The Danger of Being Misunderstood - Acts 21:17-40

Bruce Goettsche

Union Church of La Harpe Illinois

Acts • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago • Presented 20 years ago

Acts 21:17–40

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“The Danger of Being Misunderstood”

Acts 21:17-40

Any time you do something in a public forum you risk being misunderstood. If you give someone a hard time, some may misunderstand and think you don’t like that person. If you tell a joke someone may think you are not taking a situation seriously. If you are serious, someone might misunderstand and tell others that you need to “loosen up”.

The apostle Paul understood this better than most. It seemed like everywhere he went someone misunderstood his intentions or his work.

This morning we turn to Acts 21. Beginning with verse 17, Paul has finally arrived in Jerusalem. He brought the offering he had collected from the Gentile churches to the leaders in Jerusalem. It is a very interesting account and from this meeting between Paul and the Jerusalem leaders we should see at least three things.

THEY CELEBRATED THE WORK OF GOD

17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 When they heard this, they praised God.

The Church received them warmly. These religious leaders could have been like many religious leaders today . . . viewing each other as competitors. Instead they greeted Paul and the Gentile believers with him, warmly.

I’ve never particularly enjoyed going to meetings of Ministers. I hate to say it but these meetings usually strike me as a mixture of insecure people desperately looking for affirmation and others who are looking for an opportunity to tell you about how successful they are. There is often a lot of piety but seemingly little affection.

The meeting between Paul and the leaders in Jerusalem was different. There is no sense of competition. Rather there was a sense of genuine brotherhood and oneness.

Paul made a full report. Paul didn’t have to report to anyone but the Lord but he wanted the leaders in Jerusalem to share in the ministry that God was doing with the Gentiles. Paul was willing to be accountable. He gave a “full report” which means he told about all the ministry that had taken place since he met with them last (in Acts 15). He wanted them to understand the remarkable work that God was doing.

Surely Paul related the ministry he had with Silas and the new convert Timothy. He told about his trip to Phillipi and the vision of a man in Macedonia calling to them; the great earthquake and the remarkable way they were set free from the jail in Phillippi and the conversion of the jailer. I suspect he told them about the welcome response to the gospel in Thessalonica and the careful examination of the truth that took place in Berea. He told them about his extended ministry in Corinth and in Ephesus and about all the great people he met there. I’m sure he told some of the stories of hostilities that he faced. Undoubtedly he told the story of Eutychus, the man who fell asleep in church (and I imagine they all had a good chuckle over that one), and I suspect Paul introduced some of his traveling companions as those who were new believers as a result of these missionary endeavors.

Paul gave the credit to God. Notice, Paul told everybody “what God had done”. Paul understood that he could never change a human heart . . . only God can do that. Paul was not bragging about his work . . . He was bragging about God’s work in the hope that it would encourage everyone who heard it.

The leaders celebrated the work of God. The leaders in Jerusalem all celebrated with Paul. The success of Paul’s mission did not diminish them, it was an advance of the Kingdom and the leaders rejoiced.

The application should be obvious. We are not competing with other churches. It is not our work – it is his. We should be grateful whenever the gospel reached new people. We should rejoice whether this happens in our congregation or in another. We are called to work together and if each of us does what God has called us to do, the Kingdom will advance.

THEY WERE HINDERED BY FALSE REPORTS

All was not rosey however,

“You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.

These men shared their dilemma with Paul. Many Jews were coming to faith in Christ. As a result of their new faith they became even more zealous about honoring God by keeping the Jewish laws. Unfortunately, the Jewish believers (we’re not sure by whom) had been told (the Greek word actually means they were instructed it is the same word from which we get our word catechism) that Paul was actively working to keep Jewish believers from practicing their Jewish ways.

A False Report about Paul’s Doctrine The rumors were false. Paul certainly taught that circumcision and all the religious rites were not necessary for salvation, but he never taught Jews not to circumcise their children or to turn away from Moses. Paul believed the Christian faith was a fulfillment of Jewish hope, not the repudiation of it. At one point Paul had Timothy circumcised because he was Jewish and knew it would help him better relate to his fellow Jews. We are told of at least one time when Paul had taken a vow.

The information that was being spread was wrong. Paul’s reputation was stained, his ministry was hampered and the unity of the church was strained—all because of false reports.

A False Report about Paul’s Behavior

27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.) 30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.

Paul had done what was asked of him. He participated in the vow and was paying for the men’s sacrifices (at a considerable cost). Before the seven days were over some people saw Paul in the temple. Every other time they saw Paul he was traveling with his Gentile friends. Since Paul was in the temple, they ASSUMED that he brought his Gentile friends into the temple area with him.

This, of course, would have been a sin of great desecration. There was a place for the Gentiles in the temple but they could not go past that area. If they did, the Jews had the power (even from the Romans) to kill anyone who crossed that line. When it was declared that Paul brought a Gentile into the temple area, the gates of the temple were closed (to protect it from defilement) and the people would have killed Paul if the Roman soldiers had not stepped in, Paul would have been killed.

This is one of those reminders of how deadly a false report, rumor, or gossip can be. I suspect more testimonies have been tarnished and more churches have been split over a false report than by anything else.

Here’s a story you would appreciate: Two farmers were chatting in front of the bank. "I hear you made $60,000 in alfalfa," said the first. Not wishing to be impolite his friend replied, "Well, that isn't quite right. It wasn't me, it was my brother, it wasn't alfalfa, but oats; not $60,000 but $6000; and he didn't make it, he lost it."

