Acts  Sermon Series

Wheelersburg Baptist Church 8/31/03 Brad Brandt

Acts 21:1-17 "Radical Faith"**

There’s an anemic hybrid of "faith" these days. "Faith is personal," we’re told. "You can believe whatever you want to believe, but keep it to yourself. A person’s faith isn’t supposed to offend others." And on and on the rhetoric goes.

The problem is, the rhetoric isn’t biblical. What I have just described is not genuine, biblical faith. Real faith is radical. I didn’t say it’s reckless nor rude. It’s certainly not flippant nor insensitive to others. But it is radical. And I must say…we desperately need it in this day of comfortable Christianity.

The absence of radical faith is so common we tend to shy away from the real thing. On a humorous note, Reader’s Digest told the story that illustrates what radical faith is not. Three pastors got together for coffee one day and found all their churches had bat-infestation problems. "I got so mad," said one, "I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling, but did nothing to the bats." "I tried trapping them alive," said the second. "Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the church." "I haven't had any more problems," said the third. "What did you do?" asked the others, amazed. "I simply baptized and confirmed them," he replied. "I haven't seen them since." 

Sad to say, that’s true of many folks these days who, if asked, would call themselves "people of faith." "Sure I believe in God," they will tell you. "God is very real in my personal life. I may not show it like I should, but who’s perfect?"

And so pews are filled with people this morning who profess to believe in a God who makes very little difference in their lives. This is no small matter.

In his book I Surrender, Patrick Morley writes that the church's integrity problem is in the misconception "that we can add Christ to our lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in belief without a change in behavior." He goes on to say, "It is revival without reformation, without repentance." 

What’s needed today is a good dose of radical faith. "What’s that?" you ask. We’ll find out this morning. In Acts 21:1-17 we see a vivid illustration of radical faith in the life of Paul. What’s more, we learn that radical faith, if we possess it, will be seen in three areas of our lives.

As Acts 21 begins Paul’s third missionary journey is coming to a close. When we left off last time Paul was giving a farewell charge to the Ephesian elders in Miletus. As our story begins today we see the reality of Paul’s faith by looking first at the quality of his relationships with people. When it came to relationships for Paul, three things were true.

A. Paul appreciated people (1-4a). The account begins with a stunning statement: "After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos." When was the last time you had to "tear yourself away" from someone? Most of us don’t know that kind of depth of interpersonal bond. We tend to be surfacy with people, even our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Not Paul. When he later wrote, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:3)," he meant it. Paul spent time with people. He wept over and with people. In short, he appreciated people.

When Paul and the Ephesian elders parted company they believed they’d never see each other again in this life. The apostle was heading to Jerusalem to deliver a benevolent offering to the needy brethren there. The Ephesian elders were heading back home to resume their shepherding duties with the church. The pain of parting was real.

In the following narrative, Luke gives the details of Paul’s journey (verses 1-4): "The next day we went to Rhodes [about 70 miles] and from there to Patara [another 70 miles]. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia [a distance of about 400 miles], went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days."

If you’ll look at a map you’ll discover that Paul followed the coastline in a south by south-east course to reach Jerusalem. He probably sailed on a small ship from Miletus to Patara. Then he switched to a larger vessel to head into the open seas across the Mediterranean. The danger was in open sea travel was greater, but so was the capacity for speed—and remember, Paul wants to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. Later on Paul’s return trip across the Sea en route to Rome, he traveled on a ship that carried 276 people (Acts 27:37), and this one may have been similar in size.

Notice all the places in the text: Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Cyprus, Tyre, just to mention a few. Luke gives the names of at least ten locations. Why does the Bible include all these geographic details? Remember our mission, the one Jesus gave us in Acts 1:8? What does our mission include? Geographic details! Jesus said to go and testify of Him, where? In Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8). To accomplish our mission we must go to real places, like Paul did. Did you ever think about how many different beds or mats Paul slept on in his life? He was constantly on the move.

By the way, one of the things we see as we move through the book of Acts is progress. Jesus said, "Go." And the early church went. We see the progress in different ways in Acts. We see people witnessing and people being converted in city after city. We see the church sending out missionaries. We see church members giving sacrificially to help one another. We see the disciples growing in their knowledge of the Word. In less than 30 years, the church took the gospel to city after city throughout the Roman Empire. Again, here’s what you see when you look at the church in Acts, progress.

Now answer this. What do you see happening at Wheelersburg Baptist Church? I see a fantastic facility that God has provided. I see a solid team of men and women who are pacesetters when it comes to studying the Word of God. I see first-rate ministries for children and teens that God has allowed us to develop, as well as counseling ministries for those needing help and hope, caring benevolent ministries, and an assortment of small group Bible studies to nurture believers. Thank God for all these blessings.

