Acts 21:17- 26 "Paul’s Submission to the Jerusalem Elders - A Study in the Nature of Biblical Humility."

Last time we saw  how  Paul had made his way from Miletus along the southwest shore of Asia Minor, taking a ship  across the Mediterranean to the port city of Tyre, Syria where he  had met with the church. The church had urged him not to go to Jerusalem but he sailed on to Ptolemais, and  from there on to Caesarea. Here he met again with the church, and   again the church at Caesarea and even his fellow travellers (at least nine men[1], Luke includes himself) urged him not to go to Jerusalem.  But Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem, and his aim was to be there,  if possible by  Pentecost  (19:21 ; 20:16,22).

Our passage today records  that Paul finally arrives in Jerusalem. His first lodging is at the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple (21:16). The other well-known personality from Cyprus whom we have already met in the book of Acts is Barnabas. We are told that the brothers received us gladly (21:17). This is probably a delegation representative of the whole Jerusalem church. From them news of his coming would filter back to  the rest  of the church (21:22).

The next day there is this official meeting with James the   brother of Jesus along with the other elders of the Jerusalem church. Incidentally, the other influential James mentioned in the book of Acts is found in 12:2. He is the brother of John. We read that he was killed by Herod.

We may safely assume that Paul’s first order of business was to hand the collection from the gentile churches to the Jerusalem elders (see reference to this in 24:17).  This was done once before in Acts 11 for the purpose of relief from the famine (cf. Acts 11) when  a collection had been taken in the church of Antioch for the struggling  saints in Jerusalem. In that instance Barnabas and Paul had delivered this money to the Jerusalem elders in 11:30, and this  fact really  must have impressed the Jewish Christians, knitting their hearts to their gentile  brothers in Christ.    This might have provided further impetus for the idea in Paul's mind that he would gather a collection from the churches in Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, churches representing largely Gentile congregations, and that he would bring this collection to the church in Jerusalem[2], a largely Jewish Christian congregation, now afflicted with much poverty.  Paul wanted to see the barriers between Jew and Gentile broken down (Eph.2) as he brought this substantial collection to Jerusalem.  So this is ultimately not about money. This  was ultimately  about unity in the gospel, and Paul writes about that in his letter to the Ephesians and Chapter 2.    

So, when the brothers in Caesarea were pleading with him not to go to Jerusalem, Paul said to them,“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 sake of the name of the Lord Jesus.”  Why was Paul ready to die in Jerusalem? Was he ready to die over money? No! He was ready to die because of his burden for the whole church of Jesus Christ. Paul is ready to give his life for the sake of the unity of the church of Jesus Christ. What does that say to you? How important is the unity of the   body that Christ died for, to you?

Paul knew that there was always this very real possibility that the Jewish church and the Gentile church could seriously divide. And it would discredit the Name of Jesus who died to unite all things under Him.  Paul had evidently hoped and believed that this collection would be a catalyst to avoid such a potential division. 

V.19. So, how was Paul received? After a customary greeting   with James and the Jerusalem elders, Paul began with  an account of his  recent  ministry in Galatia,  Macedonia, and Achaia. He tells them of the churches in Thessalonica, Philippi, Corinth and Ephesus. He recounts the extraordinary things that the Holy Spirit had done through his ministry to the gentiles. ”He related one by one the things that God (not Paul!) had done among the gentiles  through his ministry” [3]  This is a necessary reminder, for often we are so busy doing our demographics, planning our outreach strategies, preparing our people and materials for our missionary thrust for God that we forget that He must do the work. True ministry for him will always be ministry by him.

V.20 And they glorified God!  However, there was an immediate but!  It goes like this …”Yes Paul, we are glad with you for the great work   that God has done among the gentiles, BUT  remember that there are  also many thousands of Jews, and all zealous for the law...  These  Jews  certainly  included the converted Pharisees of Acts 15:5.  Being literally "zealots for the law," they combined their faith in Jesus  with  a Jewish nationalism along with a strict observance of the whole Mosaic code.  And they were teaching other converts to do the same.  “And Paul, they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake[4] Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.”  OUCH!   PAUL YOU ARE IN TROUBLE!

V. 22: And then the question: “What then is to be done? (They clearly have thought about this).  They will certainly hear that you have come”. Try to imagine that scene. Paul is here to report on his ministry and to hand over the collection from the gentile churches. But instead there is a greater concern about what the Christian Jews in Jerusalem are thinking with respect to his apparent disrespect  of the Jewish law.  It was not true of course what they were thinking,  but there you are. This matter is proving to be a mental block in the mind of the Jerusalem elders.   

