The Acts of the Apostles 89

Subtitle:  The Things We Think We Need to Do

Acts 26:1-18.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on January 26, 2025.

We are returning to our series in the book of The Acts of the Apostles.

Paul has been held at Caesarea, the Roman headquarters for Judea, for two years without any movement on his case.  Governor Felix had hoped to be bribed, but that did not happen.  Our story picks up at a point where Caesar has recalled Felix to Rome and appointed a new governor, Porcius Festus.  Gov. Festus was asked by the religious leaders of Jerusalem to bring Paul to Jerusalem for a trial.  Understanding that they intended to assassinate him, Paul appeals his case to Caesar.

This leads to our hearing today.  This is not a trial.  However, King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice are visiting Gov. Felix to welcome him and try to create a good working relationship between their two areas of authority.  Note:  Herod Agrippa II is in charge of the Galilee and areas north of it at this time.  Though he has the title of king at this point, he is not the king of all Israel like his great-grandfather Herod the Great was.

There are at least two purposes to this hearing.  Herod Agrippa II is interested in this curious case of Paul, so Felix favors him with a hearing.  However, Felix is not sure what to put in his letter to Caesar when he sends Paul to Rome.  Felix is hoping that Agrippa will help him to write something that will not make him look incompetent.

At the same time, this event turned into quite the spectacle.  Not only are Gov. Felix, King Agrippa and his sister Bernice there, but the Roman commanders and prominent men of the city have also been invited into this auditorium to observe the questioning led by Agrippa.

Paul makes his case for innocence and for his faith

Throughout the last two years, Paul has always demonstrated and argued that he is innocent of the charges laid against him.  They are baseless.  However, it is clear that this is not Paul’s main focus.  He is also making the case for why he believes in Jesus of Nazareth.  He really is presenting the Gospel of just who Jesus is and what he has done.

Of course, a Roman governor, who is not a Jew, would be unlikely to care about such matters (although not impossible).  However, Agrippa is different.  He is from the Herodian family.  Though they may not be considered exclusively Jewish, they have been in Jewish leadership in one way or another for the last 80 years, and their family converted to the Jewish faith during the Hasmonean rule another 100 years before that.  Agrippa knows the Scriptures and understands Jewish thought regarding the Messiah.  He may not be a strong observant Jew, but he is not a pagan or atheist either.  It will be much easier to make the case without being stuck on foundational issues such as: there is one God, the God of Israel, etc.

Regardless of this dynamic, Paul always defends his faith with the goal that all people everywhere deserve a hearing of the Gospel.  You can never know how God can touch the heart of people.  Thus, the best you can do is faithfully share the Gospel and leave the rest up to Him.

In verse three, Paul recognizes that Agrippa is “an expert in all customs and questions” regarding Jewish things.  He would not see this as “those Jews are fighting again over nonsense.”

Paul also describes himself as “fortunate” to be able to make a defense to Agrippa.  This is the same word that Jesus used in the beatitudes of Matthew 5 (“Blessed are those…).  How many of us would call ourselves “blessed” after we had been: held in prison for two years, trotted out often for questioning in the hopes of a bribe, and brought out again by the new governor for much the same?  Regardless, this hearing won’t change his situation.  It is one authority doing a favor for another authority for personal gain.  Yet, Paul considers himself blessed to have this opportunity.

Now, Paul is just like us.  In his flesh, he could easily be discouraged by these things and give up his faith in God’s loving purpose.  But, he learned to trust God when his life was powerfully changed by Jesus.  Jesus intersected his life, and now, Jesus is intersecting the lives of these men through Paul.  He is the grace of God to this king who is the third generation from the wicked Herod the Great.  If Paul was only following his flesh, he would not have done what he does here.    Yet, he chooses to speak by faith in work and purpose of Jesus.

Paul tells Agrippa (vs. 4-5) that he had come to Jerusalem as a young boy to study Torah under the Pharisees (Rabbi Gamaliel).  He had become an adult there and was quickly rising through the ranks of that group, distinguishing himself as a good Pharisee.  He was, therefore, no ignorant common man who had fallen under the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth.  Everyone in Jerusalem was a witness that he was the quintessential Pharisee and not a follower of Jesus.

Yet, in verse 6, he emphasizes that he is on trial for his faith in God’s promise.  He believes that God has kept the promise to Israel that all Jews say they are waiting for.  What is this promise and the hope put in it?  It is the promise that God would send an Anointed man to fix Israel and send the truth of God to the ends of the earth, a man who would bring all the dispersed of Israel back to the land.  He would also be the one to crush the serpent’s (devil’s) head, giving humanity victory over our ancient enemy.  Paul says in verse 7 that this is why they “serve” God night and day.  This word for serving here is often used of the temple sacrifices and duties of the priests.  It refers to the duties and prescriptions laid out in the Law of Moses.

It was common in those days for some people of Israel to give up on the temple service because they had lost hope in the things promised by God through the prophets.  How many Christians are giving up on serving Jesus because they have lost hope in the things promised by him?  When we assemble ourselves in groups, when we water baptize those who believe and teach them the teachings of Jesus, we are serving the purposes and commands of Jesus in the hope of the things promised by him.

Paul boils it down in verse 8 with the a question.  If God can raise the dead, then why do you think the message of Jesus is incredible?  Why don’t you want to believe that God has done what He said in His Word that He would do?  This is the same question the prophet Isaiah asked over 700 years before in Isaiah 53:1.  “Who has believed our report (i.e., our good news, our gospel)?”

It is interesting to note that the Old Testament records at least three instances where someone was brought back from death.  In 1 Kings 17, Elijah brings back to life the son of the widow of Zarephath that had been helping him.  We are told that “his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.” (1 Kings 17:17),  In 2 Kings 4, Elisha brings back to life the son of the woman of Shunem who had help him whenever he was in the area.  Later, in 2 Kings 13, we have a story of a band of Moabites invading Israel while a man is being buried.  Out of haste, they toss the man’s body into the tomb of Elisha.  The man’s body came back to life once it touched the bones of Elisha.

However, we also have prophecies that speak of the dead coming back to life throughout the prophets.  A case in point would be Daniel 12:2.  “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”  This was not something made up by Jesus or his disciples.

Paul hadn’t been a follower of Jesus.  In verse 9, he emphasizes that he thought he had to do many things “hostile to the name of Jesus,” following the claims of resurrection by the disciples.  There is an interesting tension here between Paul’s life of doing what he thought he needed to do, and his later response to the heavenly vision he received on the road to Damascus.  We may not have such a powerful vision ourselves, but salvation at its root is a spiritual encounter with God.  We must never forget that it is the Holy Spirit that convicts people and brings them to a place where they can choose to believe in Christ or not.

He describes all of these hostile things he thought he needed to do: locking the saints in prison, voting for their deaths, trying to force them to blaspheme Jesus, and pursuing them to foreign cities.  We should notice the descriptors that Paul uses of himself: “punished them,” “tried to force them,” “furiously enraged at them,” and “pursuing them.”  This is a man trying to do religion according to the desires of his flesh instead of following the Spirit of God.  There are people today who do the same thing, whether as “Christians” or any other religion and ideology.  They think they need to dismantle what Christ taught and the remnants of that truth throughout our society.  It is easy to treat them as the enemy, but the real enemy is our own heart’s desire to please the flesh and a spiritual enemy who works overtime to draw us away from Jesus, who is the Truth.

At verse 12, Paul turns to the event that changed him.  As he approached Damascus in order to arrest Christians there, he was struck by a light “brighter than the sun” (verse 13).  His whole group was knocked to the ground, and a voice spoke to him in Hebrew.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

This double address is typically a way of getting someone’s attention, but it is also used to draw emphasis to what is next.  This is similar to the way Jesus says, “truly, truly, I say to you.”  Of course, a person is not being addressed here, but it is clearly underlining the fact that he is giving them absolute truth.  Saul needed to understand (we need to understand) that God had been trying to get his attention along the way, but Saul had been ignoring it.  In fact, it is quite possible that the extremity of his hostile acts has been driven by a fear that he is not sure that these Christians are all that bad.  He has been so used to being seen as the quintessential Pharisee that the idea of waffling on these Christians scares him.  Perhaps, the death of Stephen rattled his faith in the execution of Jesus?  We don’t know the answers to those speculations, but one thing is not speculation.  God had been trying to goad Saul towards faith in Jesus, and Saul had been kicking against it, resisting it.  A goad is a pointed object that sticks out in such a way that an animal pulling a cart or carriage is encouraged to stay in the right position.  If it tries to wrest free of the leather straps it will be poked.  If it kicks against those goads, it will only serve to bring more pain to itself.  This is the picture that Jesus gives to Saul.  He had been spiritually injuring himself due to the ways in which he was kicking against God’s conviction.

When Saul asks the voice, “Who are you, Lord?”  The answer is, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”  Notice that God, Jesus, takes personal affront to the things that are done against His people.  To persecute the saints is to persecute the Lord Jesus.  Yet, Jesus does not want Saul to die and go into eternity lost.  He has been working to get Saul’s attention so that he would repent and believe.

Saul did not only receive grace on that day and in that blinding moment.  No, God had been giving Saul grace all along the way, but Saul had been kicking against it.  Saul became a believer that day.

Yet, Jesus had a job for Saul to do.  Jesus tells Saul to get up and prepare to do this job.  In verses 16-18 18, Jesus tells Saul that he is sending him to be a minister to Jews and Gentiles.  He will witness to them of things past (the life, death and resurrection of Jesus), but also things present. God would deliver him from the persecution of other Jews like himself and from the Gentiles.  Why?  Paul tells of the reasons in verse 18.

Paul’s job would be to open their eyes to the truth.  Another way of saying this is shared next, to “turn [them] from darkness to light.”  He would help them to get out from under the “dominion of Satan” and “to God.”  They would receive “forgiveness of sins” and an “inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.”  This is the grace of Jesus to Saul, but also the grace of Jesus through him to all those who would cross his path, like Agrippa.

Do you see that God wants to set you free from the dominion of Satan?  Do you see that you have an inheritance among the people of God that is both in this life and in the life of eternity to come?  In fact, Jesus wants to use you as a channel of His grace to others.  You may not go on to do all the same things that Saul of Tarsus, i.e., Paul, went on to do.  However, God will help you and use you as you put your faith in Him, say what he gives you to say and do what he give you to do.  May God help us to stop doing what we think we need to do, and start listening to Jesus about what we need to do.  This will make all the difference in your life!

