The Mission: Resolve to Do God's Will - Part 2
Acts: The Mission of the Church • Sermon • Submitted
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Acts is an interesting book to study because it spans events that took place over about 33 years. Each passage we encounter contains many sub-themes which were quietly interwoven with the main theme because it covers so many years and because those themes were critical for the growth and success of the early church.
As we near the end of the book, it is getting harder to preach in some ways. I feel like I am sometimes repeating the same things and sometimes repetition causes me to tune out. I want to encourage you not to tune out to things God repeated in this morning’s passage.
He repeated these things for a reason: we need to be reminded of God’s goals, or, His will for us.
Paul was compelled by the Holy Spirit to “suffer much for Christ’s sake.” “Suffering much” was God’s specific will for Paul and we will deep dive into that aspect beginning next week. This morning’s text provides an opportunity to slow down and “smell the roses” so to speak. If we were to move quickly across this text, we would not appreciate the beauty of these finer details.
Last week we considered Heb 13:8 which reads, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Scripture repeats the same themes because Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit do not change. God has the same goals for his people in 2022 as he did almost two thousand years when the events in this morning’s passage took place.
In Acts 21:15-26 we find three ways our brothers and sisters fulfilled God’s general will (what he wants all believers everywhere to do all the time). When believers did these three things, God’s overcame tremendous obstacles in their lives.
Let’s read our entire text, beginning in Acts 21:15 to discover what doing God’s will looks like...
15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.
22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.
Believers (who are doing God’s will) should work together.
They should be naturally drawn together! At least seven rather diverse congregations are represented throughout the passage and these congregations were a fellowship of churches, similar to our Bethany fellowship, The Northeast Fellowship, and the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. These congregations worshipped the same God, they worshipped Him in truth, and were on the same mission to propagate His truth. They were more alike than they were different.
I love how Acts quietly interweaves this theme of hospitality throughout the entire book. When Paul and companions traveled, they didn’t stay in a hotel. They sought out other believers and those believers worked together to find housing for them. Early Christians loved hosting their brothers and sisters and loved helping them get from point A to point B!
We know Paul’s main objective was to go to Jerusalem, and you might remember Paul’s secondary objective. He had been carrying a rather large financial gift to aid Jerusalem Christians.
Believers worked together in times of famine (Acts 11:27-28, 21:15-17)
Famine frequently ravaged Judea during the years of the early church. One famine had been particularly difficult and we previously read of it in...
27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).
This was the same Agabus of Acts 21 who bound Paul’s hands with his belt and prophesied that Paul would be bound in Jerusalem. That great famine that Agabus prophesied about had already taken place and at least four other severe famines ravaged Judea between 41-70 AD.
I mention this because in our passage, Philip and Mnason hosted Paul’s group (9 people) in spite of the economic hardship. Their sacrifice is just one of many ways believers worked together .
Throughout Acts, believers in each community who worked together are heroes of the faith. They supported the Gospel by meeting church member’s tangible needs and here we see believers again, guiding Paul and companions as others often did, from one city to the next and from one place of lodging to the next. When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, we are again reminded that the Holy Spirit causes diverse people to work together for the Gospel.
Believers worked together to overcome sin in their congregations.
We will read in a moment how Paul and the Jerusalem pastors came up with a strategy to help Paul gain credibility with the Jerusalem believers. They worked together to try to create an opportunity for Paul to share the whole truth of the Gospel. Maybe God through Paul, if he could get his foot in the door, could cause the Jerusalem Christians to set aside their sinful ways.
Paul’s transition from missionary to author caused him to encourage the association of congregations to work together to overcome sin.
Working together is nothing short of a miracle because we are intensely selfish people. It is a miracle because God causes us to act as we were supposed to have been acting all along.
We need to know that: Working together is the most significant strategy to carry out Christ’s mission.
If ever was a reason existed to abandon personal preferences and disagreements, it is because Christ gave US a great hope! He shattered our chains, forgave our debts, and lifted our burdens. We could work together to accomplish all sorts of thing, but no other cause is as exciting as Christ’s cause! He lifted our loads, and we must lift others’ loads by working together.
