Acts 28

http://www.esvbible.org/Acts+28/

The men soon discover that they are on an island called Malta. The people there are very kind and invite them to sit by their fire because the da was still rainy and cold. Paul, always earning his keep with his hosts, helps collect firewood. When he puts some brush into the fire, a poisonous snake jumps out a bites his hand and hangs there. All of the natives see this and tell each other that he must be a murderer who tried to escape fate by sea, but justice prevailed in the end. Paul, however, shook the snake into the fire and was unharmed. When the people saw that he did not swell up and die, they decided he must be a god. They took him to the governor, whose father lay ill. Paul prayed and healed the man. After that, all of the other sick people on the island went to Paul and he healed them through the Holy Spirit. God sometimes sends people into areas of the world who may have never heard the name of Jesus before. This can be a scary notion, but it can also be exciting because everything you tell them is new and different. The people were so pleased with Paul that they gave him and his men all of the equipment that they needed when they set sail again.

Paul and company continue to bounce around from city to city on their way to Rome. When they finally arrived in Rome, Paul was trusted enough to live by himself with just a guard.

Paul went before a Jewish council in Rome and told them that he was there because the Jews accused him of preposterous cromes in order to stop him from spreading the Good News. The Roman officials in Jerusalem wanted to let him go, but the Jews would not allow it, so Paul felt like he had no other choice than to appeal his case to the emperor. The Jews told him that they wanted to hear what he had to say because no one had sent any word from Jerusalem about his crimes. The next day, even more people showed up to hear him, and he spoke about Jesus and Salvation and the Kingdom of God. Many people in attendance believed, while others continued to disbelieve. In the end, the Jews left arguing with themselves when Paul told them that the non-Jews accept God's messages easier because of what the prophet Isaiah said about the Jews closing their eyes and ears to God despite the fact that he reveals himself to them. After that incident, Paul rents a house in Rome and stays there for two years. Throughout that time, he spreads God's word, and no one tries to stop him.