Acts 21:7-16
~14 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Just to recap what we have learned from our previous message that the believers of old, people like Joshua, Caleb, David, Daniel, and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, why were they so bold and courageous? It was because of their convictions. A conviction is a strong belief that something is true, and they were guided by what they believed in their hearts to be true. Those things were true because God has said it in His Word. Likewise, we all live by convictions too - the decisions we make: why we worship, why we pray, why we read the Bible, why we go to church, why we give of our tithe and offerings, why we are not afraid of death, why we know we will go to Heaven. It is because we believe the Bible is true, and so we build our convictions based on what the Bible says, and we live our lives according to our convictions.
It was because of his convictions that caused the Apostle Paul to be so courageous. We have learned about his conviction of the purpose. He was willing to go through all the troubles and difficulties because he had a purpose. He wanted to bring financial support to the poor believers in the Jerusalem Church as soon as possible. He knew that was what God wanted him to do, so he was focused on that purpose. And also, his conviction about the Spirit's leading. Though he was told repeatedly that there would be persecutions awaiting him at Jerusalem, yet he was still adamant to go. Because just as the Holy Spirit revealed to him, at the same time, the Holy Spirit also was leading him.
I. His Conviction Regardless of the Consequence
Tonight we will continue the second part of the believer's conviction. Our third point is “His Conviction Regardless of the Consequence”. Let us begin with verse 7, "And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.” After the prayer meeting, they had on the shore…
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…official residence of the governors who served in the Roman provinces, people like Pontius Pilate. They had built their homes in this city. The residence in this city was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. It was also the hometown of Philip the Evangelist. If you remember, Philip was one of the seven faithful deacons mentioned in Acts chapter 6. He was the first person to preach to non-Jews. He preached to the Samaritans; later on, he preached to the Ethiopian eunuch. That was why he deserved to be called the Evangelist. He was given this title, the Evangelist.
We must bear in mind that while Philip was actively preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul, who was called Saul at that time, was actively persecuting the Christians. He was persecuting those who preached the gospel. He was also instrumental in killing Stephen, the co-labourer of Philip. But here we see Philip welcome Paul and his team into his house. It does not mean that Philip was ignorant or careless and he would invite anyone into his house. Most certainly, he knew who Paul was. He would have done his homework, finding out what this man had been doing after Stephen was killed. What happened to this man? He knew that Paul had changed from being a persecutor to a preacher, and this would never be possible but only through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. He recognised that surely the Holy Spirit would have worked in his heart to cause him to forgive Paul for all the things he had done in the past and then to embrace him as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. So Philip was able to open up his home and invited Paul, who was once the persecutor, now the preacher, together with his missionary team.
Verse 9: "And the same man”— referring to Philip— “had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.” The writer of Acts described the four daughters as virgins to emphasise that they were not married and they were specially set aside by God for a particular ministry to prophesy. In those days, there were prophets, and the ministry of the prophets was to foretell the future or to forthtell, to preach whatever God had already revealed. The apostles were also called to foretell or forthtell the Word of God, but the difference was that the apostles were specially called for the foundation of the New Testament Church and also to write the New Testament scriptures. So both these offices, prophets and apostles, had one thing in common: the Word of God, and they worked side by side until the New Testament scriptures were completed. Once the New Testament scriptures were completed, the whole canon of God's Word is completed, the apostles and the prophets had come to an end. And the responsibility to preach and teach the completed Holy Scriptures was given to the evangelists, pastors, and teachers.
So that was what was happening in those days. If you noticed, many of the apostle Paul's pastoral epistles, like 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, and other epistles like Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he did not mention the prophets at all. Instead, he mentioned the elders, and he was very emphatic to say that the elders must teach and preach the Word of God because at that time, the churches were already being established. So the elders were already being ordained, so they were given the responsibilities to preach and teach the Word of God. Nonetheless, there were prophets in those days. Some were women. All of us will know and are familiar that the New Testament teaches women were not to be preachers and teachers in the church, as 1 Timothy 2:12 says this: "But I suffer not a woman to teach," in other words, I do not want a woman to teach, "nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."
