1. Thank God (verse 18).
2. Trust God (verses 19-21).
3. Tell of God (verses 22-23).

The title of my message this morning is, “Coming Home and Heading Out” This is the experience of many college students, especially this time of year (early summer), when many young people who have gone off to college, come back home for a bit. Then, they head out again to pursue more studies or a career. At Rock Valley Bible Church, we have a few of them.

My daughter, Stephanie, will graduate from Jackson Hole Bible College next weekend. She will be home all summer, before heading out to Bloomington in the fall, where she will continue her studies. Rachel is done with her academic work at Moody Bible Institute. She will be home briefly this summer, enough to regroup to head out to Arizona, where she will fulfill her student teaching requirements. Nathan will come home after his graduation from The Ohio State University for a few weeks, before heading out again to Columbus to pursue his Ph. D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Conrad will graduate next week from The University of Illinois. He will be here for the summer (at least part of it), before heading out again to Champaign to pursue his Ph. D. work in biology. Gage just finished his first year at the University of Alabama. He will home for this summer (I think), before heading out again to Alabama in the fall. Collin also finished her first year at Milwaukee School of Engineering. He also will be home for this summer (I think), before heading out again to Milwaukee in the fall. This is the dynamic of those in college. They are gone for a bit. Then they come home and regroup, before heading out again.

Now, at Rock Valley Bible Church, we have been working our way through the book of Acts. The experience of college students coming home and heading out again is exactly what we see the apostle Paul doing. Obviously, Paul hasn’t been to college. Instead, he has been on a missionary journey, his second missionary journey. Yet, today, in our text, we will see him finish his journey, by coming home to his home church in Antioch. Then, we will see him, heading out again. This is the title of my message this morning: “Coming Home and Heading Out.”

To remind you one last time of Paul’s journeys, we will look at the maps of his travels during his missionary journey. His journey began in Antioch of Syria. He and Silas headed north to travel through southern Galatia, visiting Derbe and Lystra and Iconium and Antioch. Places where Paul had preached the gospel and planted churches during his first missionary journey. From there, they attempted to go south into Asia, But they were "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia" (Acts 16:6). So, they tried to go north into Bitynia. But again, "the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them" (Acts 16:7).

So, they headed west and arrived at Troas, on the shore of the Aegean Sea. While in Troas, Paul had a vision from a man of Macedonia, who called out to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9). So, they crossed the Aegean Sea and went to Macedonia. preaching the gospel in Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea. After that, Paul headed south to Achaea. Arriving in Athens he preached to the intellectuals about Jesus and the resurrection. He went to Corinth, where he stayed for at least 18 months, "teaching the word of God among them" (Acts 18:11).

The reason why Paul remained so long in Corinth is that he had a promise from the Lord, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, Acts 18: 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9). Indeed, God was faithful to protect Paul for the year and a half that he was in Corinth. But eventually, it was time for Paul to leave. and that’s where we pick up our text.

Acts 18:18-23
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae (Cen-kree-aye) he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

With these words, we see the ending of Paul’s second missionary journey, and the beginning of his third missionary journey. He ended his second missionary journey by traveling across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus, where he stayed only a bit of time. From there, he sailed to Caesarea. Then he went up to Jerusalem. Then back down to Antioch, from which he started his journey.

It’s quite amazing, Luke, the author of the book of Acts, took 2½ chapters to describe Paul’s trip to Corinth (Acts 15:36-18:17) and only 5 verses to bring him all the way back home again (verses 18-22). Then, only 1 verse later (in verse 23), we see Paul traveling out again into Galatia and Phrygia. Indeed, we see Paul “Coming Home and Heading Out.”

Now, what is most curious about his “Coming Home” is what Luke, the author, decides to include in his description of the journey. Many things would have happened during his thousand-mile journey back home. His journey would have taken weeks (if not months). Yet, of all things, Luke tells us that Paul stopped at a barber to cut his hair, and that he went to Ephesus, was asked to stay, but he didn’t. That’s all that Luke wrote about his journey home. Yet, from these events, I have pulled out three applications for us today. Here’s the first:

1. Thank God (verse 18).

I take this from the haircut that Paul had at Cenchreae. I take this from Paul's reason why Paul had his hair cut: “he was under a vow” (verse 18).

Acts 18:18
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae (Cen-kree-aye) he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.

There is plenty in this one verse that is difficult to know exactly what was happening and why. First of all, there is the ambiguity of who had his hair cut? Paul or Aquila? Both are possible, as they both were mentioned in verse 18. However, since Paul is the subject of the verse, it seems most likely that we are talking about Paul.

