We like to think we live in a place where “liberty and justice for all” is truly the guaranteed possession of the citizens. I believe it is accurate to say that there has never been a country in the history of the world where it has been more perfectly applied than in the United States of America. The justice system gets it right in a high percentage of cases … but it still isn’t perfect. Mistakes are made, and here and there are a few personages in power and authority with a less than perfect desire to see truth prevail, especially when it may impact their longevity and position in power.

We could make quite a list of places around the world where injustice prevails and where authoritarian strongmen abuse their people for personal gains. Though the Roman world and system made quantum leaps forward on the issue of justice, it was still true that abuses could prevail. And we see some of these cracks in the system in the biblical record concerning the Apostle Paul.

Today we meet a Roman governor who is a fair-minded and insightful fellow on one hand, yet also a man in possession of quite a laundry list of personal deficiencies. Many of these are known about him from secular sources outside the biblical record. Felix was not a man of high moral character personally. He was much into self-aggrandizement, possessing also a volatile personality and short fuse. We read that he truly heard what the Apostle Paul had to say, apparently did not buy the grandiose false stories of the Jewish accusers, and was even interested in hearing on occasion Paul’s views on matters of faith – being convicted by these words.

Yet at the same time, Felix was hoping to personally gain a bribe from Paul. Why would this be, and how could Paul pay such a thing? In Paul’s defense before the governor, the Apostle said that he had brought money to Jerusalem to give to the poor. Perhaps Felix thought that the people behind the source of these funds would likewise send money to see their dear Paul released from prison??  This is my speculation completely. In any event, Paul’s imprisonment lasted for two years.

Here is the text of Acts 24 … come back at the end for a few comments on the issue of justice …

Paul’s Trial Before Felix

Acts 24:1 – Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3 Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4 But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.

5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6 and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.  7[some manuscripts have an extra verse at this point, not likely original] 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him.”

9 The other Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.

10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. 11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20 Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21 unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”

22 Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs.

24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

27 When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison.

That truly is an injustice for the Apostle Paul. Imagine the frustration of knowing that you are innocent, yet are being held as a criminal by people who are themselves doing something criminal in detaining you. Imagine also how Paul must have been frustrated about the passing of time and loss of opportunity; yet as we referenced yesterday, Paul redeemed all of time by witnessing and proclaiming the gospel to all whom he met – including prison guards and authorities.

There is no guaranteed justice on earth. And that is a factor that I think makes the gospel so appealing. Justice would be for us to be eternally separated from God as payment for our sin. But the new justice that God makes available in Christ is that Jesus has paid this debt, and we therefore can anticipate a positive justice in the life to come as we stand before God in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Even if justice should fail us in this world, it will never fail us in the world to come. That is good news; that is what the gospel is all about.

As I sit to write these few words about today’s reading in Acts 23, I have had the occasion over the past 24 hours to have two conversations with young adults about the big issues of life. One of them was troubled about events and circumstances of life that are happening that are not pleasant at all, while the other was troubled that important life events were not happening, leading to a wonderment about what God was doing and why it was taking so long for the next chapter to develop.

Life in this world, even when faithfully running the Life Race of the committed follower of Christ, is not always fair and free of pain, difficulty, complication and confusion. Not for Paul, not for us. Here Paul was doing good stuff – bringing the offering to Jerusalem that would speak to the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ – and he ends up as the focus of a riot he did not create, thus being jailed by the Romans under the pretext of serious accusations to come from the Jews. What is fair about this?

But we can be sure that in all of life’s circumstances there is an over-arching plan of God that is being executed – most often out of sight and beyond our awareness. It is a bigger plan, and often it is something we do not fully understand until long after it is over and we can look back at what has transpired.

God’s larger plan for Paul is revealed to the Apostle …

Acts 23:11 – The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

There is the big plan. God is going to get Paul to Rome and in front of an unusual number of prominent people and others who need to hear the gospel. Looking ahead some years later after Paul has been in Rome for an extended time, even in difficult circumstances of varied levels of confinement, he is able to positively say to the Philippians (1:12-14) …

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Look again at the statement of God to Paul in verse 11, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”  Paul’s unpleasant circumstances of gangs threatening to kill him, being beaten, and thrown into prisons … these events had nothing to do with Paul’s character or actions, but rather it related to a larger plan of God to use Paul in a bigger way. And so, not every bad event that arrives on our doorsteps has necessarily something to do with errant behavior on our part; it may rather be God’s sovereign intervention in our lives that finds its outworking in convoluted and circuitous paths – even some we don’t appreciate … some that seem like we are lost and alone in the dark. Take heart; be faithful; serve God; trust him for clarity another day.