Those who work together are the unsung heroes of Acts. There is no such thing as an insignificant act when it is done out of love and cooperation for the Gospel.
Working together accomplishes significant things and it should excite us. Every time we use our spiritual gifts and other resources, others are freed up to use their gifts. Working together is perhaps the most significant strategy to carry out our mission. I wonder if James and the other pastors looked at Paul’s eight diverse companions, who were an object lesson, and wondered, “Wow, what might happen if these stubborn Jews had some of that cooperation?
God does incredible things when His people work together, which brings us to the next point..
Believers (who are doing God’s will) should love talking about what God has done (21:17-20; Neh 8:3; Mt 15:32)
Look at the theme of cooperation exploding out of verses 17-20 as Paul talked about what God had done. The things God did encouraged James and the other pastors and it also inspired hope… hope of what could be accomplished if Jerusalem believers also worked together for God’s glory.
Acts 21:17–20 (ESV) 17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us (Paul’s companions) to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God...
This was a probably a very long meeting! It had been about five years since Paul had been in Jerusalem, but Paul still gave a blow by blow account of the things God had done on his third missionary journey! Time didn’t matter, Paul loved sharing how God’s incredible power overcame obstacle after obstacle! Paul loved talking about God.
James and the other pastors also set a fine example for us… they loved listening to what God had done! Time or other things were not a factor, they encouraged Paul to continue talking about what God had done. We don’t know if this meeting took hours or several days, but we do know Paul sometimes stayed up all night if he had the opportunity to talk about God!
When Paul concluded, the Jerusalem pastors exploded in praise glorifying God! Listening to Paul’s testimony was exciting!
I am reminded of Nehemiah 8:3
3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
I could give you several different examples, but I’ll share one more... Mt 15:32...
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
Time was insignificant, food was insignificant, sleep was insignificant. God’s Word was like bread and water: nourishment for hungry and thirsty souls!
We need to know that: Talking about what God has done is the most significant encouragement to those on Christ’s mission.
Talking about what God has done is not just about ministering to others, but it also ministers to ourselves. Talking in detail about God’s victories takes our minds off our problems by reminding us just how awesome God really is!
Talking about what God has done is also contagious! James and all his co-laborers had become incredibly excited that all Asia heard the Good News! How impossible, how magnificent! They were so in awe, that they too had to speak about what God had been doing over the past five years. Look at verse 20 their speech wasn’t maybe as long as Paul’s, but it is significant nonetheless...
Acts 21:20 (ESV) And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed.
Talking about what God has done encourages us to fight our current spiritual battles! Remember Paul not only spoke about what God had been doing, but he also had his own “show and tell” going on! While Paul had been talking, the Jerusalem pastors were looking at eight new, diverse, Gentile brothers! Relationships were formed in that room which would strengthen the church association for years to come and all because of what God had done.
While Paul had been away, James and his co-laborers had been facing an impossible obstacle, spiritual warfare was just as intense in Jerusalem as it was in Asia! Paul’s timing was perfect. These leaders faced a significant problem and seem to have needed his encouragement. Lets read of that significant problem in verses...
20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
This brings us to our next point...
Believers (who are doing God’s will) should submit to God’s Word. (21:20-26,5:29; 7:51; Deut 9:13)
but Jerusalem believers were struggling to do that.
(pause)
We know from Paul’s Epistles in the New Testament that the Asian, Greek, and Macedonian churches had problems and we just learned that the Jerusalem church had problems also. On paper, church problems might look different, but all those problems can be condensed into a single, root issue. Christians have a hard time turning from sins which the culture around them accepts. Think about it for a moment...
The Corinthians were surrounded by immorality of all kinds and that immorality was tolerated by the congregation.
The Ephesians loved witchcraft and idolatry (Artemis), but laziness and complacency in Spiritual warfare caused them to love things other than Christ.
