Thank you for reading so well and for your prayer.
Morning for myself, good to be with you again here at Brunsfield.
Let me give you greetings from Greenview Evangelical Church, a few connections there, including Neil who prayed earlier on.
And also from the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, FIEC, that's my full-time kind of ministry job.
So greetings from churches and that network.
And maybe I could just highlight a couple of things you could pray for, a couple of church plants.
One that you'll be familiar with, I think, the Abbeymore Church Plant.
Just to update you on that, that started meeting publicly on Sunday afternoons last November, officially.
It meets in the community hub, which is a primary school complex.
And that seems to be going well.
There's about 20 to 30 regulars, I think, going along there.
And it's starting to find its feet.
And this year, hopefully, will be the first full year of normality for it.
The first year where it's been having public services that haven't had a kind of start, stop, and all the kind of restrictions of the last couple of years.
So do pray for Kenny Rogan and the team there.
Also just started a toddlers group in the community midweek.
And they had a great kind of full page kind of article on it in the local newspaper.
So that's going well.
But I pray that it will continue to grow and to be a real central witness in that area.
That's a church plant which was quite organised with kind of lots of churches supporting it and funding it.
And a lot of work went into that.
But another church plant which has started, just kind of popped up a little bit more organically, is in Forth.
Forth is an ex-mining town.
It's between here and Glasgow, out in the kind of Lanarkshire hinterland.
Three and a half thousand people.
There's one kind of church in vacancy there, Church of Scotland.
But there's nothing else by way of gospel witness.
And a small group of about 12 people are meeting in a home there.
They'd like to get a public venue to reach that community.
So do pray for the folks in Forth.
And again, for our support for them in FIEC.
So a couple of church plants just for your prayers.
There's much, much else I could say.
But let's get to the word of God in Acts chapter 21.
Now the great template for the book of Acts, if you know the book and you've been going through it,
so I'm sure you are, of course is found in chapter 1.
Jesus' instructions that the gospel is to be taken out, starting in Jerusalem,
then to Judea and Samaria, and then to all nations.
And the story of Acts, of course, is that story.
The gospel is first preached on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.
It's then taken to the Samaritans, and finally throughout the whole Gentile, non-Jewish world.
And in the previous 20 chapters up until our reading today, that is the story that is unfolding.
It initially is focused on the ministry of Peter and Philip.
Then from Acts chapter 13, the focus turns to Paul and his missionary journeys.
And it's the story of how the gospel took hold in Asia and then into Europe itself.
Men and women coming to faith, churches being planted, God calling people from all nations.
But as we come to chapter 21, we are approaching another turning point in the book of Acts.
Because chapter 21 will mark the end of Paul's great missionary journeys.
The work of taking the gospel to unreached places will continue, of course, even as it does today.
But not for Paul himself.
Because Acts 21 marks the moment when Paul the missionary becomes Paul the prisoner.
So it's a significant moment for the gospel story, not least for Paul himself.
As we come to this turning point, let's observe two things.
Two features of Paul's ministry that were at the heart of that great first century gospel advance.
Two features that might at first glance seem a bit incongruous, but actually two things that we need to hold on today.
Firstly, Paul was fearless in advancing the gospel.
But secondly, Paul was also flexible in advancing the gospel.
Now we'll unpack what we mean and don't mean by those headings as we go on.
But let me suggest right at the start, those are two aspects of gospel ministry that are really crucial that we hold them together.
Because of course there are churches and there are Christians who are fearless.
They are full on in their convictions.
And we can't fault their commitment, their passion, their readiness to be out of step and to be unpopular.
But in that boldness, they sometimes tip over into a kind of rigidity.
Becoming a bit strident and a little bit narrow.
Increasingly alienated from the very people that they are trying to reach.
On the other hand, of course, we know there are churches and Christians who are very flexible.
Always looking to accommodate others, to kind of fit in well.