The remainder of chapter 23 is quite a story of a plot to kill Paul that involved 40 men and a conspiracy with the Sanhedrin. In God’s sovereign plan, the plot comes to the ears of the commander – Lysias – who puts together a contingent of 470 soldiers and horsemen to usher Paul quickly out of town by dark of night. Over two days of travel they take him safely to Caesarea, about 75 miles to the northeast of Jerusalem, where he will await hearings and examination under Roman authority. God’s plan to care for Paul is evident in all of this. And for Paul … for us … there is no safer place to be than in the midst of God’s plan for us, even if it doesn’t always make sense, even if it is uncomfortable.

The Plot to Kill Paul

Acts 23:12 – The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.”

16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”

20 He said: “Some Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

22 The commander dismissed the young man with this warning: “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”

Paul Transferred to Caesarea

Acts 23:23 – Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”

25 He wrote a letter as follows:

26 Claudius Lysias,

To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.

27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.

31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers get here.” Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

Do you ever have that feeling where it seems like the whole world is against you? Yes, there are some friends and family you can count on, but beyond that you run into opposition and difficulties at every turn.

Certainly the Apostle Paul must have had such a feeling. As we have followed his life it has been interesting to see how many people have come to know him and love him. Wherever he travels there are folks who want to spend some time with him and hear about the spread of the gospel.

Yet at the same time there were even more enemies. On occasion they were even people who claimed to be Christians but taught errant doctrine. Other times the Gentiles were in opposition. But the worst of the resistance came from the Jewish element. And you could certainly forgive Paul for having a déjà vu feeling of “here we go again” … as the riot we read about in today’s passage is actually the 6^th time this occurs in the book of Acts. On this occasion it was not the Jews in Jerusalem who get the riot started, rather it involved Jews from Asia who had seen Paul start churches there that drew people away from the historic faith and traditions. Their accusation is a lie, not that they really cared …

Acts 21:26 – The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

Paul Arrested

27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, 28 shouting, “Fellow Israelites, help us! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place.” 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple.)

30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soldiers. 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, “Get rid of him!”

Speaking of déjà vu, what does the final phrase here remind you of?  You can’t read that without it conjuring up a memory of the Jewish crowds who screamed about Jesus in Matthew 27 …

22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

As we recall these stories and these events, it should not surprise us when we proclaim the gospel that people will sometimes not just reject it, they will reject you and despise you for your belief. If Jesus and Paul faced such fierce opposition, why would we expect to be in any better position? Yet it should not stop us from doing what is right, just as Paul continued on in running the race of preaching Christ. And we should do the same, understanding that opposition is quite normal and will be a repeated situation.

A genuine love and compassion for lost people can take us a long way toward enduring opposition. We are driven by truth to bring people to a genuine understanding of the greatest truth. Our view of people is changed, and we want to see them escape their lost condition. We no longer see people as mere humans going through a few decades on earth; we see them as eternal souls who need the only Savior who can rescue them from their lost condition. Paul summarized this with a few words from 2 Corinthians 4:14-16 …

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

Like many of you who read these writings, I came from a rather traditional church background. Though those places of my younger years have moderated a bit, by our local church standards they remain very traditional and uncomfortable with progressive and contemporary elements we have known now for several decades.

Is it wrong to have to wear a suit on Sunday morning, only use the King James Version of the Bible, recite the Lord’s Prayer and sing traditional hymns from a hymnal to the accompaniment of an organ and piano? No, of course not; we know that these are not black and white commands. But it is a valued pattern of weekly meeting for these folks who treasure these rituals. The observance of these elements conjure up a warmth of memories of the history of their faith and salvation, and to ignore them would seem to devalue items of deep meaning.

So what would I do if I returned to these places today to visit with former friends and even present the Scripture in the service? What would best bring blessing and unity between us all? Should I wear jeans and a polo shirt like I did at TSF this past week? Preach from the NIV or ESV as I regularly do? Do a special song from Jars of Clay and in all other ways flaunt my freedoms to be as in-your-face contemporary as possible? No, I’d not do that. It would be distractingly annoying and rude. It would not be worth it in the big picture of things. Doctrine is not at stake, so why not just go along with their way of doing things for the sake of unity and focus upon the greater issues held in common?

