1. Where to Stay? (verse 15-16)
2. Whom to See? (verses 17-20a)
3. What to Do? (verses 20b-26) 

I want to begin this morning by telling you about Andrew van der Bijl. He passed away a few weeks ago (on September 27, 2022). He was 94 years old. You may have heard about him in the news. He is best known simply as, “Brother Andrew.” As his name suggestions, he was a Dutchman. Though raised in a godly home, he strayed as a youth, but was converted in his 20’s.

He attended a Christian Missionary Training school in Glasgow, Scotland. Upon graduation he was looking to the Lord for direction in his life. He had an opportunity to visit Warsaw, Poland in 1955 (when he was 27). Mind you, this was behind the Iron Curtain. Poland was under communistic control. During his visit, he visited a Christian bookstore, and was told of how Bibles are rare behind the Iron Curtain.

After his visit to Poland, he went to Czechoslovakia on a government-controlled tour. While in Czechoslovakia, he was able to see firsthand how scare Bibles were in that country. He went to a bookstore that was well-stocked with religious items, music, stationery, pictures, statues, crosses, and books. But when asked for a Bible, there was none to purchase. He said to the worker, “Ma’am, I have come all the way from Holland to see how the Church is faring in Czechoslovakia. Are you going to tell me that I can walk into the largest bookstore in the country and not be able to buy a single Bible?”^[1]

Later in the week, he was able to slip away from his tour on a Sunday. He visited several churches. He said this:

The service began. I took a seat in the back and immediately had a surprise. Most everyone seemed farsighted! The owners of the hymn books held them out at arm’s length, high in the air. Those with looseleaf notebooks did the same. And then I realized: the people with books were sharing them with those who had none. In the notebooks were copied, note by note and word by word, the favorite hymns of the congregation.

It was the same with the Bibles. When the preacher announced the text, every Bible owner in the congregation found the reference and held his book high so that friends nearby could follow the reading. As I watched those men and women struggling literally to get close to the Word, my hand closed over the Dutch Bible in my coat jacket. How much for granted I had always taken my right to own this Book. I thought that I would never reach for it again without remembering the old granny in front of me now, standing almost on tiptoe, squinting as she strained to see the words in the Bible her son held aloft.^[2]

That encounter changed everything in his life. He made it his goal to get Bibles to Christians behind the Iron Curtain.

Before I move on, let me challenge you about your own view of the Bible? do you consider it as precious and life-giving. More precious than gold? Sweeter than honey? or have you become complacent?

Anyway, Brother Andrew was given a Volkswagen Beetle to transport Bibles. In 1957, he took his first trip to Yugoslavia. At the border, he was fully aware of the fact that any printed material was liable to be confiscated at the border, as it was regarded as foreign propaganda. He wrote,

Here I was with car and luggage literally bulging with tracts, Bibles and portions of Bibles. How was I to get them past the border guard? And so, for the first of many times, I said the Prayer of God’s Smuggler, "Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children across the border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see."^[3]

And the Lord answered his prayer time and time again. Looking back, Brother Andrew would say, ““I promised God that as often as I could lay my hands on a Bible, I would bring it to these children of his behind the wall that men built, to every … .. country where God opened the door long enough for me to slip through”^[4]

He made many trips behind the iron curtain, bringing Bibles to Christians. Daniel Silliman writes, “No one knows how many Bibles [Brother Andrew] took into Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, East Germany, Bulgaria, and other Soviet-bloc countries. .. Estimates have ranged into the millions. A Dutch joke popular in the late 1960s said, ‘What will the Russians find if they arrive first at the moon? Brother Andrew with a load of Bibles.’”^[5]

His story was so fascinating that it was written in a book entitled, “God’s Smuggler.” It came out in 1967. The book was an instant best seller. Since 1967, it has sold more than 10 million copies. Now, one of the unintended consequences of the book is that Brother Andrew became famous. He was a marked man. So, he had to step back from the work himself, to encourage others in it. He did so as the head of a missions organization he founded called, “Open Doors.”

At this point, he adapted in his role. No longer was he the mule that brought Bibles into countries where they were needed. Instead, he was the cheerleader, that urged people on in doing so. And he did so, even when people disagreed with him. For instance, the American Bible Society and the Southern Baptist Convention's Foreign Mission Board, did not support his practice of Bible smuggling, calling it dangerous and ineffective.^[6] Brother Andrew would reply that though the laws of the countries that he visited prohibited him from bringing in religious literature across the border, he often placed the material in plain sight when stopped at police checkpoints. He relied upon the Lord, who made blind eyes see, to make seeing eyes blind.