Second, what sort of vow is this? Most every commentator that I read on this passage said that Paul was taking “the vow of a Nazirite.” (Numbers 6:1-21). They say this, I think, because the only vow in the Old Testament that is linked not cutting one’s hair is the Nazirite vow. Such a vow is detailed in Numbers 6.

Numbers 6:1-8
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long. All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body. Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

The idea of a Nazirite is make a vow before the LORD, to separate yourself, and dedicate yourself to the LORD. During that time, you would not drink any wine or any juice of grapes or eat grapes. You would not cut your hair. You would not go near a dead body. Then, at the completion of the vow, the one making the vow would bring sacrifices to the LORD.

Numbers 6:14-15
One ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering, and [a] grain offering and [a] drink offering.

After the sin offering was made, The Nazirite "shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering" (Numbers 6:18). Only after offering up the sacrifice, "the Nazirite may drink wine" (Numbers 6:20).
 
Now, several difficulties arise with Paul making such a vow. First of all, I don’t think that Paul could have kept all three conditions: Not cutting his hair was fine. Avoiding dead bodies was fine. However, I don’t think he could avoid wine (or grapes). I cannot believe that Paul was in Corinth for 18 months, never drinking any wine or “juice of grapes.” Because, that’s crucial to the celebration the Lord’s Supper. When you read 1 Corinthians, particularly chapter 11, you see that Paul placed an emphasis upon the Lord’s Supper. It’s inconceivable that Paul was in Corinth, not celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Further, when it came time to complete the vow, I don’t think that Paul would bring a sin offering to be sacrificed in Jerusalem. Maybe a peace offering, but definitely not a sin offering! Such an offering would be an abomination, as it would spit in the face of the sacrifice of Jesus. Finally, he also cut his hair in Cenchreae, not in Jerusalem, as the law required.

So, here’s my take: I don’t think that Paul took a Nazirite vow in the technical sense. However, I wouldn’t doubt that Paul, knowing his freedom from the Old Testament law, simply took a portion of the Nazirite vow, not cutting his hair. and consecrated himself to the Lord.

In our culture today, there are some who have done something similar. Take, for instance, take Gary Weddle, a middle school teacher in Ephrata, Washington. “He was so distraught by the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon that he stopped shaving. Weddle made a vow not to shave until terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was captured or killed. He thought it would probably take six months, but bin Laden proved to be elusive. Six months turned into a year, then two years, then five years.” His appearance changed drastically. After 10 years, he had a beard that looked very similar to Osama bin Laden. "I thought I might be buried with [the beard], that [Osama bin Laden] may have eluded us, indefinitely," Weddle said. Finally, in the tenth year since 9/11 (May 2, 2011), in the tenth year since Gary Weddle's face had last seen a razor, it happened: U.S. forces found and killed Osama bin Laden. When Weddle first heard the news he began to cry, but then he went to work with a smooth shaven face. Weddle says he has one regret. “I should have given up watermelon.”^[1]

I believe that this is the spirit behind Paul’s vow that he made in Corinth. But why? Why would Paul make such a vow?

Now, it’s only a guess. But I would guess that it had something to do with God’s promise to him, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9-10). My guess is that when he received this promise from God, he responded in the spirit of the Nazirite. “God, I will not cut my hair while I’m in Corinth. It will be a sign to me and to you that I am remembering your promise to protect me.” Like Samson of old, Paul was invincible during the days of his vow. As soon as he left Corinth, he cut his hair as a symbol of God’s protection of him. He had his hair cut immediately after leaving Corinth. Verse 18 tells us that he cut his hair in Cenchreae, a port just south of Corinth.

My point of application this morning for us is this: "Thank God." That’s the principle behind Paul finally cutting his hair. I agree with Simon Kistemaker in these regards: “Paul made this vow to express his thanksgiving to God for protecting him in Corinth and for blessing his work.”^[2]

Now, I know that there has been much speculation on my part to come to this point, that this was exactly Paul’s reason for not cutting his hair. I may be wrong about tying Paul's thankfulness to our application. But it can never be wrong to be intentional in giving thanks to God. (So, my application here, still stands to "Thank God.") "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High" (Psalm 92:1). We ought to give thanks to God every day. "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
 
Yet, it may also be appropriate at some time in your life, to trust God with some sort of great promise, and make a vow not to cut your hair, that in the end, you may give thanks to God, for him fulfilling his promise to you. Now, if you would do this, I would caution you. Consider seriously the words of Numbers 30:1-2, "This is what the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth." So, be careful what you vow. Paul did this only once in his lifetime (for all that we know). For him, it was a matter of life and death, they were looking to harm him in Corinth. Further, Paul had a direct promise from God of his protection.