Therefore, most theologians believe that the four daughters of Philip, they were called to prophesy divine revelation and not preaching sermons. In other words, they were involved in foretelling, not forthtelling as in preaching. The Bible did not elaborate on what the four daughters had prophesied or how often they had prophesied. It seems that the focus was not on them because the focus was turned to another prophet. This prophet was mentioned in verse 10. Look at verse 10, "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus." After Paul and his missionary team had stayed in Caesarea for some days, there was a certain prophet named Agabus who came down from Judea. Remember, the Holy Spirit had previously revealed to Paul on numerous occasions that there will be persecutions at Jerusalem. But this time around, it was different. There was a graphic description of what would happen to him. Look at verse 11, "And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” In other words, Agabus took Paul's belt and then bound his own hands and feet and then said this, 'This is what the Holy Spirit has revealed, that the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt, and that is Paul, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles, which would be the Romans.' What can be more graphic than that?
Verse 12: “And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem." In our previous message, we talked about the believers at Tyre. The moment they heard that Paul would be persecuted at Jerusalem, they tried to dissuade him from going there. So likewise, here in verse 12, the missionary team, including Luke and the believers at Caesarea, which would include Philip the Evangelist and his family, they all besought Paul. That means they begged him not to go to Jerusalem because he will be persecuted there. Previously, Paul was so adamant to go, no matter how much they said to him, no matter how they tried to dissuade him. He said, ‘I'm set to go to Jerusalem.’ But this time around, when the description is so graphic, will he still be adamant to go to Jerusalem? Verse 13 tells us, "Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." In other words, the people were crying for Paul not to go to Jerusalem. They were worried for him, begging and crying, saying to him not to go. And Paul said, “Why are you crying and breaking my heart? You are breaking my heart because you do not understand my convictions. I'm not only ready to be arrested, I'm ready to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
What does that teach us? His conviction was based on a calculated understanding of the consequence. Sometimes people would make a decision, it may appear to be a bold decision, but actually, it is not a calculated decision, or it could even be a decision based on a misguided understanding. What do we mean? For example, when a so-called missionary decides to go to a particular mission field in a foreign land but he did not find out about the difficulties, the troubles, the afflictions that he would face in that place. He did not take time to find out, or he even thought that he is going to a first-world country when actually he will be going into a third-world country. You may think that is absurd, but that is just an example. And once he reached there, to his horror, it was different from what he had expected. Subsequently, what happened? He would give up. The same goes with others who entered into the ministry, whether full-time or whether serving in the different fellowship groups. They entered into it without considering the difficulties, the struggles, and then what happens when trouble comes? They throw in the towel. So it was not a calculated decision or even a misguided understanding of what would be ahead. This is what we mean by making a decision that is not calculated. Paul was not like that. He had counted the cost, and he was willing to pay the ultimate price. And that ultimate price was his life.
You see, people may be willing to pay different prices to fulfil a cause. There may be different sacrifices a person may be willing to undertake. Some may be willing to give up all their money, sell their houses, and go full-time. Some are willing to give their entire youth and even adulthood to finish a work. Others may be willing to serve at the expense of their family time, work, comfort, even health, etc. All those sacrifices are noble. But to be willing to die, that is the ultimate. Take a moment and consider this. When Paul said, "I am ready to die," it means, ‘What can the people at Jerusalem do to me? They may arrest me. They may throw me into prison for 10 years, 20 years. They may throw stones at me. They may take away my freedom. They may attack me physically, abuse me verbally. But what is the worst thing they can ever do to me? They can kill me. And I'm ready for that. I'm not only ready to be arrested, I am ready to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord.’ And if I may suggest, he will probably be thinking, ‘If they kill me, and if God allows it, I would immediately be taken to be with my Lord Jesus Christ. For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. What can be better than that?’ That was his conviction. You know, that is the kind of conviction you and I should have when we serve the Lord, whether as pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, Sunday school teachers, etc. People may gossip about us, spread all kinds of rumours about us. They may falsely accuse us, reject us, persecute us. What is the worst thing they can do to us? They can kill us, perhaps. But if we are ready for it, then we will say, like the Apostle Paul, "If God allows it, I will be immediately taken to be with my Lord. For to me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." You know, that is a conviction that is calculated because we have considered the worst scenario. What is the worst thing that can happen to us? Well, this is the worst thing. ‘If I'm ready for it, then all the rest will not matter to me.’ This was Paul's conviction.
