Abide In The Ship
“Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” (Acts 27:31)
The apostle Paul, enroute to Rome, ran headlong into a storm — a violent tempestuous storm. It seemed at the time that everyone would be lost at sea, but Paul, after an angel of the Lord assured him that there would be no loss of life on this trip, told them, “and now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship” (Acts 27:22). Even though Paul heard from the Lord and encouraged the men that God would take them through, many of them did not believe, and they panicked. As Dr. Luke wrote, “then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day” (Acts 22:29). The men did not want the ship to hit and break up on the rocks, so they dropped anchors to secure the ship and then just wished for the day light.
We see, though, that the crew in actuality was trying to abandon the ship. They acted as if they were only dropping anchor, but actually they were going overboard. They were leaving a sinking ship as the rats leave it. They were doing something which they should never have done. These were the mariners, the very vital workers that kept the ship afloat. Do you see the parallel with the church of God and how important the workers are in any church? Preachers, teachers, custodians, secretaries, and such like are vital to any assembly of God.
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” May this statement be an encouragement to all the workers in the various ministries of Grace Apostolic Church. If you abandon your post, or are unfaithful to it, many of the people of God that are on board the ship could be lost. The apostle tells the centurion that the only assurance of safety is for all to remain with the ship. Paul had put his trust in God and believed His word. What a wonderful thing it is to trust the word of God. The angel of the Lord had told Paul that he and the men would be saved, but they could not be saved their way. They must be saved God’s way. God’s way was for them to stay with the ship, and so must we, as members of His body.
The word finally got through to the centurion and they cut the rope that held the lifeboat. By cutting the lifeboat away, they were saying, “We’re going to trust God. And may I say to us all, trust God and abide in the ship!
May God bless us to grow in grace.
Pastor Gaiters