Was this in fact what Paul had been doing and teaching?  Well, he would certainly have taught that the ceremonial aspects of the Law, the sacrifices, and the sign of circumcision were mere types that had been fulfilled by the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He would have taught that when Christ died and shed His blood, those things had no more significance. There was no further obligation to keep the ceremonial aspects of the law on the part of either Jew or Gentile.  So, in his ministry Paul wasn’t pressing these things upon the consciences of his converts – Jew or gentiles. He left his Jewish brothers their freedom to decide. 

But Paul had certainly not been actively campaigning that Jews no longer had to obey the Law. There is no evidence that Paul had ever instructed Jewish Christians in this way (Rom. 2:25-30; Gal. 5:6; 6:15). He had not opposed the practice of circumcision.  What  Paul did oppose was that if anyone insisted that without circumcision you cannot be saved, then he would  oppose that teaching. But if it was merely a matter of social custom, then that explains why Timothy (a half Jew) was circumcised and Titus (a gentile) was not.  But as I have already  observed  is that the problem is that the Jewish believers   in Jerusalem were made to believe that Paul was undermining their social customs, which he did not.   

Vv. 23-25: So James and the Jerusalem elders  respond (an imagined dialogue):  “Here's a plan.  We have four men in our local church who are undergoing a Nazarite vow” [cf. Numbers 6]. A Nazirite vow could be made for showing thankfulness for past blessings, or earnestness in prayer or as a sign of strong devotion to God. “So Paul, why don't you join them, since you have recently returned from Gentile territories?  Why don't you take part in a ritual purification? Join with them. Pay all of their expenses…the shaving of the head, animal sacrifices  etc.  all that would be necessary in order to complete this vow. Paul, if you do that   this will demonstrate to all the Jewish brothers that you are still with them in practise.”

V. 26 : What did Paul do?  He obliged! He did it, not because he believed that any of these rituals  were  essential or helpful   for  his sanctification, but he did this  because he loved the  church. This obviously wasn’t his spiritual choice.  He humbled himself for the sake of the weaker brothers. Yes, James and the Jerusalem elders were weaker in this regard.  Paul discusses this principle in Romans 14 and in 1 Corinthians 8.  Paul was very careful  not to offend the conscience of the "weaker brother,"  and so  he respected  the Jewish Christian who continued to maintain  the tradition of the elders. And for their sake, as already observed, he even went so far as to have Timothy circumcised (Acts 16:3). And since Paul does not violate his own conscience  in this matter he has liberty to oblige. He knows which hill to die on, and this is not one of them. Paul’s heart for Christ and His church is just that much greater. He is truly the apostle of the heart set free, to quote the title of the book with the same name by Professor F.F. Bruce.  

So what can we learn from this as modern Christians  in Namibia   who   are  far removed from all this cultural clutter?

1.     We affirm that the keeping of the Old Testament law, has no relevance for salvation. Forgiveness of sins is not obtained through the blood of sheep and goats, but  through trusting in Christ alone (Acts 13:38-39; 15:10-11).

2.     This does not make the  moral law (the 10 commandments)  irrelevant. It simply put it into it right place. (Lk. 10:25-28; 18:18-23)

3.     Concerning the use of the  ceremonial law there is freedom.  Jewish Christians may find a positive use for the ceremonial laws (circumcision, keeping of festival, food laws) to aid them in the expression of their faith, as we find it in fact the custom in some of  the modern church in  Israel.  It’s simply a cultural choice that damages no one if used in this way.  But we cannot make this binding upon the consciences of non Jewish Christians. Christian Gentiles in the company of Jewish Christians  have the  liberty to observe  such  feasts (e.g. the observation of the Friday night Sabbath meal)   when in their homes, as long as  they know that  no additional merits come to them  as a result of doing these things  etc.  In all of this we learn to be humble and largehearted in accommodating  ourselves  to our brothers in all things non essential. 

4.     According to the Bible there is a large measure of freedom in  the use of all things made by God, but  be sure that  this freedom is to be used to promote

(i)                The advance of the gospel

(ii)                The unity of an ethnically diverse church.

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[1] The nine men have come from Macedonia and Galatia, and Achaia. From Macedonia, Sopater and Aristarchus and Secundus; from Galatia have come Gaius and Timothy; from Asia have come Tychicus and Trophimus. And then there's Luke. And then there's a ninth, who isn't mentioned by Luke. And in all probability he's a representative of the church of Corinth, and his name is Titus. There's a long-standing tradition that Titus is actually Luke's brother.