But I also see something else. I see so much potential to do more, especially in one area. When it comes to progress, where are we lacking? I’ll mention one word that comes to mind. Outreach. Yes, God determines the growth of His church, for He is the Sovereign Savior. But His plan is the same today as it was in Paul’s day. He has chosen to use people to reach people.

Are you thankful for your church? If so, is there evidence? Who have you invited to be your guest at Wheelersburg Baptist Church in the past month? How about in the past six months? Progress doesn’t just happen. It involves intentional, sacrificial, Spirit-led effort, the kind the early church exhibited in Acts. Radical faith is seen in relationships.

There’s something else I want you to see. In verse 4, what is the first thing we see Paul doing upon arrival at Tyre? Luke says he found the disciples there. Paul didn’t start the church in Tyre and may not have even known these believers. In fact, the people who started this church were possibly the Christians who fled persecution in Jerusalem following Stephen’s death (Acts 11:19)—and do you remember who instigated this persecution? Paul did!

If there was a town where he might have skipped church to avoid embarrassment from the past, it was this one for Paul. "Oh, so you’re the guy that killed my father!" But Paul didn’t skip church, even if he had to face up to some unpleasant memories. He found the disciples in Tyre.

What does that tell us? Radical faith is seen in relationships, and specifically in a firm commitment to local church relationships. Wherever Paul went he sought out fellowship with the believers in that town. If there were no believers present, he did evangelism until there were believers and then helped them organize a local church.

Let this sink in. When Paul got to Tyre, he found the disciples in that city. That was his first course of action. Church in the book of Acts wasn’t a one-day-a-week thing, nor should it be for us. Church isn’t where you go on Sunday. It’s supposed to be who you are seven days a week. If you know Christ you are part of a body. If you know Christ, you need the local church and the local church needs you.

When it came to relationships, Paul appreciated people. Having said that, know this.

B. Paul didn’t live to please people (4b-6). Notice the end of verse 4, "Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem." That’s interesting. Why did the people urge Paul not to go? Apparently, the Spirit made it clear there would be danger waiting.

Some say that Paul was wrong for going to Jerusalem in Acts 21. They say he disobeyed the Holy Spirit because he was headstrong, a decision that caused him to "waste" four years of his life (two in custody in Caesarea, and two under house arrest in Rome). I disagree. The Spirit gave Paul a warning, not a prohibition. He made it clear the apostle would suffer greatly.

For us, that would be reason to stop. If we knew danger was around the corner, most of us would change our course. Not Paul. He’d already settled the issue that he would suffer and eventually die for Christ. On the day of his conversion he heard this message from Jesus Himself, "This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings…I will show him how much he must suffer for my name (Acts 9:15-16)." Just a few days before this warning Paul told the Ephesian elders, "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 (Acts 20:24)." In fact, right before that declaration Paul himself shared why he was going to Jerusalem, "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me (Acts 20:22-23)."

Most of us haven’t settled this fundamental issue, as Paul had. Paul could say, "I’m not living for this world. In fact, I’ve already died to this world. Since the day I died and Christ took over, I’m living for the kingdom of God." Can you say that?

That’s why Paul could hear the well-meaning pleading from the saints at Tyre and not be deterred. He didn’t live to please people.

Verses 5-6 tell us what happened next, "But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home."

Yes, Paul appreciated people, but no, Paul didn’t live to please people. There’s a big difference, and you’ll live a frustrating life until you learn that difference. Simply put…

C. Paul lived to please the Lord. That’s what made him tick.

1. That’s why he prayed so much. What do we see him doing in verse5? We see him on his knees praying. And remember, these aren’t long time friends as was the case with the Ephesian elders. These are people he just met seven days earlier, but the text says they all came to the beach—men, women, and children—to pray with him.

Paul really wanted to please the Lord. That’s why he prayed so much. Furthermore...

2. That’s why he persevered. Paul didn’t buy into the false theology that’s so popular today that says if you do God’s will you can expect successful results (and conversely, that if you experience hardship you must be out of the will of God). I don’t think the Spirit warned him of coming danger so he would avoid it but so he would prepare for it. As it turned out, when it came he was ready, and he persevered.

My friend, if you possess real faith, biblical faith, radical faith, it won’t take Sherlock Holmes to find it. It will show up, first of all, in your relationships with people.

Let me say this. The purpose of this study today isn’t to glorify Paul, for Paul was just a man. But Paul believed in a great God, and when a person really believes in a great God it will show up, this being one of the main areas, in your responses to difficulties.

Watch Paul’s responses in the next two scenes. First, Luke tells us that…

A. Paul fellowshipped with a former enemy (7-9). "We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais [a distance of about 25 miles], where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea [a distance of another 40 miles] and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied."