II. His Conviction Motivated the Other Believers
Our final point is “His Conviction Motivated the Other Believers”. Let's move on to verse 14, "And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done." When they realised that Paul could not be persuaded, they stopped trying to dissuade him and simply said, "The will of the Lord be done." If it is the will of the Lord to take you home by way of death then the will of the Lord be done. The word persuaded is a persuasion based on a strong conviction. Like, for example, Paul said in Romans 8:37-39, let me read for you Romans 8:37-39, a very popular passage most of you would be very familiar. "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." How can he be so sure that he would be more than conquerors? Well, Paul went on to say, "For I am persuaded" — it is a persuasion based on a strong conviction— "[And I am strongly convicted] that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." In other words, nothing will be able to separate us from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And that strong conviction has guided him all the way until his death. Nothing, even death, cannot separate the Apostle Paul from the Lord Himself. If the Lord wants Paul to be with Him forever and ever by way of death, He would take the Apostle Paul home. Nothing can separate him from Jesus Christ.
He was strongly convicted, and his strong conviction did not just remain with him. It was contagious, and it affected the other disciples as well. How do we know? Look at the last two verses, verse 15 and 16. How the other disciples were affected. Verse 15: “And after those days we took our carriages,” — which means we took our baggage — “and went up to Jerusalem.” Verse 16: “There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple,” — which means an early disciple — “with whom we should lodge.” Do you notice that there were several groups of people mentioned there? Firstly, the missionary team who was with the Apostle Paul all the way; they remained with him. Now, plus certain disciples from Caesarea; they had joined him to travel to Jerusalem. And there was another disciple named Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple; he also opened up his home for them to stay. Take a moment and consider this. All these people knew that Paul was a wanted man in Jerusalem. He would be facing arrest and imprisonment, possibly death. And when they were associating with him, identifying themselves with him, they are putting their own lives at a risk. It is not if Paul will be arrested at Jerusalem; surely Paul will be arrested at Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit has said so. So Paul will surely be arrested at Jerusalem. And here were these believers standing with him, running the risk of being arrested together with him. They could even be killed. Yet, they were willing to accept the risk because Paul's faith had affected them, and he had motivated them to be bold and courageous.
My friends, our faith can also affect the other believers: our children, our grandchildren, our parents, our grandparents. Our faith can affect others positively and negatively as well. If we are faithful, then it will be positive. If we are unfaithful, it will be negative. Tomorrow morning, we will have the homegoing service of Sister Molly Gan in our church at 10 a.m. While she was alive, she repeatedly said that she was ready to go home to be with the Lord. Repeatedly said to me. She even helped to organise her own funeral service, helped her children to make some very difficult decisions. She always said this: "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." And one of the things I said to her was, if all things work together for good, then if God allows you to remain for one more day, it will be for the purpose of encouraging your children, your grandchildren, and all of us. And she nodded yes. All things work together for good. Tomorrow, her children, grandchildren will be sharing eulogies. Surely, her strong conviction about life and death, a strong conviction about Heaven and Hell had affected them, had motivated them and encouraged them, built up this strong faith in them too that they would also trust in the Word of God. All things work together for good.
My friends. What about us? One day, it will be our turn. The question we need to ask ourselves is, have our lives affected anyone? Our grandparents, our parents, our children, our grandchildren, our friends, our relatives. If we have lived our lives like the Apostle Paul, and our convictions are based on a purpose that God has a sovereign purpose for us, and our conviction is based on the Spirit's leading, the Spirit leads us, at times the Spirit reveals to us certain things and also leads us along the way. We build our convictions on that, and our conviction is regardless of the consequence. Surely, our lives will motivate the other believers too, just like Paul. So much so that not just the missionary team, now plus the believers at Caesarea, and then you have one more disciple, Mnason of Cyprus, join in willing to stand together, running the risk of being arrested and possibly killed.
My friends, are you worried about the salvation of your unbelieving children? First, worry about the way we live our lives because God is able to use our lives to draw our unbelieving children to the gospel. When they see the way we live our lives, they would want to know of the gospel that is so powerful to transform the lives of mums and dads so tremendously. They will want to hear this gospel, and when they hear this gospel, our God is able to convict their hearts and cause them to cry out to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for salvation. So let us live our lives with all these convictions that we have learned from the Apostle Paul, all to the glory of God.
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