Acts 21:27-40

 Acts 21:27-40

Few things are more consistent in history than the behavior of the unscrupulous as they oppose the gospel. We notice in this passage an attack on Paul, the elements of which we find repeated throughout the history of the church. There were opponents who were looking for an excuse to bring an accusation. The Jews from Asia may have followed Paul from town to town and now to Jerusalem, looking for opportunities to create problems for Paul. Every gospel worker will have someone who will look for opportunities to create problems for him or her.

When these kinds of people have no real reason to create problems, they manufacture an accusation out of thin air. One way to measure the authority of an accusation is the “private conversation-gossip continuum.”. The more the accusation is dealt with face-to-face, person-to-person, the more credible the accusation is. The more it is a matter of gossip, the more likely it is simply an attack.

Attackers depend on hyped-up emotion and sensational moments rather than thoughtful discourse. We may compare these people to a hysterical toddler throwing a tantrum, except that would be insulting to a toddler. One essential element for attackers, without which they cannot be attackers, is emotional immaturity and instability. They have a near-complete lack of the ability to detach their own emotional reaction from the situation.

Finally, there is the extreme overreaction solution they want. Rather than a measured response or investigation, they want to kill Paul. Attackers will never seek honest discourse, but they will take extreme measures to silence their targets.

The question we must answer as disciples is how do we respond to those attacks when they come. It is never a question of “if” they come. Paul used this, or should we say God used this occasion to proclaim the gospel in ways no one expected. How can we do that as well?

“Lord, give me grace to be faithful and Christ like when faced with opposition or attack. AMEN”

Acts 21:1-26

 Acts 21:1-26 

One of the most challenging task of a disciple is to find how to fit into the native culture while being faithful to Christ. We face two extreme possibilities either of which is detrimental. The first is to compromise our faith in order to fit into the culture and the second is to needlessly be hostile to our culture and thereby eliminate our influence. Between these two extremes there is for the disciple a space of both conformity and uniqueness, of being part of the culture and being counter cultural. That space is difficult to find regarding spiritual maturity, humility and wisdom.

After Paul returned to Jerusalem and reports on the last missionary tour he and the church leaders develop a plan to demonstrate cultural conformity with faithful integrity. To demonstrate that Paul is not opposing the Mosaic ethical law and Jewish culture he will participate in the vows of four men. This was no effort to secure salvation by works of the law, which Paul would have rejected. There was however a specifically Jewish expression of faith. This ritual would not make these men righteous but neither would it compromise their faith.

When we become and live as disciples we do so in the context of our culture. Those cultural expressions need not be completely and universally rejected because we are disciples. Rather each thought, motive, expression, or practice must be filtered through the faith and commitment we have in Christ.  Based on that we accept or reject, use our discard, that part of culture. If we keep the dietary law of the Old Testament because we imagine it grants or earn salvation we are rejecting the work of Christ. Should we choose a strict diet because it is healthy and it fits into our cultural context that’s acceptable. From dress to tech, from diet to drink our over arching conscious is to be a disciple, a friend, follower, student and lover of Christ. Understanding where my culture and my freedom end in the application of my faith requires maturity and wisdom is demanding. But that is what we would expect if God desires lovers and not robots.

“Lord, help me take every moment of my life and use it to Your glory. AMEN”