WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.580 Thank you for reading so well and for your prayer. 00:00:05.400 --> 00:00:09.040 Morning for myself, good to be with you again here at Brunsfield. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:16.859 Let me give you greetings from Greenview Evangelical Church, a few connections there, including Neil who prayed earlier on. 00:00:17.240 --> 00:00:23.859 And also from the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, FIEC, that's my full-time kind of ministry job. 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:27.580 So greetings from churches and that network. 00:00:27.579 --> 00:00:31.559 And maybe I could just highlight a couple of things you could pray for, a couple of church plants. 00:00:31.759 --> 00:00:34.339 One that you'll be familiar with, I think, the Abbeymore Church Plant. 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:41.719 Just to update you on that, that started meeting publicly on Sunday afternoons last November, officially. 00:00:42.239 --> 00:00:45.619 It meets in the community hub, which is a primary school complex. 00:00:46.359 --> 00:00:47.920 And that seems to be going well. 00:00:48.599 --> 00:00:51.799 There's about 20 to 30 regulars, I think, going along there. 00:00:52.119 --> 00:00:53.780 And it's starting to find its feet. 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:58.120 And this year, hopefully, will be the first full year of normality for it. 00:00:58.420 --> 00:01:06.420 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. 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:08.640 So do pray for Kenny Rogan and the team there. 00:01:09.000 --> 00:01:12.620 Also just started a toddlers group in the community midweek. 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:17.280 And they had a great kind of full page kind of article on it in the local newspaper. 00:01:17.579 --> 00:01:18.880 So that's going well. 00:01:18.980 --> 00:01:23.780 But I pray that it will continue to grow and to be a real central witness in that area. 00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:30.820 That's a church plant which was quite organised with kind of lots of churches supporting it and funding it. 00:01:30.980 --> 00:01:32.480 And a lot of work went into that. 00:01:32.580 --> 00:01:37.500 But another church plant which has started, just kind of popped up a little bit more organically, is in Forth. 00:01:37.860 --> 00:01:39.840 Forth is an ex-mining town. 00:01:39.840 --> 00:01:43.420 It's between here and Glasgow, out in the kind of Lanarkshire hinterland. 00:01:43.859 --> 00:01:45.159 Three and a half thousand people. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:49.200 There's one kind of church in vacancy there, Church of Scotland. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:52.000 But there's nothing else by way of gospel witness. 00:01:52.420 --> 00:01:56.100 And a small group of about 12 people are meeting in a home there. 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:59.600 They'd like to get a public venue to reach that community. 00:02:00.140 --> 00:02:02.540 So do pray for the folks in Forth. 00:02:02.800 --> 00:02:06.260 And again, for our support for them in FIEC. 00:02:06.420 --> 00:02:09.379 So a couple of church plants just for your prayers. 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:10.740 There's much, much else I could say. 00:02:10.859 --> 00:02:15.579 But let's get to the word of God in Acts chapter 21. 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:23.539 Now the great template for the book of Acts, if you know the book and you've been going through it, 00:02:23.579 --> 00:02:27.099 so I'm sure you are, of course is found in chapter 1. 00:02:27.659 --> 00:02:31.879 Jesus' instructions that the gospel is to be taken out, starting in Jerusalem, 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:36.240 then to Judea and Samaria, and then to all nations. 00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:39.139 And the story of Acts, of course, is that story. 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.759 The gospel is first preached on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:48.939 It's then taken to the Samaritans, and finally throughout the whole Gentile, non-Jewish world. 00:02:48.939 --> 00:02:56.560 And in the previous 20 chapters up until our reading today, that is the story that is unfolding. 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:00.780 It initially is focused on the ministry of Peter and Philip. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:06.680 Then from Acts chapter 13, the focus turns to Paul and his missionary journeys. 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:13.260 And it's the story of how the gospel took hold in Asia and then into Europe itself. 00:03:13.420 --> 00:03:20.000 Men and women coming to faith, churches being planted, God calling people from all nations. 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:27.640 But as we come to chapter 21, we are approaching another turning point in the book of Acts. 00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:34.200 Because chapter 21 will mark the end of Paul's great missionary journeys. 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:41.379 The work of taking the gospel to unreached places will continue, of course, even as it does today. 00:03:41.979 --> 00:03:43.500 But not for Paul himself. 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:51.120 Because Acts 21 marks the moment when Paul the missionary becomes Paul the prisoner. 00:03:51.859 --> 00:03:57.079 So it's a significant moment for the gospel story, not least for Paul himself. 00:03:57.839 --> 00:04:01.839 As we come to this turning point, let's observe two things. 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:09.659 Two features of Paul's ministry that were at the heart of that great first century gospel advance. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.540 Two features that might at first glance seem a bit incongruous, but actually two things that we need to hold on today. 00:04:17.319 --> 00:04:21.800 Firstly, Paul was fearless in advancing the gospel. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:28.160 But secondly, Paul was also flexible in advancing the gospel. 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:32.580 Now we'll unpack what we mean and don't mean by those headings as we go on. 00:04:32.880 --> 00:04:41.060 But let me suggest right at the start, those are two aspects of gospel ministry that are really crucial that we hold them together. 00:04:42.140 --> 00:04:47.180 Because of course there are churches and there are Christians who are fearless. 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:50.100 They are full on in their convictions. 00:04:50.100 --> 00:04:57.280 And we can't fault their commitment, their passion, their readiness to be out of step and to be unpopular. 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:03.700 But in that boldness, they sometimes tip over into a kind of rigidity. 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.160 Becoming a bit strident and a little bit narrow. 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:13.100 Increasingly alienated from the very people that they are trying to reach. 