[2] II Corinthians 8 and II Corinthians 9 is a lengthy discussion about the collection and about principles of giving toward this collection. Romans 15 mentions this collection.

[3] Acts 15:12, 14; also see 14:27; 20:24

[4] This phrase translates apostasia, which refers to either political or spiritual rebellion

Ephesians 4:11-13 THE WORK OF THE PASTOR

Ephesians  4: 11-13

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds  and teachers,  12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,  to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

A few introductory notes….

You will note that Ephesians chapter 4 begins with an appeal to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  

Take note of:

·       the foundational attitudes that underlie this  unity: humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love (the fruit of the Spirit).

·       These foundational attitudes are built on these foundational truths:  There is one body, one Holy Spirit, one hope, one Lord (Jesus Christ), one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.  (Note the Trinity here). Truth primarily governs our relationships and not feelings.

Our constant challenge   as members of a church is to remember the very basics upon which the church is built. We constantly need to remember these and rehearse these, lest we forget... but how shall we remember them? 

‘Ah’, says Paul in  4:8, ‘by the grace of God He has, through the ascended Christ and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, given gifts[2] to the church. By means of their ministry these things will be remembered in all generations.’ 

The quote here is taken from Psalm 68:18 and it reflects the picture of a conquering king,   who after the victory over his enemies returns home with the spoils of war, and as he returns home he gives these spoils of war as gifts to his people.  Apply this to our King Jesus.  By His victory on the cross He purchased the freedom  of His people from the bondage of slavery, and He has  ushered in the new Kingdom.  He triumphantly ascended back home to His throne at the right  hand of God  in heaven, and from there He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and with the Holy Spirit  He sent the spoils of war, the gifts  here spoken of. He gave gifts to the church. What gifts? The answer is found in  4:11,  ‘And He gave  the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers…”.   

For what  purpose did the ascended Lord give these gifts to the church? The ascended Lord gave His church these gifts to maintain the unity of  the church - ‘one body’. The Lord Jesus gave His church  a particular gift,  a body of foundational gifts, in the form of people to  preserve  the proper knowledge  and the proper attitudes  of   what the  true church ought to be like  and  look like.

The purpose of these foundational gifts is further explained in v. 12. These foundational gifts  exist for the ‘equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ (the church).’  So, this is where the   work of the pastor/shepherd - teacher fits in. He is a gift from God to the church to help the church to remember the truth as it is in Jesus (4:21). He helps us to remember what Jesus said and  to remind  us what  Jesus was like in person.

The apostles and prophets are at the head of this list because they are the foundation of the foundation.  In Ephesians 2:19,20 the offices of apostles and prophets  are regarded  as ‘foundational’  in the church: “The household of God… is  built  on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets with Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone“. 

Foundations are only laid once.  The building is constructed upon these foundations.   We are no longer building the foundations of the church. These have been laid, and they remain forever valid, and they are forever our reference point, and we build upon this sure foundation.   The prophets and apostles of the Bible continue to live and exercise their ministry among us every time we open our Bibles and read and study and take seriously what they have said.  In that sense  also we no longer have prophets and apostles   in the same way in which we find them in the Bible. In that sense we also do not need new apostles and prophets any more than we need a new cornerstone – the Lord Jesus. Just because Jesus is now not visibly seen among us, we cannot say that He is dead. In the same way, the apostolic and prophetic word which I hold in my hands is not dead, but it is being proclaimed among us. Every time we preach the Scriptures the prophetic and apostolic ministry lives  in the hand of gifted evangelists and pastor- teachers.   With this in mind, I make the  following observations.

1.The Work   of the Pastor- Teacher is a foundational gift to the church: The gift of the evangelist  and the pastor-teacher continues   to build upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets  and the gospels of Jesus Christ. 

2.The work of the Pastor- Teachers  is to equip the saints  for the work  of ministry:The word for equipping   is  the Greek word  katartizo.  It means ‘fixing something that's broken’ (as when nets were torn cf. Matt. 4:21). It can also mean, ‘to supply something that is lacking’ (as in 1 Thess. 3:10)  where Paul speaks to them about his desire to supply what is lacking in your faith.   

So, what is broken, what is lacking that needs to be supplied?

