Three dominant principles emerge from Acts 21:1-14:
1. The Importance of Making Christian Fellowship Priority
2. The Importance of Not Breaking Fellowship Over Secondary Disagreements
3. The Importance of Following Your Biblical Convictions Even When it is Painful
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Paul Sets His Face To Go To Jerusalem
Acts 21:1-14
In this section of Scripture, we find Paul traveling to Jerusalem. He is walking the steps of the Lord. Just as Jesus traveled to Jerusalem with a group of His disciples, knowing He would be arrested and persecuted, so did Paul. Interestingly, both Jesus and Paul would not be persuaded to spare themselves from what they knew was coming. As we take a look at this section of Scripture I just want to bring out three principles you can apply to your life.
1. We Need To Make Christian Fellowship a Priority
Tyre: Notice how Paul pursues Christian fellowship wherever he goes. 21:1 could be translated, “When we had torn ourselves away from them” (NIV). Paul’s leaving the elders was very difficult. He loved them dearly, and found it difficult to tear himself away. After he leaves them, he and his team board a ship which travels to Cos one day, to Rhodes the next, and to Patara the next. At that point they were blessed to find a larger ship which could travel the 400 miles all the way to Tyre in Phoenicia on the Palestinian coast. Now, Paul was traveling on a cargo ship, not a cruise ship. On this 7-day break Paul could have said, “I deserve a break. I’m just going to kick back and enjoy a little vacation. After all, I’m been working night and day for years.”
But, instead, Paul desired fellowship with the brethren more than he desired a vacation. Notice vs. 4 – “looking up the disciples.” That little phrase tells you that the brothers weren’t waiting for Paul and his team when they got off the ship. They had to go find them. They pursued fellowship with the brothers of Tyre. Just as a little side note, Paul had something to do with the planting of this church! Acts 11:19 tells us that this church was planted because of the Jewish brothers who were scattered abroad because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen. Well, who was behind this persecution? Paul! Now he has an opportunity to fellowship with the church that he indirectly had a hand in planting there in Tyre. Then notice the touching scene in vs.5. These brothers had only been in Tyre for a week, and notice how closely knit they had become.
Ptolemais: Again in vs.7, Paul does the same thing in Ptolemais. They disembark from the ship, greet the brethren for a day, and then are on their way. It’s almost as if it would have been unthinkable to pass through these cities without looking up the brethren and having fellowship with them.
Caesarea: vs.8 tells us they stayed with Philip in his home. Instead of staying the night at the local inn, they chose to stay with Philip and his family. When we left Philip in Acts 8:40, he had preached the gospel along the coast until he came to Caesarea. Evidently, he had settled down and decided to raise his family there. 20 years earlier Paul had been instrumental in the stoning of Philip’s good friend Stephen. Now, he’s showing up on his doorstep. Wouldn’t you love to be a little fly on the wall, seeing that reunion?!
Jerusalem: vs.15-16 tells us that the disciples took Paul and his team to Mnason’s home, where they stayed. Mnason was a disciple of long standing, perhaps one of the 3,000 who had been converted on Pentecost.
Life Application: Notice how much Paul desired the fellowship of other believers. Whatever town he was in, he sought out the brothers. He chose to lodge in their homes rather than a local inn. When he left them it was after kneeling and praying with them.
- How about you? Is fellowship with the brethren a priority in your life? We can fellowship with one another at the regular meetings of the church, but we should not confine Christian fellowship to that.
- Do you seek out fellowship with other believers outside of the meetings of the church?
- Do you regularly and consistently gather with the saints when they meet together, or are you hit and miss?
- Do you gather only when there’s nothing better to do, or it’s not inconvenient?
- How strongly do you desire Christian fellowship?
Last week we noticed how important the Word of God is in our sanctification. That’s absolutely true. However, it’s also true that God uses Christian fellowship in our sanctification as well. If you want to grow as a Christian, there is no substitute for fellowship. Fellowship is just sharing together in Christ. You might be sharing love, hugs, prayers, words of encouragement, a meal, a car or a house, Scripture, or prayer. But the root idea of “fellowship” is sharing.
Brothers and sisters, be zealous for Christian fellowship! The truth is that we need each other. We were made for community. It is not spiritually healthy for believers to live in isolation from one another. Recently, Jerome encouraged us to meet with someone for a meal at least weekly. Well, we started doing that with the Lankins and Myong, and I have been enriched from the fellowship we have shared. When the church meetings make it a priority to be there. But in addition, pursue fellowship with other believers during the week whenever you can.
2. We Need To Love and Respect Others With Whom We Disagree
In this chapter we find Paul not following the counsel of the disciples who told him in the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. He also does not follow the counsel of the brethren in Caesarea who begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
What was going on here? Were these believers giving prophecies in which Paul was told not to go to Jerusalem? If so, Paul was deliberately disobeying the Lord, because Paul did go to Jerusalem. Was Paul just being stubborn and bullheaded, and actually trying to get himself killed? I believe what we have here are believers giving prophecies in which Paul is told what will happen to him in Jerusalem, followed by their own application and counsel as to what he should do. The Spirit told Paul what would happen when he arrived in Jerusalem. The brethren deduced that this meant Paul shouldn’t go.
Now, why do I think that? Because that’s what we have in Acts 20:22-23, and in 21:11-12. Notice that in 21:11-12, the prophecy only concerns what will happen to Paul, and the counsel given to Paul not to go is not part of the prophecy itself.
Paul agreed with the prophecies. He knew when he got to Jerusalem he would be bound. However, he did not take that as an indication it was not God’s will for him to go to Jerusalem. In fact, in chapter 20 he says he was “bound in Spirit on his way to Jerusalem.” Paul agreed with the brethren that bonds and afflictions awaited him. He just disagreed on their application. They said, “don’t go!” Paul said, “I must go.”
