JOIN THE JOURNEY JR.
Families Abiding in Jesus together
With shorter reading assignments and kid-specific focus areas, Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents disciple their kids and engage with Scripture in the best ways for their age.
This month's memory verse
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Want weekly retellings of our favorite Bible stories and conversation guides? Listen to the Join The Journey Jr. podcast with the whole family every Monday!
Proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
23So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. 25And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,
26‘Go and say to this people:
When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
27For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’*
28So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.”*
30For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense.* He welcomed all who visited him, 31boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.
In our final reading in Acts, Paul finally reaches his destination: Rome, the capital of the world’s greatest empire at the time. The Roman Empire stretched across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Paul’s arrival in Rome matters because it fulfills what Jesus said in Acts 1:8: that the gospel will ultimately reach “to the end of the earth.” In fact, the Lord had already told Paul that he would testify about him in Rome (see Acts 23:11). Now, Paul has finally arrived at the very place Jesus promised he would go!
When Paul arrives in Rome, however, he is not walking freely. He is still a prisoner, requiring a soldier to guard him at all times. While awaiting trial before Caesar, he still boldly proclaims the Gospel to everyone who visits him. Despite being an “ambassador in chains,” nothing hindered him (see Ephesians 6:20).
And that is exactly how Luke ends the Book of Acts, with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus “with all boldness and without hindrance.” Notice that Luke does not leave us with a traditional conclusion, but with an invitation. The story of the church does not end here. We are called to continue the work of sharing the gospel as Christ followers.
So, how can we share Jesus with boldness and without hindrance? Let’s look back at some of the lessons we’ve learned throughout Acts:
The beauty is that we are free to share Jesus with others! These aren’t boxes to check or things we do to earn a relationship with God. We can walk in freedom, “for Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). So let’s freely share the hope we have in Jesus with others, unhindered!
“Lord, thank you for inviting us into continue sharing the gospel “to the end of the earth.” Your work did not end in Rome! Thank you for calling us to freely share Jesus with all boldness and without hindrance, and for giving us the Holy Spirit as our Helper. Give us courage to share the love of Christ with our family, friends, and neighbors so that others may come to know you through us. Amen.”