when rumor turns to riot

Rumors...
Solomon described them as...
dainty morsels that
sink deep into one’s heart.
Proverbs 18:8 NLT

Interestingly enough,
these same words are repeated
in Proverbs 26:22

To repeat yoursef, shows
a value of importance to you.
Makes me consider that maybe
Solomon, the wisest man
who ever lived, must have suffered
from other speaking rumors of him.

I know I've been the subject
of a rumor or two.
And it sure stings when you
hear about it.

Like why would anyone makeup
stuff that isn't true about you?

Until I realize that they simply
don't know the real me.

They haven't lived in my world,
walked in my shoes,
understood life from my perspective.

So they make assumptions,
speaking them as if somehow
it gives them power or
authority over me.

Rumor: a story or statement
in general circulation, without
confirmation or certainty
as to the facts

This is a great reason
NOT to buy into them;
NOT to pass them on...
no matter how juicy a morsel
they may be.

But if we back up,
just one verse prior, we see
just what can happen
to those who take the bite,
swallow the temptation,
swallow the bait.

The mouths of fools are their ruin;
they trap themselves with their lips.
Proverbs 18:7

Hence the caution
NOT to engage in them.

Sadly, our friend Paul
was the subject of many a rumor.

This, one of the most godly men
in all bible history.
Suffering for the cause of Christ;
arguably leading more people
to salvation for eternity and
planting churches in the widest
span of geograpy for his limited
resources of the day.

In the latter part of his ministry,
he realized that the rumors being
spread were so serious
that they threatened his very life.

This his address when he returned
to Ephesus, to the elders of the church...
When they arrived he declared,
“You know that from the day I set foot
in the province of Asia until now
I have done the Lord’s work humbly
and with many tears.

I have endured the trials
that came to me
from the plots of the Jews.
I never shrank back
from telling you what
you needed to hear, either
publicly or in your homes.
I have had one message
for Jews and Greeks alike...
the necessity of repenting from sin
and turning to God,
and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

“And now I am bound by the Spirit
to go to Jerusalem.
I don’t know what awaits me,
except that the Holy Spirit tells me
in city after city that jail
and suffering lie ahead.

But my life is worth nothing to me
unless I use it for finishing
the work assigned me
by the Lord Jesus...
the work of telling others
the Good News about
the wonderful grace of God.
Acts 20:18-24 NKJV

So as I reflect upon those
rumors spread about me,
I realize they were nothing
compared to this.
My life was never in danger.

And to be honest...
if it were, I'm not so certain
I'd take this same dedicated stance.

And Paul pressed on...
following his convictions
to please God rather than man.

When he had finished speaking,
he knelt and prayed with them.
They all cried as they embraced
and kissed him good-bye.
They were sad most of all
because he had said that
they would never see him again.
Then they escorted him
down to the ship.
Acts 20:36-38

Paul knew...
the people of this church realized,
that this would be his last journey
befoe he was punished once again.
And this time it may be to his death.

All because rumor had twisted
the purpose of his calling.

And this was what he faced
when he arrived in the new place,
where the Spirt led him.
The elders of the church
confronted him,
telling the rumor which
the local people believed...

the Jewish believers
here in Jerusalem
have been told that you
are teaching all the Jews
who live among the Gentiles
to turn their backs on
the laws of Moses.

They’ve heard that you teach
them not to circumcise their children
or follow other Jewish customs.

What should we do?
They will certainly
hear that you have come.
Acts 21:21-22

You see Paul was an instrument
used by God to open the gospel
to all people... not just the
'chosen' Jewish nation;
many of whom had rejected it.

And he preached to the Gentiles
that they need not be circumcised
since it was a religious ritual,
which God no longer required under
the grace which Jesus made
available through His
death and resurrection.

So the Jews got offended
beause this was their sacred tradtion
passed down from Moses.

And they thought that Paul
was a false teacher, a heretic.

But Paul would not be dissuaded
from preaching in this city.
So the next time
he went to the temple,
it was not for a silent time of worship.
Rather he was pointed out and
this is what they began to
proclaim about him...

This is the man who preaches
against our people everywhere
and tells everybody
to disobey the Jewish laws.
He speaks against the Temple,
and even defiles this holy place
by bringing in Gentiles.

and then...
The whole city was rocked
by these accusations,
and a great riot followed.
Paul was grabbed and dragged
out of the Temple, and
immediately the gates
were closed behind him.

As they were trying to kill him,
word reached the commander
of the Roman regiment that
all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
He immediately called out
his soldiers and officers and
ran down among the crowd.

When the mob saw
the commander
and the troops coming,
they stopped beating Paul.
Then the commander
arrested him and ordered him
bound with two chains.
(prophecy fulfilled)

He asked the crowd
who he was and what
he had done.
Some shouted one thing
and some another.

Since he couldn’t find out the truth
in all the uproar and confusion,
he ordered that Paul be taken
to the fortress.

As Paul reached the stairs,
the mob grew so violent
the soldiers had to lift him
to their shoulders to protect him.
And the crowd followed behind,
shouting, “Kill him, kill him!”
Acts 21:28,30-36

This is what can happen
when a rumor gets out of hand.
This once dainty morsel
had been swallowed by
too many hearts, corrupted
by untruth.

Rumor can turn into a riot.
Yet none of the accusations
these people listed,
were even true.
​
Did it stop the mob?
Did it quiet the cries to kill him?

Men's hearts had been ruined,
trapped by untruth which
they began by repeating rumor.

Who stopped to question,
Paul, is this true?
Paul, what are you really saying?

​Or even consider...
I hear you, but want to truly
understand your viewpoint
even if it doesn't match mine.

Why is it that we can understand
and accept people with different
tastes in food...
Like, I may prefer chocolate cake,
when you want vanilla.

But we can't accept people
with different tastes in belief;
different, and possibly revealing
tastes in truth?

You'd probably be willing
to take s bite of my cake
if I offered it...
knowing it wouldn't
kill you to try it.

So why won't we stop and
take a bite of someone's belief
to see if we like it?

What if we are missing something?
What if my new favorite thing
lies beyond me because
I'm simply not willing to taste...
to ask, to investigate the truth?

Maybe the morsel I'm eating now,
isn't actually what's best for me?

It wasn't for these people
who rioted against the rumor.

They had never even asked Paul
for a bite.., for a taste of his truth.

Thank God... literally, for the guard.
Those who chained Paul
and lifted him above the crowd.

For now we have much more
to learn tomorrow...
when the riot is spoken into.
(Meet me back here for
the conclusion!)

But as for today,
won't you consider with me
to leave the tasty morsel alone?

Do we even enjoy that flavor?
Was it ever that satisfying?

Even if it's never caused a riot
that we may have witnessed...
how do we know that
​one didn't erupt
within someone's soul?

Word of God
train me today...
To hold my tongue when I hear rumor,
not partaking in the tempting morsel.

To be bold enough to ask another
for a taste of their truth before I speak,
opening my heart to withhold judgement.