00:05:13.900 --> 00:05:17.660 On the other hand, of course, we know there are churches and Christians who are very flexible. 00:05:17.660 --> 00:05:22.480 Always looking to accommodate others, to kind of fit in well. 00:05:22.980 --> 00:05:25.920 Desperate to be as un-off-putting as possible. 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:33.040 But in that desire to be accessible can end up watering down some really important truths. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:37.480 Giving away things that the Bible tells us to hold on to. 00:05:38.540 --> 00:05:40.840 So let's get into the text. 00:05:40.839 --> 00:05:51.639 At the end of chapter 20, your last time in Acts, you remember Paul made his tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders. 00:05:52.219 --> 00:06:00.319 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. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:01.399 Verse 22. 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:25.199 Notice that for Paul, this appointment in Jerusalem is something that the Holy Spirit is compelling him to do. 00:06:25.199 --> 00:06:30.579 Now one reason he wanted to go there, we know from other parts of the Bible in Acts, 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:35.899 was to take a gift from the non-Jewish churches to the poor churches in Judea. 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:39.959 That's the gift that he writes about in 2 Corinthians chapter 9. 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:44.579 He mentions it in chapter 24 of Acts. 00:06:44.919 --> 00:06:49.919 Another reason, of course, was to go to Jerusalem to report on his missionary work. 00:06:50.219 --> 00:06:53.300 That's what he does there in chapter 21 and verse 19. 00:06:53.300 --> 00:07:02.220 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 00:07:03.240 --> 00:07:07.900 So there are some very practical reasons for Paul wanting to get to Jerusalem. 00:07:07.900 --> 00:07:18.040 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. 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:23.600 Because there are two big plot points in the book of Acts as you go through it. 00:07:24.400 --> 00:07:31.180 The first, of course, is the spread of the gospel geographically, moving out of Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. 00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:35.800 And the story of Acts records something of the adventure of that. 00:07:36.280 --> 00:07:42.740 But secondly, the second big plot point is the theological challenge for the gospel. 00:07:42.740 --> 00:07:47.160 The challenge for it to move out of Judaism. 00:07:47.920 --> 00:07:53.980 The challenge for it to be more than just a Jewish sect, but to be a message for the whole world. 00:07:54.800 --> 00:08:06.040 And the threat to that in Acts particularly comes from certain Jewish Christians who still felt very bound to Old Testament laws and rituals. 00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:12.360 And throughout the book of Acts and in Paul's letters, we see that battle being played out, don't we? 00:08:13.460 --> 00:08:21.420 The ultra-conservative Jewish converts who insisted that Christians should embrace a Jewish way of life. 00:08:23.420 --> 00:08:27.180 Diet, circumcision, religious festivals. 00:08:27.180 --> 00:08:37.460 And against whom Paul and the apostles recognized that those things were actually fulfilled in Christ. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:45.080 They were only ever intended to be signposts to the real thing, Jesus himself. 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:52.779 That gospel salvation was about one thing and one thing only, faith in Jesus. 00:08:52.779 --> 00:09:00.839 But that was a cause that, of course, Paul, more than anybody in the early church, took the flack for. 00:09:01.539 --> 00:09:07.240 So going back to Jerusalem, where opposition to that gospel was strongest, 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:11.379 to the gospel that Paul had been in the lead and proclaiming, 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:16.419 we can imagine was something that Paul would feel very, very deeply about. 00:09:16.980 --> 00:09:21.179 Feel it was essential almost that he should go there and show face. 00:09:21.179 --> 00:09:30.719 And explain himself to make sure that the gospel of faith alone and Christ alone was defended in the very place 00:09:30.719 --> 00:09:34.979 where it was potentially most vulnerable to being undermined. 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:43.819 But notice that Paul is well aware of the risks involved in returning to Jerusalem. 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:46.240 Saw that in chapter 20, didn't we? 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:50.079 I just read the Holy Spirit warning him about hardships and prison. 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:57.020 It's a danger and threat in chapter 21, which is confirmed in two subsequent warnings. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:59.620 Verse 4 of chapter 21, 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:04.160 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:09.100 Through the Spirit, they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:10.740 Through the Spirit. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:17.080 And then further on, verse 10, there's Agabus, this prophet. 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:21.240 A prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, coming over to us. 00:10:21.320 --> 00:10:24.400 He took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, 00:10:24.740 --> 00:10:26.139 The Holy Spirit says, 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:31.200 In this way, the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:33.139 and will hand them over to the Gentiles. 00:10:33.400 --> 00:10:39.200 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:45.200 What do we make of these two things? 00:10:45.580 --> 00:10:51.080 Because Paul then insists that he must go, whatever the consequences. 00:10:52.040 --> 00:10:52.900 Verse 13, 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:53.980 Then Paul answered, 00:10:54.400 --> 00:10:56.560 Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? 00:10:56.800 --> 00:11:02.580 I am not ready only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 00:11:03.020 --> 00:11:05.580 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:08.060 The Lord's will be done. 00:11:08.059 --> 00:11:16.179 Some have actually argued that Paul's determination to go to Jerusalem was actually foolhardy, 00:11:16.459 --> 00:11:17.799 maybe even disobedient. 00:11:18.359 --> 00:11:24.419 After all, he seems to be getting all these Spirit-filled warnings not to go. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.339 And yet, on the other hand, of course, in chapter 20, 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:34.399 he himself describes this need to go to Jerusalem as something that the Holy Spirit is compelling him to do. 00:11:34.799 --> 00:11:37.779 So how do we make sense of this? 00:11:38.699 --> 00:11:40.639 Well, firstly, I think there's two observations. 00:11:40.859 --> 00:11:42.319 Firstly, the warnings are genuine. 