Walking Through Acts

Acts 21:1

And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to

Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.

Last week we ended with Paul leaving the Ephesian elders. And what a difficult

parting it must have been for Paul was convinced that he would never see them

again. The Greek word translated “parted” actually gives the picture of pulling or

tearing away from. This was not an easy event and was filled with tears and a

sense of great loss. There is no doubt that Paul had left a lasting impression on

them.

Paul set sailed towards Jerusalem bringing with him the offering that he and

others had collected at the various Gentile Churches they had been to, to then go

on and distribute it to the needy. The first location that they pass through

mentioned is Cos, known for its wines and silk fabrics and for a medical school

that held prominence for many years. The next location was Rhodes. And we’ve

heard this name before. It was home to one of the seven wonders of the ancient

world…the Colossus of Rhodes. By the time Paul sailed there, it would have been

in ruins as there had been a massive earthquake that happened about 250 years

prior.

What this reinforces for us today is the fact that what we read in the pages of our

Bibles is directly linked to what we read about in our history books in school. I

remember learning about the Colossus of Rhodes and how magnificent it was. It

was 105 feet tall and ships would literally sail between its legs. Even though there

was no mention of Paul in our secular text books when we were children, we can

know for certain that he was actually there and lived and breathed what we could

only experience through pictures and words on a page.Acts 21:2

2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.

All that’s happening here is that Paul has a layover of sorts, just like we have

connecting flights, where we may fly into an airport on a smaller plane and board

a larger one, Paul is doing this very thing here, going from a smaller vessel to a

larger one.

Acts 21:3

3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria

and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo.

Remember Cyprus? This was where Paul was first commissioned by God and the

church at Antioch to preach the gospel to. And I can just imagine what Paul must

have thought as they sailed past this island. Here’s a photo of that gives us a

glimpse of this island. It is the image that I’ve actually been using for this sermon

series, “Walking Through Acts.” This big rock in the middle of the Mediterranean

sea, I’m sure had a special place in Paul’s heart being the first place he had been

sent on mission. Scripture tells us that “they came in sight of Cyprus.”

Reece

“They would have passed close to Paphos and Paul must have had memories of

the first missionary journey, when he and Barnabas had evangelized the island,

even having opportunity to preach to the proconsul there.”

It would be very much like driving through a town you had spent some time in or

maybe a college you attended years back and although you’re just passing

through, the memories start to flood in and you remember the joys, the

challenges, the setbacks, the triumphs and this is what I imagine Paul experiencing

as his sea faring vessel passes by this island.

And then Paul lands at Tyre in Syria not too far north of Jerusalem where he is

headed. And it is here that there is a bit of a time of respite from the long journey

at sea. While the ship was being unloaded of its cargo, Paul had some time toscope out the area. In the next verse as we will see, Paul seeks to connect with

other Christians in the city.

Acts 21:4

4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And

through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

Upon finding these Christians, I’m sure the Church was relatively small at this time

in this city, this is what happens. They were telling Paul, “Don’t go to Jerusalem.”

Why were they doing this? They had received a word from the Holy Spirit.

Remember, this is still a time where people did not yet have the complete

revelation from God, that is the completed New Testament and so certain

Christians had these miraculous spiritual gifts that were used for the edification of

the Church. Apparently there were those who could receive direct messages from

the Holy Spirit and the revelation given to them, made them fear for Paul. And this

wasn’t just a one time occurrence. This was something that they kept doing over

and over again, telling Paul, “Don’t go to Jerusalem.” And this is not the only time

we’re going to see this happen today.

Acts 21:5-6

5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and

they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city.

And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6 and said farewell to one another.

Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

Let me just take a moment to point something out to us, an example that we can

apply to our own lives. They’re in the city of Tyre, a city in Phoenicia. A lot of the

population there are probably not Christian. Just as we saw when Paul was

boarding his ship to leave Miletus, he was accompanied by the elders. Here, we

see families coming to the shore and to bid him farewell. Scripture says, “They all,

with wives and children accompanied them.” And there was a prayer. What better

way to say good-bye to someone in any situation than to cover them in prayer.

One of the simplest ways we as Christians can witness to the presence of Christ in

our lives is to pray in public. Unashamed and unapologetically praying wherepeople can see. And it’s not so that we may pray obnoxiously, being loud

disruptive to others around us or to put on a display to garner people’s attention.

No, it is in humble prayer in a public setting, that brings a little bit of heaven down

to earth in that moment. And there is a correspondence that takes place amongst

a father, a mother, a young child or maybe multiple children, a grandfather or

grandmother to their heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe. That is a

powerful witness to an ever watching world. I’m sure there citizens of the city of

Tyre on the beach maybe sunbathing or fishing or playing in the waves, and then

they catch a glimpse out of the corner of their eye, a group of people, young and

old praying together.

Acts 21:7-8

7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we

greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we

departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the

evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

Ptolemais is just a bit south of Tyre and so Paul is getting closer to his destination,

the very place he was warned not to go just a couple of verses ago. Then he

arrives at Caesarea, very close to Jerusalem now, another familiar location that we

learned about in Acts chapter 8. Let me take us back there real quick.

Remember when Paul (Saul) was persecuting the Church and so many Christians

had to flee? At the same time, there was this man named Philip who began

preaching through Samaria and beyond. And he came across the Ethiopian

Eunuch and ended up baptizing him? And then we get to Acts 8:40.

