How to Help God's Church
The Book of Acts - Part 76
Acts 21:15-26
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - March 1, 2015
BACKGROUND:
*In this Scripture, Paul and his mission team were on the last leg of Paul's epic third missionary journey, and they arrived in Jerusalem. John Phillips explained that it was about sixty-five miles by road from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Some of the Christians from Caesarea decided to come along. These knew of someone in Jerusalem with whom the others could stay. (1)
*Paul was about to enter a period of trials and tribulation. All of his travels from now until the end of the Book of Acts will be as a prisoner of Rome. But tonight, we will explore what happened when Paul first arrived in Jerusalem. With this background in mind, let's begin by reading Acts 21:15-26. And as we read, please think about how we can help God's Church.
MESSAGE:
*Do you ever need help in life? I need help all the time. If my computer goes down, I need help. If my temperature goes up, I need help. If my power goes out, I need help.
*Thank God that there are people around us who are able to give us help! But the flip side of that truth is that God wants us to be helpers too, and all of us can help God's Church. How can we do it?
1. First: With hospitality in our hearts.
*We can help God's Church with the kind of hospitality we see in vs. 15-17. There, Luke gave this report:
15. . . After those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.
16. Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them one, Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.
17. And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
*Paul and his mission team were almost to Jerusalem, but where would they stay when they got there? John Phillips pointed out that there weren't a lot of places for them to stay, even among the Christians in Jerusalem. The reason why was because Paul had brought Gentile believers with him. (1)
*Remember when Peter went into Cornelius' house in Acts 10:28? Cornelius was a Roman centurion, and the very first thing Peter said was, "You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."
*Jews allowing Gentiles into their homes was not specifically forbidden by the Law God gave to Moses. But the Scribes and Pharisees added layer on top of layer to God's Law. And by the traditions of the elders, allowing a Gentile into your home was very criminal. (2)
*But there was a kind-hearted Christian from Cyprus who had a home in Jerusalem. His name was Mnason. The KJV says that he was an "old disciple," and he probably was old. But the main idea was that he had been one of the first believers. He might have even been one of the original 70 Jesus sent out in Luke 10. (3)
*Don't you know those Gentile believers loved listening to his stories of the earliest days of the church? Thank God for people like Mnason who are willing to open their hearts, and willing to open their homes, even to people they do not know.
*And we may not have a place for people to stay, but God can still fill our hearts with gracious hospitality. It can show up in things as simple as a big smile, a warm welcome, and a good handshake. Our hospitality can also shine through the excellent meals we have in our church.
*Christian hospitality is crucial in the life of our church and every church. May the Lord help us to be like Mnason, overflowing with God's hospitable love.
2. We can help God's Church with hospitality in our hearts. And with gratitude for God's goodness.
*God wants us to be grateful for all of His goodness in our lives. Unfortunately, the church in Jerusalem is an example of the way NOT TO BE. Yes in vs. 17, we see a flash of gladness in their hearts. There Luke said: "When we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly."
*But John Phillips explained, "This was the only bright spot in the story of this visit of Paul to Jerusalem. What was it that made the Jerusalem Christians so glad? -- Was it the money? If so, their appreciation was short lived. It is not even recorded that they so much as thanked Paul for all his efforts, or his Gentile friends for their generosity." (1)
*There doesn't seem to be any real gratitude in their hearts. Paul had traveled hundreds of miles to help them. The Gentile churches had given a large offering to help the church at Jerusalem. The Gentile Christians had given sacrificially, even when they couldn't afford to give at all. But there was no evidence of gratitude from the Jewish believers at Jerusalem.
*How grateful are we for God's goodness in our lives? God has blessed us with so much!
*Pastor David Read told about something that happened when he was a prisoner of war in a Nazi Camp during World War II. They were going through terrible conditions of hunger. Then one day a German soldier at his post finished eating a sandwich, and threw the crust onto the ground where the prisoners were.
*Pastor Read later said, "I pounced on it quick as lightning. We crouched beside a stone, and measured that crust into three exactly equal parts, which we consumed like gourmets attacking a perfect filet mignon. It wasn't the last time that I was to reflect how casually we accept the meals that come our way three times a day during peacetime. (And how weak our prayers of thanks can be.)" (4)
*God has blessed us with so much! And we need more gratitude. I know I do. And one of the great things about our gratitude is that it will help our church. Our gratitude can help our church in a really big way, because it will motivate us to say good things about our Lord and His Church.