Desperate to be as un-off-putting as possible.
But in that desire to be accessible can end up watering down some really important truths.
Giving away things that the Bible tells us to hold on to.
So let's get into the text.
At the end of chapter 20, your last time in Acts, you remember Paul made his tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders.
And if you just flick back to chapter 20, you'll see there that he tells the Ephesian elders about his desire to get back to Jerusalem.
Verse 22.
Notice that for Paul, this appointment in Jerusalem is something that the Holy Spirit is compelling him to do.
Now one reason he wanted to go there, we know from other parts of the Bible in Acts,
was to take a gift from the non-Jewish churches to the poor churches in Judea.
That's the gift that he writes about in 2 Corinthians chapter 9.
He mentions it in chapter 24 of Acts.
Another reason, of course, was to go to Jerusalem to report on his missionary work.
That's what he does there in chapter 21 and verse 19.
Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
So there are some very practical reasons for Paul wanting to get to Jerusalem.
But I think as we stand back, we can also understand there might be even bigger reasons why Paul was really keen to get back to Jerusalem.
Because there are two big plot points in the book of Acts as you go through it.
The first, of course, is the spread of the gospel geographically, moving out of Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
And the story of Acts records something of the adventure of that.
But secondly, the second big plot point is the theological challenge for the gospel.
The challenge for it to move out of Judaism.
The challenge for it to be more than just a Jewish sect, but to be a message for the whole world.
And the threat to that in Acts particularly comes from certain Jewish Christians who still felt very bound to Old Testament laws and rituals.
And throughout the book of Acts and in Paul's letters, we see that battle being played out, don't we?
The ultra-conservative Jewish converts who insisted that Christians should embrace a Jewish way of life.
Diet, circumcision, religious festivals.
And against whom Paul and the apostles recognized that those things were actually fulfilled in Christ.
They were only ever intended to be signposts to the real thing, Jesus himself.
That gospel salvation was about one thing and one thing only, faith in Jesus.
But that was a cause that, of course, Paul, more than anybody in the early church, took the flack for.
So going back to Jerusalem, where opposition to that gospel was strongest,
to the gospel that Paul had been in the lead and proclaiming,
we can imagine was something that Paul would feel very, very deeply about.
Feel it was essential almost that he should go there and show face.
And explain himself to make sure that the gospel of faith alone and Christ alone was defended in the very place
where it was potentially most vulnerable to being undermined.
But notice that Paul is well aware of the risks involved in returning to Jerusalem.
Saw that in chapter 20, didn't we?
I just read the Holy Spirit warning him about hardships and prison.
It's a danger and threat in chapter 21, which is confirmed in two subsequent warnings.
Verse 4 of chapter 21,
We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days.
Through the Spirit, they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
Through the Spirit.
And then further on, verse 10, there's Agabus, this prophet.
A prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, coming over to us.
He took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said,
The Holy Spirit says,
In this way, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt
and will hand them over to the Gentiles.
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
What do we make of these two things?
Because Paul then insists that he must go, whatever the consequences.
Verse 13,
Then Paul answered,
Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?
I am not ready only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said,
The Lord's will be done.
Some have actually argued that Paul's determination to go to Jerusalem was actually foolhardy,
maybe even disobedient.
After all, he seems to be getting all these Spirit-filled warnings not to go.
And yet, on the other hand, of course, in chapter 20,
he himself describes this need to go to Jerusalem as something that the Holy Spirit is compelling him to do.
So how do we make sense of this?
Well, firstly, I think there's two observations.
Firstly, the warnings are genuine.
We'll see them being dramatically filled, or you'll see them being dramatically filled as you go on into Acts.
But secondly,
Paul's determination to go,
I think, is showing us
a very vivid illustration of the fact
that avoiding suffering is not a gospel priority.
We can understand the concern of Paul's fellow Christians to protect,
and that's very natural, isn't it, if you care about somebody.