00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:49.339 We'll see them being dramatically filled, or you'll see them being dramatically filled as you go on into Acts. 00:11:50.339 --> 00:11:51.519 But secondly, 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:54.819 Paul's determination to go, 00:11:55.599 --> 00:11:57.500 I think, is showing us 00:11:57.500 --> 00:12:01.219 a very vivid illustration of the fact 00:12:01.220 --> 00:12:06.300 that avoiding suffering is not a gospel priority. 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:12.600 We can understand the concern of Paul's fellow Christians to protect, 00:12:12.660 --> 00:12:15.139 and that's very natural, isn't it, if you care about somebody. 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:21.080 But equally, we know that being a Christian is not a call for a trouble-free life. 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:25.820 You see, Paul's big concern wasn't his comfort, 00:12:25.820 --> 00:12:27.660 wasn't even his personal safety. 00:12:27.660 --> 00:12:30.540 It was the advancement of the gospel. 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.480 And being able to defend the gospel, 00:12:33.680 --> 00:12:35.960 and if being able to defend the gospel 00:12:35.960 --> 00:12:38.000 caused him difficulties, 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:41.140 then as far as Paul was concerned, 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:42.740 so be it. 00:12:42.740 --> 00:12:44.960 And let me suggest, 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.379 we need some of that fearlessness today, 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:47.919 don't we? 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.700 I need that fearlessness today. 00:12:51.799 --> 00:12:53.519 One of the most insidious, 00:12:53.700 --> 00:12:54.539 indeed devilish, 00:12:54.620 --> 00:12:55.960 attacks on the gospel 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:58.120 is the prosperity gospel. 00:12:58.120 --> 00:13:01.120 The idea that God's blessings 00:13:01.120 --> 00:13:04.379 will equate to being rich or healthy 00:13:04.379 --> 00:13:08.179 or just having an easy, problem-free life. 00:13:08.980 --> 00:13:11.179 So if you have hardships in life, 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:13.820 well, that must be due to a lack of faith 00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:16.360 or perhaps even God's displeasure. 00:13:17.419 --> 00:13:19.560 It's a teaching that is not only unbiblical, 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:21.639 but it is pastorally devastating. 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:26.700 Somebody comes along to your Christianity course 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.120 and they hear the message 00:13:28.120 --> 00:13:29.480 and they embrace it. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:32.540 But guess what? 00:13:33.520 --> 00:13:34.660 Six months later, 00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:36.060 their partner is still horrible. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:38.840 They still get made redundant. 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:41.280 They still get cancer 00:13:41.280 --> 00:13:42.379 and so they walk away 00:13:42.379 --> 00:13:45.100 because obviously Christianity is not true in that case 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:46.140 or it's not true for me. 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:50.580 I remember one person years ago 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:53.220 who discovered that their new house 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:54.480 had got dry rot. 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:56.519 And they said, 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:57.740 but we prayed for guidance 00:13:57.740 --> 00:13:58.759 before we bought it. 00:13:59.100 --> 00:14:00.940 We must have got God's will wrong. 00:14:02.080 --> 00:14:03.860 As if God's will must be 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:06.080 for us all to find a perfect house 00:14:06.080 --> 00:14:08.259 without any DIY problems. 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:11.820 Maybe it's exactly God's will 00:14:11.820 --> 00:14:12.920 for you or I 00:14:12.920 --> 00:14:14.659 to have a house for dry rot, 00:14:15.139 --> 00:14:16.159 to humble us, 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:17.019 to stretch us, 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:18.120 to sanctify us, 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:19.220 to test our hearts. 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:21.540 What is it that is most important to us 00:14:21.540 --> 00:14:22.200 in life? 00:14:23.139 --> 00:14:24.480 The Bible is clear, 00:14:24.560 --> 00:14:25.000 isn't it, 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:25.960 that to be a Christian 00:14:25.960 --> 00:14:27.279 is to take up a cross. 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:31.240 That's the expectation set by Jesus himself 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:34.100 that if you're a follower of his, 00:14:35.060 --> 00:14:38.240 you should expect to face suffering and trial. 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:40.100 And of course, 00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:42.019 there are many places in the world tonight 00:14:42.019 --> 00:14:44.700 where if you want an easier life, 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:46.759 the very last thing you should do 00:14:46.759 --> 00:14:47.580 is become a Christian. 00:14:47.580 --> 00:14:51.980 Increasingly for us in the UK, 00:14:53.340 --> 00:14:54.520 indeed for some time now, 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:55.600 biblical Christianity 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:57.200 is losing 00:14:57.200 --> 00:14:59.139 and has lost much of its old 00:14:59.139 --> 00:15:00.820 cultural respectability. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:02.639 To be a Christian, 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:04.620 that is to be a Bible-believing Christian, 00:15:04.780 --> 00:15:06.340 is increasingly to be thought of 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:07.860 by many parts of society 00:15:07.860 --> 00:15:09.200 as just, well, 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:10.680 a kind of despised minority. 00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:13.800 To say that Jesus Christ 00:15:13.800 --> 00:15:14.800 is the only way to God 00:15:14.800 --> 00:15:15.720 is to be narrow-minded, 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.940 to live by biblical standards of holiness 00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:20.180 is to be weird. 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:23.019 To believe the Bible is God's word 00:15:23.019 --> 00:15:24.580 and to stand by its teachings 00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:26.240 is to be oppressive. 00:15:27.379 --> 00:15:29.759 So to believe and live out the gospel 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:31.440 and be warned 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.060 is to open yourself up 00:15:34.060 --> 00:15:35.660 to problems and difficulties, 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:37.600 potential loss, 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:38.800 friends, advancement. