Lead With Conviction (Acts 20:24, 21-23)

R. Dwain Minor   -  

Christian leadership is not easy. It can be filled with heartache and trouble, betrayals and lies. But Christian leadership is necessary and good. And if you are called to do it, then you will need to have your whole heart in it.

To some extent, Christian leadership is something that all of us are called to. Mothers and fathers lead their children. Fathers lead their homes. Some of you are leading ministries here at this church. Some of you are teaching Sunday School classes. And pastors are to lead churches. Some of you have leadership duties at your school or work as well.

Paul is exemplifying what Christian leadership looks like in the face of massive amounts of chaos. In fact, it seems that everywhere Paul turns there is more chaos to be faced. And he plunges forward into it. And as he goes, he must look at friends and loved ones, as well as people looking to do him harm and stand up to every one of them.

And this is something we need to see and understand today. Ours is a period of constant anxiety about what could happen next. Leading in any area has become more about not upsetting people than moving toward a goal.

A lot of companies spend loads of money trying to keep the people happy in their jobs. It used to be that HR mostly dealt with hiring and firing. Now a lot of those departments make sure people are using the right pronouns or something of that nature. And oftentimes this sort of thing occupies so much space in the life of a company that they lose sight of their goals.

It can happen in a church as well. It does happen in churches quite often. If you have a loud and easy to upset group of people within the congregation the pastor oftentimes finds himself spending a lot of time trying not to upset them. His mental efforts ponder how to word something so as not to upset someone. And in that, there becomes an unwillingness to do and say what is necessary. The eyes of the church have moved from the mission to people pleasing and it renders them ineffective. The eyes of the church were more focused upon avoiding chaos than the mission.

And it can happen in a church about people outside of the church quite often as well. What happens when a church decides that they do not want to offend certain people? When they decide to be inviting and accepting rather than holding to the truths of God’s Word? Well, I think we have all seen what happens there.

Sometimes we will face chaos. We must reckon with that. If peace and happiness are always the goal, then following the Lord is not what’s driving you.

“”If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18-21 ESV)

But always, we will need to lead with conviction.

We find Paul leading with conviction through three different episodes. The first is with other Christians. These are people that he loves. The second is in front of a mob of people that want to kill him. And the third is in front of confused people and people that want to kill him. In all three we see Paul leading with conviction.

Everywhere Paul goes, he is not controlled by emotion or the people around him. It is the conviction of the truth of the gospel and the lordship of Jesus Christ that moves him to go forth in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what is to move us as well.

Christian Leadership Is About Conviction (Acts 20:24, 21:13, 22:14-15)

Paul knew what he was supposed to do. The Holy Spirit had told him to go and he had no questions about his purpose. He was called to preach the gospel, to declare the message of salvation through the finished work of Christ. He was moved by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem. And he was to take the gospel to the ends of the Earth, which was Rome.

Knowing what to do and how to respond in situations is much easier if you are a man of conviction. A conviction is a firmly held belief. And Paul lays out those firmly held beliefs here.

The gospel is the message concerning what Jesus has done for the salvation of sinners. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and accomplished all righteousness on behalf of sinners. And He died on the cross and paid the punishment for sin, also on behalf of wicked sinners. Three days later, He rose from the grave. And all those that turn from ruling their own lives and trust in Christ will be redeemed.

Paul also knows that he has been called to take this message to the nations. And he knows that right now the Spirit has called him to go to Jerusalem.

These firmly held convictions allowed Paul to be decisive about what to do next. They allowed him to be able to make difficult decisions and do things that people didn’t necessarily want to do.

Albert Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary put it this way,

“Authentic leadership does not emerge out of a vacuum. The leadership that matters most is convictional—deeply convictional. This quality of leadership springs from those foundational beliefs that shape who we are and establish our beliefs about everything else. Convictions are not merely beliefs we hold; they are those beliefs that hold us in their grip. We would not know who we are but for these bedrock beliefs, and without them we would not know how to lead.” (Albert Mohler, The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles For Leadership That Matters, Bethany House Publishers, 2012, p. 21)

Your convictions should be thoroughly Christian. And they should control us.

In one sense, decisions get much easier when this is how we lead.

For instance, if our church has as its conviction that Jesus is Lord and he has told us how the church is to be ordered in His Word then we will order our church according to His Word no matter the cost.

