“We don’t have those here.” I wish I could remember the exact context of that comment. Might have been when I tried to buy some live bait when we went fishing with our grandchildren. Could have been when I was looking for a certain kind of hardware item. But in either case, the reality was clear. What I wanted to buy was not available.

I’m reminded of this as I think of the shaven heads and vows surrounding Paul’s experience in Jerusalem. The Lutheran Study Bible [see citing below] notes:

For various reasons, the Jews periodically put themselves under a vow (cf Numbers 6:1-21). [They then quote Martin Luther] “We are not to swear in support of evil, that is, to support falsehood, or to swear when there is no need or use. But we should swear for the support of good and the advantage of our neighbor. For such swearing is truly a good work, by which God is praised, truth and right are established, falsehood is refuted, peace is made among men, obedience is rendered, and quarrels are settled” (LC I 66).

So while we don’t have those kinds of vows here, we do have occasions when we must show the sincerity of our beliefs and intentions. It’s more than putting earnest money or a deposit down when we buy or rent a house. It is like saying, “I do,” or “I promise with the help of God,” or I so promise, so help me God.” And keep these promises we must!

PS: This is being published on our 49th wedding anniversary. God’s grace has been abundant to us and we rejoice in his faithfulness to us all these years.

Above excerpt from The Lutheran Study Bible
© 2009 Concordia Publishing House
Scripture text © ESV
Material may be protected by copyright
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From wedding vows to ordination vows, promises made before God are resolute. Sadly, however, they are not inviolate. Marriages fail. Ordination vows are abandoned. But more often than not, these vows hold people together. They can bring back a wandering husband, and restore an unfaithful wife. Pastors can be reminded of their vows of faithfulness and care for God’s people and return to their calling.

All this is by the grace of God and the influence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of God’s people. For it requires not only the repentance of the wayward one, but the gracious welcome of the harmed.

In the case of Paul, vows were made, and purifications were needed so that Paul could be seen to have been faithful to his Jewish heritage and roots. At the end of it all an offering was made to God to show the earnestness of their actions.

Years later the Roman Church would require people to pay an offering to redeem a loved one from purgatory. These indulgences were little better than an abusive fund-raising program. And even worse, an attack on the gospel. We do not earn our way to God by any means. It can’t be done.

Here, however, these vows, purifications, and offerings were made not for the sake of God, but for the sake of the other believers. They were being done to quell misunderstanding, confusion, and wrong ideas about Paul and his working and his teachings.

I sense a hint of the need to convince Paul of the need for this. They not only told him of the 1000s of Jewish believers who had their concerns. They also reminded Paul that the Gentile believers had been accommodated by the simple requirements: “that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 

Paul’s work among the Gentiles was being validated and honored. His care for fellow Jewish believers was also urged. And he, man of God that he was, agreed. His vows, purifications, and offerings were a blessing to the Jewish believers and evidence of his desire not to offend.

These offerings, vows, and purifications were done because of God’s favor and work in his heart, not as a means of gaining God’s favor. His whole message stressed this vital truth – one we must keep in mind whenever we seek to honor God by any means – while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, forgave our sins, and offers us eternal salvation by his grace through faith.

Diane and I are set to travel to Tanzania for PLI International. We will teach 120 pastors and spouses about missional leadership, discipleship, and multiplying missional leaders. My first presentation will be on Multiplying Disciples, Disciple-Makers, and Leaders. We will talk about the Why, Who, and How of this process. The pastors and spouses are eager to learn, and they actually put into practice what they are taught. One of the Tanzanian pastors, learning about missional communities decided to start one of his own. Less than a year later five churches were planted from that missional community!

Because of all that, there is an urgent need for training – not only theological training, but discipleship, leadership, and missional training. Our teaching is heavily centered in Scripture. Every session is founded on the Bible’s teaching. Some of it is Paul’s direct teachings, like Paul instructing Titus to appoint elders (pastors) in the congregations he had visited, in Titus 1:5-9. Others are by the example of Jesus who sent out his disciples/apostles 2 by 2.

All of this is based on the command of Jesus to make disciples of all peoples/nations/ethnic groups. Jesus also promised that his followers would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. We are evidence of the truth of Jesus’ promise. In this passage from Acts, we see it unfolding among the Jews in Jerusalem where 1000s have believed and among the Gentiles among whom Paul has been working.

To sustain this there is an ongoing need for laborers in God’s harvest. That applies most obviously and urgently to the need for pastors. I’m seeing that in my work for the Texas District where in my area of the state no fewer than 10 congregations are in some step of their search for a pastor. But this points also to the need for others to take the gospel message to new people.

