Becoming a Person of Conviction - Acts 21:1-16

“Becoming a Person of Conviction”

Acts 21:1-16

©Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, January 4, 2003

On April 14, 1521 Martin Luther was on his way to the Diet of Worms. The emperor had forbidden the sale of all the reformer’s books and ordered them to be seized. Luther’s life was in great danger. One of his devoted friends had sent word through a special messenger not to come to Worms lest he suffer the same fate as John Hus (who was burned at the stake). Luther comforted his fearful friends, saying, “Though Hus was burned, the truth was not burned, and Christ still lives.” Then he sent this message, “I shall go to Worms, though there were as many devils as tiles on the roofs.”

When Luther arrived to meet with the Council of powerful religious, leaders thousands of people gathered to see what would happen. At a key moment in the examination of Luther’s works, Archbishop Johann Eck had this exchange with Luther,

ECK: Martin, how can you assume that you are the only one to understand the sense of Scripture? Would you put your judgment above that of so many famous men and claim that you know more than they all? You have no right to call into question the most holy orthodox faith, instituted by Christ the perfect lawgiver, proclaimed throughout the world by the apostles, sealed by the red blood of the martyrs, confirmed by the sacred councils, defined by the Church in which all our fathers believed until death and gave to us as an inheritance, and which now we are forbidden by the pope and emperor to discuss lest there be no end of debate. I ask you, Martin—answer candidly and without horns—do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors which they contain?

LUTHER: Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.[1]

Martin Luther was a man of conviction.

In 162 AD the bishop of Smyrna was a man named Polycarp. This was the time of Christian persecution and Polycarp was captured. He was brought to the town square and threatened with being burned at the stake. The procounsel said, ““Swear, and I will release thee;—reproach Christ.”

Polycarp answered, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, Who hath saved me?”[2] Polycarp was burned at the stake. He was a man of conviction and courage.

Christian history is filled with people who had this kind of courage and conviction. There are missionaries who have courageously risked their lives to proclaim the gospel. There are business people who have chosen the ways of God over the road of profit. There are those such as Eric Liddell an Olympian for England who was heavily favored to win the gold in several events. When his best event was scheduled on a Sunday, he refused to run. He believed it more important to honor the Lord than to run the race of men. In the midst of a storm of controversy, he stood tall.

I could go on and on with stories. This kind of conviction was modeled first in our Savior as we “set his face toward Jerusalem”. Today as we return to the Book of Acts, chapter 21 we see this conviction modeled in the Apostle Paul.

The chapter begins the final section of the book. Paul has completed his third missionary journey and is on his way back to Jerusalem with an offering that he had been collecting from the various churches for the church in Jerusalem. Paul hoped the gift would help build a bridge between the Jewish and the Gentile churches.

As we pick up the story, Paul is in Miletus where he met with many from the church in Ephesus. Paul told the Ephesians,

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Paul was going to Jerusalem because he believed it was what God wanted him to do. He had been warned that hardship lie ahead but Paul was willing to face whatever was necessary in order to honor and obey the Lord.

QUESTIONS RAISED

As Paul continued his journey, he made several stops along the way. In each location people encouraged him to change his plans and not go on to Jerusalem. As they arrived in Tyre, which would be in modern day Syria, we are told,

Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. (v.4)

Next we are told,

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

We are told that the four daughters of Philip prophesied. We don’t know whether they prophesied to Paul. Next there was Agabus who dramatically demonstrated what was going to happen to Paul. He told him the Jews would bind him and hand him over to the Gentiles. We are told everyone (including Luke, note the “we”) urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Paul refused to be moved from his convictions.

There are two ways to read this text and notable and respected people are on both sides of the issue. Some see this as an example of Paul’s big mistake. Some believe God was using these prophets to keep Paul from going to Jerusalem. They believe Paul was so set on going there (because of his love for his fellow Jews) that he ran right through the Lord’s roadblocks. They see this passage as a warning for us to remain open to the Lord’s instruction.

