When in discussion with both Armenians & Calvinists regarding "who is in control" (not necessarily regarding salvation) I've found Acts 24 to be a great half-way point.
I'm sure you all know of Paul's journey to Italy (to stand before Caesar) in which the ship- leaving from the Island of Crete- was caught in a terrible storm and shipwrecked. The crew had to dump all of their cargo, supplies, tackle and food overboard in order to attempt to manage the ship as best as possible. After being beaten by the storm and on the verge of starvation the crew pretty much figured they were shark bait. Even Paul - only a few days earlier - was certain they themselves would perish along with all of their cargo (vs 10).
In verse 22 God told Paul that not one person would lose their life as a result of the shipwreck.
What did Paul do? Did he just sit in his quarters while everybody was starving and being tossed around, because he knew none of them would die?
Acts 24:31 - Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.
33-34 - Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."
Despite God assuring Paul that NONE of the crew, prisoners and soldiers would die; it still took actions on the part of Paul and the crew to keep their lives.
Certainly we note the soverignty of God by his preservation of this journey. But we also must take note of the choices made by the people on board. Take special notice of the centurion's actions in vs 42-43. If the people themselves hadn't made the choices and taken the actions they did, they would have surely died.
-A
I'm sure you all know of Paul's journey to Italy (to stand before Caesar) in which the ship- leaving from the Island of Crete- was caught in a terrible storm and shipwrecked. The crew had to dump all of their cargo, supplies, tackle and food overboard in order to attempt to manage the ship as best as possible. After being beaten by the storm and on the verge of starvation the crew pretty much figured they were shark bait. Even Paul - only a few days earlier - was certain they themselves would perish along with all of their cargo (vs 10).
In verse 22 God told Paul that not one person would lose their life as a result of the shipwreck.
What did Paul do? Did he just sit in his quarters while everybody was starving and being tossed around, because he knew none of them would die?
Acts 24:31 - Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.
33-34 - Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."
Despite God assuring Paul that NONE of the crew, prisoners and soldiers would die; it still took actions on the part of Paul and the crew to keep their lives.
Certainly we note the soverignty of God by his preservation of this journey. But we also must take note of the choices made by the people on board. Take special notice of the centurion's actions in vs 42-43. If the people themselves hadn't made the choices and taken the actions they did, they would have surely died.
-A
peace in Christ 
