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Throughout the life of Paul, we have seen how the Lord delivered him from persecutors during his missionary journeys. When he preached in the synagogues, sometimes he was accepted, and other times he was violently rejected, but the Lord delivered him. We learned how he stood before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa, who said to him, "You think in this short time you can make me a Christian?" Through it all, the Lord was with him. But all these were physical, human enemies. What about things pertaining to nature, like the ocean, the storms, and shipwrecks? Would the Lord still be able to deliver him? Most certainly! If it was not God's appointed time and way for Paul to die, and if there was still work for him to do, surely God would deliver him.

My friends, perhaps as you serve the Lord, God has delivered you from the enemies of the Gospel. You have experienced, time and again, how the Lord has delivered you from wicked men. Then you encountered a different kind of enemy, of a different sort. Maybe it is a sickness, a financial crisis, or a family issue. You start to question: "Will God help me like He did in the past against those wicked men?" Surely He will, or He will give you the strength to go through those trials. This is what Acts 27 is all about. It is about how God helped Paul in his journey to Italy. The Lord was with him in the past, and the Lord was also with him in this physical journey, through all the elements and all the trials that he would be facing. God was with him.

But tonight, instead of focusing on Paul, I would like us to take a moment and focus on his friends. The title of our message is "A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed." Our first point is: The trial reveals the true friend.

Let us begin with verse one: "And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band." Paul had appealed to Caesar. Festus and King Agrippa lacked the courage to release him, even though they knew he was innocent. But they had no choice now but to send him to Caesar, and Caesar was in Italy, whose capital was Rome. They handed Paul over to a centurion named Julius, who was in charge of 100 Roman soldiers known as the Augustan cohort. Apparently, this was a special group of Roman soldiers given the special duty to transport or escort important prisoners. Notice, the writer Luke used the word "we," which means he was included in Paul's journey to Italy. The last time we heard about Luke was in Chapter 21:18, so most likely, he was living in the region of Caesarea or somewhere around there. But Luke was not the only one who joined Paul; there was another believer named Aristarchus.

Look at verse two: "And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us." The Roman centurion had placed his group of soldiers, prisoners—so Paul was not the only prisoner—there were other prisoners and servants as well on board this ship, to set sail from Asia Minor. Hopefully, they could find a passageway to Italy. This Aristarchus was the same Aristarchus who was arrested together with Gaius at Ephesus by the angry mob. If you remember the incident in Acts 19, Paul preached at Ephesus, preached very powerfully. Many people turned and believed in God, and upon their conversion, they stopped worshipping idols. Because of that, those people who created and sold the idols, their businesses were greatly affected. So the silversmith Demetrius was very angry and stirred up the people against Paul and his team. That was how Aristarchus was arrested. He was the one who accompanied Paul in his journey back to Jerusalem with the offerings from the Gentile churches. Later on, he would also be the one who ministered to Paul during his imprisonment at Rome. You can read about that in Colossians 4:10.

At certain times in Paul's life, he would say things like, "All my friends have forsaken me; they have left me." For example, in 2 Timothy 4:10, he said this: "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia." And if you look down to the next verse, he said this: "Only Luke is with me." Paul was referring to a difficult period of time in his life and ministry as he served the Lord. The situation became more and more intense, and his friends started to leave him. Only Luke stood by his side. That speaks a lot about Luke, right?

We have not heard about Luke and Aristarchus for a long time. Then, all of a sudden, when there was trouble, when Paul was sent to Rome, they appeared and joined him in this most uncomfortable and dangerous journey. Think about this: all of a sudden, when there was trouble, these two men, their names appeared, and they stood with Paul, journeyed together with him. What can we learn from these two men? When you need help, when you are in trouble, you turn around, and these people are there. They are your true friends. Most importantly, they are your true co-laborers.

You see, sometimes God allows trials into our lives to reveal who our friends really are. As disappointing as it can be, for some, they may not be the kind of friends they appear to be. We may think that they are our friends, our co-laborers who will go together with us through thick and thin, but they are not. There are others whom we think may not be as faithful, but they are. How do we know? All it takes is a trial to reveal the true friend, the true co-laborers.

Think about this: in our workplaces, when things are relatively smooth, everyone seems to be a good, faithful employee, right? It's very hard to tell the difference. But when times are difficult, the workload is extreme, the pressure is unbelievable, you see employees finding excuses. Some will take medical leave, others will take annual leave, and some will even resign and walk away. That is when you see the real, faithful ones who are patiently persevering, and you can tell that these are the real, faithful co-laborers. All it takes is a trial to reveal who is really faithful. The same goes with the ministry. In good times, many people will volunteer their services. It is wonderful, we are happy, but the question is whether they will persevere together with us in difficult times as well.

I believe in the course of your ministry, you have learned to trust certain people, that somehow, no matter what happens, by God's grace, these people will not shy away. They will not turn away. They will stand together with you, serve the Lord together with you, whether it is storming, whether it is raining, or sunshine. The trial will reveal the true friend. In such times, Paul was in that boat, on the way to Italy. There were these two persons beside him—Luke and Aristarchus—two very faithful friends, faithful co-laborers.

Our second point is the decision of the true friend. Luke and Aristarchus had made a decision to accompany Paul to Rome. That decision would lead them to face certain consequences because the entire chapter talks about how dangerous and difficult the journey was. If you read the entire chapter 27, it will tell you how difficult this journey would be. Now, look at verse three: "And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself," which means to receive care and help from his friends.

This Julius seemed to be a man of integrity and generosity because, when the ship reached the port at Sidon the next day, he gave special permission for Paul to visit his friends. Most likely, these were friends Paul had made during his missionary journeys, and they lived in that city. We must bear in mind that Paul was a very important prisoner. To be allowed to go free—he had appealed to Caesar, and he must stand before the emperor in due time—the Roman centurion Julius must make sure that would happen. And on top of that, the Jewish leaders hated him so much—we have learned about that in our previous messages. If they got wind that Paul had this so-called freedom, they would be very angry, and that could spark a riot. And what happens if Paul were to take advantage of the situation and try to escape? Julius would be in great trouble. He would have to pay with his own life. Yet, he had grown to trust Paul in such a short period of time, so much so that he was willing to risk his own life to let Paul free so that he may be ministered to by his friends.

You know, that tells us a lot about the Apostle Paul, how he had carried himself, how he was able to make Julius, the centurion, trust him so much. Do you know what would make a person trust you? When the person believes that you have his best interest at heart, when the person knows that you care for him, his family, his job, his welfare, his life, and not just your own, that person will trust you. In a sense, Julius, the Roman centurion, believed that Paul cared about him so much that he would not do anything to hurt him. That was the reason why he was able to trust him with his own life, to allow him to go and

visit his friends. It's not something easy for the centurion to do.

Maybe we sidetrack a bit so that we may apply this principle into our lives. Some parents are afraid to let their children go. No matter how old the children are, they want the children always to be at their side. Yet, there are others who are willing to let their children go when they feel that their children are wise and old enough to be responsible. Does not mean that they do not love their children or that they are not protective of their children. One father said, "I know my son, that he loves me, and he cares for me so much that he will not do anything that will grieve and break my heart." That was the kind of trust Julius had with Paul, that this man would not do anything that would jeopardize his life. He would not do anything that would hurt him, so he was willing to let him visit his friends freely.

History tells us that this was not something that the Romans would do. The Bible does not tell us whether Paul took up the offer, but since it was recorded as it was, it is best to believe that Paul did have the opportunity to visit the brethren in that city. As usual, Paul would always take the opportunity to share the Word of God, encourage the brethren, and have sweet fellowship with them.

Then, look down to verse four: "And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia." These regions were very familiar to Paul because, firstly, he himself was originally from Cilicia. Secondly, he had preached extensively in those areas throughout his missionary journeys. So you can imagine how Paul would have felt when the ship sailed past those cities and him not being able to visit the brethren in those cities. It'll be just like you one day driving past 10 Downing Street. Likely, you pass by the church, the brethren were inside the church worshipping God, but for some reasons, you are not able to come in and visit them nor worship together with them. How your heart would have felt! So you can imagine Paul sailing past all these cities; it would have brought back memories of how he had ministered to them in those missionary journeys.

Verse six: "And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein." In those days, there were special ships carrying grains between Egypt and Rome. They were the imperial ships belonging to the Roman Empire. So it was the responsibility of the centurion to find a connecting ship that would take them to Italy.

Verse seven: “And when we had sailed slowly many days and scarce, which means with much difficulty, we came over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete over against Salmone.” In other words, as they were sailing, the wind was against them—a very strong wind—so they had to sail along the coastal line to protect themselves against the strong wind.

Verse eight: “And hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The Fair Havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.” Again, the ship faced difficulties sailing along the coastal lines, so they had to enter into a bay known as The Fair Havens.

Verse nine: “Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous because the fast was now already past.” The ship was delayed for a considerable time in The Fair Havens, most likely waiting for the weather to change. The word "fast" was a reference to the Day of Atonement, which was usually celebrated toward the end of the year. Take note of the phrase “when sailing was now dangerous because the fast, or the Day of Atonement, was now already over.” In other words, this would be a period of time toward the end of the year, which was extremely dangerous to sail. Like in our times, there are certain periods where you have monsoon rains or storms in certain areas, which make sailing almost impossible.

Let us take a moment and consider this: Paul had appealed to Caesar, so he had to go to Rome. There were other prisoners who were also on board the ship; they also had to go to Rome. Julius, the Roman centurion, was in charge of transporting the prisoners to Rome. All of them had no choice but to go to Rome. But Luke and Aristarchus were different. They had a choice. They did not have to go with Paul to Rome. This was a period of time during the year which was extremely dangerous to travel, yet they made a conscious decision to accompany these dear brethren to Rome.