With or without a vow, there is so much to be thankful for our lives. I found a list somewhere online that gives all sorts of things to be thankful for: Your family, close friends, good health, your home, your job, healthy food, your education, a good night’s sleep, the seasons, financial savings, weekends, fresh air, Transportation, clean water, technology, a good book, art, music, teachers, modern healthcare, graduations, colors, ... The list could go on and on. Further, this is a secular list. There are many things to be thankful to God for as a believer: our salvation, our inheritance, God's grace, our faith, our future in heaven with God, forgiveness of sins, justification, security in Christ, union with Christ, ... This list could also continue on and on.

So, you don’t need to make a vow to give thanks to the Lord. Perhaps the best application from this passage is “no shave November,” which culminates at the end of November with Thanksgiving. Every time that you feel at the razor stubble, it draws your mind to giving thanks to the Lord.

That’s my best shot to apply Paul’s practice of not cutting his hair.

Let’s move on. My second application again is quite global in scope, yet it’s what we see Paul doing. Not only should we "Thank God," we should also ...

2. Trust God (verses 19-21).

Acts 18:19-21
And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

Again, there is something strange here. Paul’s pattern was to enter a town, enter the synagogue, see the Jews reject his message, then turn to the Gentiles, and eventually being run out of town. Here in Ephesus, things began as normal. Paul entered into synagogue to reason with the Jews. I would suspect that he gave his ole’ “The Christ is Jesus” sermon. How the Scriptures teach that the Messiah must suffer and die. How the Scriptures teach that the Messiah must rise from the dead. This is exactly what Jesus did! He suffered and died in Jerusalem upon the cross. Yet, he rose from the dead and conquered death for us. We simply need to believe in him and receive forgiveness of sins. That’s the gospel! This was always Paul’s top priority! This must be our top priority as well! Believe in Jesus and you will be saved, for there is salvation in no one else. There is no other name in heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Paul had preached this sermon often, in many of the cities in which he visited. In the synagogue in Thessalonica, he was Acts 17:3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

This is what he did in Ephesus. This would usually get him expelled from the synagogue, and even from the town. But it looks like here in Ephesus, that it was different. Rather than rejecting Paul, they were receiving him. They were asking him to stay longer. God was opening a door for the gospel. Yet, Paul refused. He said, “I will return to you if God wills,” (Acts 18:21) and he set sail from Ephesus, heading back home to Syria.

Now, many thoughts come into our minds at this point. Central is this: Why? Why did he leave? It may be that Paul was seeking to get back to Jerusalem. so he could enter the temple to fulfill his vow and burn his hair in the fire (in the spirit of the Nazirite vow). It may be that Paul felt his journey was complete, and that he needed to get home to report to his home church. Yet, the Lord was opening a door, that once was shut.

Do you remember earlier in Paul’s journey? He tried to go into Asia (where Ephesus was), yet, was forbidden to go there by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6). But now, he was there in Ephesus! And he had opportunity. Yet, he left them there, hoping to return. Acts 18:21 “I will return to you if God wills.”

Whatever compelled him to set sail for Caesarea, we don’t know. But we do know that he was trusting the Lord with future guidance in his life and in the life of those in Ephesus. Acts 18:21 “I will return to you if God wills. Indeed, in chapter 19, we see Paul return to Ephesus. “God willed.” “God willed that he would return and preach the gospel in Ephesus.” In fact, Paul spent more time in Ephesus that he did in Corinth! He spent 18 months in Corinth (Acts 18:11). But he will spend 3 years in Ephesus (Acts 20:31). It’s just that his first time in Ephesus was not his time to settle in Ephesus. That would come later in the will of God.

I believe that Paul was showing here his trust in God. Again, this is my second point: "Trust God."

This is especially the case in your evangelism. Yes, we need to have an urgency to be witnesses for Jesus to the world. Yet, we don’t need to fret if the opportunity doesn’t come today. If God wills, he will open a door for your evangelism with others. Trust God to open the door. With Paul and Ephesus, at first, the door was shut (Acts 16:6). Then, with Paul in Ephesus the first time, the timing wasn’t right. But, the timing was right later, and God bore much fruit in Ephesus.