But equally, we know that being a Christian is not a call for a trouble-free life.
You see, Paul's big concern wasn't his comfort,
wasn't even his personal safety.
It was the advancement of the gospel.
And being able to defend the gospel,
and if being able to defend the gospel
caused him difficulties,
then as far as Paul was concerned,
so be it.
And let me suggest,
we need some of that fearlessness today,
don't we?
I need that fearlessness today.
One of the most insidious,
indeed devilish,
attacks on the gospel
is the prosperity gospel.
The idea that God's blessings
will equate to being rich or healthy
or just having an easy, problem-free life.
So if you have hardships in life,
well, that must be due to a lack of faith
or perhaps even God's displeasure.
It's a teaching that is not only unbiblical,
but it is pastorally devastating.
Somebody comes along to your Christianity course
and they hear the message
and they embrace it.
But guess what?
Six months later,
their partner is still horrible.
They still get made redundant.
They still get cancer
and so they walk away
because obviously Christianity is not true in that case
or it's not true for me.
I remember one person years ago
who discovered that their new house
had got dry rot.
And they said,
but we prayed for guidance
before we bought it.
We must have got God's will wrong.
As if God's will must be
for us all to find a perfect house
without any DIY problems.
Maybe it's exactly God's will
for you or I
to have a house for dry rot,
to humble us,
to stretch us,
to sanctify us,
to test our hearts.
What is it that is most important to us
in life?
The Bible is clear,
isn't it,
that to be a Christian
is to take up a cross.
That's the expectation set by Jesus himself
that if you're a follower of his,
you should expect to face suffering and trial.
And of course,
there are many places in the world tonight
where if you want an easier life,
the very last thing you should do
is become a Christian.
Increasingly for us in the UK,
indeed for some time now,
biblical Christianity
is losing
and has lost much of its old
cultural respectability.
To be a Christian,
that is to be a Bible-believing Christian,
is increasingly to be thought of
by many parts of society
as just, well,
a kind of despised minority.
To say that Jesus Christ
is the only way to God
is to be narrow-minded,
to live by biblical standards of holiness
is to be weird.
To believe the Bible is God's word
and to stand by its teachings
is to be oppressive.
So to believe and live out the gospel
and be warned
is to open yourself up
to problems and difficulties,
potential loss,
friends, advancement.
So like Paul,
we'll need to be clear-minded
and fearless for whatever comes.
I'm going down to a conference in Wales
start of the week.
I'm doing a seminar
on the church and the state
post-COVID.
And one of the issues there
is how do we wrestle
with some of the proposals
of new laws and legislation
which are kind of seeming to be squeezing
our Christian liberties
and kind of antithetical to our faith
and how can we get protection against them
and how can we mitigate
the worst effects
of some of these proposals.
And it's good to do that
and we're so thankful
for Christian organisations
that are in the forefront
of making those cases.
But of course,
there comes a point,
doesn't there,
when there are no longer
any workarounds,
when all the exemptions
are exhausted
and we just have to face
the fact that the Bible
doesn't promise us
a persecution-free life.
Now, I'm saying this here,
it sounds great, doesn't it?
I'm not a very fearless person.
I don't like confrontation.
I cower away
at these kind of things.
So I need to pray
for that courage
and bigger vision
in my life
as I look forward.
To remind myself
that what really matters
is really valuable,
is really lasting,
is not temporary comfort,
is not avoiding
hardships and sufferings ahead,
but the honour of Jesus Christ,
the proclamation of the gospel,
whatever that might entail.
And so Paul was fearless
in advancing the gospel.
But there's another side
to this, of course,
because just as he was fearless,
he was not intransigent.
He did not just disregard
other people's sensitivities.
He was flexible.
Paul's wasn't a kind of blunt,
unthinking,
it's my way
or the highway approach.
Paul was prepared
to accommodate others
to be flexible
where that would remove
unnecessary obstacles
to the gospel
or cause needless offence.