Who did Paul stay with? Philip. We’ve met Philip before. We saw him in chapter 6 when the church selected him and six other Spirit-filled men to care for the widows in the church. We saw him doing evangelism in chapter 8, preaching the gospel to half-breed Samaritans and leading an Ethiopian eunuch to Christ. Here Luke gives Philip the title, "the evangelist," a title given to no one else in Acts.

But there’s something else about Philip that makes his hospitality in Acts 21 so significant. Wiersbe offers this interesting perspective, "Since Philip had been an associate of Stephen, and Paul had taken part in Stephen’s death, this must have been an interesting meeting."

Indeed it was. Paul used to be Philip’s enemy. Literally. Now they’re fellowshipping together. No hard feelings. No cold shoulders. Should we attribute this to the fact that Paul and Philip were such great guys? Is that how they could bury the hatchet? No. The reason for the change is they both served a great God—and they really believed in Him.

Perhaps you’re struggling with some relationship that’s gone sour. Look to the Lord, my friend. He is a reconciling God. Believe Him. Begin by letting him change you.

That’s why He sent His Son, Jesus. When Christ died on the cross, He died for sinners. He died to set sinners free. He died to reconcile sinners to God and to each other. Turn to Him and He will set you free.

Now let’s watch Paul faith in response to a second difficulty.

B. Paul received a message about future danger (10-11). "After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 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.’"

This isn’t the first time in the Bible that spokesmen for God illustrated their messages. For instance, when Ahijah wanted to show Solomon how his kingdom would be disrupted, he rent his new cloak (1 Kings 11:29ff).. When Isaiah gave the message that the Jews would be carried into captivity by the Assyrians, he walked around naked and barefoot (Isa 20:2ff.). To show how the Babylonians would capture Jerusalem, Ezekiel made a replica of the city and gave a visual demonstration of the attack (Ezek 4:1ff).

There’s more than one way to teach God’s truth, isn’t there? Agabus did something similar. He didn’t just tell Paul danger was coming. He showed him what it would be like, taking the apostle’s belt and binding himself with it. That action surely got everyone’s attention! As did the words that followed: "So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this belt, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."

Again, the Holy Spirit didn’t say to Paul, "Don’t go!" He just said, "You can expect danger." And as always, He would be right.

Brothers and sisters, if we’re going to exhibit radical faith we must learn to view difficult situations differently. The nature of our faith is seen in our responses to hardship.

You’ve probably heard of the great missionary, David Livingstone. God used him in great ways to reach the continent of Africa. But ministry was no picnic for him or his family. Mary Moffatt Livingstone, David’s wife, was born in Africa as the daughter of Robert Moffatt, the missionary who inspired Livingstone to go to Africa. The Livingstones were married in Africa in 1845, but the years that followed were difficult for Mary. Finally, she and their six children returned to England so she could recuperate as Livingstone plunged deeper into the African interior. Unfortunately, even in England Mary lived in near poverty. The hardships and long separations took their toll on Mrs. Livingstone, who died when she was just forty-two. 

There’s no escaping this fact. If you want to be a person that God uses for His honor, your faith will be tested. Yes, God’s grace is sufficient and His ways are good, but you must believe Him. You must exhibit radical faith.

Radical showed up in a third way in Paul’s life, as it will in ours. First, it will be seen in our relationships, secondly, in our responses to difficulties, and thirdly…

Woodrow Wilson could not read until he was ten years old. But he ended up becoming the twenty-eighth President of the United States. How? It took many things for sure, but one was resolve. What is resolve?

Johnny Fulton was run over by a car at the age of three. He suffered crushed hips, broken ribs, a fractured skull, and compound fractures in his legs. It did not look as if he would live. But he would not give up. In fact, he later ran the half-mile in less than two minutes.  That’s resolve.

Shelly Mann was paralyzed by polio when she was five years old, but she would not give up. She eventually claimed eight different swimming records for the U.S. and won a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.  That’s resolve.

In 1938, Karoly Takacs, a member of Hungary's world-champion pistol shooting team and sergeant in the army, lost his right hand when a grenade he was holding exploded. But Takacs did not give up. He learned to shoot left-handed and won gold medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics.  That’s resolve.

Know this. A person can have resolve and not possess radical faith (he may not even believe in Jesus), but a person cannot possess radical faith without exhibiting resolve. We see Paul’s resolve throughout this chapter, but especially in his response to Agabus. Paul did three things in verses 12-16.

A. Paul heard the counsel of men (12). "When we heard this [that is, the prediction of Agabus], we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem." Notice the "we." That includes Luke the writer. That includes Timothy, Aristarchus, Sopater, and the other co-workers from the Gentile churches. I would assume that included Philip and his daughters. They all pleaded with Paul not to go. And Paul heard them. However, having heard them…

B. Paul chose to do the will of God (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.’"

Know this. The will of God isn’t determined by majority opinion. At least eight godly church leaders urged Paul not to go, but he went anyway. Why? They were concerned for him, but he had a higher aim.