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.699 So like Paul, 00:15:41.779 --> 00:15:43.199 we'll need to be clear-minded 00:15:43.199 --> 00:15:45.019 and fearless for whatever comes. 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:48.919 I'm going down to a conference in Wales 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:50.019 start of the week. 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:51.740 I'm doing a seminar 00:15:51.740 --> 00:15:54.359 on the church and the state 00:15:54.359 --> 00:15:55.259 post-COVID. 00:15:55.939 --> 00:15:57.519 And one of the issues there 00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.139 is how do we wrestle 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:00.599 with some of the proposals 00:16:00.599 --> 00:16:02.439 of new laws and legislation 00:16:02.439 --> 00:16:04.799 which are kind of seeming to be squeezing 00:16:04.799 --> 00:16:05.819 our Christian liberties 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:08.100 and kind of antithetical to our faith 00:16:08.100 --> 00:16:10.500 and how can we get protection against them 00:16:10.500 --> 00:16:11.500 and how can we mitigate 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:12.960 the worst effects 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:14.180 of some of these proposals. 00:16:15.280 --> 00:16:16.980 And it's good to do that 00:16:16.980 --> 00:16:17.780 and we're so thankful 00:16:17.780 --> 00:16:18.980 for Christian organisations 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:19.980 that are in the forefront 00:16:19.980 --> 00:16:22.920 of making those cases. 00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:25.000 But of course, 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:26.120 there comes a point, 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:26.700 doesn't there, 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:28.900 when there are no longer 00:16:28.900 --> 00:16:30.100 any workarounds, 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:33.340 when all the exemptions 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:34.060 are exhausted 00:16:34.060 --> 00:16:36.820 and we just have to face 00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:38.120 the fact that the Bible 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:39.259 doesn't promise us 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:40.940 a persecution-free life. 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:44.840 Now, I'm saying this here, 00:16:44.920 --> 00:16:45.780 it sounds great, doesn't it? 00:16:45.780 --> 00:16:47.440 I'm not a very fearless person. 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:49.560 I don't like confrontation. 00:16:50.560 --> 00:16:51.860 I cower away 00:16:51.860 --> 00:16:53.600 at these kind of things. 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:55.640 So I need to pray 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.159 for that courage 00:16:58.159 --> 00:16:58.980 and bigger vision 00:16:58.980 --> 00:16:59.840 in my life 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:01.259 as I look forward. 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:04.339 To remind myself 00:17:04.339 --> 00:17:05.639 that what really matters 00:17:05.639 --> 00:17:06.779 is really valuable, 00:17:07.299 --> 00:17:08.480 is really lasting, 00:17:08.639 --> 00:17:10.079 is not temporary comfort, 00:17:10.259 --> 00:17:11.359 is not avoiding 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.579 hardships and sufferings ahead, 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:16.519 but the honour of Jesus Christ, 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:19.200 the proclamation of the gospel, 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:22.220 whatever that might entail. 00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:24.799 And so Paul was fearless 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.819 in advancing the gospel. 00:17:28.100 --> 00:17:29.039 But there's another side 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:29.860 to this, of course, 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:31.500 because just as he was fearless, 00:17:32.380 --> 00:17:34.559 he was not intransigent. 00:17:35.220 --> 00:17:36.460 He did not just disregard 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:38.339 other people's sensitivities. 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:40.200 He was flexible. 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:43.660 Paul's wasn't a kind of blunt, 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:45.360 unthinking, 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:46.279 it's my way 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:47.519 or the highway approach. 00:17:48.339 --> 00:17:49.240 Paul was prepared 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:50.359 to accommodate others 00:17:50.359 --> 00:17:51.380 to be flexible 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:52.960 where that would remove 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:54.120 unnecessary obstacles 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:54.960 to the gospel 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.980 or cause needless offence. 00:17:58.579 --> 00:17:59.380 Which takes us 00:17:59.380 --> 00:18:00.440 to the second part 00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:01.240 of the chapter, 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:02.960 verse 17 onwards. 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:05.539 Paul arrives 00:18:05.539 --> 00:18:06.160 in Jerusalem 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:08.599 and while James 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:09.740 and the Jerusalem elders 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:11.000 are delighted 00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:12.279 to hear about his work 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:13.579 among the Gentiles there, 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:15.180 not everybody 00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:16.539 is quite so thrilled 00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:17.400 because rumours 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:18.380 that are circulating. 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:19.940 It's so real life, 00:18:20.019 --> 00:18:20.400 isn't it? 00:18:21.560 --> 00:18:22.600 Jewish Christians 00:18:22.600 --> 00:18:23.960 still wedded to the law, 00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:24.860 verse 20. 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:28.220 We're hearing stories 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:30.140 that Paul was undermining 00:18:30.140 --> 00:18:31.480 Judaism. 00:18:32.820 --> 00:18:34.240 Stories that Paul 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.060 was telling Jewish Christians 00:18:36.060 --> 00:18:38.120 to ditch their Jewish heritage. 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:40.160 Verse 21. 