Need to Do audio

The Acts of the Apostles 87

Subtitle:  Hesitation in the Place of Decision

Acts 24:22-27.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 17, 2024.

We pick up the story in Caesarea, where Paul has been accused of multiple things by the leaders of Jerusalem before Governor Felix.  Paul has also given a defense.

Today, we have the response of Felix to them.  Let’s look at our passage.

Felix delays his legal decision (v. 22-23)

Felix tells Paul and the Jerusalem leaders that he is going to delay making a decision until commander Lysias can come to Caesarea.  We will look more at this later.

Yet, Luke points out several things that are worth considering.

He tells us that Governor Felix has “quite accurate knowledge” of The Way.  This term that the Christians used to refer to themselves is a shortened form of The Way of the LORD (specifically Jesus).  Thus, Felix is quite familiar with the Christians and the source of friction between them and the Jewish leaders.  He is not a Christian himself.  However, his wife (who will be introduced in verse 24) is the daughter of Herod Agrippa I.  He is the one who died suddenly from intestinal worms in Acts 12.  She had been married to a king of an area between Damascus and Syrian Antioch.  However, Felix fell in love with her beauty and talked her into leaving an unhappy marriage behind for a life with him.  Though the Herodians were not godly people, they were intimately aware of Jewish religion and politics over the last 60 years.

This helps us to understand that Felix is not an out-of-touch Roman who merely observes Jewish life and culture.  Rather, he is immersed in it from being married to a Herodian woman.

Though Felix had “quite accurate knowledge” of The Way, this doesn’t mean that he had a true understanding of it.  He is as much in darkness as the Jewish leaders in front of him.  This is where we must understand that accurate knowledge of the Bible and Christianity is not enough to save a person.  Felix doesn’t understand what God is doing with these Christians.  You could say that the Pharisees and the Sadducees had a quite accurate knowledge, and yet, they chose to interpret everything in a self-serving way.  None of them understood Jesus and God’s power through Him in this world.

We need to spend time in the Word and studying history, but one thing is more important, a relationship of faith in Jesus.  We must come to know Jesus through the Holy Spirit so that we can be led by Jesus through that same Holy Spirit.  Yes, the Spirit had led Paul to prison in Caesarea and multiple hearings and trials.  Yet, Felix needed to hear the Gospel.  Drusilla needed to hear the Gospel, and the imprisonment of Paul was a most likely way that it could happen.

The statement by Felix to wait for Commander Lysias signals that he is not impressed with either side and wants an “unbiased” opinion from the man who was on site during the dispute.  However, it is noticeable that Luke does not record any such subsequent arrival of Commander Lysias.  We see in this passage that Paul will be held for 2 years, during which time, it is impossible that either Lysias didn’t come to Caesarea or that Governor Felix did not go up to Jerusalem.  In other words, Felix is simply using this as an excuse to send both parties away without having mud on his face.

Luke records something important next.  Felix instructs the centurion to hold Paul, but to give him enormous liberty.  We are not told his living conditions: house arrest, palace holding cell, or dungeon.  However, we are told that he was allowed to have as many visitors as would come, and that they could provide for his needs.  This implies that Felix recognizes that Paul is not guilty of anything that Rome cares about.

During a time like this, a person could lose sight of the goodness of God in the small things while looking for certain big things.  Yet, Paul knows that God is using this time of incarceration for the purpose of promoting the Gospel, and for Paul’s own good (Romans 8:28-30).

We could say that this two years was all about God’s grace to a man (Felix) who didn’t deserve it.  But, of course, that is exactly Paul’s story.  He is the perfect man to stand before Felix and deliver the hope of the Gospel of Jesus.  However, this brings up another issue in which Felix delays.

Felix delays his spiritual decision (v. 24-27)

The prior knowledge that Felix had peaks within him an interest in Paul’s insider knowledge of this group called The Way.  He now has a captive speaker who can answer his every question.  He can chalk this up to gathering information that will make him a better governor, but there is more going on here than he knows.  God is putting the truth in front of him and giving him a chance to believe in Jesus, King Messiah.

These two years would be a window of decision.  God in His grace brings us into such windows of spiritual opportunity.  These are special times in which God’s truth is laid open before us.  If we delay a decision, the window will pass.  That doesn’t mean we can’t decide later.  However, the opportune time will have passed, and we are not guaranteed that such powerful influence will be present again.  Felix would later go to Rome.  Yes, there are Christians there, but he would be surrounded mainly by political Romans and Caesar.  Yet, the grace of God may bring us around to another window of opportune time, another chance.  None of us can know when we are in the last opportune time that we will have to choose Christ.  Choose him now while he is speaking to your heart!

We are told that Felix and Drusilla would come and question Paul further on matters of religion and this Jewish Messiah who is supposed to have been resurrected.  Paul particularly would be a fascination to them because he was a persecutor of these Christians himself.  Why did he really become one of them?  Their curiosity gained them a hearing of the truth of God.  Paul spoke of righteousness.  No one is righteous no not one, but Jesus the only Righteous One of God died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.  His righteousness becomes a cover for our lack of it.  Paul spoke of self-control, which is just another way of looking at righteousness.  Much of sin traces back to a lack of control over baser desires.  Paul also spoke of judgment.  All men are guilty before God, Jew and Roman.  Only those who put their faith in Jesus can be spared the judgment of God that is even now coming upon the whole world.

