Written by: James Myles

Acts 21 v 7-11
We continued our trip from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais, where we greeted the believers and stayed with them for a day. The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. There we went into the home of Philip the preacher, one of the seven helpers, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophesying. After we had been there for some time, a prophet named Agabus arrived from Judea. He came to us and borrowed Paul’s belt and used it to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt. Then they will give him to those who are not Jews.’”

Notes
I wonder if you have a nickname, something that perhaps describes your personality or the way you look. Through time there have been people who have been given nicknames which have stuck with them throughout their lives and beyond - for example, "John the Baptist" because he baptised, "William the Conqueror" (King William) or "The King" (Elvis Presley).

In this passage we have a collection of people whom Paul met on this leg of his missionary journey, including "the believers", "Philip the preacher" and "Agabus the prophet", who had a name added to their first name which reflected their job and faith. It is obvious from what we read here that they lived up to their names. For example, "the believers" greeted Paul and offered him hospitality while he was in Ptolemais, something which believers ought to do for one another. "Agabus the prophet" arrived from Judea, and as you would expect of a prophet, he prophesied, warning Paul about the fate that awaited him if he went to Jerusalem.

"Christian" is also a nickname. Everyone has their own idea of how a Christian should and should not behave. It is often said of people who have maybe been nasty or selfish, "That's not very Christian", whether they are actually a Christian or not! The word "Christian" means "Christ in me". If you call yourself a Christian today, is it obvious by your way of life, your manner, your behaviour and your speech? Be wary of those who say to you, "That's not very Christian", as it might just mean that behind your back they are devising other nicknames for you.

Acts 21 v 12-16
When we all heard this, we and the people there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But he said, “Why are you crying and making me so sad? I am not only ready to be tied up in Jerusalem, I am ready to die for the Lord Jesus!”
We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.”
After this, we got ready and started on our way to Jerusalem. Some of the followers from Caesarea went with us and took us to the home of Mnason, where we would stay. He was from Cyprus and was one of the first followers.

Notes
I listened to an interview recently with a boxer's wife whose husband had just given up professional boxing. She said that she often begged her husband not to go into the ring any more as she could not bear the thought of the pain he was exposing himself to. He replied that there was something inside him, which he could not explain, which drove him to it. She never watched him fight and looked forward to that day when he would hang up his boxing gloves.

Agabus the prophet had just told Paul that if he went to Jerusalem, he would be tied up and handed over to the people to be dealt with as they desired. Naturally, Paul's friends begged him not to go. They couldn't bear the thought of him going through all that pain. Paul had two choices: to thank them for their concern, touched by their love, and settle down with them to live happily ever after; or to go to Jerusalem, under God's instruction, and face the consequences, knowing that they were God's consequences. Who would you listen to? Paul listened to God.

God often asks us to go the “mad” route as far as the world is concerned. It is often the lonely route, but if you take it you will be rewarded with God's approval and blessing. I'm glad these believers in Caesarea let Paul go, accompanied him on his way and saw him settled into the home of another believer.

Don't always look for the obvious or easiest route with God because often it will be the wrong route.

Acts 21 v 17-19
In Jerusalem the believers were glad to see us. The next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there. Paul greeted them and told them everything God had done among the non-Jewish people through him. 

Notes
The last time Paul was in Jerusalem, he had to convince the leaders of the church that his approach to evangelism amongst the Gentiles was the right approach. They could not get their heads around the idea of people not becoming Jews before they became Christians. Paul had to convince them that they could become Christians, through the power of the Holy Spirit, without any Jewish influence or formality, and he went on to prove that through his ministry.

This time he went to report how God had blessed his ministry among the non-Jewish people and how the church was growing. Today’s Bible passage tells us that "all the elders were there". They did not gather to find fault with Paul and his methods, but to encourage him - to endorse his methods and “mission field” (non-Jewish) which was new and radical in his day.

It is sometimes difficult for Christians to break out of a mould of religious practise and patterns of evangelism which they are familiar with, even when they prove not to be very effective. 

Maybe God has laid on your heart to try a different way of doing evangelism in order to reach a new generation or a group of people who you come into contact with that you know would not attend a gospel mission or church service. It is important that we do not ignore the voice or prompting of God in our lives. But notice also that Paul did not exclude the church leadership. After all, he would be relying on them for support and pastoral care.

Trust God that if it is of Him that He will make it work and you will get the support and care that you need. The results will speak for themselves … but be patient.

Acts 21 v 20-22
When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, “Brother, you can see that many thousands of Jews have become believers. And they think it is very important to obey the law of Moses. They have heard about your teaching, that you tell the Jews who live among those who are not Jews to leave the law of Moses. They have heard that you tell them not to circumcise their children and not to obey Jewish customs. What should we do? They will learn that you have come.”

Notes
I am sure you have seen or maybe wear one of those inexpensive wristbands with the initials WWJD on them. Those who have them are supposed to use them as a reminder to think "What Would Jesus Do?" every time they are confronted with a difficult choice. Sometimes it is almost impossible to know what is a proper Christian response to some situations because there are so many plausible responses being offered by so many seemingly genuine people. 