40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the

gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

That is where we find ourselves here today in Acts chapter 21. And notice that

Philip dawns the title by which he is known by many today, the evangelist. And my

what a time this would have been. Philip would have remembered the harsh

persecution Paul had unleashed against the Christians and now, several years

later, he is hosting him at his own home. Imagine that. Here is but one moreexample of the power of the gospel. That faith in Christ turns enemies into

friends. And not just friends, but brothers.

Acts 21:9

9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.

Let’s take a look at this particular verse for a second because many who believe in

an egalitarian form of Church ecclesiology, namely leadership, teaching and

preaching by women in the local church, this verse is used as a proof text. Now,

first we must answer the question when and where did they prophecy? Let’s begin

with the when. This is quite obvious. This was taking place prior to the completed

Word of God. And so, the miraculous gift of prophecy was necessary for

determining God’s will in various matters. Union Christian Church does not hold to

the belief that the miraculous spiritual gifts are for today. But in the time we are

reading about, it was perfectly necessary for this to occur. So we see no issues

with the timing here.

Now, to whom and in what location was this all happening? Was it in the local

congregations that consisted of both men and women? Was in private? Was it

prophesying in the company of women alone? The text doesn’t explicitly say. But

one thing we do know, is that Scripture will never contradict itself. We know that

Scripture prohibits women from preaching/teaching in the local congregations 1

Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, and so we can conclude that the prophetesses

here mentioned in verse 9 were exercising their spiritual gifting to other women.

And there was great utility in this. We have to remember the culture. Men didn’t

have the same access to women as other women did back in this time and so

women teaching other women about the gospel and God’s will was vitally

important for the first century church. I would even say that today, it is vitally

important in the life of the church for women to teach other women (as well as

children for that matter). Here at Union Christian Church, we don’t have women

as deacons, or as elders or in the preaching role. And it’s not because we are

chauvinistic or sexist, although it may very well be perceived that way. Our only

reason for holding to this view is because we strive to be obedient to God’s Word

and consistent in the examples that we find throughout the pages of our Bibles

and we are committed to doing Church God’s way.And I wanted to just take a little bit of time to explain that to you all today,

because, if you haven’t seen this verse used in an effort to support women in the

preaching role or other roles reserved for men, you will someday, because that’s

just the way the culture is moving.

Acts 21:10

10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down

from Judea.

Now I find it very interesting, that although Paul was staying in the house where

there were four prophetesses, there came a man who was also a prophet to come

and deliver a message to Paul. Why not just have the prophetesses do that? They

were right there. Perhaps it was for the very reason I just explained a couple of

minutes ago. Here’s the message that Agabus gives to Paul.

Acts 21:11

11 And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and

said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the

man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

This guy Agabus was all about the object lessons. He takes Paul’s belt and then

bound his feet and hands and says, “this is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind

the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”

Wouldn’t it have been hilarious if Paul had been wearing someone else’s belt that

day for whatever reason? “Good thing this prophecy doesn’t apply to me!”

Anyway, the words of God through Agabus were not pleasant words. But words

that only confirmed Paul’s suspicions and credentialed the warnings he had

received in the city of Tyre.

Acts 21:12

12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to

Jerusalem.Upon hearing what awaits Paul in Jerusalem, the Caesarean Christians beg Paul

not to go. Some may wonder, well is Paul going against God’s will by going to

Jerusalem anyway despite the warnings from other people? I say no. One thing we

have to make a distinction of is that of prohibition and prediction. What Agabus

brought to Paul was a prediction of what was to come. It was not a prohibition,

although it seems that many people took it that way. For how could a loving God

prepare such a fate for one of his own?

Dear Christian, all we have to do is look at the example of Jesus. Though the cross

lay before him and despite all the suffering and humiliation that awaited him, he

had already fully submitted His whole self to His Father’s will. And we remember

the words of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Not as I will, but your

will be done.”

One thing I want for us all to remember, is that when we became Christians, we

are no longer our own. You were bought with a price. The idea of self-preservation

whether figuratively or literally goes out the window. Our own safety and security

will never trump God’s will. And it is a mature faith that says, whether I live or die,

Your will be done. It is this kind of faith that we see in Paul in our reading for

today. And last week, we heard him say,

Acts 20:24

24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may

finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to

the gospel of the grace of God.

Let’s see how Paul responds to the people begging him to not go to Jerusalem.

Acts 21:13-14

13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart?

For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the

name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and

said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”Piano to play here.

This is the Paul we know and love. For many of us, we could only hope to respond

this way to similar situations in our own lives. This is another way one knows they

are being led by the Spirit. They are moving forward in the direction that has

nothing but hardship awaiting and the only reason for doing so, is out of a deeply

rooted conviction that you are accomplishing God’s will in your life and nothing,

not even your closest friends or your relatives, could prevent you from staying on

your course.

Maybe the call on your life is trailblaze a path, being marked up by thorns and

thistles and all kinds of hazardous elements so that future generations can tread

fertile ground.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus.

Matthew 16:25

25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my

sake will find it.

Some of you need to hear this today. You’re struggling so hard to live for yourself

and it’s not working. Let me just say this to you. Stop living for yourself and live for

God. That’s what it means to be a Christian after all.

Acts 21:15-16

15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the

disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of

Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Next week we will pick up the account where Paul finally reaches his destination…

Jerusalem.