Parallel Tracks: Mission and Model
But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” Acts 20:10
Acts 20:1–16 – The Story of the Church: Living Into This Drama in the 21st Century
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost–Reformation Day – October 31, 2021 (am)
As we progress through the book of Acts, standing in awe of the spread of the Kingdom, it’s easy to see it merely as travels stories on repeat. Paul goes here, preaches, people respond, people hate him, people want him dead, on to the next town. When that happens, the Scripture can seem disconnected from us.
But we are met with God’s words that say “All Scripture is give to us by God for our good….to do something in us…to transform us…to make us more like Jesus, to bring God glory”. Okay, how do we do that in a passage like today’s? One of the ways is to see this passage as having two parallel tracks (the image I have in my mind is train tracks), two tracks—different in some ways but going in the same direction.
Track One is to stand amazed at what is going on in the text, as God’s Gospel—the message of rescue found in Christ—spreads through the preaching of Christ crucified. Transforming lives and cultures region by region, often times through God’s miraculous intervention. Track Two is an applicational track, where we the reader look within the story and see if there is someone or something worthy of imitation as we walk with Christ. That is such a crucial part of bringing the Scriptures home to us, to find daily applicability in events that happened two thousand years ago.
As far as Track Two in our passage today, we see someone worthy of imitation, and that person we want to look at as a model Christ-follower is none other than the Apostle Paul. I know an objection can quickly come time mind—But he’s Paul! There’s now way we can possible be like him! Paul begs to differ. Twice in his first letter to the Corinthians, he says “For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” (1 Corinthians 4:15-16) and “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). So the Spirit inspires Paul to write to his audience and say “Imitate me!”, so as we study this passage, we want to ask “What is it about Paul that we should imitate?”—and we will seek to do that as we try to apply details of this passage to our lives
Our outline, for today’s message is simply:
I. Greece/Encouragement and Disciples (1-6)
II. Eutychus/Power and Purpose (7-12)
III. Toward Jerusalem/Honoring the Foundations (13-16)
The first part of the chapter picks up the story after the riot at Ephesus had died down. Paul calls for the disciples, says good bye and departed for Macedonia. But note what Paul does before he leaves—He encourages the disciples. He encouraged them and then he leaves and as he goes through the regions of Macedonia—what does the text say that he does to the disciples in those regions? He encourages them. Paul knew that those who had repented and believed the Gospel needed to be encouraged that they began living as aliens and strangers in this world. These were blood-bought believers in Christ. Valuable in the Lord’s sight, and in need of encouragement. Next week, Paul will emphasize to the Ephesian elders that they needed protection as well.
So here we jump to Track Two—seeking for ways we can imitate Paul. And one way we could imitate Paul is to be an encourager. For Paul, he went into these regions preaching the Gospel, people believed and followed Jesus. He had just left the dangerous riot of Ephesus and where is his focus? Other people. And we know that the road in following Christ is often a hard road.
These Christ-followers needed encouragement as they walked the hard road. Brothers and sisters has that changed today? Walking through this fallen world, identifying as Christ’s people, dealing with all of the hardships that come—people need encouragement. What if we, as Christ’s people, were known by our tireless desire to encourage one another? What if for every word of critique we offered others we offered ten words of encouragement? What if people could say of us, “Boy, I always come away encouraged after talking with them?” Do you think that would make a difference in people’s lives? Do you think it would strengthen people as they seek to follow Jesus in this tiring tough world? I think it would, and it would wonderfully imitate Paul, as he imitates Christ.
Back to Track One, so Paul travels through Macedonia. He meets with Titus who was returning from delivering that confrontational first letter to the church in Corinth, the place to which he is heading. After meeting Titus and getting news that the letter had been received and had its desired effect, Paul arrives in Greece, coming to Corinth. He spends three months there. We can learn much about Paul’s time here from the first seven chapters of his second letter to the Corinthians. As he’s about to sail out of town, he hears the Jews made a plot against him. So Paul decides to leave and backtrack. Paul’s desire is to get back to Jerusalem with the offering the churches had collected. In chapter 19 verse 21 we hear of Paul’s travel itinerary: “Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” As he sets starts his journey, Verse 4 lists all of these men who were part of the traveling companions. These were men from churches in regions that Paul had established and ministered to, and now they would be part of his traveling caravan as he sought to make it back to Jerusalem to deliver that offering. These men would join the Kingdom mission in a very profound way.
Back to Track Two: Here we find another point worthy of imitation—Paul’s focus on ministering with the intent of raising up disciples, disciples who would carry the baton, as Paul recognized that he was not going to be here forever. Whether it was Timothy, Titus, or the list of these men, Paul was zealous about raising up men to serve the Kingdom. He was a disciple-maker. But he was a disciple-maker that plugged people into Kingdom-mission. Brothers and sisters, we must be the same way—seeking to make disciples, disciples who serve our Lord, disciples who see there lives in terms of Kingdom mission, disciples who will take the baton from us some day.
This is how we must view the younger folks and children in our church. Do we see them that way? They will take the baton, they will be the leaders in this church some day. Do we have someone that we are pouring into in such a manner. Or, are we opening ourselves up to be poured into in such a manner? Do we see our lives as Kingdom mission? Whatever course of life you live…student, parent, employee…you are God’s Kingdom representative in that place and circumstance. You are on mission for the glory of the risen King! And as we are on mission, may we inmate Paul in his being an encourager and a disciple-maker.