This is essentially what Paul does as he returns to the very most traditional of New Testament churches in Jerusalem, being amongst a largely Jewish Christian congregation who continued to value many old traditions from their background.

Acts 21:15 – After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 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.

17 – When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

So Paul reports to James and the elders of the Jerusalem church on the expansive nature of the growth of the gospel amongst Gentile peoples, and this is greeted with pleasure. But they needed to honestly tell Paul that an unfair story was common among the people that Paul devalued and disrespected their traditions. Whereas it would be true that Paul did not tell Gentiles they had to circumcise or observe other non-essential Jewish traditions from the law, neither did he preach that folks should not do these things.

The leaders suggest that Paul could take the steam completely out of these unjust criticisms if he would participate with four local men who have made a Nazarite vow (a commitment to deep piety that involved an expensive sacrifice – when offered by a Christian as a sort of memorial). Likely these men were poor, and we recall that Paul has come with an offering from the Gentile churches.

Acts 21:26 – The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

As we’ll see in our next passage, this apparently serves the purpose. The opposition that arises comes from out of town factions in Jerusalem.

Just because we feel and know that we have liberties to live, serve and worship in a certain way, it does not mean that we are wise to flaunt them in the presence of others who are troubled by or uncomfortable with those liberties. This is a part of what Paul meant when he said that he became all things to all people in order that he may win some by not putting obstacles in the way of the gospel. The gospel is the main idea, the big thing. That is a “major.”  All the other stuff that is in the category of the preferential is “minor” by comparison.

In our upcoming and growing emphasis of the “For the City” campaign, we are increasingly looking to develop and build partnerships with a wide variety of other churches. We are only going to do this with those who truly believe and preach the gospel, but we are not going to get distracted by the relatively minor variations we have about worship styles and cultural differences. There are too many people lost in our community for us to fuss over these matters. Majors – yes; Minors – no time for that stuff. Eternity is approaching.

We call them “the greatest generation.”  By this we are speaking of those who were quick to sign up to fight the personification of evil in World War 2.  It was not simply a matter of the army making good soldiers out of those who had to serve because they were drafted into the military. No. By the tens of thousands, men did everything they possibly could do to get into the army and into the war, believing the cause was a worthy one that was bigger than themselves and their own lives.

My own biological father was beyond the age of prime fitness for combat, but he maneuvered to get himself into the military by using his skills and voice in radio communications in the Asian theater. This generation was willing to give their lives if necessary so that other generations may have a land and world with freedom – willing to die in the race so that others could run and compete. It was all about the bigger vision and greater truth.

The Apostle Paul was such a man as he ran his life race. His own personal safety and well-being was far down the list of personal considerations. Over and over the missionary to the Gentiles would suffer, yet counting his persecutions as a blessing to be so honored. Most others, then and now, would have a first consideration for their personal security and comfort. But this never seemed to be much of a conscious thought for Paul. Others around him saw it, worried for him, and as in today’s passage they also warned him about trials soon to come. But Paul persevered and ran on … being mulish, obstinate, pertinacious, dogged, and tenacious – words which all mean essentially the same thing.

We pick up in Acts 21 with some travel narratives as Paul was headstrong on getting to Jerusalem. And even though he was warned everywhere by Christians with prophetic gifts that he was sure to suffer in going there, Paul put his head down and continued with focused perseverance to move toward what he believed was God’s calling on his life.

Acts 21:1 – After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 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. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. 6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

So, why is Paul being so bullheaded here? It would seem that God’s people are the instruments of God’s message of warning as what would happen if he continued on. The answer is “yes,” it was a warning, but it was not a deterrent. Paul realized through all of this, as well as through his own conviction, that trials and sufferings awaited him. Like the model of Jesus in the final week of his earthly life, Paul was pressing toward the goal in spite of the pending personal ramifications.

And what was that goal? Surely it involved the big idea of what Paul was all about – the preaching of the gospel. But we’re talking here about Jerusalem, not some Gentile, Roman center of commerce.

There is another answer, though it is not in this text. It has to do with Paul delivering an offering for the poor in the Jewish-dominant, mother church in Jerusalem … an offering generously raised and coming from a very dominant Gentile world. Paul’s passion was for the unity of the church in the coming together of Jew and Gentile under the larger common denominator of the gospel of Christ.