No matter what someone tells you it is always a good idea to make sure the information is accurate before you share it (if you absolutely have to) with someone else. Let’s face it; gossip is something most of us struggle with. We like to “be in the know”. When we can dwell on someone else’s faults, it means we can avoid our own. So, with that in mind, here are some principles that can spare us a great deal of heartache.

· Before we criticize what another is doing or teaching, let’s make sure we have accurate information. This means talking not just those who relayed the information to you – it means going to the person involved and making sure you have the right information and it is understood correctly. You may have the right facts but be drawing wrong conclusions from those facts.

· Be careful of drawing conclusions even about what you see. You don’t know all the issues behind what you saw. For example, you may see a man and a woman in a snack shop. You are drawing a conclusion when you tell someone you think they are having and affair (committing adultery). There are many other explanations for why they may have been out together. Resist the urge to assume the worst.

· Refuse to talk negatively about other believers and other churches. This kind of talk only feeds the enemy and is more often than not fueled by a competitive spirit or a desire to make ourselves look better.

· Ask people to “identify their sources”. If people aren’t willing to be identified, I’m not willing to listen. Sometimes you’ll hear a person say, “It’s from a person of character”. Let me ask you, a person who will share negative information with another is NOT a person of character. It DOES make a difference who was passing on the information.

Rumors and gossip are like a flower. It is great to pick the flower but once you do, you can never put it back. It may seem harmless to share some negative tidbit with another, but those words can destroy a reputation, cause heartache to a family, destroy a witness and ultimately push people away from the Lord.

THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT’S TRULY IMPORTANT

The request to Paul

There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.” 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

The leaders in Jerusalem were concerned about Paul’s reputation. They knew that Paul was not anti-Jewish. They recommended that the best thing for him to do was to engage in an act of good faith. It was common after someone had spent a great deal of time in Gentile territory to go through a ritual purification ceremony. This was usually a period of seven days. This may have been what the leaders were asking Paul to do.

They also asked Paul to pick up the expense for the four men who had taken a Nazarite vow. He would need to pay for two or three animal offerings for each man plus cereal and drink offerings. It was a hefty price to pay. The leaders were sure that this display of “good faith” would show the Jews that Paul was not anti-Jewish.

The Principles Behind Paul’s Agreement. There are many who question whether Paul should have ever agreed to this arrangement. They see this as an act of compromise. I don’t think so. It is true that Paul did not believe that any of these things were necessary for salvation. He believed and taught that we have been delivered from the law. However, Paul didn’t think these things were wrong in themselves. They were only wrong if we were trusting them to get to Heaven. To do these things that were asked would not deny the gospel of grace or contradict the Word of God. These were optional things.

In the letter to the Corinthians Paul wrote,

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

To Paul, the most important thing was the gospel. It was so important that he was willing to give up his own personal freedoms if that would open a door for someone else. He was willing to humble himself, to incur personal expense, and even to risk his own life if that is what was needed to open a door for someone to see the truth of the gospel.

Paul’s example is convicting. It reminds us that we should care more about the gospel than we do our personal preferences or conveniences. It is much more important that the gospel be proclaimed than whether or not our way of doing things is affirmed.

I remember a time when I asked if I could worship with some people I cared about. They said, “Well, you know that we are Catholic”. I told them I was well aware that they would be attending mass. My willingness to worship with them in their church opened a door. I showed that I did not condemn them because they were Catholic and I was not. We both knew that there were things about Catholicism that I could not embrace, however, I still believed I could worship with them. And that’s just what I did. As a result, a door was opened.

Unfortunately, we as Christians are often guilty of looking more for the things that divide us rather than the ways we can build a bridge to each other and to the world. We divide over music, worship forms, the amount of water in baptism, the best translation of the Bible and the frequency of communion. We are so concerned about getting people to agree with our preferences and conclusions that we have burned more bridges than built.

Paul was willing to enter into the world of another in order to build a bridge that would allow him to share the most important truth of the gospel. We would be wise to adopt Paul’s attitude in the way we deal with others.

CONCLUSIONS

This simple historical passage in Acts 21 raises some important questions for us:

1. Are we guilty of a competitive spirit? Do we sometimes “rain on the parade of another” because we think their victory diminishes our own? I think sometimes I am guilty of this. I found myself convicted this week. We are reminded that it is His Kingdom, His work, and His body. We do not compete with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our job is to support each other as we seek to stand against the devil and serve the Lord.

2. Are we guilty of spreading false reports? Are we hampering the gospel by our negative stories, hasty conclusions, and critical spirit? Are we willing to obey the Word of God which teaches to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification”

3. Do you care more about your freedoms than you do the advance of the gospel? Are you more concerned with getting people to agree with you rather than helping them see the Lord? Are you willing to put the Lord before your personal preference?

These are all questions about character and attitude. If we want to be greatly used of God, then our hearts must be right before Him. Effective ministry comes more from godly character than from the devices and programs of men.

If we are going to serve Him, we need to start by being willing to serve, support and help each other. If we are going to honor God we must begin by honoring Him with our words and our attitudes.

If we make the needed changes there is no guarantee that those around us won’t misunderstand our actions and motives. However, our Father in Heaven will understand and He will smile.

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