Pastoral leadership often involves adversity, like dealing with church discipline, managing church conflict, or leading your church through change (see my articles in the series on “Church Relationships”).
For this study on “Leading Under Adversity,” let’s learn from the personal experience and example of the apostle Paul’s leadership in a situation of great adversity (Acts 27:9-44). Here we learn that pastoral leadership requires trust in the faithfulness of God no matter how adverse the circumstances. Notice first…
I. Adversity Often Results From Unwise Decisions (27:9-20).
There are many underlying causes of unwise decisions…
1. Unwise decisions are often based on personal agendas. There seems to have been three personal agendas going on in our text:
1. The centurion needed to safeguard his prisoners (27:1).
2. The captain and the owner of the ship needed to deliver their cargo and passengers (27:10-11).
3. The majority of the people wanted to spend the winter in a more commodious harbor than Fair Havens (27:12).
But none of these agendas took into account the risk factors. The fact was that to sail in the late fall or winter was very dangerous. Because of the risk, Paul advised strenuously against sailing out of Fair Havens (27:9-10). Nevertheless, the centurion was more persuaded by the arguments of the ship’s captain and owner than by Paul (27:11). In the end, Paul’s warning about the risk of stormy weather was ignored, majority rule won the day and the decision was made to set sail, “hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.” (27:12). All that remained was to wait for the right conditions for sailing and they would set out.
They had every reason to listen to Paul’s warning. After all, he was a very experienced traveler in this part of the world, having taken eleven sea voyages totaling possibly 3500 miles in the Mediterranean before this. He knew a thing or two about the sea. More importantly, Paul was a mature Christian leader. But people so often set Christian insight and wisdom aside in favor of human logic and personal preferences.
2. Unwise decisions are often based on unreliable circumstances. Circumstances often influence us so easily. In this case, all it took to convince them to set sail was when “a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose” (27:13). Such an unreliable guidepost was all they needed to justify setting out from Fair Havens. But what started out as a gentle south wind soon became a fierce north-easterly (27:14). After setting sail, the wind shifted from a gentle southerly wind to a raging, tempestuous hurricane.
Circumstances can be so seductive, can’t they? We can fall for them so easily. Everything looks like it is pointing in the direction we want to go. The problem is sorting out whether the circumstances mean anything or whether we are merely interpreting them to achieve our own desires. And besides, as in this case, circumstances can change so quickly; they are often so unreliable in decision-making. The premise of “hoping somehow” (27:12) and “thinking (supposing) they had obtained their purpose” (27:13) wasn’t much of a basis for making a good decision, was it? They just hoped that the conditions were right to leave Fair Havens. They supposed that the south wind meant they should set sail, throwing caution to the winds. How much better to make decisions based on knowledge and good judgement than presumption. Further, they supposed that “they had obtained their purpose.” That’s what lay beneath their supposition – their purpose, their desire. That was evidently more important to them than good reason, statistical data, or seasoned experience. This is what is so deceptive and subtle about circumstances. Interpreting them is so subjective, so inaccurate, especially when they seem to coincide with your desire. It’s much more reliable to make decisions based on facts, truth, wise counsel, and experience. It’s dangerous making decisions, especially life threatening ones, based on changeable circumstances.
Then, decision-making goes from bad to worse when we try to deal with the adverse circumstances in our own strength (27:15-20). These people were desperate to save themselves, such that (1) they secured the life boat (27:16); (2) they undergirded the ship with ropes to stop it falling apart (27:17a); (3) they lowered the driving anchor to keep the ship upright as they were helplessly blown by the wind (27:17b); (4) they threw some cargo overboard to lighten the ship (27:18); and (5) they even jettisoned the ship’s tackle into the sea (27:19). While these actions were logical and understandable, they also depict just how utterly desperate they were.