Now, when the Iron Curtain came down in the 1990’s, he shifted his focus from taking Bibles to the Communists to reaching out to Muslims in the Middle East. Yet still his mission was the same: to get God’s word into the hands of all who wanted it. When asked if he had any regrets about his life’s work, Brother Andrew said, “If I could live my life over again, I would be a lot more radical.”^[7]

___________

So, I tell you that story, because Brother Andrew had many things in common with the apostle Paul that we will see in our text this morning.

Both Brother Andrew and Paul were radical disciples of Christ. Brother Andrew once said, “I think we in the West, this is a personal confession, I think we are cowards .. We ought to become people of guts and courage and strong convictions and don’t count our lives dear unto ourselves.”^[8] In that quote, Brother Andrew was quoting the apostle Paul, “I do not count my life as dear to myself” (Acts 20:24).

Both Paul and Brother Andrew were used by the Lord to affect many lives. At the time of Brother Andrew’s death a few weeks ago, Open Doors was serving Christians in more than 60 countries, distributing more than 300,000 Bibles every year. We are still reading the apostle Paul today.

Both Paul and Brother Andrew faced danger in their lives. Did you notice the small print on his book, “God’s Smuggler”? “When he crossed the armed borders of the Iron Curtain would he be lucky—or dead?” Last week, we heard of the danger that Paul would face when coming to Jerusalem, “imprisonment and afflictions” (Acts 20:23).

Both Paul and Brother Andrew faced some controversy in their lives. Brother Andrew had people disagree with his methods of smuggling Bibles. Last week, we saw how people told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.

Both Paul and Brother Andrew adapted their strategy when needed. Brother Andrew shifted his focus when he wasn’t able to smuggle Bibles himself. Further, brother Andrew shifted his focus to the Muslim world when the Iron Curtain fell.

In fact, it’s this last point, that I want to look at this morning. Paul was ready to adapt his ministry as well, whatever came his way. My message this morning is entitled, “Ready to Adapt.” It comes from Acts 21:15-40.

Our text this week comes right after our text from last week, in which we saw those in Tyre and those in Caesarea telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, because he was going to suffer there, and maybe even die. But Paul was “willing to die.” When told not to go to Jerusalem, Paul said, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13).

Paul was willing to lay down his life for Jesus. Yet, we see in our text this morning, as we continue the story, that this didn’t mean that he would walk headlong into his death, like we saw John Chau do last week, as I told you about how he walked right into the camp of those on the North Sentinelese Island. Now, Paul was wise about his actions in Jerusalem. He was, as I said, “Ready to Adapt.”

Let's consider our text:

Acts 21:15-26
After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge. When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

Now, the first thing we see in our text is Paul ending his 3rd missionary journey.

Acts 21:15
After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.

After several years and several thousand miles, Paul returned back into the land of the Jews. I trust that by now, you have Paul’s missionary journey in your mind, how he began at that great church in Antioch, how he traveled across southern Galatia, traveling as far as Corinth, and retracing his steps, returning finally to Jerusalem. Sadly, he never returned to his sending church in Antioch. Jerusalem was as close as he got, that’s why we call it the end of his third missionary journey.

Now, in coming to Jerusalem, we see Paul submitting to the counsel of others. This is my first point to show Paul's willingness to adapt. First of all, he submitted himself to ...

1. Where to Stay? (verse 15-16)

Acts 21:16
And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

The idea here is that Paul wasn’t running the show. Rather, it was those from Caesarea, who had a better understanding of the lay of the land. And they recommended that Paul stay in the house of “Mnason of Cyprus.” Paul was ready and willing to do so. Or, as I have said this morning, he was “Ready to Adapt.” Paul didn’t hold to his own agenda of where to stay. If the locals thought it best for him to stay at Mnason’s house, so be it.

Now, all that we know of this man is that he was “an early disciple.” That is, he was one of the first Christians in Jerusalem. Perhaps he was even one of those converted on the day of Pentecost, when 3,000 people repented of their sins and believed in Jesus as the Messiah! Perhaps he was one of the 5,000 (Acts 4:4). That was more than a decade before. Over this time, Mnason had proved himself faithful. and ready and willing to take on a houseguest.