Remember that through the fall, all of us have become broken, leaking vessels.  Through the new birth we are restored  in  our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, but  it is  through the ‘washing of the Word‘  that we  begin  to have our minds renewed, our hearts restored  and our wills aligned  to the will of God.  This is fundamentally the work of the gifted pastor –teacher.  In this regard one meets many dear believers who have had a conversion experience, but who were never brought under the foundational ministry of an expository pastoral ministry. And they are like those described in Hebrews 5:12-14, and they are not in a good place.    The pastor – teacher’s job is to repair what is broken or  to  supply what is lacking  in the saints  even  while he himself is subject to the same discipline! 

But that is not all. Pastor-teachers are not just there to repair and supply what is lacking.   Eph. 4:12 goes on to say that the goal of the pastoral ministry is to equip and prepare the saints for the work of ministry (literally diaconal service).  The fixing and supplying what is lacking is meant to make the saints into servants, and in this way every member of the church contributes to the wholeness of the entire body.  God has not given pastor-teachers   to do everything in the church.  They are simply repairers of broken vessels. They are simply    those who constantly remind the church of what they ought to be and do. This means that pastor- teachers need to know their calling from God, and their giftedness, and then they need to be sure that their own sinful selves are constantly subjected to the disciplines of the Word and prayer. That requires self- discipline and diligent  study  of the Bible  with  constant  prayer  and with watchful self examination.

The Bible insists that the pastor-teacher must be qualified to lead and teach the flock.  He must possess a true competence from God for the pastoral office (1 Tim 3:1). It must be a willing and not a forced desire (1 Pet. 5:2). He must have the character traits provided in  1 Timothy 3: 1-7.   The discipline of godliness is vital.  2 Timothy 2:15-26 and 1 Peter 5:1-5 describes these disciplines in detail.  The pastor must set an example for his people in speech, lifestyle, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim 4:12).

            .

A pastor is expected to do many things. He must be a counsellor to those who need guidance. He must encourage those who are discouraged. He must comfort those who are distressed. He must mentor leaders and give direction to the eldership team. He must be involved in the leading and administration of the church.  He participates in activities outside the church. He presents a face to the community.   But his main work is that of a preacher. In this he follows the pattern set by the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles.  He also follows the example of our Lord Himself. Our Lord Himself was firstly a preacher.  When the crowds wanted   more miracles, Jesus said to His disciples, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come" (Mk. 1:38).

"Preach the word!" is  Paul’s  instruction to Timothy. "Be ready in season and out of season.  Reprove rebuke , rebuke, exhort, with  complete patience and teaching" (2 Tim. 4:2) … and here  is part of the agony of preaching . Pastors must preach whether people want to hear or  whether they do not want to hear … "the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine, but  having itching ears  they  will accumulate for themselves teachers  to suit their own passions, and will  turn  away from listening to the truth, and wander off into myths." (vv. 3-4).  And he must preach whether they will hear or not hear, and when they will not listen, he continues to walk among them a broken heart, for they do not disobey him but the Lord whom he represents. The ministries by the prophets and apostles bear eloquent testimony to that.

Church members and leaders should take great care to insist that their teaching pastor maintain the work of preaching as the priority of his ministry. The spiritual health of a church ultimately depends upon a sound pulpit. It is the prime means which   God has given for   maintaining a sound church. Look at the Bible and look at the history of the church. When has church and society prospered most? When her pastors were most committed to the exposition of God’s Word! We look back to the days of the apostles, when the Word of God was preached widely and with great effect. By contrast we look back to the dark ages (AD 500 – 1500)  and consider  what happened when the Bible wasn’t preached, but   traded for tradition, mysticism, and pragmatism. We consider the mighty effect that the Protestant Reformation had on the church when the Word of God was preached by men like Martin Luther  of Germany and John Calvin of Switzerland, and John Knox of Scotland  and when the members of the church were equipped and encouraged  to  live  like true believers.   We look at the Puritan era, the 1600’s in England  for examples  of healthy church life. We look at the Great awakening  at the end of the 1700’s and into the 1800’s for examples of church revivals. We note the  Downgrade  Controversy of  the late 1800’s  and into the 1900’s, and we observe  the loss of confidence  in the authority and sufficiency  of the Scriptures and its terrible results upon the life and vitality of the church. Charles Haddon Spurgeon sounded the alarm in his day, but  that  faithful pastor  only could watch with a broken heart  as his own denomination, the Baptist Union of England descended  into coldness and apostasy  from the gospel. 