Back to Track One: This section ends by telling us that this group went ahead to Troas, and Paul and his immediate group (Luke included) sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread and arrive at Troas. Here we find our second outline point: Eutychus/Power and purpose.
On the first day of the week, believers gather to break bread. This is one of the first mentions of Christians meeting on the first day of the week. And the meeting is centered on a meal and some teaching (in the form of discussion). Paul is there, going to leave the next day…and he talks…for a long time (until midnight). Luke mentions that there are many lamps present, needed to give light in the evening hours, which would burn oil and let off fumes. The late hour and the fumes have an effect on a young man—Eutychus. This poor fella is on the widow ledge three levels up and—boom…he falls out! They “take him up dead”. But here comes Paul. Just like Elijah and Elisha in 1st and 2nd Kings, like Jesus, like Peter in Acts 9, Paul says “Don’t freak…his life is in him”. Paul is used by God to give Eutychus life again. Then what does Paul do…back upstairs, they eat, and he talks till dawn. Why? This is what he knew the people needed. They needed encouragement. They needed fellowship. They needed instruction.
Over to Track Two, What can we possibly imitate here? Two things, I’d argue. First, note how Kingdom and people focused Paul was. He had a purpose. Did he have travel plans? Yes. Could he have used a good night’s sleep before departing? Sure. Think he was worn out? Absolutely. But he knew his purpose. To make Christ known. To deepen the faith of those who knew Christ. To instruct and encourage the people that God had put before him. He loved the people he was with. He laid aside his personal comfort and did what was best for the people at Troas… conversed with them all night, to comfort them, to strengthen them. He didn’t necessarily count the cost to himself. Is it possible that our Kingdom impact is lessened because our first thought is the cost to ourselves? What if we were a people known for doing whatever the situation, or the person, needed, flinging aside the cost to ourselves? What would that look like? I’d say that would turn the world upside down.
Another thing, and I want to tread carefully here, is the power on display in Paul’s life. Can we expect to imitate Paul in raising the dead? I don’t think so. This is a particular miracle given by God for a particular purpose in a particular place. But can we be assured that God will grant us power to accomplish whatever He wants, in in whatever situation He puts before us? Power that is supernatural in origin? Absolutely. What is the key to the power? I think a key is found in next week’s passage, Verse 24, “ But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” The key to spiritual power in our lives? An absolute yieldedness to God. A willing to count our lives cheap compared to our devotion to the Lord, because we love Him above all things—the One who lived and died for us. A willingness to die to our preferences, our plans, our need for sleep, and talk, bear with, teach people (whatever it takes!) for as long as it takes for their good. Paul’s life of being yielded to the Lord led to a life full of great power. Trouble? Hardships? Yessir. But in those things, great power. In Philippians, he would call it Resurrection Power.
Paul’s constant desire to encourage is worthy of imitation, Paul’s eye to raise up and entrust the mission to disciples is worthy of imitation. Paul’s Kingdom and others-mindedness is worthy of imitation. Paul’s lessening of himself and yielding of himself entirely to the Lord is worthy of imitation. What happens in lives like that? POWER. A power that turns the world upside down.
That brings us to our final point, Toward Jerusalem/Honoring the Foundations (13-16). Paul doesn’t get on the boat. He walks the 20 miles or so to Assos, there he gets on the boat. They sail into different cities. Verse 16 says they sail past Ephesus. Interesting. Because next week we’ll hear that he sends for the Ephesian elders. Maybe it wasn’t safe for him to return yet. Maybe he knew that it would delay his arrival in Jerusalem. We just don’t know.
But what we do know is that Paul wants to get back to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost. Why? He’s a Christian now….what does he need with all that Jewish feast stuff? Paul was a true Jew, a member of true Israel. He was able to see all of the feast, all of the Law and the Prophets, in all of their fulness, because they all pointed to Messiah and Messiah’s Kingdom. Paul could go back and celebrate the day of Pentecost because was indwelt by the Spirit that came on that day! He now was able to understand and truly celebrate. He wanted to get back to join with his believing fellow Jews and implore the unbelieving fellow Jews about the fact that Jesus is the Christ.
Is there anything worthy of imitation there? I’m not one to suggest that Gentiles should go back and celebrate the Jewish calendar. But are there foundational moments in the life of Christ’s church that we should honor? Well, we all acknowledge at least two, don’t we? Christmas and Easter. What about when we study an early creed or confession that brings clarity to complicated theology? What about when we acknowledge this day, not as Halloween but as Reformation Sunday, celebrating a time when God stepped in and corrected the course of church history— bringing back the purity of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and reaffirming the Word of God as the sole source of authority. It is not wrong to honor those foundational things. We are here, in part, because we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.
Next week, God allowing, we’ll pick up our story in Miletus, where Paul calls for the elders of Ephesus to meet. But as we leave this text, let’s ask the Lord to help us see the model he as given us in Paul—his great desire to encourage, his desire to raise up disciples, his desire to do whatever the situation called for, his yieldnedness to the Lord (which brought great power) and His desire to honor the foundations of the faith once delivered—let us look to that model and obey Paul’s word to imitate him as he imitates Christ.
NEXT WEEK: Acts 20:17–38, Kipp Soncek