RTW December 2
Heed or Obey
Then the commander arrested him and ordered him bound with two chains. He asked the crowd who he was and what he had done.
Acts 21:33
My Takeaways
Something Old
Bound by the Spirit. (Acts 20:22)
They all cried and said good-bye. (Acts 20:37)
Believers prophesied that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:4)
Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound. (Acts 21:10)
Paul didn’t heed the warnings, he obeyed.
“I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 21:13
What am willing to endure for the cause of Christ?
Obedience has a cost. Some pay a greater price than others.
Something New
I wonder why Paul traveled along by land, rather than with the others by ship. (Acts 20:13)
Something to Do
Obey, no matter what the cost.
Paul had one message for all people: Repent from sin, turn to God, have faith in the Lord Jesus (20:21).
Paul never shrank back from telling people what they needed (not wanted) to hear and what God wanted them to know (20:20, 27)
Paul knew that sharing the Gospel meant that “jail and suffering lie ahead” but considered his life worthless if he didn’t tell others about the wonderful grace of God (20:24)
Paul was faithful in sharing the Gospel (20:26)
Paul was an example of how to help those in need (20:35)
Paul was ready to be jailed – even die – for Jesus (21:13)
Oh how convicting this morning’s reading was … I desire to have courage like Paul in sharing the Gospel.
No matter how many “prophetic words” Paul received, he remained obedient to the Holy Spirit (20:22). Wendy talked about following the Holy Spirit – knowing His “voice” … I struggle with whether/how we can “hear” the voice of God outside of His Word. Coming from a charismatic experiential church where God “spoke” directly to us all the time (yikes)….I’m really having a hard time knowing how to discern.