Thousands of people in Jerusalem don’t become believers through the influence of 12 apostles alone. When persecution broke out in the church in its earliest days, and everyone except the apostles were scattered. Those who were scattered preached the gospel wherever they went. Something must have also been happening in Jerusalem so that 1000s were brought to faith.

We can learn a lot from these situations and happenings. May 1000s be brought to faith in our cities, communities, neighborhoods and families.

I am serving as vacancy pastor at a church in Friendswood – about a 150 mile round trip. The other night I met with a group of men from there who I am asking to be my prayer partners. I shared with them that when I was serving at St. John, I had a group of men (elders) who I called David’s Mighty Men. That was based on the account in 2 Samuel 23:8-39. These were elite warriors who helped David establish his kingdom. I have no need to establish my kingdom, but I need men who will stand by me and keep me focused, and protected from the wiles of the devil. They were great partners in mission there, and I hope that the men who have agreed to be Pastor’s Prayer Partners at Hope will be the same. I have no reason to think otherwise.

I had to think of that when I read this account of the men who meet Paul as he is on his way to Jerusalem, and is now in the city. Despite how God had blessed people through Paul’s ministry and mission efforts, and the reception he got with the elders and leaders in Jerusalem, Paul faced threats – from within the Jewish community.

We know all about jealousy, fear, and envy, and how that can erode ministry effectiveness. We know all about how people actually oppose the things of God. But we don’t think that opposition ought to come from within the church. Sadly, sometimes it does.

Sometimes that opposition comes because of misunderstanding or misinformation about what is happening, what was said, and how the ministry is being worked out. That seems to be the case here. But, nevertheless, there is need to quell the opposition, fear, and misinformation around Paul’s missionary work. To do that will require Paul’s Mighty Men to act in his behalf and defense.

Paul will not have 30 like David did. But he will have four who will stand in the gap with and for him. They will complete a vow and vouch for Paul’s faithfulness. There may not be a war in the same way as David fought, but there is a spiritual war going on. And the devil will use anything he can to derail God’s mission. Thank God for those who stand with their leaders and fellow servants to defend, protect, pray for, and encourage those servants of the gospel. They are a blessing!

I play a little game when I drive a certain quarter-mile stretch between our house and our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday workout. Two roads come together for that stretch and those who turn left onto that part of the road often want to make a right turn at the other end of that short stretch of road. The problem is that there are two left turn lanes and only one right turn lane. Many times people in the left lane want to get over to the right lane so they can make the right turn. My little game is that I’ll always give way to anyone who turns on his turn signal indicating a desire to merge in front of me. It might be a bit petty, and sometimes I’ve been known to need to merge right as well. I’m always glad when someone lets me in.

I could to on about how that is an object lesson about prayer. God is glad to answer our prayers if only we will ask. But of course God is far more gracious than that. “Before they call I will answer,” he promises. “While they are yet speaking I will hear,” God says. (Isaiah 65:24) Yes, God is far more gracious than I am.

But there is another manner in which my merging example instructs us. As brothers and sisters in Christ, there are times we need to give way to another. Sometimes it comes as a simple request. Someone asks us to help out with a difficult task. We let go of our own time table and lend a hand. It could be we are asked to stop doing something that disturbs another sister or brother. We don’t demand to continue that  activity. We don’t drink in front of a person who struggles with alcohol addiction. We don’t insist on playing loud music if it disturbs our neighbor – brother or sister in Christ or not.

Sometimes the stakes are even higher. Paul undertakes obedience to an Old Testament ritual for the sake of not causing offense. In 1 Corinthians 9:20, he reminds the people there, “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.” This was especially important for them because of their schismatic party spirit and their unwillingness to give way to one another in Christian love.

We may want to claim our lane and avoid letting someone in. But God calls us to give way for the sake of Christian love, and as a show of true humility. Paul was willing to do this for he had experienced the grace of God so richly and wanted people to know it so fully. How about us? Have we experienced the grace of God richly? Do we want people to know it fully? Give way!

How are you at saying, or better yet, praying, “Thy will be done.”? That can often conjure up images of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, praying that somehow the bitter cup of suffering that was before him might not have to be taken. “Father, if you are willing,” Jesus prays, “take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) It was certainly an urgent prayer. Sweat as drops of blood fall from his forehead. He prays that prayer three times. But it is not to be. The Father’s will, was to crush Jesus – stunningly horrific as that may be.

This was prophesied in Isaiah 53:10, “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.” Isaiah was writing of the Suffering Servant, Jesus, the Savior. It was God’s will to crush Jesus so that we might be forgiven, redeemed, and saved. 