The next day we see Paul coming into Jerusalem and meeting with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

Acts 21:17
When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.

Regarding the theme of my message this morning, we see ready to adapt regarding ...

2. Whom to See? (verses 17-20a)

When Paul came to Jerusalem, he didn’t have his own agenda of what he was going to do. Rather, he came to meet first of all with James and the elders of the church in Jerusalem. He didn’t merely storm into the temple area to be arrested and bound in prison according to the prophesies he received. No, he went first to the leaders of the church, to connect with them and to hear their counsel to him. And boy did he connect.

Acts 21:19
After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

What a conversation that must have been! For Paul to relate, “one by one” all that God had done among the Gentiles through Paul’s ministry.

He may have gone back to his first missionary journey, when he traveled across Cyprus, going through the whole island, “proclaiming the word of God.” coming finally to Paphos, where the proconsul of the city believed! “being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Acts 13:12).

He may have told of what happened at Antioch of Pisidia, where “almost the whole city gathered [in the synagogue] to hear the word of the Lord” (Acts 13:44). and many Gentiles “began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord” when they heard the message of salvation. and “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

Paul may have told what happened during his second missionary journey as he was led by the Lord to go to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10). One of the cities in Macedonia was Philippi. Paul may have told the story of the jailor who was converted and believed in Jesus (Acts 16:34). Another city in Macedonia was Thessalonica. Paul may have told the stories of how “many of the devout Greeks” believed in Jesus (Acts 17:4).

Paul may have told what happened when he came to Achaia, and visited Corinth. Paul was ready to leave, but the Lord said to him in a vision, Acts 18:9 “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.” And so he stayed 18 months and saw many Gentiles come to Christ.

Paul may have told what happened during his third missionary journey. How he saw a great many Jews and Gentiles come to Christ in Ephesus (Acts 19:10). He may have told about the “extraordinary miracles” that God was doing through him in Ephesus (Acts 19:11).

Paul may have told about the great generosity of the Gentiles in Macedonia as they gave out of their poverty to help the impoverished Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-4), which is why he was in Jerusalem. After all, Paul was in Jerusalem to deliver the gifts he received from the Gentiles for the Jewish Christians who were facing financial hardship.

These are the sorts of things that Paul may have said to James and the elders as "he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry" (verse 19).

Missionary stories are fascinating. Brother Andrew had some stories to tell. For instance, here’s the story that Brother Andrew tells of his first visit to Yugoslavia with his VW Beetle.

Just ahead was the Yugoslav border. For the first time in my life I was about to enter a Communist country on my own, instead of a in a group invited and sponsored by the government. I stopped the little VW on the outskirts of the tiny Austrian village and took stock.

The Yugoslav government in 1957 permitted visitors to bring in only articles for their personal use. Anything new or anything in quantity was suspect because of the black market thriving all over the country. Printed material especially was liable to be confiscated at the border, no mater how small the quantity, because coming out of the country, it was regarded as foreign propaganda. Now here I was with care and luggage literally bulging with tracts, Bibles, and portions of Bibles. How was I to get them past the border guard? And so, for the first of many times, I said the Prayer of God's Smuggler:

"Lord, in my luggage I have Scripture that I want to take to Your children across this border. When You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, I pray, make seeing eyes blind. Do not let the guards see those things You do not want them to see."

And so, armed with this prayer, I started the motor and drove up to the barrier. The two guards appeared both startled and pleased to see me. I wondered how much business came their way. From the way they stared at my passport, it might have been the first Dutch one they had ever seen. There were just a few formalities to attend to, they assured me in German, and I could be on my way.

One of the guards began poking around in my camping gear. In the corners and folds of my sleeping bag and tent were boxes of tracts. "Lord, make those seeing eyes blind."

"Do you have anything to declare?"

"Well, I have my money and a wristwatch and a camera ...."

The other guard was looking inside the VW. He asked me to take out a suitcase. I knew that there were tracts scattered through my clothing.

"Of course, sir," I said. I pulled the front seat forward and dragged the suitcase out. I placed it on the ground and opened the lid. The guard lifted the shirts that lay on top. Beneath them, and now in plain sight, was a pile of tracts in two different Yugoslavian languages, Croatian and Slovene. How was God going to handle this situation?