There’s something vital here for us, three lessons we must heed if we’re going to exhibit the kind of resolve that accompanies radical faith.

1. We must face our fears. On a wall in his bedroom Charles Spurgeon had a plaque with Isaiah 48:10 on it: "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." "It is no mean thing to be chosen of God," he wrote. "God's choice makes chosen men choice men...We are chosen, not in the palace, but in the furnace. In the furnace, beauty is marred, fashion is destroyed, strength is melted, glory is consumed; yet here eternal love reveals its secrets, and declares its choice."

Some people are naïve. Paul wasn’t naïve. He didn’t go to Jerusalem under the guise that "Everything will be okay; you’re just overreacting." No. He knew they were right. He knew he was heading for trouble. But he didn’t run. He chose to face his fears. And so must we, by the grace of God.

2. We must be willing to stand alone. There’s no indication in the text that anybody agreed with and supported Paul in this decision. Nobody he could see, that is.

3. We must know what we’re living for. Many professing Christians add Jesus to their lives, to their agenda. Paul didn’t "add" Jesus to his life. He lived for Jesus. Pleasing Jesus ranked above personal comfort, above family, above life itself. "I am ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

You say, "Well, Paul was an exceptional person." Granted he was exceptional, but should he be the exception? No. According to Jesus this is Discipleship 101. Listen to what the Master said in Luke 9:23-26, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

Radical faith should be the norm, not the exception. Paul was willing to go to Jerusalem and die. Some of us struggle to go to church consistently at times. What’s the problem? It’s a fundamental one. We haven’t settled the issue of what—or who—we’re really living for. Some of us are living for our own agenda. Some are living for money, or a higher standard of living. Some perhaps are living for a good thing, like your family, but when a good thing becomes more important than Jesus, it’s a bad thing. The Bible calls it idolatry.

So who are you living for? Can you say, like Paul, "I am ready, not only to be bound, but to die for the name of Jesus."? To say that you must first repent of anything or anyone else that you’ve placed at the center of your life. Repent. Resolve to give that place to Him alone.

As a result of his resolve Paul did something else in this final scene.

C. Paul encouraged others to look up (14-17). We see two evidences of this…

1. His friends submitted to God (14). "When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, ‘The Lord’s will be done.’" Do those final words indicate that they knew it was the Lord’s will prior to this, but just wanted so badly to prevent Paul from harm that they sought to avoid it? You can’t blame Paul’s friends from wanting to protect him—a true friend would do no less. But notice how Paul’s example helped them to look up. "It’s not what I want that matters. It’s not what you want that matters. It’s what the Lord wants. Therefore, may His will be done!"

So often we fight to work things out the way it seems best to us. Then when those plans fail we say passively, "Oh well, may the Lord’s will be done!" That’s where we need to be from the start, beloved, in submission to God. Because of Paul’s example his friends submitted to God.

2. His friends faced the danger with him (15-16). "After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples."

So the group made the final leg of the trek, apparently walking the distance of some 64 miles. Think of the courage it took for Paul’s teammates to accompany him, a marked man in Jewish circles, to the lion’s den of Jerusalem. And think of what it meant for Mnason to house at least eight Gentiles and this man who was considered an enemy of the Jewish law. Why did they do it? Because radical faith is contagious! Spend time with someone who is on fire for the Lord and you just might catch fire, too!

Yes, Paul ruffled feathers, for sure. But he also, by his very example, motivated others to look up. That’s what radical faith will do.

I come back to a statement made at the beginning. In this day of comfortable Christianity, we desperately need people who exhibit radical faith. Let’s make it personal…

1. Do I really believe God? Not, "Do I believe about God?" And not, "Do I kind of believe God?" The fact is, the Bible says that even demons do that. But the question is, "Do I really believe God?"

Do you believe that He alone is God? Do you believe in the One He sent to save you from your sins? Do you believe He has a purpose for your life, a good purpose, one that involves suffering for sure, but suffering that will be worth it all when we see Him? Do you believe He is orchestrating the very details of your life? Do you believe He has given you a roadmap for this life called the Bible and are you placing your confidence in what He says rather than in the counsel of the ungodly?

Let’s settle that issue right now. If you do believe, affirm it to Him right now. And if you’re struggling, I urge you to admit that to Him, as did the father who said to Jesus, "I believe, but help my unbelief." Do I really believe God?

2. Am I really doing God’s will in my life? Paul was willing to do the will of God even if it meant losing his life. Is there anything that you know to be God’s will that you are refusing to do? Settle that issue as well, right now, "Lord, by Your grace I will do Your will in my life. Not my will. Not the will of my parents or peers, but Your will." Do that and radical faith will be yours, to the glory of God.

Acts  Sermon Series