The life of the church, by God’s own design  depends on  God called, God equipped  pastor-teachers. Pray beloved people that God would continue  to grant us these gifts for the health and maintenance of the church  for the sake of  a future generation.  God have mercy on us if we were  ever  handed over to  ruthless shepherds who do not truly care.

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[1] John 16:12 ;

[2] Greek :  domata

Acts 21:1-16 ”Let the Will of the Lord be done“

Our text  raises an interesting question.  How far should we go  in listening to others before we make a decision that  nobody  will approve of?  

Here we are obviously not talking about  going against a clear moral  matter.  This text does not endorse someone that plans to  go against the explicit moral  will of God. So, we are dealing with a fairly narrow scope.

The issue at hand is that Paul, on a number of occasions was warned not to go to Jerusalem, as the Jews were plotting to kill him, but he  went nevertheless, and against an overwhelming opinion. 

Following the text ….

1 And when we[1] 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. 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 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.

Everywhere  Paul goes  the disciples are concerned  about the fact that  Paul  is going  to Jerusalem. When he was at  Cenchrea, the port city nearest to Corinth, he had discovered a plot of the Jews to  kill him as he was then on his way to Jerusalem (20:3).   And he  decided  to  foil their plot by taking another route -  a very roundabout   land journey  north,  through Thessalonica and Philippi and then across  and down to Miletus, which is close to Ephesus. Here  he and his travelling companions  were hoping to  find  a ship  to cross the Mediterranean  sea  towards  Tyre and Caesarea, and eventually on  to Jerusalem. In Acts 20  we saw  that  Paul had  met with the Ephesian elders in Miletus, and after a tearful  farewell,  he sets his sights on Jerusalem.  He says  that he is “constrained  by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem , not knowing what will happen to him there.” He says that the Holy Spirit  testifies to him   in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await him. He knew that he would probably not see the Ephesian elders again  (20:22-25). 

The journey takes Paul  and his travelling companions to the island of Cos, and on to Rhodes  and Patara. At Patara they would  take a ship down to Phoenicia, more than 600 kilometres eastward across the Mediterranean sea, a sea journey of about 5 days. Syria controlled Phoenicia in the Roman period,  and here they landed  at the port of Tyre,  a city well known in the Old Testament. 

Paul and his companions spent seven days in Tyre. Here he does what he always does. He meets with the  Christian  church. There is the wonderful fact that wherever Paul went, he found a Christian community waiting to welcome him. One of the great privileges of belonging to the Church is the fact that no matter where we go we  can find  a  church community.  We have a worldwide  family and friends. The same will happen at  Ptolemais (21:7) and   also  in Caesarea (21:8). Paul’s heart beats for the church of Jesus.  And you  will notice that  in Tyre and Caesarea, just as in Miletus there are  many emotions involved.  

Our key verse is found in v. 14.  Everywhere people are saying   that  Paul is going against counsel  to  Jerusalem, and  so  they literally give him up to the will of God .

Tyre (21:3-7)

The disciples in Tyre  ‘through the Spirit’ warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Everyone knew,  and Paul knew  (cf. 20:22,23) that He would suffer,  if not be killed  there.  Clearly  Paul was very valuable to all these disciples.  It is understandable. They do not want him to die, and they do everything possible to stop him from going. The problem is with that little phrase ‘through the Spirit’. They were telling Paul not to go, ‘through the Spirit’. So then  if what they are  saying is genuinely of the Holy Spirit,  is Paul now  disobedient to the Holy Spirit by resisting their counsel?  How do we understand this?

The answer is that they rightly discerned what the Holy Spirit was saying would happen if  Paul should go to Jerusalem. But their conclusion was not of the Holy Spirit. John Stott says, “The warning was Divine, while the urging was human!” And  so  Paul went  to the next destination… the port of Caesarea. 

Caesarea (21: 7-12)

Caesarea  some 100 kilometres  further south  was  a seaport built by  King Herod the Great  and  at this time it was  also the  provincial capital of Judea.  Here we find a more intense   repetition of what  happened in Tyre (v. 12). A  prophet named Agabus  from  Judea  invokes a graphic warning upon  Paul. We have heard of   him  before, in  Acts  11.   In  the days  when  the apostle Peter   was still  the dominant figure  he  prophesied  that there would a  devastating   famine  throughout the then known world. This led to  the fact  that the church in Antioch sent relief aid  to the brothers living in Judea  (11: 27-30). There is no doubt that this  was a proven a prophet of God, a  man who spoke by the Spirit of God.  Jewish prophets had a certain custom. When words were inadequate, they dramatized their message. There are many instances of this in the Old Testament, for example, Isaiah 20:3-4; Jeremiah 13:1-11; Jeremiah 27:2; Ezekiel 4:1-17 ; Ezekiel 5:1-4; 1 Kings 11:29-31.  Agabus  takes  Paul's belt and binds his own hands and feet, and  tells him : 'This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'  We know that this prophecy was  fulfilled. 