In the end, all their efforts failed and they gave up hope of being saved (27:20). I suppose they must have kicked themselves a thousand times for making such an unwise decision. Despair set in and they just waited for the inevitable. Notice that unlike the sailors in the story of Jonah, none of the crew called upon God. There is absolutely no evidence that anyone, other than Paul and his companions, had any sensitivity to God or figured out that maybe they should cast themselves on his mercy. None of the crew admitted that God is sovereign over the wind and waves. None of them looked to God as the Creator of the sun and stars, which had not appeared for many days, and of the wind and waves, which were about to consume them. No! They preferred to rely on their own abilities and judgement. They had more faith in human effort than divine intervention.
Perhaps you’re like that too. You’d rather rely on yourself than on God. You’re too proud to admit that you need God. And you’re certainly too proud to admit that you are wrong.
Adversity often results from unwise decisions. And notice…
II. Adversity Always Reveals Wise Character (27:21-38).
Finally, Paul steps forward and takes charge. The captive becomes the captain, the prisoner becomes the liberator. Little did they know that they had God’s man right among them, a godly and wise leader. Notice how Luke portrays Paul as a leader among this eclectic band of soldiers and sailors, prisoners and passengers.
A. A Wise Leader Speaks The Truth In Love (27:21).
“Paul then stood up among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss” (27:21). Paul isn’t saying: “I told you so!” He isn’t rubbing their noses in it, so to speak. Godly leaders don’t do that. He is merely establishing his credibility and their accountability. They needed to be reminded of the disastrous decision they had made back in Fair Havens when they considered their personal agendas and desires more important than Paul’s sage, experienced, godly advice (27:10).
A godly leader isn’t afraid to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15). He is willing to confront, but never with bitterness. The truth is, they should never have set sail in the first place. Common sense and experience would tell them that. The truth is, they were already facing disaster and they were about to sustain the loss of the ship and possibly of their lives as well.
Sometimes the truth hurts, doesn’t it? We would rather remain in ignorance than face the truth. That’s why some people don’t go to the doctor to find out why they have a pain or other symptoms. They figure that the symptoms are easier to deal with than the truth. But, there are times when you just can’t avoid the truth. These people couldn’t avoid it nor could they argue about it. Now, it just wasn’t up for debate. They had done what they wanted to do and look what it got them – impending disaster and loss. What they should be saying now is: “What must we do to be saved?” (Acts 2:37).
But speaking the truth alone is not enough. And confrontation alone doesn’t achieve anything. There has to be a remedy. So, a wise leader not only speaks the truth in love, but also…
B. A Wise Leader Inspires Hope In Others (27:22).
You can’t achieve anything with a bunch of de-motivated, desperate people. A wise leader gives them a vision and hope.
1. A wise leader speaks words of encouragement. “I urge you to take courage” (27:22a). Beating people over the head never did much to achieve anything. If you want people to follow your leadership you need to be able to motivate them, to give them hope and encouragement, even in the face of impending disaster.
2. A wise leader speaks words of assurance. “There will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship” (27:22b). What a relief that must have been, even though they couldn’t see how that could happen. But now they had experienced Paul’s wisdom for themselves and, if he was right the first time, they had no reason to doubt that he would be right now.
A wise leader speaks the truth in love. A wise leader inspires hope in others. And...
C. A Wise Leader Roots His Confidence In God (27:23-26).
1. You need confidence in the word of God. “For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong to and whom I serve stood by me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul’” (27:23-24). This is the first time Paul speaks of a word from the Lord throughout this ordeal. Even so, he at no time doubted that he would eventually reach Rome. God’s word is utterly reliable; it is our ultimate standard for faith and practice.
2. You need confidence in the character of God. How could Paul have such confidence in such circumstances? How did he know that there would be no loss of life, only of the ship? Because he was confident in his relationship with God. He knew the God to whom he belonged and whom he served. He knew God's nature and character, and the faithfulness of his word.