Our culture has tolerated and is now embracing homosexuality and all kinds of other perversions. Many churches in our country have failed to boldly stand opposed to these sins that are ingrained in our culture.
Peter, in Acts 5:29, with the other apostles (James included) declared...
“We must obey God rather than men.”
We sin when we do not submit to God’s will as defined in His Word.
In Paul’s day, the Jews loved tradition. They loved keeping man-made laws even when those laws contradicted God’s laws. Their excuse seems to have been, “We have always worshipped this way. We will continue to worship this way and if we are wrong God will forgive us.”
When Paul gave his lengthy report, the Jerusalem pastors seem to have been comparing Asian and Greek believers to their own congregation.
They must have heard about how willingly Ephesians burned almost 4.5 million dollars in books and wondered, “Why won’t the Jews respond to the freedom of the Gospel like the Ephesians?!?!” We hear what God has done and are inspired to help others submit to God too.
The pastors declared in verse 22, “What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.” The Jews in our city are going to cause problems because they are not currently submitting to Gods will! Let’s continue reading in verse 23 where they devised a strategy to reach their community...
23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.
You might recall from Acts 10 how the Jerusalem church struggled to accept Gentile salvation and you might recall that in Acts 15, Jerusalem Christians hotly fought against God about circumcision. So here, maybe 24 years later, the Jerusalem Christians still failed to submit to God. No wonder the Jews were called a “stiffnecked” and “stubborn” people!
In Acts 7:51 (ESV) Stephen declared, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
In Deuteronomy 9:13 (ESV) Moses declared, 13 “Furthermore, the Lord said to me, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stubborn people.
The congregation refused to submit to God’s general will for a very long time, but Paul Paul submitted to God, the Jerusalem pastors, and the whole congregation by taking the four men James mentioned and assisting them fulfill their vows.
If these men had not fulfilled their vows, they would have sinned against God. We don’t know if Paul made a vow along with them, but Paul could have done that and still been inside of God’s will.
Why were the laws of Moses an issue? Christ abolished those laws when he died on the cross and was resurrected from the grave. The object lessons were no longer necessary. Paul believed he could keep aspects of the law and not sin against God. He wrote of this in...
1 Corinthians 9:22 (ESV) 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Paul, by purifying himself and paying for the four men’s vows, was acting of submissive love which would hopefully preserved unity in the church. Was his participation in the vow sinful? Probably not. Usually when someone sinned in the Bible, it was clearly called sin. Paul’s heart was compassionate and submissive. He was willing to give up his own comfort and preferences to serving his less mature brothers.
We need to know that: Submitting to one another is the most significant attitude that benefits Christ’s mission.
Submission is the attitude of Christ. In growth group these past few weeks, we have been considering Christ’s own heart, his attitude, found in Mt 11:29
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Gentleness is proof of submission. His gentleness caused him to submit to God’s plan of salvation according to Php 2:5
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Jesus became an example for all Christians when he submitted with a gentle and humble attitude to God’s plan of salvation. James, the other pastors, and Paul all agreed Paul needed to demonstrate Christ’s attitude of service and submission for the benefit of the “many thousands” of brothers and sisters in that congregation. And do you know what? The plan seems to have worked!
If we sneak a peek at verse 27, part of next week’s passage we learn something wonderful and beautiful...
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
The Jerusalem Christians that James was concerned about were not the ones who betrayed Paul!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Believers must work together, talk about what God has done, and continually submit to His will. In Acts 21:15-26 we have been given a great lesson about love. Jesus said...
Matthew 22:37–39 (ESV) 37“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
and in
John 15:13 he said, 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Remember this,
“When people of Jesus follow the ways of Jesus, their stories will begin to look like His story.”
Jesus, in John 15-17 declared that the world will hate us for looking like Christ. That means working together, talking about God, and submitting to God will not make our lives will be easy, but it is a guarantee that we have overflowing with joy.
I’ll end by reading...
John 15:10–11 (ESV)
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, (pause) just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. (pause) 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
PRAYER IDEAS
PRAYER IDEAS