Which takes us
to the second part
of the chapter,
verse 17 onwards.
Paul arrives
in Jerusalem
and while James
and the Jerusalem elders
are delighted
to hear about his work
among the Gentiles there,
not everybody
is quite so thrilled
because rumours
that are circulating.
It's so real life,
isn't it?
Jewish Christians
still wedded to the law,
verse 20.
We're hearing stories
that Paul was undermining
Judaism.
Stories that Paul
was telling Jewish Christians
to ditch their Jewish heritage.
Verse 21.
You see, brother,
how many thousands
of Jews have believed
and all of them
are zealous for the law.
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.
Paul, what's going on?
Are you going round
telling people,
Jewish Christians,
to eat bacon,
to play golf
on a Saturday?
And notice in verse 25
as you go down,
it's not,
the problem wasn't so much
that Gentile Christians
weren't complying
with the law.
That seemed to kind of
be accepted
that Gentile Christians
wouldn't wholeheartedly
embrace Judaism.
There were just a few
restrictions there.
The Acts 15 stuff
isn't there
about abstaining food
from sacrifice
to idols
and from blood
and from sexual immorality.
But rather that Paul
was teaching people
who had been Jewish,
who were Jewish Christians,
that they should now
live like Gentiles.
One writer points out,
however,
that although Paul
wasn't preaching that,
it was probably
an inevitable outcome
of the gospel
being preached.
Because any Christian,
Jewish or otherwise,
would begin to question
the need after time
for such traditions.
As their faith
in Jesus deepened,
so attachment
to those old ways
would wane.
As they would see
that all of them
had been fulfilled
in Christ.
Now,
we know from Paul's letters
that he was actually
relatively relaxed
about secondary customs.
Sabbath keeping,
Paul's pretty legalistic
about,
pretty non-legalistic
about that,
either way.
As long,
and only as long,
as there was no suggestion
that such customs
were required
for salvation,
salvation,
or in some way
essential for you
to live as a holy
follower of Jesus Christ.
In that sense,
Paul was quite pragmatic.
He would eat kosher food
when he was in
Jewish company.
He writes to the church
in Rome
not to eat certain foods
if that's going to cause
other people offense.
He was happy
for Timothy
to be circumcised
in order to open up
gospel opportunities
among that community.
equally,
however,
he refuses
to let Titus
be circumcised
because that was
being demanded
as necessary
for salvation.
And at that point,
it was no longer
about cultural sensitivity,
but people were trying
to add to the gospel itself.
So back to chapter 21.
To cut a slightly
complicated story short,
what happens is
that in order
to reassure
Jewish Christians
in Jerusalem
that he wasn't
going around
trashing the law,
Paul agrees
to take part
in a Jewish
purification rite
with four other men.
Verse 24.
Probably a kind of
Nazarite vow
where they'd abstain
for certain things
for a period
and then there'd be
a little ceremony
at the end of that time
to kind of acknowledge
they had completed
their vow,
whatever that might involve,
maybe to pray for something.
Now this seems strange
to us, doesn't it?
It seems pretty
counterintuitive to us
that Paul
would do something
like that.
Indeed,
some people argue
that Paul makes
a genuine misstep here,
that he is buckling
under pressure
in a way that he
shouldn't have done
and he takes part
in something
that actually was wrong.
I guess we'll never
100% know
because Acts
doesn't comment
either way
on the right or wrong
of this particular
incident.
But it would seem
strange,
let me suggest,
that somebody
who was as fearless
as Paul
evidently was
and continues
to be
throughout the rest
of Acts
would knowingly
go against
his conscience.
I rather suspect,
although
I can't be sure,
that for Paul
this was not
something
that he saw
was compromising
the gospel
and that it
neither added
a requirement
to faith in Jesus
or undermined
faith in Jesus.