We must all face the judgment in two ways.  First, we will all individually die and have to give account before Jesus for our lives.  However second, there is a Day of Judgment, the Day of the LORD, when God will judge all the nations of the earth.  It will be a day of darkness and great fear for the kings and powers of the earth.  God will first pour out his wrath on the kingdoms of this world, and then He will send Jesus to take up the kingdoms of the earth.

In the midst of this discourse, Felix becomes afraid, terrified, and sends Paul away.  I am sure that he did a good job of hiding it, but he began to be afraid, uncomfortable, and feel like he needed to get out of there.  This is what is called the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  The word conviction points to an internal convincing of these things.  Felix realized that he was one of those sinners Paul was talking about.  He realized that his “righteousness” in the eyes of Caesar would not protect him from the wrath of an all-powerful Creator and the judgment of His right hand man, Jesus.  He senses his own guilt before God.  In the moment, he is given the grace of understanding his true condition.

Yet, God is not interested in only making people afraid of Him, feeling guilty and ashamed.  The proper response to guilt and shame is to repent, change your mind about Jesus and turn towards him in faith.  Yet, Felix punts the football of repentance and sends Paul away.  By sending Paul away, he also sends the Holy Spirit away, at least for the moment.  God’s grace will come around again and the conviction of the Holy Spirit may touch his heart again, but hearts can grow hard through repeated times of sending the Holy Spirit away and refusing to repent.

Paul may go away having failed to reach Felix, but it is not his job to “save” Felix, or make him believe.  Yet, Paul can now go to his cell and increase his prayers for the conviction that was happening in the heart of Felix.

Verse 26 lets us see that, even when the Spirit of God is working on a person’s heart, there is also temptation towards sin working.  The spirit of this world doesn’t want you to choose Jesus, and so, it works hard to get our eyes on something that is more gratifying to the flesh than spiritual salvation.

Why do people hesitate to embrace Jesus when they are convicted?  Repenting can “mess up” our lives and our positions in this world.  It may have messed up his marriage.  What would Drusilla think?  It could put his life in danger with Caesar.  Felix sent for Paul many times and conversed with him about these matters.  However, something else was working on his heart.

His heart began to hope for an offer of money from Paul.  It is a mystery that the heart convicted by the Holy Spirit can also be tempted by sin at the same time.  We might think of this like a wave.  As he lets the wave of the Holy Spirit’s conviction go by, a wave of ulterior motives sweeps over him.  Using your position to hold an innocent man out of the hopes of a bribe is a gross sin, a flagrant abuse of power.

The devil loves to use the desires of our flesh to douse the fire of the Spirit’s conviction.  He uses anything he can to keep us from repenting.  Thus, our hesitation gives more time and more strength to our lower nature’s desire for sin.  In fact, when a person under conviction yields to sin, they may feel a momentary sense of feeling better, as the conviction in their heart dissipates. 

This spiritual and legal delay goes on for two years.  Eventually, Caesar recalls Felix to Rome and puts Porcius Festus in his place.  This precious moment in his life will have passed.  Yet, the seeds are sown, both for repentance and for grosser sin.

God’s ability to reach our heart may not be nullified by delay, but it will be attenuated as our heart grows hard to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit.  Yet, even if we do respond in repentance, it must be kept fresh before the Lord.  We must daily walk with the Holy Spirit and let Him teach us how to live, how to repent.

The Church is severely infiltrated with people who are not repenting (if they ever did in the first place).  Large parts of its leadership have become antichrist, like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old.  The question to you and to me is this.  Am I a follower of the Spirit of God?  If so, then I may find myself in some difficult situations with other Christians claiming that I am a heretic and worthy of death.  In that moment, we will need to know that we are following Jesus, and not just a religion, the ideas of men, a system developed by those long since hardened to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

The world doesn’t need false religion.  It needs men and women who are trusting Jesus, not men.  It needs men and women who are in a relationship with Jesus through prayer and being led by the Holy Spirit.  This cannot be faked, though people do it.  That is what Felix needed that day, a man full of the Holy Spirit who could tell him his true condition.

I am not saying that the world and people will like it when we are led by the Holy Spirit.  But, it is what they need.  You may not see the end of the story.  Felix would leave before making a decision.  Paul may never see him again.  Yet, Paul was faithful to pour into the life of Felix for Jesus.  You don’t know the rest of the story of people that you speak to about Christ.  However, we must learn to be faithful to do what the Holy Spirit gives us to do and trust the rest to God!

Hesitation audio

The Acts of the Apostles 61

Subtitle: Dwelling in Unity

Acts 15:30-41.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 29, 2023.

We have just looked at an example of the Church coming to an agreement about a serious issue that involved salvation.  This wasn’t something that they could overlook.

Of course, when people disagree, generally at least one of them are wrong, and sometimes, both are wrong.  The good news is that the Bible is very clear about things that are necessary for salvation.  You don’t have to go to a particular person to learn it, even though God does use people to bring the Gospel to us.  Yet, when you believe, you become responsible to learn the word for yourself, and to seek the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit for yourself.

Today, we have an issue that does not involve salvation.  Have you ever noticed that we can be very passionate about things that are not essential for salvation?  Some issues are trivial, but others are indirectly connected to the Gospel.  The Bible may not say that a particular belief about abortion is necessary for salvation.  However, to embrace abortion as a good, would demonstrate a misunderstanding of what God’s word is saying to us.  At some point, you may be saying the right things, but really serving another Jesus (one that approves of abortion, homosexuality, and transgender surgeries), and following another Gospel (one that doesn’t call for works worthy of repentance).

