Acts 27 reminds me of the phrase “Every man for himself”. The origin may be military, but, now it is used to excuse selfish behavior. It is the strategy of the loner. Today’s lesson is about a unique kind of unity. We begin with the apostle Paul and a few travel companions boarding a ship to sail to Italy. “Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius”. They took a series of vessels with many hindered trips. Each segment encountered weather related delays and made “slow headway”. Along the way, Paul won the favor of his guard; “Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs”. Eventually the season was getting very late for safe travel. Paul warned them, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also”. Paul was a seasoned traveler at this point. “But the centurion, instead… followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship”. Beware of anyone suggesting that you take the risk while they reap the reward. Loners can gamble, but leaders must consider the wellbeing of the whole team. The small harbor town was considered “unsuitable to winter”, in part because it was boring. The crew voted to sail on. Friend, do you make decisions without considering how it might affect others?
They departed when they detected a gentle south wind, but “Before very long, a wind of hurricane force” caught the ship. They took “a violent battering from the storm… the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard”. In the storms of life valuable things can get tossed away. Even necessities are discarded when we are in survival mode. “They threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands”. Riding out a storm can lead to despair. “The storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved”. Hopelessness shrivels our concern for others, but in the height of the storm, Paul spoke about unity. He began by pointing out that they had made bad decisions leading to “damage and loss”. Paul then spoke about the future. “Keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost”. He shared a message from God that included the whole crew. “Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you”. Paul explained that they “must run aground”, something no sailor wants to consider.
Desperation can make a bad choice look good. As they approached land, a few crewmembers planned to abandon ship using a lifeboat and a lie. Paul warned the centurion; “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved”. This time the soldiers listened, and cut the ropes, letting the boat drift away. At dawn, “Paul urged them all to eat”. He told them God’s promise that “Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head”. Paul “took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all… broke it and began to eat”. Sharing a meal is the most genuine way to unify people. “They were all encouraged and ate”. At daylight, they saw “a bay with a sandy beach”, so they cut the anchor line and raised the foresail in an attempt to run aground. The bow stuck fast into a sandbar and the waves began to break the ship apart. “The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from… escaping”. Some will lash out when things don’t go their way. But the centurion, now fully trusting Paul, “kept them from carrying out their plan”. He ordered those that could swim to jump overboard, and the rest were told find wood from the ship, and float to shore “on planks”. In the end, “everyone reached land safely”. My friend, are you tired of living to please yourself? There is a bond of unity in Christ for every man, woman and child that put Him first.