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Back in 1991 the country music industry still had some talent. Instead of teenage girls whining about their latest breakup with their boyfriend and wasting precious airtime like they do today, the songs back then had a little depth and they actually sounded like country music. One of the songs that reached #1 on the Billboard Country charts that year was the band Diamond Rio’s debut title “Meet in the Middle.” Some of you might remember these words:
It was seven hundred fence posts from your place to ours
Neither one of us was old enough to drive a car
Sometimes it was raining, sometimes it would shine
We wore out that gravel road between your house and mine
Chorus
I’d start walking your way, You’d start walking mine
We’d meet in the middle ‘Neath that old Georgia pine
We’d gain a lot of ground ‘Cause we’d both give a little
And their ain’t no road to long When you meet in the middle
It’s been seven years tomorrow since we said our vows
Under that old pine tree, you ought to see it now
Standing in the back yard reminding me and you
That if we don’t see eye to eye there’s something we can do
Back before I was married I used to belt this song out when I was driving down the road all the while thinking that I knew what it was all about. I still sing along when I hear it on the radio, but now that I am married, I still don’t know what it is talking about! Obviously, this song is about compromise!
The dictionary defines “compromise” as a basic negotiation process in which both parties give up something that they want in order to achieve a goal that is agreeable and beneficial to both parties. That is a good definition, but the dictionary fails to tell us that compromise is hard! That part about giving up something we want is extremely difficult.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really like to compromise! I would rather just get what I want and do things my way. But we all know that if we are going to stay married, keep our jobs, and have some friends, it requires some compromise. Do you know that compromise is also necessary for a healthy church? Now compromise usually isn’t on our list of spiritual disciplines or fruits of the spirit, but if God’s church is to function in such a way as to make disciples and accomplish his will here on earth, compromise is crucial!
In this morning’s text Luke shows us a wonderful example of compromise in the church. Paul and his companions finally arrive in Jerusalem, bringing his third missionary journey to a close. After he exchanges pleasant greetings with the Jerusalem church, he and the church run into a little problem which calls for a compromise. As we see Paul’s actions in Jerusalem, we find a model for ourselves to compromise without compromise today!
1.) Ministry Reports (17-20a)
Paul’s third missionary journey finally comes to an end with his arrival in Jerusalem. When they entered the Holy City the believers there received them with a spirit of warmth and hospitality. They were genuinely glad to see them and eagerly anticipated Paul’s report of God’s work among the Gentiles. So, the next day they set up a meeting between Paul and his missionary companions and James, who was Jesus’ biological brother and pastor of the Jerusalem church, and the rest of the elders of the church.
When the meeting convened, Paul greeted them warmly and proceeded to present a detailed report of everything that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. As he recounted how many Gentiles became believers in cities like Athens, Corinth, Ephesus, and Thessalonica, James and the elders praised God. The Jerusalem church was genuinely thrilled to hear about all the wonderful things God had done.
When Paul finished his story, James reciprocated with a story of his own. He told Paul about the wonderful things God had been doing right there in Jerusalem. Thousands of Jews had believed and had become zealous for the law while Paul had been away. Historians have estimated that the church had grown to somewhere between twenty-five and fifty thousand people since the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. Paul and James both shared powerful stories of God’s work in them, through them, and among them.
These verses underscore the importance of sharing publicly about the work that God has accomplished in us, through us, and among us with the whole church community. These stories encourage, edify, and challenge everyone who hears them. They help our faith grow and equip us to share our faith with others.
Paul and James ministered in different places among different people. Paul ministered to Gentiles along the Mediterranean coast and James ministered to Jews in Jerusalem. They needed to share with each other so they could learn from one another and be encouraged by one another. They didn’t enter a bragging competition like so many people do today, where they compare how many people they have evangelized or what they have done for God. They simply shared what happened and gave the credit to God.
Likewise, God uses us in different places among different people and in different ways. It is so good for us to hear these reports and stories. For the benefit of the whole church, are you willing to share what God has done in you, through you, or among you? This year we have already heard some powerful testimonies in our Stories of Faith series, and I hope we will hear many more. If you haven’t shared, I hope you will do it again. There are enough stories of faith right here in this church to encourage and edify us every Sunday for years to come. What is it that God wants you to share with your church community? Will you do it?