It may be the same way with people you are speaking with about Christ. You may face a closed door the first time you seek to speak with them. The timing might not be right the second time. But the Lord’s timing is always right. It may be the third time or fourth time or fifth time that you have opportunity to speak clearly. We need to trust God with the timing with opportunities to speak. Such a way to live requires us to be in constant prayer, seeking the Lord’s guidance step by step, as we walk in God’s way. trusting God to open the doors to speak with others, seeking the Lord’s timing.

Beyond evangelism, this is how we need to live our lives, dependent upon the will of God. This was the message of James, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15). Is this your heart? Yes, you plan your way, but do you trust that God will direct your steps? (Proverbs 16:9). That’s what Paul was doing in Ephesus. That’s what I’m calling all of us to do this morning. Trust God with his direction in your life.

Well, let’s turn to my final point:

3. Tell of God (verses 22-23).

I get this from verses 22 and 23. Though these verses are merely talking about the logistics of Paul’s travel, I have no doubt that the purpose of his travel was to give a report to the church of all that the Lord had done through him during his missionary journeys. Look at verse 22, ...

Acts 18:22
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.

I believe that Paul’s path home took him through Caesarea and Jerusalem before arriving at home. I get this form the wording of verse 22. Two cities are mentioned in verse 22, Caesarea and Antioch. But there is also a third city mentioned, but not by name. It’s the city where you “go up” to and where you go “down” from. It's not Caesarea, which is by the sea. You don't "go up" to Caesarea. It's also not Antioch, because it's a third city, unique from Caesarea and Antioch. This certainly refers to Jerusalem, the city in the hill country of Judea. You can see this in Psalms 120-134, which are known as the "Psalms of Ascent." That is the Psalms that Israel would sing as they "go up" to Jerusalem on their worship journeys there (see Exodus 23:14-17).
 
What do you suppose that Paul is doing in each of these cities? Verse 22 tells us that he “greeted the church” in Jerusalem. Surely, he was doing that in every city. While "greeting the church," what do you suppose that Paul was doing? There is no doubt that he is telling of what God did on his missionary journey.

Do you remember what Paul and Barnabas did after his first missionary journey? In Acts 14:27 we read of what he said to his home church in Antioch: "And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles." They were telling of God, and all that God had done. Further, in Acts 15:4 we read of what Paul said to the church in Jerusalem after his first missionary journey: "When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them." In both instances, Paul was telling of God.

I am sure that much was the same in Jerusalem and Antioch the second time around. They returned from a journey that had taken years. They were reporting to the church of all that God had done through them.

Can you imagine the stories? Paul could have told of how they returned to Derbe and Lystra and Iconium and Antioch, and found the church strong and healthy. Paul could have described their confusion in Troas about where to go next, only to receive the vision of the man in Macedonia, to go there. Paul could have shared of how the gospel was received in Philippi, with Lydia and the slave girl and the Philippian jailer. He could have rejoiced in God's faithfulness in delivering them from the persecution in the Philippian prison. Paul could have described how the gospel was received in Thessalonica, with Jason and others, and how those in Berea were dutifully searching the Scriptures. He could have given detail of how the gospel was received in Achaia, how Paul was able to speak with the intellectuals in Athens. and how some believed. Paul had the opportunity to show God's sovereignty in seeing the church in Corinth established and grow. He could have praised God in how God protected him during his time there. Such are only the beginnings of the stories that Paul could have told of how he saw the working of God in his life.

Then, after telling of what God had done through them in Jerusalem and Antioch, Paul embarked on his third missionary journey (in verse 23).

Acts 18:23
After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

Initially, on his first missionary journey, Paul was a pioneer, preaching the gospel to southern Galatia, where the gospel had never been preached before. He saw the hand of the Lord draw many to himself, establishing churches in these regions (Acts 14:23). On Paul's second missionary journey, he visited these places again. As a result "the churches were strengthened in the faith" (Acts 16:5). And now, in verse 23, we read of Paul doing the same thing. He was visiting the brothers who believed and was "strengthening all the disciples."

How do you think that Paul was "strengthening all the disciples"? Surely, it was through "Telling of God." It was through speaking of who God is (like at Athens) and what God had done through Jesus.

We are called to do this as well. This is the main application of the book of Acts: “Be My Witnesses.” We do this as we tell others of God.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on May 8, 2022 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/man-shaves-beard-after-waiting-10-years-for-obls-capture-or-death/

[2] Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004), 663.