Among multiple passages that speak of this collection of funds from the Gentile churches are these …

Romans 15:25-27 – Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Later, in Paul’s defense before Felix, Paul speaks of his purpose in coming to Jerusalem on this occasion … “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.”  (Acts 24:17)

Often in true service for God, replicating the model of Jesus Christ in his incarnation and obedience to going to the cross, we are called upon to give up our personal preferences for the sake of others. The world is bigger than our preferences. In the church, the needs of others are bigger than our preferences. Thirty-nine years after graduating from college with a music degree, and having seen the world of church music preferences morph multiple times, I no longer have much patience for those who simply have to have the worship service exactly meet their stylistic liking. That’s nice if it happens. But there are so many other needs in a church family that are so far beyond music preferences that such items of “taste” simply don’t make the menu of serving priorities.

I am not sure I am going to live any longer than Paul did so as to be able to see a very similar desire come true in the evangelical church, even at TSF. He wanted to see the Jews and Gentiles become one true church together – recognizing the common denominator in Jesus Christ. I would like to see the CHURCH truly be on earth as it will be in heaven – a conglomeration of varied ethnic peoples in one family of worship, around the common denominator of Jesus’ sacrifice. We will have a five-week sermon series this fall to address this very issue.

We could mention quite a host of items that are bigger than ourselves. We’re worker bees in the hive, and it is not all about us as a single bee; it is all about the hive. Coming to truly understand this and give our lives away for others is the true mark of maturity in Christ. It is a way of demonstrating mulish, obstinate, pertinacious, dogged tenacity.

As you age and you think back more and more in retrospect about the preceding years, so many warm memories remain of people you have known along the race of life. For those of us who have lived in several different places, many of those friends were only intimately a part of our lives for a season. The rise of social media has been a wonderful tool for maintaining even a distant connection with people from earlier periods of life.

I recently reconnected with a friend from childhood and all through high school that I had not seen in several decades. It was immediately like old times when we got together, as we had previously shared so much of life and experiences.

It is great to have friends from a ball team from the past, or people you have known for many years from your place of employment. We often become long-term friends with others who have children who are the same age as our own – seeing them growing up together and sharing common experiences.

But honestly, the very best friends we should have in life are those we have known from serving God together, particularly in the church context. These should be the deepest relationships – folks with whom we have together been in the throes of not only making a church work in practical ways, but also in spiritual combat together as fellow soldiers in the kingdom of light’s eternal cosmic conflict with the powers of darkness.

Paul had many such relationships, forged in challenging times of building the institution of the church while also combating the opposing forces in a dark world.

Our passage today begins with some travel itinerary details as Paul is hurrying toward Jerusalem to meet a deadline …

Acts 20:13 – We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.

Rather than take the time to travel to Ephesus, Paul asks the elder leadership of the church there to meet with him at the relatively nearby coastal town of Miletus. His words to them comprise what is essentially a farewell speech. Paul rehearses the events of their several years together in that place – recalling the persecutions, the extensive teaching ministry, and all the hard work that had brought them together in mutual association. In total, it was all very intense!!

Acts 20:18 – When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

He also warns them of the inevitability of the work of the kingdom of darkness to infiltrate, as he pictorially speaks of such as savage wolves ravaging a flock. He reminds these leaders that they must be vigilant about preserving in the timeless truth, knowing that error would arise from within. These exhortations continue to this day to be wise counsel for leaders of churches.

Acts 20:22 – “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

But grieving the Ephesians most is the word from Paul that, as he heads toward inevitable persecution in Jerusalem and beyond, they will never see him again – in this world. They knell and pray (as always in the book of Acts), as Paul commits them to God and his care. The scene becomes very emotional, as the Ephesians accompany Paul to the very last steps of boarding the ship.

Acts 20:32 – “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Relationships in Christ are indeed often very deep, especially when forged together in the inevitable challenges of mutual service – a sort of spiritual warfare in a dark world under the power of the Evil One. We are combat veterans together. Over 35 years ago as minister of music in a large Dallas church, I was especially close to the senior pastor. And when I parted from that place to serve back home on the east coast, we were both much affected at the departure. Though he continues, even as an elderly man now, to serve God as the retired Chaplain at Dallas Theological Seminary, when I see him on rare occasions or speak to him, it is as if no time has passed at all. And I can say similar things about many with whom I’ve served over the years. Just this week I have been invited to return and preach at my previous church in NJ – will be the first time in 21 years, and I am very much looking forward to celebrating the 125^th anniversary of the church and the beginning of the ministry of a new, young pastor there.

