Laying Down Rights to Build Bridges

Acts 15 focused largely on a big debate in the early church: did people need to be circumcised and start following the Law of Moses (like Jews) to be saved?

The conclusion had been clearly communicated: No. Salvation came through grace alone. New believers didn’t need to be circumcised.

Paul and Silas are traveling on Paul’s second missionary journey where they are revisiting some churches that Paul and Barnabas had planted, to check-in and encourage them.

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What matters more than your rights?

Acts 16:1–5 CSB

1 Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | Timothy had a good reputation

We’ve seen this pointed out other times in the book of Acts

Acts 16:2 “The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him.”

Barnabas’ name was a testimonial to the reputation he had among the Apostles in Acts 4:36

Reputation was a quality that the Apostles told people to look for in Acts 6:3

Reputation was a noteworthy fact about Cornelius in Acts 10:22

The importance of reputation is the key to understanding this passage

Your ability to form relationships with other people effects virtually every aspect of your life - and it is critical for introducing people to Jesus

Good reputation opens doors to new relationships - peoples impression of you is what they hear from others

#2 | Paul circumcises Timothy - Is this hypocrisy?

Is Paul caving to peer pressure?

Acts 16:3 “Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek.”

The leaders of the church had all agreed that circumcision wasn’t needed for salvation, and even Paul said the same in Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accomplishes anything...”

No. This circumcision was about reputation, not salvation

Paul wasn’t caving or contradicting himself and the elders’ decision - this circumcision was about removing barriers to building relationships (1)

As a young Jewish man, being uncircumcised would have hurt Timothy’s reputation among the Jewish men that Paul and Timothy would be trying to reach

#3 | Timothy laid down his rights in order to open doors

Timothy didn’t have to be circumcised - he chose to be circumcised

We all have certain rights and privileges - but holding them too tightly creates barriers to relationship

This is a lesson Timothy was probably learning from Paul - sometimes building a good reputation means laying down your rights

Timothy became like other Jewish men to connect with them

As followers of Christ we must follow His example of laying down our rights

Philippians 2:5–7 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself...

Hebrews 2:14–17 “...since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these... he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest...”

There will be many times when your own rights and entitlements will get in the way of an opportunity to connect with another person

When those moments arrive, we must follow the example that Jesus has given us: He became like us to connect with us

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[These questions must be focused, yet very open-ended. Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want to encourage everyone to share and explore the topics of the passage. You don’t have to ask all these questions. Sometimes a group may only get through one or two questions. Select the questions you think are right for the conversation. Then, as it comes time to wrap up, refocus the conversation to “land the plane.”]

What stood out to you in today’s lesson?

What kind of reputation should we have as Christians?

What are some rights you will lay down this week, to connect with other people?

Where we want to “land the plane”

We have to reevaluate our attitude about our own rights and entitlements, and follow Jesus’ example of laying down our rights to build bridges with others

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to reveal areas of our life where we are holding on to our rights too tightly

Devotional Question for the Week

An immature person only does what they “have to”, while a mature person does things because they know they ought to. What are some areas of your life where you are focusing more on what you have to do, than what you ought to do?

FOOTNOTES

Hypocrisy on circumcision? The Jews to whom Paul would be preaching the gospel would be offended if a man with a Jewish mother was uncircumcised. So Timothy was circumcised. Apparently he had been uncircumcised because of his father’s influence. This appears to contradict Paul’s thinking in Galatians 2:3–5 where he refused to let Titus be circumcised. The situations, however, were different. In Galatians 2 the issue was the method of justification; here it was a question of not giving offense (cf. 1 Cor. 9:19–23). The Jerusalem Council, of course, had determined circumcision was not necessary for salvation (Acts 15:10–11, 19). In Acts 16 Paul acted as he did for the sake of the ministry; it was a wise move. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 398.

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