I come down on the other side of the issue. I don’t think Paul was being pig-headed, I think this is a great example of Paul’s devotion to the Lord. Remember, in chapter 20 verse 22 Paul told us that He was “compelled by the Spirit” to go to Jerusalem. Paul was convinced this is what God wanted him to do. Later, in chapter 23 in verse 1 Paul told the Sanhedrin that he had fulfilled his duty to God in good conscience. In verse 11 God told Paul, “As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify of me in Rome.” There is no hint here that God was disappointed in the apostle. I think the various prophecies were designed to prepare Paul for what was coming. The prophecies warned of the coming difficulties . . . I believe the conclusion drawn from the prophecy that Paul should not continue to Jerusalem came from the people.

The very fact of this controversy in interpretation alerts us to some important questions we must always ask ourselves when we are taking a stand for something:

1. Am I taking a stand based on the clear teaching of Scripture or is my conviction based in my own preference or conclusions? In other words, is this really what God wants or is it what I want?

2. Am I open to correction? Could it be that my conclusions are wrong? Is it possible that my timing is not the same as God’s? Is it possible that my methods are different from His?

Conviction can be good or bad. We have seen in some of the militant religious groups that you can be deeply committed to something and be radically wrong in what you are doing. The 9/11 hijackers were deeply committed. They were willing to die for their convictions. However, their convictions were perverted. Their conviction was evil rather than good. Our goal is not simply to have deep convictions . . . our goal is to be deeply committed to the will of God for our lives.

I don’t think Paul disregarded the prophecies of these people. I think at the beginning he probably went before the Lord in prayer and said, “Lord, are you telling me not to go?” Paul became convinced that it was the Lord’s will for him to go to Jerusalem and Paul told his friends he was willing to be obedient even if it mean dying for the Savior.

BARRIERS TO BEING A PERSON OF CONVICTION

In this account of the various prophets sent to Paul we are left to wonder why all these people were trying to get Paul to change his plans if Paul was doing the right thing. I think God sent these people to Paul in order to prepare him for what was coming. It is a reminder to us that there will always be people who want to tell us what God’s will is for our lives. This passage alerts us to two major barriers to being a person of conviction.

The first barrier is FEAR. There is a prevailing notion that we should avoid anything that could hurt us or is difficult. This barrier comes from within and without. Deep inside each of us is the fear to face what is difficult and possibly painful. We all would like to avoid these things.

People who love us will try to keep us from doing things that might cause them to lose us. These friends of Paul were not trying to lead him astray, they were trying to protect him. They were not motivated by hate, but by love.

When seeking God’s will we must remember that God does not say the way of discipleship will be easy. In fact, He says just the opposite. Jesus calls us to “count the cost”. At times, doing the will of God will test us, stretch us, and make life difficult. Easy does not mean right. Being comfortable does not mean we are in the will of God.

If it was true that we should always avoid what is difficult, threatening, or challenging, a parent would never send their child off to school, a teenager would never play sports, children would never be born, we would never change jobs, we would never get married, and we would never have surgery. If we avoid everything that is difficult in the spiritual realm we will never learn to pray, never share our faith with another, never begin new ministries, and never develop a deep faith. There is going to be risk involved in being a person of conviction.

The Second obstacle is SHORTSIGHTEDNESS. There is a tendency to focus on physical success rather than spiritual faithfulness; the immediate rather than the eternal. Often people conclude that God’s will is always that which is financially profitable or leads to personal advancement or benefit. They conclude if something is good for them it must be good for the Kingdom of God. This of course is the measure or worldly success. It is not the measure of faithfulness.

I think it is reasonable to think that Paul’s friends concluded that Paul could be successful in ministry only if he was free. They saw imprisonment as failure of the mission. They did not consider how God could use this imprisonment. Through this time of hardship God brought Paul to Rome, he introduced the gospel to Caesar’s household through the guards, and during this time Paul may have written, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.