"It seems dry for this time of year," I said to the other guard, and without looking at the fellow who was inspecting the suitcases, I fell into a conversation about the weather. I told him about my own homeland and how it was always wet on the ponders. Finally, when I could stand the suspense no longer, I looked behind me. The first guard wasn't even glancing at the suitcase. He was listening to our conversation. When I turned around he caught himself and looked up.

"Well then, do you have anything else to declare?"

"Only 'small' things," I said. The tracts were small after all.

"We won't bother with them," said the guard. He nodded to me that I could close the suitcase, and with a little salute handed me back my passport.

My first stop was Zagreb. I had been given the name of a Christian leader there, whom I shall call Jamil. The name had come from the Dutch Bible Society, which listed him as a man who occasionally ordered Bibles in quantity. However, they had not heard from him since Tito had become premier in 1945. I hardly dared hope that he would still be living at the same address, but with no other choice, I had written a carefully worded letter stating that toward the end of March a Dutchman might visit his country. And now I was driving into Zagreb, looking for his address.

To underline the wonders of that first Christian contact in Yugoslavia, I shall have to tell what happened to my letter, even though of course I did not know the whole story until later. It had been delivered to the address all right, but Jamil had long since moved. The new tenant did not know his whereabouts and returned the letter to the post office. There it was held up for two weeks while a search was made for Jamil's new address. On the very day I entered Yugoslavia it was finally delivered. Jamil read it puzzled. Who was this mysterious Dutchman? Was it safe to try contacting him?

With nothing better than a vague feeling that he should do something, Jamil boarded a tram and went to his old apartment house. But then what? Jamil stood on the sidewalk wondering how to proceed. Had the Dutchman already arrived, and gone about asking for a certain Jamil? Did he dare go to the tenant with the suspicious story that someday an unknown Dutchman might call asking for him? What on earth should he do?

And it was at that moment that I pulled up to the curb and stopped my car. I stepped out no more than two feet away from Jamil, who of course recognized me at once from my license plates. He seized my hands, and we put our stories together.

Jamil was overjoyed at having a foreign Christian in his country. He repeated the theme I had heard first in Poland, that my "being there' meant everything. They felt so isolated, so alone. Of course he would help me set up contacts with the believers in his country.^[9]

That’s just one story of many of the sovereign working of God through Brother Andrew’s life. Similarly, Paul would have had similar stories that he shared with James and the elders of the church in Jerusalem. He may have told some stories that we don't have recorded in the book of Acts. We read of their response in verse 20,

Acts 21:20
And when they heard it, they glorified God. Of course they glorified God.

About this verse, John Stott says, “The evidence of God’s grace towards Gentiles was indisputable, and the only appropriate response was worship. The joyful praise of James and the elders was not even grudging; it was spontaneous and genuine.”^[10]

But James and the elders were aware of a problem in Jerusalem. and gave Paul some counsel. And here we see our third point.

3. What to Do? (verses 20b-26) 

This is where we see Paul really adapting to his situation. Basically, he bends to the Jews, who might take issue with his understanding of the law. Let's consider the counsel that the elders gave to Paul regarding his dealing with the Jews in Jerusalem. First, they establish the issue.

Acts 21:20-21
And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.

The customs of the church in Jerusalem were different than the customs of the churches in the Gentile world where Paul had been ministering. In Jerusalem, the Jews, having grown up on the law, having been taught the law, having kept the law, were “zealous for the law.” Those in Jerusalem who believed in Jesus continued on to keep many aspects of law, as the law is not contrary to God. In fact, the law shows us how to live! Further, in keeping the law, they weren’t alienating themselves from the Jews who lived in Jerusalem.

Now, the outward sign of law-keeping was circumcision. And the Jews in Jerusalem kept the practice. But in Gentile lands, the customs were different. Circumcision was not prominent in the culture. Nor was it prominent in the church. The decision of the Jerusalem counsel (back in Acts 15) was that the Gentiles were not required to be circumcised to be saved. As Peter said, “We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will” (Acts 15:11).

Now, it’s not that Paul was not concerned about this issue. In fact, on his second missionary journey, he circumcised Timothy, so as not to give offense to the Jews in Gentile land (Acts 16:3). But they heard that Paul had told Jews “not to circumcise their children” (verse 21), which was not true (i.e. Timothy).