So, the question arises at this point, “Was Paul wrong?” Should he have stayed away from Jerusalem? I don’t think so.
- Earlier in his ministry when the Spirit told Paul not to speak the word in Asia and not to go into Bithynia, Paul obeyed that voice (Acts 16:6-7). Notice, in both of those cases, the Spirit told him pointedly not to go there, not just what would happen to him if he did.
- Also, in Acts 19:21 and 20:22 Paul says that he purposed “in the Spirit” to go to Jerusalem. He was constrained by the Spirit to go there.
- Furthermore, in Acts 23:1 Paul says that he had lived with a perfectly good conscience before God up to that day.
- In Acts 23:11 the Lord told Paul, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” In that statement, there is no hint of blame, but only of commendation.
Therefore, I disagree with those who see Paul as out of the will of God here. I believe he was smack dab in the middle of God’s will by going to Jerusalem, taking the offering of the Gentiles to help the poor brethren and signify unity between Jews and Gentiles in Christ. So, if that’s true, then what we have in 21:4 is the same thing that we have in 21:11-12. We have the Spirit warning and preparing Paul for what he will have to face when he gets to Jerusalem, and then the brethren out of a heart of love for Paul trying to persuade him not to go. However, in this situation, the majority are wrong.
However, who was right and who was wrong is not even the point here. The point is that their disagreement did not break fellowship with one another. Notice in 21:4-5, that even when Paul disagreed with their application of the prophecies, the brethren in Tyre still escorted them to the ship, knelt down and prayed with Paul and his team. Just because Paul didn’t see completely eye to eye with them, didn’t mean that they couldn’t love, respect, and fellowship with him. We find the same thing with Agabus’ prophecy. Paul did not follow the counsel of Paul’s team and the local residents, but rather than cutting him off, they just became silent and said, “The will of the Lord be done!”
Life Application: In every church there will be lots of occasions in which we don’t see eye to eye with one another, either in doctrine, or in decisions that are made. How should we handle that? Should we pack up and move on to another church? No! If you have made a commitment to a local church, you need to stick it out and work through issues that arise. Now, if the Elders of that church teach heresy or serious doctrinal error, then you may need to leave and find a church that will teach the Word. Even in that situation, though, you should approach the Elders humbly and respectfully and ask them to carefully and prayerfully consider what you have to say. Even if you are never able to fully agree with one another, you can show mutual love and respect to one another.
On other occasions it’s not doctrine at all, but we just don’t like a decision somebody else in the church makes, usually one of the leaders. This happens all the time. Stay around long enough, and we will rub each other the wrong way. So, what should we do when that happens? Show love and respect to that person with whom you disagree. Don’t talk dirty about him behind his back. If it’s not a big deal, just let it go. If you can’t just let it go, approach him privately and talk about the issue. Perhaps you will be able to come to agreement. However, even if it doesn’t, there’s no reason that these things need to cut us off from fellowshipping with one another. If they do, it just shows that we are living according to the flesh, rather than the Spirit.
Now of course I’m speaking about matters of indifference. There are situations that are so serious that you have to break fellowship. When your leaders deny the core doctrines of the Christian faith, and will not be persuaded of those errors, you have to break fellowship. When professing Christians are living in sin without repentance, even though they have been confronted about those sins, the Church is called to break off fellowship with that person.
But, in most cases, we break fellowship with others when it is not necessary.
3. We Need To Courageously Follow Our Convictions
This is exactly what we see in Paul’s life. Notice Acts 21:13, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” You see, Paul had convictions. One of them was that God had called him to go up to Jerusalem. So, even when it became clear this would mean personal suffering, he was determined to follow those convictions. This took great courage and resolve on Paul’s part.
The same is true of Jesus Christ. In Isaiah 50:7, we have a prophecy of Jesus Christ, and it says, “For the Lord God helps Me, therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.” Later in Luke 9:51 we read, “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus understood that going to Jerusalem would mean His arrest, trial, scourging, mocking, humiliation, crucifixion and death. Yet He courageously lived out his convictions.
Life Application: What about you? Do you have convictions? What are they? A conviction is something you are convinced God wants you to do or not do based upon your understanding of His Word.
- When you are convinced, do you courageously follow those convictions?
- If the Lord has given you a conviction you need to share the gospel with your family members, do you courageously follow through, even though you know it can mean heartache and estrangement from them?
I remember a time when my sister had come to faith in Christ but was continuing to date a non-Christian. Debbie had a conviction that she needed to write to her and warn her that this was not the will of God, and she needed to break off the relationship. After the first letter, my sister wrote back and told her that if she insisted on meddling in her life it would sever their relationship. Well, Debbie wrote back once more and told her that she loved her, but in love warned her of what a romantic relationship with a non-Christian could do to her. Well, at that point, my sister stopped communicating with Debbie for some time.
I remember another instance when one of my nieces asked me if I would officiate at her wedding. The problem was that she was marrying a non-Christian, and she was a Christian. I was convinced that God did not want me to do this, and so I had to tell her that I couldn’t do it. This was really difficult, because I had a special love for that niece. In that instance, I had to risk being misunderstood and alienated from my other family members, but I had to follow through or else be unfaithful to my Lord.
So, when you have a settled conviction that God wants you to do something or not do something, do you follow that conviction even though you know it will mean hardship and afflictions for you?
Conclusion
Let’s discuss these principles in a little more detail.
- In what kind of situations have you experienced the greatest benefit from Christian fellowship?
- Can you think of a situation where you disagreed with another brother or sister over a secondary issue, and broke fellowship because of it?
- Can you think of a conviction God has given you, that will take courage for you to carry out? Would you share that with us, so that we can support you?
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