2.) Ministry Compromise (21-26)
Well, as it is with so many things in life, just when this meeting seemed to be going well, a problem arises. These Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, who were very zealous about keeping the Law of Moses, had heard a rumor that Paul was teaching the Gentiles to turn away from the law. They were concerned about issues of circumcision and other Jewish customs. James knew that these new believers thought that Paul had turned his back on the Law of Moses and was concerned about how they would receive Paul. Therefore, he proposes a compromise!
James knew of four Jewish Christians who were about to complete a Nazarite vow, that is some vow they make to God and they do not cut their hair until the vow is fulfilled. He suggests that Paul should go through the act of ritual purification with them and pay their expenses at the Temple so that their heads could be shaved. If Paul did this publicly, the Jewish Christians would know that the rumors were false and that Paul had not turned his back on Moses’ law.
James helps to facilitate the compromise by reiterating their church’s position toward Gentile believers that they determined at the Jerusalem Council—that Gentile believers did not have to be circumcised, but they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.
Even though it must have been frustrating for him to jump through these hoops to dispel the rumors and publicly declare his Jewishness, he recognized that for the sake of the unity of the church and for the benefit of all parties involved, it would be best for him to compromise and do what James was asking. For the greater good, Paul was willing to meet the Jerusalem church in the middle.
We have before us an example of personal sacrifice for the benefit of the whole community. We have an example of compromise for the greater good. If we are going to live a healthy and successful life, we have to learn how to compromise. We have to learn how to compromise in virtually every area of our lives. For instance (most of you already know this, but just in case you don’t), if you are married, you have to learn to compromise. If you work in a place where you have a boss or co-workers, you have to learn to compromise. If you are part of a church community, you have to learn to compromise.
As a matter of fact, if you want to maintain a healthy relationship with anyone, compromise is essential. Think about it! The person who always insists that it’s “my way or the highway” is the person who doesn’t have many friends.
Just like Paul in this text, we face many situations and circumstances which call for compromise. Yes, it’s hard! Yes, sometimes it’s not fair! Yes, it always demands sacrifice! Yes, it’s incredibly frustrating, but for the good of the marriage or the company or the church or the community, are you willing to meet in the middle?
Compromise without Compromise
I think most of us have at least a fair understanding of the importance of compromise in our relationships and organizations, but we have only been speaking of compromise in the positive sense. There is another type of compromise that is negative—when we sacrifice too much to meet someone else’s demands or desires. How much compromise is too much compromise?
Some scholars believe that Paul sacrificed too much to meet the Jerusalem church—they say that in his attempt to compromise he compromised too much. They charge Paul with caving into political pressure and sacrificing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. They say that Paul should have stood his ground and insisted that the rumors about him were not true and he should have clarified that Moses’ Law does not and can not save souls.
What do you think? Did Paul sacrifice too much? Did he misrepresent the very gospel he had proclaimed to avoid an argument with James and the leaders of the Jerusalem church? Did he compromise too much?
Well, that is the million dollar question, isn’t it? How much is too much? How do you compromise without compromise?
I, along with the majority of New Testament scholars, don’t think that Paul compromised too much and here is why—when he agreed to enter into the purification rites and pay the expenses of these four men to help them fulfill their vow, Paul neither sacrificed his personal integrity or the message of the gospel. Paul certainly would have preferred to not jump through these hoops to keep peace with Jerusalem, but what they were asking him to do didn’t conflict with his conscience nor misrepresent his message. If they would have asked him to do something that was morally wrong or distorted the gospel, he wouldn’t have done it.
I think this is a good rule of compromise for us to follow today. If it is not a matter of personal integrity or gospel truth, there is room to meet someone halfway, but if the issue collides with either of these, we can’t compromise. So, for example, if your spouse finds a way to double your tax return by fudging just a few numbers—No compromise! If a friend tells you to go ahead and drink a few more—“Getting drunk isn’t so bad””—No compromise! Never compromise your personal integrity!
Likewise, never compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ. If someone tries to convince you that Jesus didn’t die or rise from the dead—No compromise! If someone tells you that you can get to heaven by being a good person—No compromise! If someone says that there is another way to salvation other than through Jesus Christ—No compromise!
Well, there you have it—Compromise without compromise! I hope that the next time we have a disagreement or dispute with someone, as long as it doesn’t sacrifice our personal integrity or the gospel message, that we will remember Paul’s example before the Jerusalem church! “We can gain a lot of ground if we just give a little—there ain’t no road too long if we just meet in the middle!”