We are going to look at the issue of unity today.  We should never take unity in the Spirit of God for granted.  The enemy of our souls plots day and night in order to tear apart any unity in Christ that we may have.  Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church in Acts 20:29-31:

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”

This is how serious the Gospel is, both for those in the first century and for us all this time later.  You could say that it is harder for us to hold the line on right doctrine due to the many teachers over the last 20 centuries.

Let’s look at our passage.

The letter from Jerusalem is read in Antioch (v. 30-35)

The Jerusalem church had sent a letter to the Gentile churches explaining the decision they had made.  It was entrusted into the hands of Barnabas and Paul (who were based in Antioch at the time), and Judas Barsabas and Silas (from the Jerusalem church).

When they arrive in Antioch, the whole church is gathered together in order to hear the letter.  Notice that it refers to the church as a “multitude” at this point.  In both the Jerusalem Council and in the reading of the letter at Antioch, we see the Church being very open about the dispute and how it was resolved.  There is no sense that they are protecting the people from the issue, or making the decision in a backroom with a select few.  No, the whole church is involved.

It is sad to see what goes for leadership in our modern churches.  Too often, we protect the poor sodden masses of believers from the issues that we are facing, and make decisions that we then attempt to market and advertise back to the members so that they will embrace what we have determined.  This is not a healthy thing, nor is it a godly thing.

Now, we should not confuse this process with the one that Jesus gives in Matthew 18, where two people are having issues between them.  That would be a reconciliation process between two believers.  However, in our text today, we are looking at what is a doctrinal issue.  The teaching of doctrine is always a public matter, and everyone should be made aware of false teachings in our midst, and what is the proper doctrine.  This has to do with how we define the Gospel and salvation for Gentiles.

In verse 31, we are told that the reading of the letter brought rejoicing to the group.  There is a certain joy that should be had when God helps us to have unity around the truth.  Please know that when you pick up your Bible, you can be confident that it represents what the apostles and our Lord Jesus taught.  This was confirmed by the elders and saints of the first century, establishing a sure foundation.

Unity is not about never having disagreements.  We are not unified around never having issues to work through.  Rather, we are unified around letting the Holy Spirit and the Word of God show us how to resolve our differences.  You may blanch at the fact that church life can be messy, but look at your own family, or even look at your own spiritual walk.  Following Jesus is messy for an individual, and it is messy for parents leading a family.  Why would we suddenly think that a church family, which is far larger, should somehow not be messy?  What I mean by messy is that there are times of disagreements, squabbles, and yet we seek to work them out in the love of Jesus.

We are also told that Judas and Silas, who were prophets, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.  In this situation, it does not appear that they are prophesying about future events.  They are speaking by the Spirit of God to their present situation, and encouraging the people in how they can proceed in serving Christ with confidence.

After some time had passed, it was only natural that Judas and Silas would be going back to Jerusalem.  It doesn’t say that a letter was made, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  At the least, they would take a message back to Jerusalem of the joy and fraternal feelings that the church in Antioch had towards them.

There is an issue with verse 34.  Some manuscripts (and thus, some versions) do not have the statement that “it seemed good to Silas to remain there.”  Of course, even without this verse, it will be clear by verse 40 that Silas had decided to stay instead of going to Jerusalem with Silas.  So, is the verse original, but taken out by later scribes?  Or, was it not original and someone inserted it to make better sense of the flow of the story?  The second is the most likely of the two.  Regardless, It is not the kind of thing that changes the story, or even more important, changes doctrine.

We should not jump to the conclusion that Luke made an error in his story.  Luke is describing how it happened and isn’t concerned with making every little fact explicit.  The story is understandable without verse 34.  Luke says nothing about how Judas and Silas respond to the desire to have them deliver a message.  Perhaps, Silas was originally preparing to go back, but something made him stay.  Did God change his mind, did the following episode change his mind?  We do not know.  However, unforeseen circumstances will lead to Silas going with Paul on a missionary trip.  In all of this, we know that God was leading them and knew that Paul would need someone like Silas.

Barnabas and Paul divide over John Mark (v. 36-41)

In this section, Luke describes a sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul, and it centers on John Mark.  The dispute happens when it comes to Paul’s heart to revisit the churches they had started earlier.  They could find out how the churches were doing and minister to them.

Barnabas clearly agrees.  Yet, trouble surfaces when Barnabas determines to take John Mark with them.  Remember that John Mark had gone with them on the first missionary journey.  When they reached the shores of Pamphylia, he abandoned them and went home.

I would point out to us that Luke is doing more than just telling a story.  Notice that the chapter opens with a doctrinal issue that created a strong dispute between some of the believers.  Paul and Barnabas had worked together to help that matter be resolved peacefully.  Yet, in a smaller matter that did not involve doctrine, they seemed unable to find a peaceful resolution.

We should also recognize that these are two men who are filled with the Holy Spirit, who have prophetic gifts, and have other men around them who are prophets.  Yet, the situation becomes so sharp that they decide to “agree to disagree,” and go their own ways.  We should recognize that this is not a matter of doctrine, but of opinion about what is the wisest thing to do.  There would be no need to convene a council every time two believers have different opinions, neither should we expect that believers will never have different opinions on a matter.