You may have noticed that Philipp’s daughters prophesied. Well, this passage of Scripture is often used by those that want women to be pastors to argue that women should be pastors. But an instance of daughters prophesying doesn’t overturn what the Lord has told us throughout the rest of Scripture. For one a person prophesying is not exercising the authority of a pastor. And the second response to this is that the Scriptures have clearly stated that there are different roles for men and women both in and outside the church.

God created both man and woman. And he gave man authority over the woman very early on. After naming the animals, he also named the woman. Men were heads of their very large households throughout the Book of Genesis. And throughout the Old Testament there was no change in this structure. When we get to the New Testament, passages such as Ephesians 5 tell us explicitly that male headship is the way God has ordered the world, and He expects Christian households to be ordered. And within the Church, we are told that only men are to be pastors. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 both make this very clear.

Now, my position on this matter is not very popular today. But it is the position that people have held for thousands of years and our church holds to. And I will say that most people in our society would probably say that this is a bigoted opinion.

But there is something that controls my belief on who should be a pastor. And there is something that controls what we believe and how we are to operate. It’s not what people think of me. It is what God’s Word says. My conviction that Jesus is king and his Word tells us how His Church is to be ordered controls my decision and those that wrote our belief statement. The attitudes of society should not sway my decision. What does the Lord say? That should make the decision for me.

And this can be seen in many different areas of life and ministry.

Christian leadership is not about sticking your finger into the wind and figuring out what we are supposed to believe and do today. Our convictions should lead us in our decision making.

As a pastor, I run into this with people coming and talking about things they believe. Sometimes I have to look at them and say that I think they’re wrong. And sometimes people get angry and leave. There are times when pastors must look at people they know and love and tell them to leave for the sake of the Church.

And, as a pastor, I oftentimes find myself in a position of choosing between two good options. Something may be good, but we can’t do it because it will deter us from the mission of making disciples. Resources are limited. We only have enough time and money to do a few things. We can’t just spend it willy nilly. We can’t be everywhere at once.

But this is not the only time this comes up. I am not the only person here that must deal with this sort of thing.

As Christians, we need to know what we believe and live our lives according to that belief. That is what we see Paul doing here.

The truth of our mission and what God has told us gives us direction. We don’t mold the Word to fit what we want to do. We live according to those convictions. They govern us, not the other way around. And, like Paul, we need to be willing to say that we would rather die than go against His Word (Acts 21:13).

I do not believe that this is in the least bit controversial to say. But when you begin to practice this, there will be some controversy. People will not always enjoy this.

The Christian Leader Is Willing To Upset Friends (Acts 21:4, 12-14)

The disciples, that is believers, near Tyre pled with Paul not to go to Jerusalem. But Paul would not be swayed. Paul did not do what they told him to do, for he was constrained by his conviction to go.

Paul received a warning from Agabus, who gave an Old Testament style prophecy to Paul. The prophecy informed Paul that he would be enchained in Jerusalem if he kept going. This led to the people attempting to dissuade him with great emotion. But Paul went so far as to say that he was willing not only to be in chains, but to die if need by uttering “Let the will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14).

It is oftentimes easier to stand up to outsiders. From what I have observed in my own life, it is much harder for people to stand up against those they love and care for. But Paul would not be swayed by his close companions. His brothers and sisters in Christ sought to make him turn aside, but he would not. Christ had told Him to go forth to Jerusalem, and so, to Jerusalem he would go.

I have often noticed that it seemed easier for Christians to speak out against homosexuality than divorce. I have seen much more discussion about transgenderism than pornography. Why? I think it’s because the pastor went to the pulpit thinking he could bravely speak out about things happening outside the church. But he was actually afraid to talk about things that are rampant within the church. It’s not easy to say things that you know people in the congregation will disagree with. But if it is in the Word of the Lord, the pastor is to preach it and teach it.

Illustration: I was a youth pastor and my pastor was going through the Book of 1 Peter. And suddenly he stopped and went to a different book of the Bible. He never gave an explanation, he just stopped right there and wouldn’t go any further. Here is what he did not preach. Here is what he skipped, and I think you’ll understand what he was skipping. It is pretty obvious.

