All About The Gospel - Acts 21:17-26

Paul Visits James (Acts 21:17-26)

Sometimes, when I am driving, I get really angry at the cars in front of me.

I have an agenda and a time schedule and they don’t seem to understand how much of a hurry I am in!

That person driving 5 miles an hour under the speed limit just seems to light my fuse.

I don’t like to be inconvenienced.

I like to make plans and have them work out exactly how I want.

Anyone else feel like that?

The reality is that my desires are not more important than other people.

This is a key understanding when sharing the gospel.

Today we will see Paul have that understanding.

Paul is wrapping up his third missionary journey by going to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost.

When they arrive in Jerusalem, Paul and company are recieved gladly.

This is how we are to receive those who have labored for the cause of Christ!

What happens next is very important.

Acts 21:19–20 (ESV)

19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God.

I love how this is worded.

Paul relates to the leadership in Jerusalem what God had done through his ministry.

This isn’t about Paul!

This isn’t about the Jerusalem leaders!

This is about what God is doing among the Gentiles through Paul!.

God is bringing them to Himself through Jesus Christ!

And all of this is to His glory.

God doesn’t want us to do great things for Him. He desires to do great things through us!

Paul declares to them what God had done through Him.

What has God done through you and me lately? What report can we give?

After this time of rejoicing and glorifying God for what He has done, the Jerusalem leaders reveal a problem.

Many Jews have come to the Lord recently and they are still learning what it means that they are not under the law but under grace.

There are rumors about Paul saying that he doesn’t obey the law and tells Gentiles to ignore it.

They ask Paul to consider doing some Jewish purification rituals to show he abides by the law.

They also review what they had told Gentiles back in chapter 15.

They had told the Gentiles that keeping the law was not required.

They urged them to be careful with their dietary practices, especially in regard to what was sacrificed to idols, and to abstain from sexual immorality.

Paul agrees to their request, purifies himself, and gives the offering at the temple.

I think it is important to note that Paul submits himself to the leadership of the church.

He is not a “lone wolf” Christian.

Paul is under authority and recognizes the leaders God has set up in the local church.

We have such a tendency to say “I can do it on my own!” Paul doesn’t do that.

Being committed to communicating the truth about Christ means that we recognize the need for authority, and the need for help.

We cannot reach the world with the gospel on our own.

We need one another if we are to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to a world in need.

Going back to our passage in Acts, we need to ask, why are the leaders in Jerusalem concerned about all this?

Why do they want Paul to do all the ritual purification?

They don’t want anything to hinder the gospel!

I love their heart here.

They know that the things that have been said of Paul are not true.

They know that Paul is being true to the gospel and to the directions they had provided previously concerning the Gentiles.

What they are doing is removing obstacles to the gospel.

To be clear, removing these obstacles will be inconvenient to Paul.

It will be an extra expense and extra work.

However, this is about unity in the body of Christ and making sure that they have done everything possible to pave the way for the gospel to go forward.

Two questions for each of us to consider as we finish this section.

First, are we allowing God to work through us for His glory?

Remember, we are not doing things for God, He is working through us.

Secondly, am I willing to face personal inconvenience to foster unity and remove barriers to the gospel?

This is our challenge today. Let God work through us as we share the gospel.

Make sure that we are not a barrier to others but rather a guidepost pointing them to Jesus.