For the believing Jews in Jerusalem, this was a big deal. For someone to actively encourage a Jew not to circumcise their children was a big strike against them. As Simon Kistemaker wrote, Such a practice would place Paul, “outside the mainstream.”^[11] As a result, his ministry in Jerusalem would be severely limited. Paul would cause unnecessary distraction and disunity in the church.

This is not unlike our culture as well. The culture of Rock Valley Bible Church is different than the culture of other churches across our land. Some churches practically require that you dress up for church. Men wear suits and women wear dresses. Some churches preach only from the King James Version of the Bible, believing it to be the only true word of God. Some churches sing only hymns.

So, what would I do if I came into one of those churches? I would wear a suit. I would preach out of the King James Version of the Bible. I would gladly sing the hymns of old. I would do so in order that I might not be an offense, so as to minister the gospel of Christ to them. Should I not wear a suit, or preach out of the ESV, or say something against their old stuffy hymns, I would not be serving the gospel. I would be creating disunity in the church.

So, what was Paul to do? This is the question asked in verse 22.

Acts 21:22-24
What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

These four men had probably taken a Nazirite vow. The details are told in Numbers 6. We don’t know why these men took a vow. Somehow, they felt the need to purify themselves for some reason. Perhaps it was in conjunction with Pentecost that was coming soon. According to the requirements of Numbers 6, they needed to offer up three animals. A male lamb. A female lamb. A ram. These animals would be offered up with the hair from their head that they would shave to conclude their vows.

The cost of this was high. James and the elders asked Paul to pay their expenses. With the expectation that "all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law" (verse 24). Verse 25, then was an affirmation that such things were not required of the Gentiles.

Acts 21:25
But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

This is the letter that they agreed upon at the counsel recorded in Acts 15 (see Acts 15:19-20, 28-29). No the Gentiles didn’t have to be circumcised to be saved. But, to show sympathy to the Jews and live in harmony with them, the Gentiles should stay away from practices that were particularly offensive to the Jews.

Then, we read in verse 26 that Paul followed the counsel of James and the elders.Acts 21:26

Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

That is, Paul followed the advice of James and the elders. He purified himself and paid their expenses (verses 24). As I have said, he was “Ready to Adapt.” If Paul needed to do something to cultivate peace and harmony in Jerusalem, he was glad to do so.

This story is an expression of Paul’s principle he shared in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul shared in verse 19, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." Indeed, Christ has called us to freedom (Galatians 5:1). Paul was free. He didn't have to join in with this Nazirite vow. But he was glad to do it, because he considered himself a servant to those in Jerusalem, with the aim of evangelism, with the aim of winning them.

He continued in 1 Corinthians 9, "To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law" (1 Corinthians 9:20). This is exactly what is happening in Jerusalem. They considered themselves under the law, so Paul gladly put himself under the law. In doing so, he pacified the Jewish believers. He also had the goal of winning those who didn't believe.

But, "to those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law" (1 Corinthians 9:21). In other words, when he encountered the Gentiles during his missionary journeys, he wasn't the cloistered Jew, who can't even touch them or associate with them. No, he was a person. He lived as they lived. Though, obviously, there were some constraints on the way that he lived, as he was under the law of Christ. He didn't involve himself in all of their frivolities. But he did so with the aim of evangelism, "to win those outside the law."

Paul continued by saying, "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:22). This is what Paul was doing. He was adapting to the culture. He was using "all means" to become "all things" to "all people" that he might "save some." He did this rather than causing disunity and disharmony in the church.

Paul says, "I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings" (1 Corinthians 9:23). To the Jews in Jerusalem, Paul was becoming like a Jew. To those in Gentile lands, Paul lived like Gentiles. In other words, Paul adapted his life for the sake of the gospel.

Really, this is the big point of application for us. Are you adapting your life for the sake of the gospel? Are their ways in which you are changing and modifying what you are free to do, but maybe you wouldn't naturally do, but you are free to do, for the sake of those outside the gospel?

There is a way that people can come across as representatives of "churchianity." They go out to the world, but there is no connection with the world. People can be too religious and stuffy to have the world relate. And so, I exhort you, to live like the world lives (not sinfully, of course). But people can come across as so churchy that they don't even connect with the world. They can even be seen as coming from a different planet. Are you too religious for those outside?