Let’s be honest. Financial gain and popularity (the world’s measure of success) hinder discipleship more than enhance it. We spend so much time trying to build our pile of stuff and awards that we have no time to help the hurting, talk to the lonely, play with the children, pray, think, rest, or serve. We have so many financial obligations that even though we may be greatly blessed we have nothing left to share with those in need. Sometimes financial gain makes us selfish. We tend to hoard rather than share. We must not conclude that God’s will always travels the road of financial blessing or personal enrichment.

BECOMING A PERSON OF CONVICTION

So, how can we move toward becoming people who are committed to God’s will rather than our own? How can we get to that point where we will be able to say, “I am willing not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus”?

First, we need to believe that God’s will is superior to our own. We must grow in our love for the Lord so we will seek His glory more than our own. We must remind ourselves of our sinful nature and contrast it with His incredible love. We will become people of conviction when we realize that He is not trying to restrict our lives by His counsel. He is trying to set us free. He is trying to guide us into a life of eternal significance. He sees what we do not. His wisdom is superior to ours. His way is perfect. It only makes sense to follow Him even when we are afraid.

Second, we need to read the Bible for ourselves. We must listen to what God says and not simply to what others tell us the Bible says. We must distinguish between what the Bible commands and what it records. We must read seeking direction and guidance for our lives. Our goal is to be so familiar with the Lord’s ways that we can recognize His guidance for our lives. At the beginning much of what you read you may not understand. Keep reading and start applying what you DO understand.

Third, we must make time for prayer. We will never hear the voice of God’s Spirit if we do not take time not only to speak, but also to listen. We discover God’s will as we grow in our relationship with the Father. In order to do this, we (and I include myself here) must slow down. We are so busy doing many things that we don’t have time for the important things. We are so busy trying to be successful and pushing our kids to be successful that we don’t have time for God . . . or each other. We must slow down! We must take deliberate steps to make time to spend with the Father. We should make time for private unhurried prayer as well as our regular times of worship where we seek the Lord together.

Finally, we need to take that first step. The kind of conviction we see in Paul, Luther, Polycarp and Liddell is a conviction that is developed in the everyday decisions of life. If we deny Him in little things, we will deny Him in the big things. If we compromise matters of faith in the everyday decisions, we will compromise in the times of crisis. If we do not stand for him when the pressure is off, we will not stand with Him in the time of testing.

So, let’s get practical. Where do you need to show faith and conviction today?

· Is God calling you to step beyond your comfort zone and serve in some capacity? Is there some need that you could meet if you weren’t so afraid or preoccupied?

· Is there some mission that God has placed on your heart? Is He calling you to serve on a short-term mission team? Perhaps he is calling you to invest heavily in some outreach. Are you willing to follow where He is leading?

· Has God placed some individual on your heart? Is He prompting you to step out in faith and dare to share the gospel with someone who needs to hear it?

· Is God calling you to evaluate your priorities? Perhaps He is prompting you to take a good look at your calendar and change the way you are investing your time and perhaps your money.

· Is God calling you to take the difficult step of being reconciled with someone? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to go to and ask them to forgive you? Is there a fence that needs to be mended in some relationship? It could be that God is prompting you to do what is right in this situation.

· Maybe God is prompting you to stop playing at your faith. Perhaps He is calling you to make that initial commitment to trust Him with your life and eternity.

I’m not here to tell you what God’s will is for your life. I have enough trouble following Him in my own life. What I am challenging you to do is to work at being a person of conviction. The world needs to see that we believe what we proclaim about Christ. We may never face a major moment of decision like those we have talked about today (but then again, we may face such a decision). What is sure is that we ARE going to face little decisions every day that will reveal whether we have the conviction to stand with Christ. There will be little decisions and choices that will show whether we really trust Him, or whether we don’t. May God help us to keep our eyes focused on the reward so we will be able to stand firm in His grace, power, wisdom, and love. www.unionchurch.com

[1]Hughes, R. K. (1996). Acts : The church afire. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

[2]Foxe, J. (2000). Foxe's book of martyrs (electronic ed.). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.