“This is the God with whom I have a personal relationship,” he is saying, “...the God to whom I belong” (27:23b). “My God is not an impersonal, mystical, inanimate god of wood and stone but a personal God, whom I know and who stands by me in time of trouble. This is the God who bought me with his own blood, saved me from my sins by his grace, and has given me eternal life. This is the God who met me on the road to Damascus. I know him; I have a personal relationship with him; I belong to him now. He is my Lord and Master, my Sovereign, my Redeemer. I don’t belong to one of your pagan gods who has no power at all to save you, but to this God who stood by me this night and spoke to me. This is the God with whom I have a personal relationship and...
“This is the God to whom I have a personal devotion, “…the God whom I serve” (27:23c), Paul is saying. “Because I belong to him I also serve him, even if that means experiencing life-threatening circumstances like this. Nothing will shake my resolve to serve him. I serve the living God who is the Creator of all things, the God in whom ‘we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). That’s the sum and substance of my life, serving the God to whom I belong.”
You need confidence in the word of God, in the character of God, and...
3. You need confidence in the power of God. “Don’t be afraid, Paul” (27:24a). This God gives comfort and courage in the face of fear because he is sovereign. He rules the wind and waves. He is the all-powerful God who exercises his power on our behalf. We have no need to fear when he is on our side.
4. You need confidence in the purposes of God. “You must be brought before Caesar” (27:24b), the angel said. Whatever God has decreed must come to pass. His eternal purposes cannot fail; they must be fulfilled. When Paul heard, “You must be brought before Caesar” he knew that they would be saved from this storm. In the providence of God, Paul must be brought before Caesar. He knew the purposes of God in his life. It must happen. Go to Rome he most certainly would.
You need confidence in the word of God, confidence in the character of God, confidence in the power of God, confidence in the purposes of God, and...
4. You need confidence in the promises of God. “And indeed, God has graciously granted you (the safety of) all those who are sailing with you” (27:24c). Undoubtedly, Paul had been praying for safety and deliverance, evidently not only for himself and his companions, but also for all the souls on board. In response God “graciously granted” his request. Paul had unswerving confidence in the promises of God in answer to his prayers.
5. You need confidence in the trustworthiness of God. “Therefore, take courage, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me” (27:25). This is a wonderful confession of faith. Paul knew the character of God - when you know someone’s character, you can trust them unconditionally. Paul knew the word of God - when you know someone’s word, you can trust them unquestionably. Paul knew the power of God - when you know someone’s power, you can trust them unreservedly. Paul knew the promises of God - when you know someone keeps their promises, you can trust them undeniably.
When a godly leader exudes such confidence in God, it gives everyone else assurance, hope, vision, and courage. A wise leader speaks the truth in love, inspires hope in others, roots his confidence in God, and...
D. A Wise Leader Addresses The Needs Of Others (27:27-35).
1. He sees the need for the people to be united (27:27-32). After 14 days, the sailors sensed they were approaching land. To prevent them from being driven up on the rocks, they cast out four anchors from the stern and “prayed for daylight to come” (27:29).
Seeing an opportunity to save their own skins, the sailors pretended to let down anchors from the bow, when in fact they were letting down the lifeboat in which to escape (27:30). Paul warned the centurion that they would need the entire crew in order for everyone to be safe – they had to be united. So, upon his instruction, the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it go (27:31-32). Now they had no lifeboat! What an expression of implicit trust in Paul’s leadership! What a transformation in their attitude towards Paul!
A wise leader sees the need for the people to be united and...
2. He sees the need for the people to be nourished (27:33-38). They hadn’t eaten for two weeks (27:33). They would need to eat in order to survive, “since not one of you will lose a hair from your head” (27:34). They were about to experience not just no loss of life but complete survival.
Like all wise and godly leaders, Paul sets the example (27:35). He gives thanks to God in the presence of them all, 276 persons (27:37). He begins to eat and “all of them were encouraged and took food themselves” (27:36).