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:42.280 You see, brother, 00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:43.240 how many thousands 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:44.500 of Jews have believed 00:18:44.500 --> 00:18:45.620 and all of them 00:18:45.620 --> 00:18:46.800 are zealous for the law. 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:48.039 they have been informed 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:48.819 that you teach 00:18:48.819 --> 00:18:49.559 all the Jews 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:50.599 who live among the Gentiles 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:51.819 to turn away from Moses, 00:18:52.419 --> 00:18:53.059 telling them not 00:18:53.059 --> 00:18:54.460 to circumcise their children 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.240 or live according 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:56.220 to our customs. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:18:59.139 Paul, what's going on? 00:18:59.180 --> 00:18:59.759 Are you going round 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:00.559 telling people, 00:19:01.299 --> 00:19:02.180 Jewish Christians, 00:19:02.539 --> 00:19:04.000 to eat bacon, 00:19:04.159 --> 00:19:04.799 to play golf 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:05.500 on a Saturday? 00:19:07.899 --> 00:19:09.180 And notice in verse 25 00:19:09.180 --> 00:19:10.240 as you go down, 00:19:12.099 --> 00:19:12.740 it's not, 00:19:13.139 --> 00:19:14.419 the problem wasn't so much 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:15.900 that Gentile Christians 00:19:15.900 --> 00:19:16.680 weren't complying 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:17.140 with the law. 00:19:17.220 --> 00:19:18.120 That seemed to kind of 00:19:18.120 --> 00:19:18.740 be accepted 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:20.420 that Gentile Christians 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:22.279 wouldn't wholeheartedly 00:19:22.279 --> 00:19:23.580 embrace Judaism. 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:25.160 There were just a few 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:26.000 restrictions there. 00:19:26.060 --> 00:19:27.120 The Acts 15 stuff 00:19:27.120 --> 00:19:27.600 isn't there 00:19:27.600 --> 00:19:28.960 about abstaining food 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:29.720 from sacrifice 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:30.380 to idols 00:19:30.380 --> 00:19:31.120 and from blood 00:19:31.120 --> 00:19:32.880 and from sexual immorality. 00:19:34.060 --> 00:19:35.420 But rather that Paul 00:19:35.420 --> 00:19:37.019 was teaching people 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:38.160 who had been Jewish, 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:39.259 who were Jewish Christians, 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:40.759 that they should now 00:19:40.759 --> 00:19:42.079 live like Gentiles. 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:45.900 One writer points out, 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:46.240 however, 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:47.839 that although Paul 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:50.180 wasn't preaching that, 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:51.660 it was probably 00:19:51.660 --> 00:19:52.960 an inevitable outcome 00:19:52.960 --> 00:19:54.079 of the gospel 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.079 being preached. 00:19:55.819 --> 00:19:56.920 Because any Christian, 00:19:57.099 --> 00:19:57.940 Jewish or otherwise, 00:19:58.039 --> 00:19:59.220 would begin to question 00:19:59.220 --> 00:20:00.259 the need after time 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:01.240 for such traditions. 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:02.740 As their faith 00:20:02.740 --> 00:20:03.900 in Jesus deepened, 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:05.140 so attachment 00:20:05.140 --> 00:20:06.099 to those old ways 00:20:06.099 --> 00:20:06.619 would wane. 00:20:07.180 --> 00:20:07.879 As they would see 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:08.560 that all of them 00:20:08.560 --> 00:20:09.340 had been fulfilled 00:20:09.340 --> 00:20:10.680 in Christ. 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:12.940 Now, 00:20:13.720 --> 00:20:15.300 we know from Paul's letters 00:20:15.300 --> 00:20:16.740 that he was actually 00:20:16.740 --> 00:20:18.380 relatively relaxed 00:20:18.380 --> 00:20:19.900 about secondary customs. 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:22.420 Sabbath keeping, 00:20:23.100 --> 00:20:24.200 Paul's pretty legalistic 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:24.440 about, 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:26.020 pretty non-legalistic 00:20:26.020 --> 00:20:26.540 about that, 00:20:26.620 --> 00:20:27.100 either way. 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:29.380 As long, 00:20:30.080 --> 00:20:31.460 and only as long, 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:33.100 as there was no suggestion 00:20:33.100 --> 00:20:35.200 that such customs 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:36.020 were required 00:20:36.020 --> 00:20:36.460 for salvation, 00:20:36.460 --> 00:20:36.980 salvation, 00:20:37.660 --> 00:20:38.740 or in some way 00:20:38.740 --> 00:20:39.819 essential for you 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:41.579 to live as a holy 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:44.059 follower of Jesus Christ. 00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:45.880 In that sense, 00:20:45.960 --> 00:20:47.039 Paul was quite pragmatic. 00:20:47.940 --> 00:20:49.460 He would eat kosher food 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:50.220 when he was in 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:50.900 Jewish company. 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:52.940 He writes to the church 00:20:52.940 --> 00:20:53.440 in Rome 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:55.019 not to eat certain foods 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:56.200 if that's going to cause 00:20:56.200 --> 00:20:57.160 other people offense. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:59.000 He was happy 00:20:59.000 --> 00:20:59.700 for Timothy 00:20:59.700 --> 00:21:01.140 to be circumcised 00:21:01.140 --> 00:21:02.740 in order to open up 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:03.460 gospel opportunities 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:05.759 among that community. 00:21:05.759 --> 00:21:07.519 equally, 00:21:07.740 --> 00:21:08.079 however, 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:09.619 he refuses 00:21:09.619 --> 00:21:10.779 to let Titus 00:21:10.779 --> 00:21:11.980 be circumcised 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:13.519 because that was 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:14.379 being demanded 00:21:14.379 --> 00:21:16.039 as necessary 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:16.960 for salvation. 