But it was
simply a way
of showing respect,
reassuring
fellow Jewish
Christians
that he was not
about rubbishing
their consciences
or sensibilities.
Perhaps
it's an example
and practice
of Paul's
willingness
to be flexible
that he talks
about in
1 Corinthians
chapter 9.
We know the
passage well,
don't we?
Though I am
free and belong
to no one,
I have made
myself a slave
to everyone
to win as
many as
possible.
To the Jews
I became
like a Jew.
To those
under the law
I became
like one
under the law
though I am
myself not
under the law.
So as to win
those under the law,
to those
having the law,
to those not
having the law,
I became like
one not
having the law.
Though I am
not free
from God's
law but
I am under
Christ's law
so as to win
those not
having the law.
To the weak
I became weak
to win the weak.
I become all
things to all
people so that
by all possible
means I might
save some.
I do this
for the sake
of the gospel
that I may
share in
its blessings.
So if Paul
was going to
meet a friend
at a mosque
today,
he would take
his shoes off.
If he was
invited for
a celebration
at a synagogue,
he would wear
a skull cap.
If he was a
missionary in
India, he
wouldn't eat
beef.
And that of
course remains a
challenge for us,
doesn't it?
The easy
thought is to
retreat or to
create a kind
of Christian
subculture,
to become a
bit culturally
detached.
That's
understandable because
there's so much
in society which
is kind of
threatening and
feels unwholesome.
person.
But our
desire to be
morally and
spiritually
different can,
if we're not
careful, lead to
a kind of
ghetto mentality.
We can hang
on to the
cultural trappings
of eras when
we thought things
were just a bit
more Christian
generally.
I became a
Christian in my
teens, non-Christian
background, and I
went to a small
mission hall in
Glasgow.
great godly
people, but it
was from a
bygone era, even
then.
You were walking
into church as it
was in the
1930s.
There was a
sense in which
people conflated
the culture, the
trappings of the
1930s with the
blessings of the
1930s.
When we sang
these type of
hymns, God
blessed us, so
we need to hang
on to these hymns
because then God
might bless us
again.
When we wore
these type of
clothes, the
churches were
full.
So we need to
wear those
kinds of
clothes and
then God
might fill the
churches again.
Of course, the
two things were
very incidental.
God wasn't
blessing the
church because
people were
singing with an
accordion or
something as
opposed to a
guitar.
It's a great
church, a great
place to cut my
teeth.
But the danger
was, looking
back, that we
were just in
danger of creating
a slight gospel
plus mentality.
Not just
enough to be
saved.
We never
have denied
that, of
course, but
you really need
to adopt our
social customs
in order to
really be
acceptable.
Now, of
course, just
being a
Christian will
mean that people
think you're a
bit weird.
Just deal with
that.
Get over it.
You know, having
faith, talking
about Jesus, going
to church, it's
just a bit odd
today for a lot
of people.
But let's be as
normal and
open and
culturally connected
as we can be in
all those non-essential
things.
So if people are
offended and put
off, it will be by
the gospel and not
by us.
Now, of course, as
Paul would find out
in the next part of
the chapter, sometimes
you just can't win.
He gets accused of
the very thing he was
trying to knock on
the head.
Even that, in
God's providence,
became an opportunity
to proclaim Jesus.
Another example of
how God can use
plans gone wrong
in surprising ways.
But in summary, as
we finish and we
leave Paul here in
this part of
Acts chapter 21,
we leave Paul in
his final days as a
free man, let's
pray that in our
time we will follow
people in those
New Testament
footsteps.
That we will be
people who are
fearless, ready to
go, ready to
suffer for the sake
of making Jesus
known.
We won't hold
back, retreat from
doing the right
thing just because
we think it might
cause us difficulties.
But in that, we'll
also be people who
are flexible, more
interested in
converts than
customs.
And in those
ways, as in the
first century, the
good news of the
gospel might once
again fill our
communities and
nation.
God bless these
thoughts from his
words.