Now this is being played out in the life and ministry of Paul. Paul will not die as our substitute. His death will not forgive our sins. He will not rise three days after he dies. But Paul’s fate and future path will take him to Rome. He will be bound. He will be arrested. He will be in prison. And just as Jesus prayed, “Your will be done,” Paul has confessed that he is, “ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 

We must hear “for the sake of the name of the Lord Jesus” as for our sake. Paul will write letters to  the churches in Ephesus, Philippi, Colosai, and to Philemon from his Roman prison. Those letters are a treasure trove of insights about the Christian life, and of profound theological truths. These letters have blessed God’s people down through the ages.

God’s will may not always be harsh or difficult. Sometimes it can be pleasant. He wills that his children love and honor one another. He wills that children are treated with love and compassionate care. He wills that all people be saved. When we see these things happening, we can rejoice in the goodness of God’s will. But even when God’s will takes us to difficult places, we can be sure that God’s will is ultimately and always good. So, indeed, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

For me it was Jerry. In high school he talked with me one day about my lack of hygiene. “You just can’t do that, Dave,” he said. He was the only one who had the courage to speak a word of truth that was challenging but needed to be spoken. I’ve had the opportunity to speak in the same way over the years. Whether to the man dying of cancer, or the young couple getting married in an out-of-the-biblical-order way. It takes courage to speak truth to power.

Sometimes it’s called giving the last 10 percent. The idea of the last 10% is that often we’ll tell someone 90% of what they need to hear. I’m not talking about the, “Do these clothes make me look fat?” kinds of questions. It’s more like telling an employee that he is underperforming with some detail. It may be sharing with your husband that his off-color jokes not only make you cringe, but that you saw his boss  roll his eyes and shake his head when he told that joke at the party. A wife told her husband that she was concerned about his interactions with the officials at their daughter’s basketball game. It really hit home when she told him that it was her daughter who had said something. She wisely asked, “You don’t want your daughter to cringe every time she sees you come to her game, do you?”

You can have a huge impact in someone’s life when you share that last 10%.

It may not be quite the same, but I was reminded of this when I reflected on the message Agabus shared with Paul. Paul: large and in charge. Incredibly successful missionary. Former persecutor of Christians, now reformed and dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus. Imagine telling him that he was going to be bound in chains. And in such dramatic fashion!

In Paul’s case, the message was not intended to confront him, or call him to repentance. But it was a message that others needed to hear, along with Paul. This is an echo of what God told Ananias when he was sent to pray for Saul and restore his sight. “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name,” God said of Saul. Paul didn’t just lose his Hebrew name when he started his missionary work. He lost privilege, power, and prestige among his Jewish friends. But he has already said that he is willing even to die for the sake of Jesus. I suspect that Agabus’ message may have been more for the sake of Paul’s friends, and his brothers and sisters in Christ. These wounds may be painful for those people to endure. But they may be trusted – driving them to God for comfort, hope, and peace.

[True Story, Names and Some Details Changed]

Tom was deeply worried about his 20-something daughter. She had decided to make her own way, and having landed a job in another city, moved away from home. The job didn’t go well and she got fired. Still she stayed in her apartment – which she could not really afford. Then she stopped answering his texts. She had cut herself off from her friends and family.

All this weighed so deeply on his heart that he decided to kneel beside beside his bed each night to pray for his daughter. When the answer came it was not what he expected or wanted. But it was an answer, and God used further trouble to bring his daughter back into the family.

It is not my practice to kneel in prayer – with the exception of situations like Tom faced. But there have been those times. When our youngest son was born and faced a grave potential medical issue, I prayed earnestly – walking around the sanctuary of the church I served at the time, kneeling at the altar. Praying. We typically kneel at the altar rail for Holy Communion. And some churches have kneelers in their pews so that people can kneel for the confession of sins, or for prayer after receiving communion. An interesting side note: churches in Europe, we often found, have kneeling platforms built into their pews with no padding. They must be a hearty stock!

The purpose of kneeling seems to be two fold. For one, it can indicate humility. We kneel before the throne of God. We kneel in humility before the King of kings. We acknowledge God to be above all gods. Kneeling can also focus our prayers, signifying an urgent appeal to God. It can be a way that we express outwardly that we are seeking God’s help, mercy, grace, or forgiveness.

When Paul leaves Tyre, heading to Jerusalem, the people there kneel on the beach in prayer. Luke was there with them. Note the “we” he uses to describe their action. It seems to me that this was an act of humility, foreshadowing the words of the disciples in Caesarea who say, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” Their prayers were urgent, tearful, seeking comfort from God, and protection and courage for Paul no doubt. 

They knelt and prayed. What a great example for us today. Humility. Urgency. Sincerity. Faith. These are the inward attributes of one after God’s own heart, and they are expressed outwardly in kneeling.