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:19.259 And at that point, 00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:20.660 it was no longer 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:22.359 about cultural sensitivity, 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:24.200 but people were trying 00:21:24.200 --> 00:21:25.759 to add to the gospel itself. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:28.839 So back to chapter 21. 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:29.980 To cut a slightly 00:21:29.980 --> 00:21:31.920 complicated story short, 00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:33.960 what happens is 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:34.560 that in order 00:21:34.560 --> 00:21:35.680 to reassure 00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:36.660 Jewish Christians 00:21:36.660 --> 00:21:37.420 in Jerusalem 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:38.580 that he wasn't 00:21:38.580 --> 00:21:39.100 going around 00:21:39.100 --> 00:21:40.240 trashing the law, 00:21:40.820 --> 00:21:41.680 Paul agrees 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:42.620 to take part 00:21:42.620 --> 00:21:43.279 in a Jewish 00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:44.620 purification rite 00:21:44.620 --> 00:21:46.259 with four other men. 00:21:46.340 --> 00:21:47.060 Verse 24. 00:21:47.920 --> 00:21:48.740 Probably a kind of 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:49.740 Nazarite vow 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:51.060 where they'd abstain 00:21:51.060 --> 00:21:51.800 for certain things 00:21:51.800 --> 00:21:52.400 for a period 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:53.340 and then there'd be 00:21:53.340 --> 00:21:53.980 a little ceremony 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:55.360 at the end of that time 00:21:55.360 --> 00:21:56.640 to kind of acknowledge 00:21:56.640 --> 00:21:57.720 they had completed 00:21:57.720 --> 00:21:58.800 their vow, 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:00.460 whatever that might involve, 00:22:00.460 --> 00:22:02.100 maybe to pray for something. 00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:04.460 Now this seems strange 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:05.140 to us, doesn't it? 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:06.000 It seems pretty 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:07.860 counterintuitive to us 00:22:07.860 --> 00:22:08.900 that Paul 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:10.000 would do something 00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:10.700 like that. 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:12.460 Indeed, 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:13.700 some people argue 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:14.600 that Paul makes 00:22:14.600 --> 00:22:16.120 a genuine misstep here, 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:17.840 that he is buckling 00:22:17.840 --> 00:22:18.700 under pressure 00:22:18.700 --> 00:22:19.440 in a way that he 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:20.180 shouldn't have done 00:22:20.180 --> 00:22:21.740 and he takes part 00:22:21.740 --> 00:22:22.279 in something 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:24.039 that actually was wrong. 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:25.980 I guess we'll never 00:22:25.980 --> 00:22:27.160 100% know 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:27.920 because Acts 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:28.840 doesn't comment 00:22:28.840 --> 00:22:29.779 either way 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:30.859 on the right or wrong 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:32.480 of this particular 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:33.519 incident. 00:22:34.899 --> 00:22:35.980 But it would seem 00:22:35.980 --> 00:22:37.000 strange, 00:22:37.339 --> 00:22:38.339 let me suggest, 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:39.539 that somebody 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:40.839 who was as fearless 00:22:40.839 --> 00:22:41.720 as Paul 00:22:41.720 --> 00:22:42.879 evidently was 00:22:42.879 --> 00:22:44.039 and continues 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:44.599 to be 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:45.240 throughout the rest 00:22:45.240 --> 00:22:45.920 of Acts 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:47.899 would knowingly 00:22:47.899 --> 00:22:48.480 go against 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:49.319 his conscience. 00:22:52.139 --> 00:22:53.660 I rather suspect, 00:22:53.799 --> 00:22:54.019 although 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:55.299 I can't be sure, 00:22:55.779 --> 00:22:56.599 that for Paul 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:57.399 this was not 00:22:57.399 --> 00:22:58.000 something 00:22:58.000 --> 00:22:59.259 that he saw 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:00.160 was compromising 00:23:00.160 --> 00:23:00.759 the gospel 00:23:00.759 --> 00:23:02.440 and that it 00:23:02.440 --> 00:23:03.180 neither added 00:23:03.180 --> 00:23:04.079 a requirement 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:05.799 to faith in Jesus 00:23:05.799 --> 00:23:06.839 or undermined 00:23:06.839 --> 00:23:08.180 faith in Jesus. 00:23:09.539 --> 00:23:10.359 But it was 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:11.039 simply a way 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:12.259 of showing respect, 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:13.579 reassuring 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:14.420 fellow Jewish 00:23:14.420 --> 00:23:14.980 Christians 00:23:14.980 --> 00:23:16.299 that he was not 00:23:16.299 --> 00:23:17.099 about rubbishing 00:23:17.099 --> 00:23:18.099 their consciences 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:19.099 or sensibilities. 00:23:20.400 --> 00:23:20.819 Perhaps 00:23:20.819 --> 00:23:21.660 it's an example 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:22.420 and practice 00:23:22.420 --> 00:23:23.339 of Paul's 00:23:23.339 --> 00:23:23.640 willingness 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:24.619 to be flexible 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:25.919 that he talks 00:23:25.919 --> 00:23:26.579 about in 00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:27.339 1 Corinthians 00:23:27.339 --> 00:23:28.159 chapter 9. 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:28.639 We know the 00:23:28.639 --> 00:23:29.339 passage well, 00:23:29.419 --> 00:23:29.799 don't we? 00:23:30.479 --> 00:23:31.319 Though I am 00:23:31.319 --> 00:23:32.559 free and belong 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:33.239 to no one, 00:23:33.619 --> 00:23:34.239 I have made 00:23:34.239 --> 00:23:35.319 myself a slave 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:36.179 to everyone 00:23:36.179 --> 00:23:37.219 to win as 00:23:37.219 --> 00:23:37.799 many as 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:38.319 possible. 00:23:38.879 --> 00:23:39.819 To the Jews 00:23:39.819 --> 00:23:40.579 I became 00:23:40.579 --> 00:23:41.279 like a Jew. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:42.479 To those 00:23:42.479 --> 00:23:43.159 under the law 00:23:43.159 --> 00:23:43.879 I became 00:23:43.879 --> 00:23:44.459 like one 00:23:44.459 --> 00:23:45.259 under the law 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:46.279 though I am 00:23:46.279 --> 00:23:47.019 myself not 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:47.659 under the law. 00:23:48.379 --> 00:23:49.239 So as to win 00:23:49.239 --> 00:23:50.139 those under the law, 00:23:50.739 --> 00:23:51.019 to those 00:23:51.019 --> 00:23:51.839 having the law, 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:52.959 to those not 00:23:52.959 --> 00:23:53.500 having the law, 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:54.240 I became like 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:54.640 one not 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:55.339 having the law. 00:23:55.740 --> 00:23:56.059 Though I am 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:56.480 not free 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:57.059 from God's 00:23:57.059 --> 00:23:57.440 law but 00:23:57.440 --> 00:23:57.759 I am under 00:23:57.759 --> 00:23:58.480 Christ's law 00:23:58.480 --> 00:23:59.799 so as to win 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:00.480 those not 00:24:00.480 --> 00:24:01.279 having the law. 00:24:02.039 --> 00:24:02.480 To the weak 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:03.240 I became weak 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:04.099 to win the weak. 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:05.200 I become all 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:05.960 things to all 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:06.859 people so that 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:07.700 by all possible 00:24:07.700 --> 00:24:08.519 means I might 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:09.220 save some. 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:10.500 I do this 00:24:10.500 --> 00:24:11.000 for the sake 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:11.640 of the gospel 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:12.579 that I may 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:13.740 share in 00:24:13.740 --> 00:24:14.400 its blessings. 00:24:15.180 --> 00:24:15.960 So if Paul 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:16.559 was going to 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:17.680 meet a friend 00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:18.920 at a mosque 00:24:18.920 --> 00:24:19.420 today, 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:20.859 he would take 00:24:20.859 --> 00:24:21.660 his shoes off. 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:23.000 If he was 00:24:23.000 --> 00:24:23.660 invited for 00:24:23.660 --> 00:24:24.279 a celebration 00:24:24.279 --> 00:24:24.880 at a synagogue, 00:24:25.160 --> 00:24:25.680 he would wear 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:26.660 a skull cap. 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:28.099 If he was a 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:28.619 missionary in 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:29.519 India, he 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:30.180 wouldn't eat 00:24:30.180 --> 00:24:30.640 beef. 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:32.039 And that of 00:24:32.039 --> 00:24:32.920 course remains a 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:33.920 challenge for us, 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:34.420 doesn't it? 00:24:35.500 --> 00:24:35.880 The easy 00:24:35.880 --> 00:24:36.720 thought is to 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:38.039 retreat or to 00:24:38.039 --> 00:24:38.839 create a kind 00:24:38.839 --> 00:24:39.480 of Christian 00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:40.720 subculture, 00:24:41.279 --> 00:24:42.160 to become a 00:24:42.160 --> 00:24:42.880 bit culturally 00:24:42.880 --> 00:24:43.740 detached. 00:24:44.420 --> 00:24:44.700 That's 00:24:44.700 --> 00:24:45.740 understandable because 00:24:45.740 --> 00:24:46.259 there's so much 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:47.299 in society which 00:24:47.299 --> 00:24:47.839 is kind of 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:48.660 threatening and 00:24:48.660 --> 00:24:50.099 feels unwholesome. 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:50.179 person. 00:24:51.179 --> 00:24:51.859 But our 00:24:51.859 --> 00:24:52.959 desire to be 00:24:52.959 --> 00:24:53.839 morally and 00:24:53.839 --> 00:24:54.459 spiritually 00:24:54.459 --> 00:24:56.599 different can, 00:24:56.699 --> 00:24:57.099 if we're not 00:24:57.099 --> 00:24:57.919 careful, lead to 00:24:57.919 --> 00:24:58.299 a kind of 00:24:58.299 --> 00:24:59.219 ghetto mentality. 00:25:01.159 --> 00:25:02.500 We can hang 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.179 on to the 00:25:03.179 --> 00:25:04.459 cultural trappings 00:25:04.459 --> 00:25:07.099 of eras when 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:09.199 we thought things 00:25:09.199 --> 00:25:09.679 were just a bit 00:25:09.679 --> 00:25:10.339 more Christian 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:10.879 generally. 00:25:11.939 --> 00:25:12.959 I became a 00:25:12.959 --> 00:25:13.819 Christian in my 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:15.259 teens, non-Christian 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:16.319 background, and I 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:16.959 went to a small 00:25:16.959 --> 00:25:17.939 mission hall in 00:25:17.939 --> 00:25:18.359 Glasgow. 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:19.959 great godly 00:25:19.959 --> 00:25:21.839 people, but it 00:25:21.839 --> 00:25:22.219 was from a 00:25:22.219 --> 00:25:23.719 bygone era, even 00:25:23.719 --> 00:25:24.039 then. 00:25:24.899 --> 00:25:25.579 You were walking 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:26.519 into church as it 00:25:26.519 --> 00:25:27.000 was in the 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:27.979 1930s. 00:25:29.000 --> 00:25:29.839 There was a 00:25:29.839 --> 00:25:30.539 sense in which 00:25:30.539 --> 00:25:31.579 people conflated 00:25:31.579 --> 00:25:33.919 the culture, the 00:25:33.919 --> 00:25:34.779 trappings of the 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.159 1930s with the 00:25:36.159 --> 00:25:37.079 blessings of the 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:38.179 1930s. 00:25:38.879 --> 00:25:40.979 When we sang 00:25:40.979 --> 00:25:41.779 these type of 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:42.919 hymns, God 00:25:42.919 --> 00:25:44.199 blessed us, so 00:25:44.199 --> 00:25:44.879 we need to hang 00:25:44.879 --> 00:25:45.740 on to these hymns 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.439 because then God 00:25:46.439 --> 00:25:47.059 might bless us 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:47.439 again. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:49.220 When we wore 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:49.940 these type of 00:25:49.940 --> 00:25:50.920 clothes, the 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:51.460 churches were 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:51.880 full. 00:25:52.480 --> 00:25:53.220 So we need to 00:25:53.220 --> 00:25:53.820 wear those 00:25:53.820 --> 00:25:54.279 kinds of 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:54.860 clothes and 00:25:54.860 --> 00:25:55.240 then God 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:55.900 might fill the 00:25:55.900 --> 00:25:56.580 churches again. 