Heard

Paul’s third missionary journey officially ends today with his arrival in Jerusalem. There is a link in the “sites” section of the blog that will allow you to interactively recap his journey.


Acts 21
17 When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. 19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. 21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. 24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws. 25 As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.” 26 So Paul went to the Temple the next day with the other men. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their vows would end and sacrifices would be offered for each of them.


Heard. You have to be careful about what you hear. These Jewish believers had heard that Paul was teaching people to go against certain Jewish customs (specifically circumcision). They heard; but never verified. In fact, the statements were false. Paul didn’t have anything against circumcision as a custom (check out Acts 16:1-5). He just didn’t want circumcision equated with salvation (check out Galatians 6:11-16). For centuries, unverified statements (rumors) have wreaked havoc on communities of Jesus followers. Sadly, they are still causing hurt and division today. We may not have started the fire; but we can definitely do our part to stop it (check out Proverbs 26:20). When it comes to unverified statements, we need to be diligent (check out Deuteronomy 13: 14), gracious (check out Matthew 7:12) and sincere (check out Luke 6:41-42). Then, maybe what others have heard about us will change.