Paul's ministry had been so effective that it was inevitable that he would face opposition. We often think of Satan's attacks as being so obviously non-Christian that we won't fail to notice them, enabling us to say confidently, "Get behind me, Satan"! But Satan is too clever to make himself that obvious. 

For Paul, it was the temptation, under pressure, to tell the Jewish Christians that it was all right to insist on the continuation of Jewish practises if they wanted to be a Christian. But of course nothing could be further from the truth as it implied that what Jesus had done on the cross was not sufficient for salvation and that Jewish Christians were somehow better than all the others.

Be careful when people try to convince you that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is not sufficient for your salvation. Be careful when others try to pressurise you into worshipping God or studying His Word (using a particular version) in a way that has little meaning for you. Be careful not to be influenced by those who do not follow Christ but want you to follow them. Remember to ask yourself the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” He will provide the answer.

Acts 21 v 23-25
“So we will tell you what to do: four of our men have made a promise to God. Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony. Pay their expenses so they can shave their heads. Then it will prove to everyone that what they have heard about you is not true and that you follow the law of Moses in your own life. We have already sent a letter to the non-Jewish believers. The letter said: ‘Do not eat food that has been offered to idols, or blood or animals that have been strangled. Do not take part in sexual sin.’”

Notes
There is nothing worse than people not taking you seriously. Something that is a real problem or issue for you, especially around the church, ought to be taken seriously if it affects your ability to function as a Christian within the church.

Paul and the leaders of the church had to contend with many issues: some regarding the old Jewish practises and others with old Gentile practises. What was an issue to the Jews was not an issue to the Gentiles, and vice-versa. The most encouraging thing about these verses is the fact that the leaders of the church took everyone's issues seriously. Eating food being offered to idols was not an issue for Jews because it was not their custom, and all this Moses and the law business was not an issue for Gentiles because they were not familiar with the Jewish holy teachings. But it is vital for the proper functioning of the church that people are listened to, otherwise resentment, anger and bitterness grow which gives Satan a field day.

Take time today to listen to people around you and to really try and understand their hurts and feelings. It might be trivial to you but it is important to God, and it may be the first step in someone's journey to finding Christ.

Acts 21 v 26-29
The next day Paul took the four men and shared in the cleansing ceremony with them. Then he went to the Temple and announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men.
When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from Asia saw Paul at the Temple. They caused all the people to be upset and grabbed Paul. They shouted, “People of Israel, help us! This is the man who goes everywhere teaching against the law of Moses, against our people and against this Temple. Now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple and has made this holy place unclean!” (The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus, a man from Ephesus, with Paul in Jerusalem. The Jews thought that Paul had brought him into the Temple.)

Notes
Have you ever tried to help someone or help out in a situation then wish you hadn't bothered? “I did it with the best of intentions … and look what happened!” Paul's plan to pacify the complaining Jews backfired a bit on him as after the cleansing ceremony there was a riot in the Temple. And these were supposed to be religious people!

We can never anticipate what way situations are going to end up. The important principle is that we work within the law and for the sake of the gospel. We cannot be responsible for others' actions, but we need to take responsibility for our own.

These practises in the Temple, which involved worshipping God, keeping ceremonies, reading God's law, prayer and fasting, seemed in theory to be good and honourable. But how did they manifest themselves after seven intense days? In this case, it was hatred, lies, violence, rioting and attempted murder.

Does your worship of God manifest itself in better living? God hates religious practises if they do not connect with Him. We ought to be better people after spending time in the presence of God, not worse. God does not want religious practises and vain, repetitious words, but a broken, open and receptive heart, willing to identify and reject the bad and embrace the good. 

It is easy to say the right things but at the same time let your lifestyle and behaviour deny your faith in God.

Acts 21 v 30-32
All the people in Jerusalem became upset. Together they ran, took Paul and dragged him out of the Temple. The Temple doors were closed immediately. While they were trying to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem learned that there was trouble in the whole city. Immediately he took some officers and soldiers and ran to the place where the crowd was gathered. When the people saw them, they stopped beating Paul. 

Notes 
I wonder, have you ever been in a near-death situation? I have, a few times. Like when I nearly blew myself and my father's garage up in a petrol can/lit match situation; or when I nearly got run over by a car while crossing the road; or when I drove into an ambush in an unfamiliar part of the city.

I wonder what was going through Paul's head at this time, while he was being beaten to death by the angry mob? It is at those crucial times in your life that your faith in God is tested to the limits. Paul was convinced that God had more work for him to do but was still unsure as to how he was going to survive this terrible beating.

It was the arrival of the Roman army that saved the day for him. But his ordeal was not over yet.

It is unlikely that you will ever face the abuses Paul faced at this time because of his faith (although Christians do face atrocities in some parts of the world). But there may be times when you are facing an impossibly difficult situation: maybe an illness or abuse, or something at work.

If you believe that God has a plan for your life and that nothing you experience is ever wasted, then you need to trust him that those situations will pass and that you will be stronger because of them. 

Paul did not let something like a vicious beating detract him from his call to follow and serve Christ, and God honoured that by using him greatly and mightily in his ministry.


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes