Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:7-10). Paul's life was turned on it's head when he was on the road to Damascus to bring back Christians to be put in prison. Jesus visited a man named Ananias and told him to see a man of Tarsus, and when Ananias was hesitant about doing so because of the past history of this man, Jesus said, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16).

That brings us to our question, "What Roman soldier was kind to Paul?". Paul told the brethren at Ephesus, "And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry, which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God." (Acts 20:22-27). Paul then traveled to Jerusalem and was found in the temple by Jews from Asia who stirred up the multitudes who began beating him and was only stopped from being killed by a Roman commander. After being held for two years under the governor, Felix, he was replaced by Festus, who listened to Paul about his charges, unaware of the vow by forty men to kill Paul when he was handed over to the Jewish council (Acts 23:12-15), 'But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, 'Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?' But Paul said, 'I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. If then I am a wrongdoer, and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them, I appeal to Caesar.' Then when Festus had conferred with his council, he answered, 'You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.'" (Acts 25:9-12).

And so he was sent to Rome by sea, and they ran into a violent wind which drove them many days so that they threw their cargo over and Paul told them, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete, and incurred this damage and loss. And yet now urge you to keep courage, for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island." (Acts 27:21-26). When they approached the island of Malta, the sailors were going to abandon the ship and the prisoners, but Paul told them, "Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 'Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.'" (Acts 27:31).

After they ran the ship aground, the ship was being broken up by the waves, "And the soldiers plan was to kill the prisoners, that none of them should swim away and escape; but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest should follow on some planks, and others on various things from the ship. And thus it happened that they all were brought safely to land." (Acts 27:42-44). But who was that centurion who was so kind to Paul so as to save his life?

So then, for the answer to our question we turn and read, "And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius. And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica. And the next day we put in at Sidon; And Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care." (Acts 27:1-3). So there we have the answer to our question as the Roman soldier who showed Paul kindness was none other than '"Julius"!

Let us show kindness to others along the pathway of life, "And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all , able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God will grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth," (2 Timothy 2:24-25).