What were their arguments?  We are not told, but it isn’t to hard to supply a general sense of what they are.  Barnabas as a “son of encouragement” wants to give John Mark a second chance, so that he can learn to persevere in the Lord.  Of course, this definitely harmonizes with the fact that the Gospel is all about giving sinners redemption when they don’t deserve it.

Of course, Paul may come back with the reality that they are going into territory where people have tried to kill them.  They need people who can be trusted on the journey, and who are full of faith, not fear.  He could even remind Barnabas of the words of our Lord that a man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.  John Mark can be a believer who is saved, but Paul probably sees him as a man who has shown himself unfit for ministry.

Both arguments have some biblical wisdom to them.  I’m reminded of the classical problem with wisdom in the proverbs.  Proverbs 26, verses 4 and 5, first tell a person not to rebuke a fool, and then tell them to rebuke a fool.  It seems contradictory, but that is how wisdom is.  Sometimes it is wise to rebuke a fool and sometimes it is not.  Wisdom is knowing when you do one or the other.  The same thing is true in this case with Barnabas and Paul.  There is a time to give people a second chance in ministry, and there is a time to pass on letting a person back into ministry (at least with you).  Of course, wisdom is knowing when.  Let’s not lose sight that we should always pray in situations like this for God’s wisdom.

It is important to see that God was quite capable of giving a direction to both of these men.  We might fault them for not seeking God’s answer, but that may not be what the Holy Spirit is showing us.  Neither man abused their gift of prophecy by declaring that God was on their side.  At least, they had the spiritual maturity to recognize that God was leaving it up to them.

As a matter of wisdom, we might recognize that later Paul will accept John Mark as a faithful minister that is “useful” to him (2 Timothy 4:11).  However, he doesn’t say that he was wrong in his earlier decision, only that Mark is now useful to him.

Sometimes it may just be that God uses our differences of personality and opinions to lead us in different directions.  Barnabas will take John Mark and go to Cyprus.  Clearly, this was instrumental in helping John Mark to become a trustworthy leader.  Paul on the other hand will take Silas and go north by land through Syria and into Cilicia where his hometown Tarsus was.

Maybe Paul was too hard, and maybe Barnabas was too soft.  We can note, however, that now there are two missionary teams working at the same time, instead of just one.  Perhaps, in going separate ways, they could best understand what God was saying to each one of them.

We should be careful about always expecting agreement on what Christ would have us do, and that Christ will always give a word of wisdom to settle every dispute.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit is silent in order to see what we will do and how we will handle it.  It can be a test, but don’t think of it as pass or fail.  God is willing to go down the path with both sides of this disagreement.

We can also second guess our past choices and decisions because of what we experience.  Be careful of that.  Paul being stoned in Lystra says nothing about whether he heard from God or not to go there.  In the end, we will have made a lot of decisions that may or may not have been wise.  Yet, the most important point is whether or not we are looking to the Lord Jesus to help us to grow to be more like him.  If we keep our eyes upon Jesus, then the Holy Spirit will help us and our overall course will have been wise (trusting Jesus) over the top of any “unwise” decisions along the way.

Dwelling in unity is more about dwelling in The One who is the perfect unity.  If we will do that, then he will help us to reconcile with one another, without having to completely agree about every opinion and decision.

May God help us to dwell in unity by the help of his Holy Spirit!

Unity audio

The Acts of the Apostles 60

Subtitle: The Jerusalem Council III

Acts 15:22-29.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 22, 2023.

We will finish up our look at the Jerusalem Council, which took place between A.D. 48 to 50.  The decision of this original group should settle the issue of what is required for Gentile salvation because it has the apostles trained by Jesus, as well as the elders and people who witnessed the life, ministry and resurrection of Jesus.  Yet, it is amazing how many ways through the years individuals and theologians of the Church have come up with to go wrong on this issue of salvation.

Down through the ages to our time, Church councils haven’t always done us a favor.  The further you move forward in time from the resurrection of Jesus, the more we see such councils supplanting Scripture with human reasoning.  It may even lead some to see such councils as a mistake, and against the will of God.  Yet, here we have a council set in the Word of God, and it is clear that it is a good thing for the Church.

The problem is not in convening a council to determine what the truth is in a matter, and what should be taught.   When you look through the history of these councils, you will always find an individual, or group, who are pushing a teaching that is new, or novel.  This creates turmoil among the churches as people deal with the confusion that new teaching brings.  They want to know what the truth actually is.  In Acts 15, that problem, or teaching, is the idea that Gentiles have to be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved.  Believing in Christ and following him by faith was not enough for them, and it began to cause trouble.

Leaders can cause trouble, but sometimes trouble percolates up through the group and leaders have to step in for the sake of group cohesion.  This is normal and good, if it is done correctly and in the right spirit.  These leaders job is not to determine what is best for the group, but rather to determine what the Lord Jesus is saying through the Holy Spirit.  Thus, we should have some mercy on the generations that convened councils, and stick to criticizing only the decisions, and reasoning behind them.

Thus, you will notice that this first council becomes a good template for how councils should operate.  The people should gather, look to what the Spirit is doing, and what the Scriptures say.  Even then, if we are not actually seeking God like we should, if we are not living in communion with Jesus through the Spirit, our fleshly approach to truth will not follow the Spirit of God, no matter how much we protest that we followed the template.  It is not a scientific formula.  It is a relationship with Jesus.