What is of significance  is that Agabus’s prophecy  was seen  by the church community in Caesarea as a sign that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. It also seems that  Luke and Paul’s other travelling companions  include themselves  in this opinion. (21:12) 

Paul's interpretation and correct understanding of God's will ( 21:13-16)

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, "Let the will of the Lord be done." 

What is Paul's conclusion? He knows what will happen, but against all prevailing   counsel  he comes to the opposite conclusion.  What are we to make of this?  The most obvious  answer is that which is provided for  us in the text: 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." 

What is  Paul’s motive?  He is doing this for the name of the Lord Jesus. You will remember that Jesus faced the same objections from  His team of disciples  when  He went to   the vicinity of Jerusalem  (e.g.  John 11:16). And He, in accordance with prophecy (e.g. Isaiah 53) was killed in Jerusalem. 

Paul  was mastered by One. Therefore we can see that  Paul did not fear  what they  feared. They feared losing  Paul. He was valuable to them, and they could not think their lives  without  him, and so , in one sense  there is a  selfish motive involved here.

In Paul’s  heart there  is the motive of completing  the work that the Lord Jesus had given  Him to do. He was after all, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. As it is, we will learn that he will not die in Jerusalem, although he will be beaten and abused  (21:32). 

But the Lord Jesus  has a lot more work to do  for Paul  before he takes him home, eventually we believe  in Rome.  And  Paul  will   be  a most useful servant, even  though he  will be in prison.  Just think of the fact that we now  have in hand some of Paul’s  so called prison epistles  — Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

I will close with a brief survey  of  Paul’s  theology  and  thinking  as a result  of his not listening to his Christian brothers and sisters. I  will  restrict myself to portions of  his letter to the Philippians:

1.     Phil. 1:12-18 :  There were some amongst the  Imperial  Guard who had heard the gospel! It was worth it just for that!  The church  at Tyre and Caesarea wanted Paul  not to  go, but God's will was deeper and profounder.  God had  more work to do  for Paul – from prison, and that would never have  happened   unless Paul went to Jerusalem and unless he was arrested and sent  to a jail in Rome. And what is more   is that  other Christians had become emboldened  to speak the Word without fear because of Paul’s presence and testimony  in this Roman prison.

2.     Phil.  1:20-23:  Remaining alive  for the sake  of simply remaining alive  was no reason for Paul to stay away from  Jerusalem. Paul’s motive was to honour Christ in his body, whether by life  or death.  I am afraid, that modern Christians  make too much  of life for life’s sake –to the point of being idolatrous about life. We desperately want to live as long as we can, because, I suspect we believe that this sad earth is our heaven.  Few   have this  idea in  their  minds that they should die  in the service of Christ.  Few  desire heaven and Christ more  than this life. Paul would rather depart and be with Christ. There is a legitimate  reason however  why Paul wants to stay alive, and that is for the sake of those that  still need his encouragement and  the testimony of his Christlike  example  - see Phil.  1:24

3.     Phil 2:1-11: Paul’s greatest  reflection in his letter to the Philippians  is found here  in  this text in which  he thinks about the life and death of Christ. Christ  went willingly to Jerusalem to offer himself  up as  a sacrifice for us  and  this  humiliation which made no sense to the disciples nor to anyone at the time of His dying was  vindicated  when  He was raised from the dead. Against all popular opinion God exalted Him!  Aren’t you glad today that Christ obeyed God  and not popular opinion, and not even His own  fear in the Garden of Gethsemane?

Let that be sufficient for now. The point we are making is that God had greater plans for Paul than the churches everywhere  where able to conceive or understand.  

And so the big lesson  of Acts 21:1-16  is not   for you to have an excuse to be self- willed. Generally and overwhelmingly speaking  it is important for   all of us to listen to the counsel of our Christian brothers and sisters. The big lesson  here is  that Paul  as an apostle  knew himself to be in the hands of God. And in this specific mission he stands unique. It is not for you  to go now to Jerusalem to  figure out  your future  against  the counsel of your brothers and sisters in the Lord. 