Over the years, I have tried to model this by playing pool. I'm still playing. I'm getting better, but my improvement is slowing down. Now, in playing pool, I'm still under the law of Christ (verse 21). So, in the bars, I'm not drinking or swearing. But I am seeking to minister to people there.

The culture of the bar is interesting. I was playing a few weeks ago, when a gentleman came up and began talking with me. He sat down and proceeded to tell me two dirty jokes. I told him, "I don't find that funny at all." He was taken aback a little bit. But that's the culture. Dirty jokes are fair game. They are introductions to conversations. But I was trying to be under the law of Christ to be a light. I have seen this gentleman on several other occasions. He hasn't told me another joke.

Last week, I was talking with a guy who had lost a lot of weight recently. I asked him about it. He said that he might have cancer. He might have lymphoma. He is going to have a biopsy tomorrow (Monday) to see if they can see any cancer. So, I was able to tell him about Andy who is struggling with cancer as well and what a scary thing is can be. So, I had a chance to sympathize with him.

Further, there was a player in the league who died in a motorcycle accident. He was traveling along the highway and caught the back end of a semi truck and wiped out and died. This happened about 10 days ago. I hadn't met this guy, but I played last week with some guys who knew him well. This is the place where I'm going. I'm going in so as to win pool players by all means as is possible.

Pool may not be your thing. Perhaps there are other things for you. You are doing and going along withe the apostle Paul, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some." This was Paul's motivation in taking this vow in coming to Jerusalem. He was willing to do so. He was "Ready to Adapt."

Here's another application: Halloween. I'm fully aware that many people have differing views of Halloween. Certainly, there are bad things that come out of Halloween. Certainly, there are wicked portrayals of death. However, Halloween is the one time in the year when the world comes to our door asking for us to give them something. Do you turn off the light and hide away?

I remember being involved in a church years ago. We had a "Reformation Night" at the church. It was a wonderful time! Kids dressed up in costumes (usually Bible characters). The children were in the basement of the church doing games and getting candy and prizes, while the adults were in the auditorium, listening to a talk on the Reformation. We have even done this at our church as well. It's a fun time.

But I remember being convicted as I drove off to church, while the kids in the neighborhood were out in the streets coming to my door and I'm not giving them anything. Over the years, I have advocated giving out gospel tracts. I have advocated reaching out to your neighbors to find out as much as you can about them on that night as they are out.

So, you can pray about what you want to do. But Halloween might become a time to be "all things" to "all men" for the opportunity to "save some." I'm not telling you to get involved. I'm just telling you that you might just redeem the good things about the holiday. You don't have to embrace everything about the holiday. Paul certainly didn't embrace following everything in the law, which would have brought him a curse (Galatians 3:10). Giving out candy doesn't mean that you have embraced the occult. It means that you are giving candy to a child to put a smile on his face. You have included a tract, with hopes that he might read it and be saved.

Are there other things in your life where can adapt or bend? One big area is your children. What are your children interested in? Whatever your children are interested in should become your interest. You should engage with them in their sports or theater or boy scouts or BMX racing or chess. What about Christmas parties? Sure, there may be some bad things taking place with others drinking, but there is much to redeem with this.

Can you bend? Some people are so religious that they can't even bend at all. They are so rigid in their lives that they are so focused on themselves that they can't reach out to others in love.

Here we saw Paul willing to take this vow of purification because he saw it for what it was. There was nothing wrong with Paul making a vow to the Lord and then cutting your hair and giving some sacrifices to the priests. Are there things that you could be doing in an effort to reach people? That's what Paul was doing.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on October 16, 2022 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] Brother Andrew, God’s Smuggler (New York: Penguin Books, 1967), 87.
 
[2] Ibid, 88.
 
[3] Ibid, 100.

[4] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/died-brother-andrew-open-door-smuggled-bibles-into-communis.html.

[5] Ibid.

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_van_der_Bijl.

[7] https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/died-brother-andrew-open-door-smuggled-bibles-into-communis.html.
 
[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK3eTJQtPug&t=348s.

[9] Brother Andrew, pp. 100-102 (italics his). If you are interested in reading more about Brother Andrew, here is a link to the book that you can borrow and read: https://archive.org/details/godssmuggler00andr_0.

[10] John Stott, The Message of Acts (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 340.

[11] Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004), 759.