Read: Acts 21:1-16
And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. (v. 4)
Paul was on his way back to Jerusalem. But he had a ways to go. So, on the way he made a number of stops, finding believers to stay with each time. It was a great blessing to him to be among friends who loved the Lord as he did.
I have experienced the same thing. When my wife and I began our missionary training in Birmingham, England, we were blessed to be among Christians from fifty-two different countries. Our cultures, languages, and passports were different, but we all shared one Lord Jesus Christ. We prayed together in different languages and sang the same hymn tunes with different words. But they all were signs of the one Christ and his one church from all around the world. The same was true for us when we served in Japan. We may have been far from home, but the love and support of Japanese Christians was a great blessing.
As we have seen, Paul had had his share of times when people were divided. But here we see how the believers opened their homes and hearts to Paul and visited together with him. The psalmist said, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity (Ps. 133:1). In this time of political and racial division, we who follow Christ have the wonderful opportunity to show the rest of the world what it means to live together in unity. —John Koedyker
As you pray, thank God for the communion of the saints.
About the Author
Rev. John Koedyker has been a pastor in the Reformed Church in America for more than forty years. His ministry began in Japan where he served as a missionary for ten years. After that he has served churches in Iowa and Michigan. He has served as the Stated Clerk of Muskegon Classis, RCA, for the past sixteen years and also presently serves as pastor of congregational care at First Reformed Church of Grand Haven, Michigan. John has written a number of times previously for Words of Hope and he has a bi-monthly religion column in the Grand Haven Tribune. He is married to Marilyn, and they have four grown children and seven grandchildren.