Dallas, New Jersey, Hagerstown … wherever we are in Christ … we are comrades together in an eternal, cosmic conflict – co-workers for the King of Kings.

Friends, if you are not committed at a deep inter-personal level, but are only casually a part of the life of the church, you are missing the depths of relationships and service that is at once both required of you and personally beneficial for your well-being. Please bring both hands, both feet, your heart, your mind, and your soul. We need you; you need us.

One of my favorite pastor jokes is that of the definition of preaching: the ability to talk in someone else’s sleep. And I’ve been doing it now for nigh unto 40 years! At my previous church there was a fellow who simply could not stay awake – for me, or anyone else for that matter. His wife made a career of poking him in the side, but they never changed from sitting in the third row. And though he never probably heard a full sermon, the guy loved me to death and was always such a great personal blessing.

In today’s passage as we pick up our chronology of Paul’s life, the first paragraph of travel details includes a “we” from the writer Luke, indicating that he is part of the road team again. Note the list of other names, many of these surely being younger men whom Paul was discipling. By this time, Paul is a well-known person in church communities of the Roman world, and spending time with him was probably a great privilege.

Acts 20:1 – When the uproar (in Ephesus) had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

It was certainly a pretty big deal for these people in Troas to have the Apostle Paul himself staying with them for seven days. Surely there were multiple gatherings and lots of conversation – we can easily picture this happening. And on the final night (a Sunday) while Paul was preaching, a fellow named Eutychus falls asleep, dropping out of the 3rd-floor window and meeting his demise upon impact in the street below.

Acts 20:7 – On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

OK… let’s sleuth this out a bit, as there are some hints about what is happening …

Clue 1 – I know you’ve never named a child or pet by the name of Eutychus, but it was a very common name at that time – especially for slaves. So it is presumable that this young fellow had worked all day and now at midnight it was really very late for such a tired guy.

Clue 2 – The upper room (always the largest in ancient houses) is said to have had many lamps. We can take from this that the large crowd and the burning lamps had depleted the oxygen supply a bit – even for the guy sitting in the window.

Clue 3 – There was a lot of talking going on. This may shock the system of some you reading this, but, most of the world does not do church in mere 60 to 75-minute increments. Just this past Sunday I visited one of the African-American churches in town, and the service went on for a total of 2.5 hours. People returning from missions trips often remark about how long the services were at the local church of the people being served. Ask anyone who has been to Kazakhstan on one of our partnership journeys.

You will note from the passage that the words “talking” or “talked” or “speaking” are used – along with the “breaking of bread.”  There are a variety of Greek words used in this passage that get translated very generically into English. To see it in the original, you would be able to discern that Paul’s conversations involved formal preaching, a sort of give-and-take teaching, and the simple conversation between friends.

Warning Note – So Paul goes down to the street and brings the young man back to life, which, yes, encourages the crowd. Yep, that would be pretty cool! But here is the warning:  If you die while I’m speaking, don’t count on me being able to bring you back … I’d suggest you just stay awake!

Here is another inside scoop on this passage … I really love it!  In fact, this was the passage I chose for my senior sermon at Dallas Theological Seminary. In those days everyone presented one in homiletics class, and the top presenters got selected by the faculty to preach them in chapel for the entire student body. No, I was not chosen … guess I put them to sleep in the classroom, including the prof.

What I love about this passage is the picture of the great body life that goes on when the church is gathered. So many of my favorite memories of church people I’ve grown to love in my churches in Dallas, New Jersey and Hagerstown revolve around all the time together on Sundays just hanging out and talking. This is valuable time! It is one of the great blessings of church family and community. And to gain this blessing, you’ve got to be there regularly; and when you come, you should not just run off and escape as soon as the service is over. That is not what church is about. Hang out with us! We’re really cool people! Think of it like Thanksgiving dinner – you would not just run in after the prayer, sit down and eat, and then rush off as soon as the apple pie was gone, would you?

God has set up the church – the body of Christ – so that we need each other and have each other as resources for successfully running the race of the Christian life. It is a great blessing. Don’t undervalue it.