00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:57.019 Of course, the 00:25:57.019 --> 00:25:57.380 two things were 00:25:57.380 --> 00:25:58.180 very incidental. 00:25:58.259 --> 00:25:58.740 God wasn't 00:25:58.740 --> 00:25:59.620 blessing the 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.799 church because 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:02.100 people were 00:26:02.100 --> 00:26:03.320 singing with an 00:26:03.320 --> 00:26:04.100 accordion or 00:26:04.100 --> 00:26:04.580 something as 00:26:04.580 --> 00:26:05.059 opposed to a 00:26:05.059 --> 00:26:05.420 guitar. 00:26:08.320 --> 00:26:09.200 It's a great 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:10.380 church, a great 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:11.160 place to cut my 00:26:11.160 --> 00:26:11.480 teeth. 00:26:12.120 --> 00:26:12.900 But the danger 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:13.539 was, looking 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:14.420 back, that we 00:26:14.420 --> 00:26:15.120 were just in 00:26:15.120 --> 00:26:15.900 danger of creating 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:16.880 a slight gospel 00:26:16.880 --> 00:26:18.000 plus mentality. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:21.320 Not just 00:26:21.320 --> 00:26:21.920 enough to be 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:22.380 saved. 00:26:22.800 --> 00:26:23.160 We never 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:23.600 have denied 00:26:23.600 --> 00:26:24.060 that, of 00:26:24.060 --> 00:26:25.300 course, but 00:26:25.300 --> 00:26:25.880 you really need 00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:26.460 to adopt our 00:26:26.460 --> 00:26:27.320 social customs 00:26:27.320 --> 00:26:28.860 in order to 00:26:28.860 --> 00:26:30.000 really be 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:30.460 acceptable. 00:26:32.600 --> 00:26:33.180 Now, of 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:33.740 course, just 00:26:33.740 --> 00:26:34.380 being a 00:26:34.380 --> 00:26:35.840 Christian will 00:26:35.840 --> 00:26:36.420 mean that people 00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:37.000 think you're a 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:37.460 bit weird. 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:38.660 Just deal with 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:38.900 that. 00:26:39.280 --> 00:26:39.860 Get over it. 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:41.060 You know, having 00:26:41.060 --> 00:26:41.980 faith, talking 00:26:41.980 --> 00:26:42.940 about Jesus, going 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:43.519 to church, it's 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:44.100 just a bit odd 00:26:44.100 --> 00:26:45.000 today for a lot 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:45.339 of people. 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:49.019 But let's be as 00:26:49.019 --> 00:26:49.980 normal and 00:26:49.980 --> 00:26:51.019 open and 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:52.299 culturally connected 00:26:52.299 --> 00:26:54.700 as we can be in 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.799 all those non-essential 00:26:55.799 --> 00:26:56.400 things. 00:26:57.579 --> 00:26:58.940 So if people are 00:26:58.940 --> 00:27:00.339 offended and put 00:27:00.339 --> 00:27:01.759 off, it will be by 00:27:01.759 --> 00:27:02.940 the gospel and not 00:27:02.940 --> 00:27:03.500 by us. 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:06.240 Now, of course, as 00:27:06.240 --> 00:27:07.319 Paul would find out 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:08.420 in the next part of 00:27:08.420 --> 00:27:09.339 the chapter, sometimes 00:27:09.339 --> 00:27:10.279 you just can't win. 00:27:11.259 --> 00:27:12.220 He gets accused of 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:13.019 the very thing he was 00:27:13.019 --> 00:27:13.720 trying to knock on 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:14.180 the head. 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:15.519 Even that, in 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:16.319 God's providence, 00:27:16.420 --> 00:27:17.200 became an opportunity 00:27:17.200 --> 00:27:18.799 to proclaim Jesus. 00:27:19.860 --> 00:27:20.960 Another example of 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:22.220 how God can use 00:27:22.220 --> 00:27:24.059 plans gone wrong 00:27:24.059 --> 00:27:26.100 in surprising ways. 00:27:27.440 --> 00:27:28.640 But in summary, as 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:30.460 we finish and we 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:31.819 leave Paul here in 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:32.460 this part of 00:27:32.460 --> 00:27:34.400 Acts chapter 21, 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:36.000 we leave Paul in 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:37.360 his final days as a 00:27:37.360 --> 00:27:39.380 free man, let's 00:27:39.380 --> 00:27:40.440 pray that in our 00:27:40.440 --> 00:27:41.640 time we will follow 00:27:41.640 --> 00:27:42.259 people in those 00:27:42.259 --> 00:27:42.940 New Testament 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:43.640 footsteps. 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:45.560 That we will be 00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:46.320 people who are 00:27:46.320 --> 00:27:48.560 fearless, ready to 00:27:48.560 --> 00:27:49.960 go, ready to 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:51.620 suffer for the sake 00:27:51.620 --> 00:27:52.759 of making Jesus 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:53.160 known. 00:27:54.420 --> 00:27:56.340 We won't hold 00:27:56.340 --> 00:27:58.060 back, retreat from 00:27:58.060 --> 00:27:58.740 doing the right 00:27:58.740 --> 00:28:00.380 thing just because 00:28:00.380 --> 00:28:01.480 we think it might 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:02.680 cause us difficulties. 00:28:04.140 --> 00:28:05.320 But in that, we'll 00:28:05.320 --> 00:28:06.380 also be people who 00:28:06.380 --> 00:28:08.259 are flexible, more 00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:09.960 interested in 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:10.720 converts than 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:11.200 customs. 00:28:12.380 --> 00:28:12.799 And in those 00:28:12.799 --> 00:28:14.840 ways, as in the 00:28:14.840 --> 00:28:15.759 first century, the 00:28:15.759 --> 00:28:16.500 good news of the 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:18.039 gospel might once 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:19.579 again fill our 00:28:19.579 --> 00:28:21.000 communities and 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:21.380 nation. 00:28:21.880 --> 00:28:22.620 God bless these 00:28:22.620 --> 00:28:23.840 thoughts from his 00:28:23.840 --> 00:28:24.100 words.