At the base of errors in doctrine are at least two persuasions.  We can over emphasize the role of human reasoning in coming to truth, even elevating a group or man as the ones, one, who have a sanctified mind for the group.  The more human reasoning is the foundation of our beliefs the more we will be off-track.  The other persuasion is that we can ignore reasoning, and the reasoning of God’s proven Word in Scripture.  This persuasion over-emphasizes the spiritual ability to know truth of the leader, or leaders.  It shuts down all debate because “I have the mind of the Lord and don’t have to answer your critiques.”

Let us recognize that God is the One who gave us our minds.  He does intend us to use them.  However, our minds are not capable of assessing truth in these spiritual matters without God’s help.  At the best, our minds can only help us discern what God is showing us is the truth.  Even then, our reasoning is fraught with pitfalls, and humility is the order of the day.  The Lord has given us a foundation of His thinking in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  We need to take seriously their importance as well as the importance of what the Holy Spirit is doing now.  This will help to guard us from going into error.

Let’s look at our passage.

A letter is sent to the church in Antioch (v. 22-29)

We noted last week that it was James who had brought up the idea of sending a letter addressed to Antioch and the Gentile churches beyond them concerning this debated issue (v. 20).  This is exactly what they do.

Thus, we end up with a decision from a group of people at a particular point in time, and we also end up with a written record.  Paul and Barnabas will be able to tell what happened in Jerusalem, but there will also be an address from the church in Jerusalem describing things from their perspective.

We do not know if they had a vote, or people simply quit arguing against the truths that are recorded here.  Yet, they did come to an agreement, and create a letter, which Luke inserted in his Acts of the Apostles.  It is a good thing too because this is how we end up with the actual wording of the letter established for all time.  The church at Antioch was over-run in the 600’s by Muslims, and the original document is lost to us.

Three times in this passage (v. 22, 25, and 28), we have a word that is variously translated as “it pleased…,” or “it seemed good to…”  It is a word that has a range of certainty connected to it, from judging that something is certainly true, all the way to believing that something has a good probability of being true.  I think this passage the council was pretty certain that they had determined the mind of God on this matter.  They were not just giving their best guess, or sheer human reasoning on the matter.

In verse 22, we have listed that the apostles, elders, and the whole church were in on the decision.  The decision and plan to send a letter seemed good to all of them.

The judges in the Old Testament were not supposed to imagine the best solution for a case.  Rather, they were supposed to render the decision of the LORD.  Of course, they would look to what the Law said on a matter, but they would also seek wisdom from God’s Spirit- that is if they had a heart for God.  The Scriptures and the Holy Spirit help God’s people to understand truth when they are truthfully seeking it. 

You may also recognize that there is no sense in the story that an approach is being ramrodded through by leaders.  Even Paul and Barnabas are quite subdued in Luke’s account, only giving testimony to what the Spirit was doing among Gentiles.  I believe that they exercised wisdom to let the Jerusalem church come to a decision without undue pressure from them.  It was important that God showed them the truth.

We can be guilty today of practicing the leadership style of the world.  We can learn how to manipulate the stupid sheep to do what we know they need to do.  It is stylish to build forums and means for the little people to feel like they had a say and participated in the process, but in the end, the group will end up at a pre-decided decision that was made by the ultra-smart leaders.  Such manipulative activity is not of the Spirit of God and is not a proper, godly way to come to decisions.  Of course, this about sums up our politics, and many of our churches in the land.

Praise God that this is not what happened back in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council.

In verse 25 it mentions in the letter that “It seemed good to us, being assembled in one accord.”  There is that word again.  They were in one accord.  They had a singular passion for determining what God would have them believe and teach.  They wanted to rightly represent the Lord Jesus, since they were subjected to persecution by people who assumed that they had the corner of the market on representing God.

Many have a singular passion alright, a singular passion for their own way.  If we gather in a group and everyone is fighting passionately for their own way, then we will never have a true spiritual unity.  However, even if we are manipulated into a decision that everyone agrees to, it is not a unity of the spirit, but a unity of the flesh that is guaranteed to breakdown along the way.

We lastly recognize that verse 28 mentions that “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit…”  Of course, God is absolutely sure what the right thing is.  There is no range of certainty when it comes to Him.  The seeming is all on the human side of this equation.  They had come to the conclusion that this is what the Spirit of God was teaching them.  Yet, they are being humble enough to recognize the fact that their reasoning was involved in this process.  Unity must always center upon God’s decisions, and leaders, churches, ought to be very humble in any such process.

They determine that it would be best to send some men along with the letter.  This would give the Jerusalem Church some official representation along with the letter, not that they would doubt the veracity of how Paul and Barnabas portrayed the council to the church of Antioch.  Yet, the original issue had to do with men who had come from Judea, but did not officially represent the church.  The bad experience they had with the earlier Judaizers could be overcome with the good experience of the true, official representatives sent with the letter.

The first of the two men listed is Judas, also called Barsabas.  This is the only time that this individual is mentioned in the New Testament.  The second name helps us to differentiate him from other men with the name Judas (Judah in Hebrew) like Judas Iscariot, or Judas, also called Thaddeus, or Judas (Jude) the brother of our Lord.