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear– but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:1-7 ESV)

He never said a word, but you all probably understand that he was not willing to tell the women in his church that they were to submit to their husbands. He was not willing to tell them that they are to “adorn” their selves “by submitting to their husbands”. But he was completely willing to speak of the evil of homosexual marriage….Because it’s easier to speak of the sin going on out in the world than the sin in the church.

But when a person understands their person and holds these convictions, they are willing to upset even those close to them. In fact, they probably will upset those close to them.

A pastor must be willing to say the thing nobody wants to hear. A person leading any Christian organization, group, Sunday School class, is going to need to be willing to say what needs to be said. Even if the person we say it to is close to us.

When you hold tight your convictions, it will sometimes be necessary to go against what those who love you tell you. This can only be done if you have the clarity of mind that Paul had about his purpose.

Here is something I read from Joe Rigney recently.

“[A well-differentiated leader is] someone who has clarity about his or her own life goals and, therefore, someone who is less likely to become lost in the anxious emotional process swirling about. I mean someone who can be separate while still remaining connected and, therefore, can maintain a modifying, non-anxious, and sometimes challenging presence. I mean someone who can manage his or her own reactivity in response to the automatic reactivity of others and, therefore, be able to take stands at the risk of displeasing.” (Joe Rigney. Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety that will Wreck your Family, Destroy your Church, and Ruin the World)

Paul knew what he was supposed to do. And he would not be swayed by anyone on this matter. And to Jerusalem he was going to go.

I’ve spoken about pastors and other church leaders. What would this look like in your home?

Husbands, you are supposed to be leading your home. Are you?

You are an ignorant fool if you do not listen to your wife’s counsel. But how are you when it comes time to help her see that she is moving in the wrong direction? Wives sometimes must go to their men and help them to see life a little more clearly. But it is the same for husbands with regard to their wife’s behavior.

Yes, this should be done with gentleness and care, but the thing that is most often done is abdication. You bring it up, there’s a little resistance, and you give up on it.

That’s not leading with conviction. That is not guiding your family into the path of righteousness.

In our modern day, a group will cater to the most unstable person in the group. You walk on eggshells to try to keep everyone happy. This happens in businesses, churches, and homes. The big fear is disrupting the harmony within the group. Topics will be completely avoided so as to keep this person from being unhappy. Whether you realize it or not, that person or group of people is in control and that person is keeping the rest of the group from doing what they are supposed to do.

But because we lead with conviction and not by feelings, we understand that some people are just going to have to have their feelings hurt. Following Christ is more important than whether or not the volatile person is going to have a flare.

The Christian Leader Is Not Afraid To Be Truthful To Angry Outsiders

Paul did everything he could to convince the people that were angry at him to listen to them. And I don’t think that what he did here was wrong at all. In fact, the end of our text today seems to indicate that the Lord approved of his actions.

The plan to persuade the Jews in Jerusalem that he was not, in fact, against them was hatched by James and some of the other disciples (Acts 21:23-24). And really the plan worked. The plan was to have Paul go and participate in the ritual cleansing of some of the men at Jerusalem that was to take place in the temple. They were Christians that were still practicing Jews and Paul could accompany them and pay the price that was to be paid at the end of it. This would surely convince the Jews that Paul was not against them.

And, as I’ve already stated, it seems to have worked.

But they did not count on some of Paul’s enemies showing up from out of town. These people were mistaken, but they still sought to kill Paul. And, if it weren’t for the soldiers, Paul would’ve been beaten to death right there.

And this led to a situation that is completely perplexing. An incredibly strange thing happened next. The tribune who was over the Roman soldiers that came to put down the ruckus allowed Paul to speak.

Riots were common in Jerusalem. They were so common, in fact, that the soldiers were stationed right next to the temple. That is how they responded so quickly. They were stationed in Herod’s palace which was right there. And so, Paul now asked to speak and he did so from the stairs of Herod’s palace down into the crowd gathered at the temple.

The people were angry at Paul. And he seems to have caused this riot somehow. I am not at all sure what convinced him to do so. Surely Paul talking to him in Greek helped, but I suspect there was something more. I suspect that there was some sort of calmness and control in his behavior that made the man think this would be okay.

And then, Paul spoke in Hebrew. This quieted the crowd that tried to kill him (Acts 22:1-2). And then Paul gave a defense for himself. It is mostly biographical information meant to persuade them to trust Jesus. He even discussed his role in the stoning of Stephen with them and the fact that Jesus appeared to him.