This is a biblical, and pastoral approach to leadership. Paul is the example of a well-balanced Christian, one who demonstrates practicality and piety, spirituality and sanity, faith and works (see John Stott, “The Message of Acts,” 392). He isn’t a mystic or someone out of touch with reality. No, he gives thanks for the food publicly despite being surrounded by unbelievers - that was a powerful and courageous testimony. He recognized the practical danger of sailing with the onset of winter storms. He didn’t toss caution to the wind in an irresponsible trust in God. He took action so that the sailors did not escape. He calculated how much manpower would be needed. He set the example of eating food to provide physical sustenance and the energy that would be needed.
The wise leader doesn’t utter senseless platitudes, isn’t self-serving, isn’t patronizing of others. Rather, he combines his deep, unswerving faith in God with practical action. He recognizes that God's word always produces works of faith (James 2:14-18). He is both spiritual and sensible, prayerful and practical.
Finally, “when they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea” (27:38). Now they had no lifeboat and no food! All that they could cling to was what Paul had said based on God’s word!
Adversity often results from unwise decisions (27:9-20). Adversity always reveals wise character (27:21-38). And…
III. Adversity Continually Ratifies God’s Faithfulness (27:39-44).
Finally, after such a life-threatening experience, they see land! Even though they did not recognize where they were, they decided to just run the ship ashore (27:39). Now, not only did they have no lifeboat and no food, but with the anchors cast off and the ropes that tied the rudders loosened (27:40), they had no control over the ship whatsoever. Any reliance on themselves that they may have had is abandoned and their destiny now lay in the hands of God alone! Of course, we know that their destiny lay in God’s hands from the very beginning of this experience.
But just as they must have breathed a sigh of relief with land in sight, two more dangers surfaced. First, the vessel ran aground (as they had planned) but the stern of the ship began to break up (27:41). It seems as though this storm will never stop pursuing them. Second, the soldiers planned to kill the prisoners “so that no one could swim away and escape” (27:42). The custom was that if guards allowed prisoners to escape, they themselves would have been killed as punishment.
Yet again, all onboard that ship benefitted from God’s protection of, and plans for, Paul: “You must be brought before Caesar” (27:24). Thus, “the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest were to follow some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore” (27:43-44). God is faithful – he keeps his promises, he protects his own, he fulfills his purposes, he exercises his power.
Final Remarks
The old adage says that adversity builds character. But I think it would be more accurate to say that adversity reveals character. We certainly see that in the scene we have been studying. When others made bad decisions that led to their despair, not knowing which way to turn, the apostle Paul came forward and guided them with utmost confidence in God. He knew that his journey to Rome was providentially ordered by God. He knew that nothing could disrupt that goal because it was God-ordained. He didn’t know how they were going to get there, given the violence of the storm, the breakup of the ship (27:41), and the mutinous intent of the soldiers (27:42), but he did know what the angel had promised him (27:23), that God had a purpose for him in Rome, and that therefore God would overrule all these obstacles to bring him safely to Rome along with all the others on board ship.
Don’t you just long for that kind of faith, that enables you to act with that kind of courage, and to communicate to others with that kind of bold leadership, even in the face of that kind of adversity?
God has not promised us a pleasant voyage (see 2 Cor. 11:23-28), but he has promised us a certain voyage. He has not promised us a life of ease and pleasure. Christians are not exempt from challenges and troubles in life. In fact, Jesus promised that in this world we will certainly face tribulation (John 16:33). But our comfort and assurance is this, that when we face trials and challenges in life we have a resource that the world does not have – a God who is infinitely powerful, absolutely trustworthy, and entirely loving. Those are resources that enable us to withstand the storms of life, no matter what they may be, where they come from, or what their outcome is.
As our structure of this message indicates, adversity often results from unwise decisions, adversity always reveals wise character, and adversity continually ratifies God’s faithfulness. Let us be pastoral leaders who learn from adversity, leaders who trust God for wise decisions, leaders who follow God’s instructions, leaders who trust God’s faithfulness, and leaders whom others will want to follow even though they may not understand what we are doing, where we are going, or how we are going to get there. Remember our thesis: Pastoral leadership requires trust in the faithfulness of God no matter how adverse the circumstances.
English (US) · 