My friends, it is different when you make a decision and then face unforeseen circumstances. It is a totally different thing when you make a decision knowing that you will have to face serious consequences. If I may put it this way, it is one thing when a person volunteers to serve the Lord and then faces an unforeseen difficult situation. It is another thing altogether when that person volunteers to serve the Lord knowing that there will be this difficult situation waiting for him. That was the kind of friend, that was the kind of co-laborer Luke and Aristarchus were. They made this conscious decision knowing that, though this was not the time to travel, yet they were willing to stand together with this dear brother and took it upon themselves to travel along with him, to minister to him all the way to Italy.

Our final point is the quiet spirit of the true friend. Look at the last part of verse nine: Paul admonished them. At this point in time, Paul himself had already experienced at least three shipwrecks. How do we know? In 2 Corinthians 11:25, Paul says this: “Three times I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, three times I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep.” So he had experience, and with that experience, he admonished or exhorted them.

Verse ten: “And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.” In other words, he advised them not to take the risk because it was not the period of the year to be sailing, and on top of that, they were already facing trouble with the wind.

Verse eleven: “Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul.” The word "master" means the one who steered the ship. The word "owner" means the captain. Remember, these were imperial ships belonging to the Roman Empire. Therefore, the centurion, not the ship captain, was the highest-ranking officer on board. The centurion would be the one to make the final decision. He had grown to respect Paul; he valued his advice, but he still trusted the captain more than Paul. After all, the captain was a seasoned sailor.

Finally, verse twelve: “And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is a haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south-west and north-west.” The captain and most of the men felt that it was dangerous to take shelter in The Fair Havens and spend the winter there. The advice was to set sail toward Phenice, which was about forty miles away. There was this harbor of Crete; it was a better place to spend winter. That would be a decision they would soon regret, which we will learn about in our next few messages.

But I would like to end by making a note that during this whole time, Paul had spoken, Julius the centurion had spoken, the captain and most of the men or sailors had spoken, but notice, Luke and Aristarchus did not say anything. Sometimes what is not recorded for us would actually reveal much more of a person’s character. You can imagine, in the midst of chaos, they were just sitting quietly beside Paul. They had made a conscious decision to accompany Paul to Rome, despite knowing that it was not the best time to travel. It would be extremely dangerous, extremely difficult at this time of the year. Then came the storm and the strong wind, and the sailors were making decisions that would jeopardize their lives, yet they had this quiet spirit within them.

Most certainly, these two brethren believed that God was in control of the situation. With all their hearts, they believed if God were to allow them to go through the storm, He must have a sovereign purpose. My friends, these are the kinds of friends and laborers we want to look for in our lives, in our ministries. The trials will reveal who these people are. In good times, it is very hard for us to tell who are truthful and faithful. All it takes is a difficult trial to reveal who these true friends, true co-laborers are. As one pastor said, “The trials will purify the laborers. The unfaithful one will disappear; only the faithful one will remain.” The decisions they make will reveal their true characters. Watch very, very carefully how they make those decisions, knowing for a fact that there will be trouble, yet they make those decisions. It will reveal their true characters as faithful laborers.

And finally, in times of trouble, they will not be finger-pointing, blame-shifting, murmuring, or complaining, but with a quiet spirit, they will persevere together with you. They will sail together with you, whether it be storm, whether it be rain, or whether it be sunshine. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Ask yourself this question: am I such a friend? Am I such a co-laborer like Luke and Aristarchus? Not much is spoken about them, but as I’ve said, sometimes what is not spoken reveals much more of their characters than what is recorded.

Let us look to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in Heaven, we thank You for this opportunity for us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Indeed, Thou has enabled us to take time to focus not on the Apostle Paul tonight, but rather on his friends. There are lessons for us to learn, spiritual lessons that we may draw and apply into our lives. Indeed, we need friends, we need co-laborers to serve together with us in the ministry. But how can we know who the faithful ones are? All it takes is a trial to reveal who our true friends are. Oh Lord, when trouble comes, when we are in difficulties, we turn around, and these people are there, willing to stand together with us, making conscious decisions, knowing for a fact that there will be troubles, there will be difficulties, even persecutions, yet they decide to stand with us.

They are truly our friends, our co-laborers. And in times of difficulties, there are people just like Luke and Aristarchus, with a quiet spirit. Everyone is speaking, yet they are quiet, knowing that Thou art in control, and they trust in Thee, who has a sovereign purpose in all things. We need such friends; we need such co-laborers in Thy harvest field. Help us, oh Lord, to find the right co-laborers to serve together with us, so that, whether it be storm, whether it be rain, or whether it be sunshine, we will press on toward the mark that Thou has set before us. All to the glory of Thy precious name, we give Thee thanks, and we pray all this in Jesus’ name. Amen.