19. How did Paul make the most of his circumstances?

¹⁹ Luke concludes his narrative on a truly positive and warm note, saying: “[Paul] remained there for an entire two years in his own rented house, and he would kindly receive all those who came to him, preaching the Kingdom of God to them and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with the greatest freeness of speech, without hindrance.” (Acts 28:30, 31) What an outstanding example of hospitality, faith, and zeal!

20, 21. Mention some examples of those who benefited from Paul’s ministry in Rome.

²⁰ One of those whom Paul kindly received was a man named Onesimus, a runaway slave from Colossae. Paul helped Onesimus to become a Christian, and Onesimus, in turn, became a “faithful and beloved brother” to Paul. In fact, Paul described him as “my child, whose father I became.” (Col. 4:9; Philem. 10-12) How Onesimus must have lifted Paul’s spirits!a

²¹ Others too benefited from Paul’s fine example. To the Philippians, he wrote: “My situation has actually turned out for the advancement of the good news, so that my prison bonds for the sake of Christ have become public knowledge among all the Praetorian Guard and all the rest. Now most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence because of my prison bonds, and they are showing all the more courage to speak the word of God fearlessly.”​—Phil. 1:12-14.

25, 26. In a little less than 30 years, what amazing prophecy had Paul seen fulfilled, and how does this compare with our time?

²⁵ An apostle of Christ under house arrest “preaching the Kingdom of God” to all who visited him​—what a heartwarming conclusion to the dynamic book of Acts! In the first chapter, we read the commission that Jesus gave his followers when he said: “You will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Now, less than 30 years later, the Kingdom message had been “preached in all creation under heaven.”d (Col. 1:23) What a testimony to the power of God’s spirit!​—Zech. 4:6.