The second man listed is Silas.  He is going to become one of the men who helped Paul in his missionary journeys to come.  He will faithfully minister with Paul to the Gentiles.  He is always referred to as Silas in the book of Acts.  However, in his letters, the apostle Paul calls him Silvanus.  Silus is just a shortened form of Silvanus.

What were the qualifications of these men?  They were leading men from among the Jerusalem church.  They had risked their lives for the Gospel (v. 26), which means that they had a vested interest in promoting the true Gospel.  Also, in verse 32, we will later see that they are both prophets, and able to spiritually minister to the group in Antioch.

Luke gives us a word for word copy of the letter starting at verse 23.  It starts out by clarifying that the men, who had “troubled” them about following the Law of Moses, were not sent by Jerusalem.  I am sure that the intent is not only to state the truth for the record, but also to restore goodwill between Antioch and them.  The Jerusalem church had never been behind the attempt to trouble them on this matter.  Yet, they are helping to make things right because of the presence of the apostles of Jesus in their city, as well as many elders who had close connection to the ministry of Jesus.  They have a responsibility to the rest of the Church.

Some point to the words of Paul in Galatians 2:12.  They interpret them to believe that James was at least a stickler for Jews continuing to obey the Law of Moses, which would include separation from Gentiles.  To whatever degree James believed this, something was behind Peter’s change of attitude about eating with Gentiles when “men from James” arrived in Antioch.  We do not know exactly when the Galatians 2 incident happened.  Was it before or after this council?  From the words said and the decision made, you would think that it would have to be before..  However, we do not know for sure.

It is believed that some confusion on what Jews needed to do, may have lead to some over-zealous teaching on what Gentiles needed to do.  Regardless, the decision in the letter is quite clear.  Gentiles do not need to follow the Law of Moses.  Although the Church had never officially taught that Gentiles needed to obey the Law of Moses in order to be saved, it did take about 18 years for the Church to denounce the idea officially.

In fact, close attention to Peter’s testimony will even clarify salvation for Jews.  He questions in verse 10, “Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”  Also, he said in verse 11 that “we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”  Earlier he had described that manner as “by faith.”  This council didn’t just hammer out the means of salvation for Gentiles, but for Jews as well.  Even Jews do not need to follow the Law of Moses in order to be saved by Jesus.

The letter next declares that two men named Judas and Silas are accompanying the letter.  This is a first-century security mechanism for validation.

Finally, the letter stipulates the three issues that were being prohibited to the Gentiles (and Jews).  They were to abstain from things offered to idols, abstain from eating or drinking blood (things strangled still have blood in the meet), and they were to abstain from sexual immorality.  They are referred to as necessary, and yet, it simply says that if they will restrain themselves from doing these things that they will “do well.”  It is a burden being placed upon the Gentiles, but no heavy burden as Peter called the Law of Moses.

This is not only wisdom, but also obvious.  If you are following Jesus, then all hint of following idols and the things associated with idolatry needs to drop off.  You cannot have loyal faith in Jesus and still remain attached to idols and idolatry.  This loyalty issue has trust and faith at its core.

The blood issue was addressed last week, but would help Jews and Gentiles within the Church to be able to get along with one another.  Plus, it would retain a clear line around the subject of how we obtain life and power.  The pagans ate and drank animal blood for ritualistic reasons connected to their idols.  Jesus is our source of life, and our sacrifice now.

Lastly, we are told in the New Testament in many places to flee sexual immorality.  The moral components of the Law of Moses are reiterated by the apostles throughout the New Testament and Christians need to obey them, not because we are following the Law of Moses, but rather, because we are following Jesus Christ and His apostles who laid down these necessary things to avoid and necessary things to do.

Let me close by revisiting this issue of dead works versus works of faith.  We can fall into two extremes if we are not careful.  On one hand, we can be so against “dead works” and working for salvation that we promote doing nothing, even sinning.  However, on the other hand, we can be so intent against sin that we make a long list of things people have to do in order to be truly saved.

We need to go back to the Word of God.  What does it say is necessary for salvation?  It is to believe in Jesus, to put our trust in Him.  We then follow Jesus, who gave us the apostles and the Holy Spirit, and they gave us the New Testament.

This calls for humility in any issue.  I can be wrong and should not stir up trouble within a church.  Yet, whole churches and denominations can be wrong because they have inherited a system that has error riddled within it.  Only Jesus can save us, and it calls for faithful, courageous trust in Jesus, both to save us and to help us come to the knowledge of the truth.

None of us can do enough to save ourselves.  We can only put our faith upon Jesus.  However, once Jesus has accepted my faith and put me in a safe place, I can do good works that are clean before God.  What makes them clean?  They are clean because they are not done out of the selfish reason to make ourselves look good to God.  Rather, they are done out of thanks to Jesus for salvation and the belief, the faith, that He is helping us to become like God through the works He leads us to do by His Word and by His Spirit.

So, when you help people, or go to church on any particular day, and you do it because you love Christ and want to honor him, it can be a clean work acceptable unto God and makes you more like Jesus.  However, if I do these things because I believe I have to do these things to achieve my way into heaven, then they become dead works.  They are not really done in Christ by the Spirit, but in the flesh.

May God help us to come alive to Jesus by the Help of the Holy Spirit in order to do the works that He has created us to do.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  (Ephesians 2:10).

Jerusalem Counsel III Audio