they will listen

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.

Acts 28:28

These are the last words recorded from Paul in the book of Acts. They form the conclusion to one last recorded conversation with Jewish leaders in Rome. Paul spent an entire day with them working through all of the Old Testament to show them the gospel of Jesus and the kingdom of God (Acts 28:23-24). In the end there was disagreement and unbelief (Acts 28:25). This led Paul to a final conclusion: the Gentiles will listen to the gospel and turn to Christ.

This is a fitting bookend to the Paul story arc of Acts. At Paul’s conversion Jesus revealed that His plan for him was to “carry my name to the Gentiles” and for him to “suffer for the sake of my name”. And now, in Rome, with Paul’s last Acts message he is doing both… committing to Gentile evangelism in the core of the Gentile world in Rome while also under arrest by Caesar. The story reaches the end that God intended. The gospel has spread just as Jesus had prophesied in the opening of the book of Acts: to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

Seeing Jesus so in control of the growth of His church, the spread of the gospel message, and the worldwide expansion of His kingdom is the main takeaway I have from this current reading of the book of Acts. And this same Jesus is head of His church right now. He is growing His Church, saving His people, and building His kingdom. And we are the people Jesus chooses to use. We need to proclaim the gospel and pray with confidence like Paul that “they will listen”.