*Pastor Roland Allen was reminded of this truth by a testimony from a longtime missionary. The missionary introduced himself and said, "I was a medical missionary for many years in India, and I served in a region where there was progressive blindness. People were born with healthy vision, but there was something in that area that caused people to lose their sight as they got older."
*By the grace of God, this missionary was able to develop a surgery that would stop the loss of vision! So, people came to him, and he performed his operation.
*They would leave realizing that they had been spared a life of blindness because of this missionary. But they never said, "Thank you," because that phrase wasn't part of their language. Instead, they spoke a word that meant, "I will tell your name." Wherever they went, they would tell the name of the missionary who had cured their blindness. They had received something so wonderful that they eagerly proclaimed it. (5)
*You see, that kind of gratitude tends to overflow, and somehow it finds a way out. Our grateful hearts will naturally overflow to speak well of our Lord and His church. That's why our gratitude can help God's Church in a really big way.
3. We can help God's Church with gratitude for His goodness. And with God's love for the lost.
*We need the same kind of love that led to Paul's testimony in vs. 18-19:
18. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19. When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
*Notice that there is an amazing partnership in vs. 19, the amazing privilege that God gave Paul to work together with Him. Paul talked about the things that God had done through Paul's ministry.
*The Apostle did everything he could do, and the Lord did the things only He can do. Paul served, and the Lord saved. God wants to give us the same privilege of seeing His Hand work through us. But that won't happen if we don't love the lost. The fuel for the fire in Paul's heart was his love for the Lord, and his love for the lost.
*He was so excited about reaching the lost, that he couldn't stop talking about it. In vs. 19, he "declared particularly" or "told in detail" those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
*John Phillips said the original word "told in detail" meant "one by one." In other words, Paul told the whole story. He didn't leave anything out. Phillips explained that "Paul began, surely with his first visit to Galatia and told the thrilling story of his three missionary journeys. The names rolled off his tongue like a roll call of the nations: Salamis, Paphos, Perga, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, Illyricum.
*And not just places, but people: Thousands upon thousands of people saved by faith, washed in the blood of the Lamb, and baptized by the Holy Spirit into the church of Christ. And not only places and people, but stories of prison and persecution, stories of miracles and mighty movements of the Spirit." Never had these Jerusalem Christians with their narrow interests heard the like." (1)
*Sadly, the Jerusalem Church didn't seem to share Paul's love for the lost Gentiles. A close look at vs. 20 confirms the sad truth. There God's Word says, "And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, 'You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.'"
*Phillips explained: "Note that word 'and' in vs. 20. It is the key to the whole situation. Of course, they glorified God. A person would have to be made of stone not to glorify God for news of such revival fires burning in the world . . .
*But the second 'and' spoils it all. It links us to what follows: Their miserable absorption with rites and rituals, forms and ceremonies, and their shortsightedness and exclusiveness. When we get to the bottom line, we discover that they were really not interested in world evangelism at all. They turned at once from the thrilling story of Paul's missionary adventures and successes to a criticism of his neglect of their petty religious rules. (1)
*At that point in time, the church at Jerusalem did not share Paul's love for the lost. But who among us loves the lost as much as we could? As much as we should? May God give us a heart like Paul's! Now is the time for us to do all we can to reach people for Jesus.
*Some years ago, Billy Graham was interviewed by Larry King. And Larry King asked Dr. Graham about his biggest disappointment in life. Dr. Graham said, "Without question it was when President Kennedy called and asked me to come to the Oval Office. He asked me if I believed in the rapture of the church and I told him that I did.
*He said, 'As you know I am a Catholic. Does my church believe in the coming of the Lord?'" Dr. Graham replied that yes, they do believe it. It is in their creeds and catechisms. President Kennedy said, "Then why don't they talk about it. Why don't I ever hear anything about it from my priest?"
*And Kennedy said, "Dr. Graham I want you to come to the Oval Office and talk to me about the rapture." Billy Graham replied, "I've got the flu and I've been sick and under the weather. Just give me a couple of days and I'll come."
*But he never got another opportunity to speak to President Kennedy because he was assassinated just a few days later. Dr. Graham said, "That was my biggest disappointment in this life. There was a man that was hungry for God and I put it off." (6)
*How many opportunities have we missed? May God fill us with more of His great love for the lost!