We don’t know everything that he would’ve said because the crowd went into an uproar. They “were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air” (Acts 22:23 ESV).

There was chaos all around, but one thing that the Tribune couldn’t do is figure out what crime had been committed. This was now his goal. And he decided to beat Paul until Paul gave up the answers. But Paul informed him that he was a Roman citizen and this was unlawful (Acts 22:25).

So they decided to hold an informal conference with he Sanhedrin. This was a fact-finding mission called for by the Roman tribune. This was not a formal meeting of the Sanhedrin.

Paul informed the Sanhedrin that he lived a good conscience up to that day before God (Acts 22:1-2). And the High Priest had Paul struck in the mouth for it. Paul was not going to just take the beating. He rather brazenly called the High Priest a “white-washed wall” (Acts 22:3).

We should not that Paul did apologize for having done so. He claimed to not know this was the High Priest. We should believe him. The circumstances were informal, so it may not have been clear.

But Paul did use this moment to do something quite keen. He pointed out that he was a Pharisee and started a dissention between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the reason for the dissention was doctrinal.

“For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.” (Acts 23:8)

At this point, Paul was taken to the barracks. And still, no one knew what he’d done wrong. And the reality is that he had done nothing wrong. The accusers that stirred up the mess were misinformed and then it got chaotic.

Paul was completely willing to proclaim the name of Christ to those unwilling to hear it. He was a man on a mission. Even allying himself with the Pharisees as a Christ follower was a way of bringing this to the forefront.

A Pharisee could convert and become a Christian without having a complete worldview change, but it was not so for a Sadducee.

And what is it that we read in the next verse about Paul? There, Jesus said,

“Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11 ESV)

Application:

On a few occasions I have known that people did not want to hear what I was about to say. The energy from a crowd of people that doesn’t like you is not something that is easy to just set off to the background.

And here, Paul preached the gospel to those that had just tried to kill him. He was probably pretty banged up from the whole event.

Can you imagine it?

As Christians in America, we must get more and more comfortable with this. Though I can see a way in which the Spirit would move and bring many people to faith in our day, it is also very likely that those who hate Christianity will grow more and more angry with us. We must get more and more comfortable with saying what no one wants to hear.

They need to hear it, whether they want to or not. They are lost, dying, and headed for Hell, whether they realize it or not. And they need to hear the message of redemption that is found only in Jesus Christ.

The Christian Leader Seeks The Approval Of Jesus

The end of this text is incredible. Commentators have long argued over whether Paul acted as he should have because there are places here with questions. Should Paul have not listened to the other believers that tried to persuade him not to go? Should Paul have avoided speaking with the Jews at the temple? But the end of our text seems to make it clear that Paul did what he should have done. Jesus approved of his actions.

“Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” (Acts 23:11 ESV)

And as we examine the activities of Paul, this is what he wanted most. He wanted the approval of Jesus. He did not take the counsel of his friends. He had to tell them to stop trying to persuade him. He spoke of Jesus and the gospel to a crowd of people in Jerusalem that wanted him killed. And he had done these well. Now he was going to do it in Rome.

I think that questions are more easily answered when we have the right convictions. When we believe the right things, we are more likely to do the right things. When what we want most in this world is to please Jesus, then we will be able to do what the Lord would have us to do even when counseled otherwise by friends, and hated by others.

As a teenager I wore a WWJD bracelet. I am sure some of other people in the room did the same. But after having worked on this sermon, I think that maybe the better question is What would please Jesus?

Rigney is again helpful here.

“The body as a whole does not exist for its own sake, but for the sake of God’s mission in the world.” (Joe Rigney. Leadership and Emotional Sabotage: Resisting the Anxiety that will Wreck your Family, Destroy your Church, and Ruin the World)

Victory Baptist Church does not exist to please itself. We don’t exist to exist, or to do our own thing. We exist for a purpose that is outside of us. We exist to please Jesus. We exist “for the sake of God’s mission in the world.”

Conclusion

When Paul spoke of what he was going to do in Acts 20, he said this.

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish the course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24 ESV)

That is the kind of conviction that a Christian leader should have. That is the kind of conviction that will make a person lead well among both friends and enemies. That is the kind of conviction that will win the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

R. Dwain Minor