And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. (Acts 28:15)
Paul is a prisoner being marched to Rome to stand trial, and he's been at it for a while through shipwreck, snakebite, and chains. Then believers he has never met hear he's coming and walk out from the city to meet him on the road. (Historical note: The Forum of Appius is 40 miles from Rome and Three Taverns is 30 miles away.) Luke records it very clearly: "On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage."
Paul’s situation hasn’t changed, he’s still a prisoner and still has to stand before caesar. But the church comes and brought courage with them! Often our worry is that we won’t have the right answers when time comes, however often what people need is our presence.
Is there someone you can walk out to meet this week?
These devotions are based upon our Sunday sermon. You can find those in the sermon tab. If something here resonated with you, we'd love to hear from you — or pray with you.
We're located in Winchester, VA and would love to walk with you in faith and life.