, at the end of which time Paul appealed his case to Caesar. This meant he would have to go to Rome. After a long, danger-filled journey, complete with a storm, a shipwreck, and a snakebite, Paul finally arrived at that great city. There, he was again put in prison while he awaited trial. He stayed there under house arrest for over two years. He certainly didn’t waste his time, though. Even while he was imprisoned, he still proclaimed God’s Word “with all boldness”.
Wherever Paul went, he preached the Gospel. It was often an unfavorable message to his audience. It got him put in prison multiple times, and he eventually died because of it. But Paul didn’t care. To him, the most important thing he could ever do was tell others about Jesus.
We have the same charge that Paul had. All Christians are under Jesus’ commission to preach the Gospel to the world, teaching everyone how to follow God. Paul went where the Gospel had never gone before, earnestly proclaiming a salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We too are called to spread the word. God wanted Paul in Rome and got him right where He wanted him to be through a series of strange events. He’ll do the same for us; we just have to be willing to follow Him and boldly proclaim Him, no matter what.