The general principle is that  you must always obey the clear call of the Lord Jesus Christ. And sometimes  (and you better  make sure that this is so!) it means going against popular opinion (Acts 4:19,20).  And when you do that,   for Christ’s  sake, do not  hold  your  Christian family’s differing opinion against them.  And if it is God that is truly calling, and  you perceive that  your church does not  understand  then do not hold them ransom  to your calling. Instead you  go in the Lord's strength  trusting Him alone.  Be extremely careful  however when you choose  such a course.  

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[1] Again, note the pronoun  we, as Luke includes himself in the narrative

1 Corinthians 12:12-31 "IS CHURCH MEMBERSHIP BIBLICAL?"

Our text teaches us that: 

(i)               V.12 The church can be compared to a human body with its many constituent parts (members). 

(ii)             V.13 The Holy Spirit is the One who brings about the new birth into that membership. (VERY IMPORTANT!)

(iii)           V.14 Although the body is one being, yet the body has many components (legs, arms, torso, various organs and sub –parts such as  foot, ears, eyes  etc.)  

(iv)            Vv.15 -17 each part serves a different purpose, but all exist for the good and benefit of the whole. No part exists (nor can it exist) for its own benefit.
(v)             Vv.18 -26 God arranged the members of the human body, as He sovereignly chose. Our bodies are His design. This design is not based on a single body part, but on a variety of body parts, and no body part is indispensable. No part of the body can say, ‘I don’t need you’. Paul repeats this again and again. There can be no thought of division of the body (v.25) and mutual caring of the members of our body is assumed. In fact, if one  part of the body suffers, all parts suffer; if one part rejoices, all  rejoice (v.26)

(vi)            V.27 So this analogy  of the  human works well  to describe  the  workings of the church.

(vii)          Vv. 28-30 In the church, which is made up of all those  who were baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit  there are various members with varying spiritual gifts, working together for the common good.

(viii)        V.31 and Chapter 13:  the attitude in which the body of Christ lives and works together is called ‘the more excellent way’ by Paul. In Chapter 13 Paul warns us that mere giftedness (13:1-3) is not what keeps a church unified. The gifts and individual talents of people must work by the rule of 13:4-7. This is the love that animates and produces true body life – true church life! 

I trust that from this text the Holy Spirit has immediately convinced you that membership in a church is a biblical concept. 

And it is essential.  According to this text you cannot say that you are a Christian, but not a member of the church.  Take careful note of this! To be ‘baptized by one Spirit into one body…’ (v.13) means that you are born again (for that is what Spirit baptism is) into one body  (the body of Christ – the church). 
The new birth = baptism by one Spirit. 
The Holy Spirit baptizes us into Jesus, but this is not where it ends. The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Jesus – the church! 
You therefore cannot say, Jesus – YES, church - NO!   
You cannot divide that which God has joined together.   
If you have been sceptical, then I trust that the Holy Spirit inspired Bible has won the argument today. If you say that you trust Christ, it also follows that you  must obey Him.  
You cannot detach yourself from the body of Christ  if you claim to be His follower any more  than an  eye or an ear or a leg  can detach itself from your body, and survive!

There are many people in our day who are sceptical about joining in a church membership. Some say 'it’s not in the Bible’, using the common argument, ‘where in the Bible is there a membership list’?Others say that they have been previously hurt in a local church (and that is a problem that needs to be dealt with!) and like a divorced person they are now reluctant to commit themselves again to such a relationship in membership.  They use this argument to keep the church at a distance, whilst perhaps attending church services.  But that is it. No commitment, no accountability to the body.

But here is the painful reality and it is ironic.  There are members of any given local church that actually do the same. Whilst they are members, their participation in the body of Christ is not evident. They do not exert their spiritual gift in a meaningful way and with joy. They do not pray with the church in any visible way. Their fellowship is limited. They do not participate in the gospel ministry of the church. From our text we see that the membership that Paul envisages is   an integrated, committed, serving-one-another, loving, involved membership – just like the picture of the human body and its constituent parts, work in real sympathy and real support.  

So then, the concept of biblical church membership needs to be thought through.  And before we talk about being added to  a  membership list of our local church  we need  to be clear that  we are right with God.  Sometime  ago  a member  of our church came to me and said that they wanted to resign from membership, because  they felt that they were not  involved in the church  in any meaningful way, and did not attend regularly, and  did not serve the church. That was all true, and we have reason to believe that there was more to that conversation  than meets the eye, but  the bigger question in my own heart was this,  “Is this   dear soul really converted?”   How can you leave that which Christ loves supremely, unless of course your church is not a true church? 