4. How can we help God's Church? With God's love for the lost, and with His patience for other people.
*What a let-down that must have been for Paul! He had gone so far, worked so hard, suffered so much, sacrificed so much, only to see the Jerusalem believers blow it all off like it was almost nothing. Romans 13:7 tells us to give honor to whom honor is due, and if anyone in the church ever deserved honor, it was Paul.
*But the Jerusalem believers treated him with suspicion and disrespect. Look again at the last part of vs. 20 and vs. 21:
20. . . They said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
21. but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs."
*Albert Barnes explained that "reports about Paul's ministry were likely in circulation among all the Jews at Jerusalem. His remarkable conversion, his distinguished zeal, his success among the Gentiles, would make his conduct a subject of special interest. Along the way, Paul encountered many evil-minded men among the Jews, who rejected the truth about Jesus Christ. These men came up to Jerusalem from different places where Paul had been and painted him as an enemy of the laws of Moses.
*Naturally, these reports reached the ears of the Jewish Christians. And they were magnified until the Jewish Christians also suspected that Paul was a foe of the Jewish rites and customs." (7)
*Again in vs. 21, James, and all the elders reported that Paul was accused of teaching "all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses." The original word "forsake" there is where we get the word "apostasy." So, they were accusing Paul of terrible heresy based on nothing but vicious rumors.
*And John Phillips reminds us that "soon afterwards, bowing to their narrow-minded and short-sighted suggestions, Paul found himself embroiled with a Jewish mob. He then became a prisoner in the hands of Roman soldiers, but we read of no move on the part of James or anyone else to help him, or even to visit him." (1)
*That was not their finest hour, but we must be careful about judging them. Which one of us has never had a bad day or week or month? Have you ever been irritable or rude or selfish to anyone? Have you always gone out of your way to do the right thing with the right attitude? Thank God for His grace! Thank God for the cross of Jesus Christ!
*And don't be surprised when other Christians disappoint you. The leader of the Jerusalem church was James, the brother of our Lord. He wrote the Book of James in our Bible. How well do you think we stack up against James? If James was a 9, what number would you give us?
*My point is that if some of the greatest Christians who ever lived fell so far short, don't be surprised or impatient or super-critical when other Christians do. Some people join a church thinking we all will always behave like we should. But we don't, so they get discouraged and even quit. Don't let that happen to you! There is no such thing as a perfect church, and the only perfect person is Jesus Christ!
*Paul was patient with the Christians in Jerusalem, and God wants us to be patient with other people. How patient was Paul? So patient that he was willing to bend over backwards for the Christians in Jerusalem.
*That's what Paul did in these verses. When he was disrespected and falsely accused, Paul didn't get mad or huffy. In vs. 23-24, we see that Paul was willing to bend over backwards to do the right thing.
*The Jerusalem church leaders said this to Paul:
23. Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow.
24. Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
*The church leaders told Paul to go through a purification ceremony along with four other Jewish Christians. Not only did they ask Paul to be purified, they asked him to pay for the whole thing! And it was a very expensive request. Paul had to buy a dozen prime animals for the sacrifices, along with other expenses. (1)
*And in vs. 26, that is what he did: "Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them."
*There Paul was willing to bend over backwards, even though it was unnecessary, even though it was unreasonable. That's how patient Paul was. He was willing to turn the other cheek. He was willing to go the extra mile. He was keeping God's priorities in focus.
*Paul was living like Jesus, and that's exactly what the Lord wants us to do. Nothing can help God's Church more than that.
*Would you please bow for prayer.
(1) Adapted from EXPLORING ACTS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Caesarea: Be Sure" - Acts 21:1-17 and "Jerusalem: Be Submissive" - Acts 21:18-26
(2) Sources:
ALBERT BARNES NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - 1798-1870 - Acts 10:28
JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE - 1690-1771 - Acts 10:28
(3) John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible - 1690-1771 - Acts 21:16
(4) David H. C. Read, THIS GRACE GIVEN - Erdmans Publishing Co., 1989 - p. 109 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "Thanksgiving - The Biblical Version" by Eric Ritz - 1 Chronicles 16:7-43 - Thanksgiving 1992
(5) SOURCE: SermonCentral Staff. Citations: Melvin Newland - 1 Corinthians 11:25-26
(6) SermonCentral sermon "Presenting Jesus in a Tolerant-Pluralistic Oriented Society - Presenting Jesus as Lord, Savior and Shepherd" by Paul Fritz - Luke 19:10
(7) Adapted from ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - 1798-1870 - Acts 21:21