The basis of biblical membership is being right with God. Last week Pastor Brits laid the foundation for today’s message when he preached from John 3:1-8,  ‘You must be born again’. The new birth, being born again from above  is foundational to being and becoming  a member of the church. Whenever this first principle has been disregarded in the life of the church, she will quickly lose her first love. Unconverted members kill the church, because there is no spiritual life in an unconverted person. Unconverted people do not love Jesus. They love an organisation that meets their needs, and helps them when it comes to dealing  with the vital  rituals of life – birth, marriage, death.

Let me help you to see this briefly by appealing to church history. When the early church embraced the practice of baptizing their children, the church  in the afterglow of  the plain  teaching of the apostles grew steadily  lukewarm  as baptized  children became church members  without necessarily experiencing  the new birth.  The church grew, so to speak by infant baptisms rather than by conversions. The  so called  dark  ages which  followed (roughly from the fall of Rome in 496 AD until the Renaissance  – 1500 AD)  were dark because  the church had become  a lukewarm, nominal entity, ruled by a corrupt  regime of popes and political power-brokers.  With few exceptions the reading of the history of the church of that time, including the 9 crusades (1095-1272 AD) doesn’t make for pretty reading. Religious zealotry akin to the Pharisees combined with political idealism ruled the day.   Please understand:  The unconverted heart can only do what it does, and in the hands of Satan the unconverted heart is the most powerful tool to subvert the holiness of the church.  That is why the Reformation was such a tonic. It was a spiritual awakening, and central to that awakening was the preaching of the gospel.  Men like Luther and Calvin and many others preached the gospel, and the Holy Spirit was pleased to blow liberally and many were converted.   Baptists, if we include the  Anabaptists of the  Reformation,  in their nearly 500 years since the Reformation  have substantially believed in the necessity of the new birth as the primary  requirement for  church membership. Conversion would then be followed by baptism and church membership. This is the New Testament practise, and this is where we stand today.  A healthy church is where  people are truly  converted  and  added to the church  by  signifying this in believers baptism.

Returning to the  Metaphor of the Body

Church membership is implied in the metaphor of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12–31.   There is a unity and organic relationship implied in the imagery of the body. There is something unnatural about a Christian attaching him or herself to a body of believers and not being a member of the body.

That is God’s plan for us and for this church. That is what we mean by membership. The membership list, and going through a series of membership classes  are secondary matters, but they do follow from that great principle of the body metaphor in 1 Corinthians 12. 

So when you are asking, ‘Where  do you find a membership list in the Bible?’  you are asking the wrong question. And  if you are saying, ‘...but I have been hurt in the church  and will not  commit  myself to another’,  then you are  letting  your negative emotions rule  over the truth as it is in Jesus. 

The answer is this - Find a church that  most closely exhibits the true marks of a church   (e.g. Acts 2:42). And if you say, ‘But I am a member of the universal church  of Christ, I don’t need  to belong to a local church‘, then I want you to consider that Paul was writing this letter not to the members  of the universal church, but the local church at Corinth. And he wrote a letter  to the Roman church, the Ephesian church, the  Galatian and Thessalonian churches, the Philippian and Colossian church, as well as the letters to Timothy, Pastor of the local  church at Ephesus.     

Final Appeal

The New Testament knows of no Christians who are not accountable members of a local church in the sense that we have just seen.  The  New Testament indicates  that  to be excluded from the local church was to be excluded from Christ, as in the case of the church discipline  found in 1 Corinthians 5.  Are you committed to discipline and being disciplined according to biblical standards? How can you exclude some from the membership of the church, if they are not recognised as a church member?  

Do you see yourself and your gifts as part of an organic ministering body?

And how do the leaders of a local church know who they are accountable for? 

Have you publicly declared your willingness to be shepherded and to be led by the leaders of a local church?

So then, are you an accountable member of a local church?  The question is not, ‘Is your name somewhere on some membership list?’ It should be.   The question is, are you actively engaged as a member of your local church? Have you said so by way of a public affirmation?   

After all is said and done, remember  that  Church membership begins with the work of the Holy Spirit. He applies the  work of  Jesus  (a blood bought gift) to your heart and He unites you  to other  brothers and sisters in your given locality.  More than most of us realize, it is a life-sustaining, faith-strengthening, joy-preserving means of God’s mercy to us.