Real Hope: Acts (A Study of Acts 18 -23)Sample

Boldly Embracing God’s Will

READ ACTS 21: 13-14

Acts 21 opens with Paul and his companions bringing funds from the Christian churches in Greece and Turkey to aid the persecuted church in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit gets a message to Paul through Agabus, a highly respected prophet. Agabus warns that Paul would be bound and handed over to the Romans during his Jerusalem visit. Paul commits to continuing to Jerusalem as it is the Lord’s will. What do we make of these opposing messages?

Paul wasn’t oblivious to the hardship that awaited him in Jerusalem. Agabus’ warning wasn’t a message to stop the trip but more a confirmation of God’s continued sovereignty and comfort to Paul in the face of persecution. At a more personal level, Paul’s selfless example challenges us to check our own priorities. It’s easy perhaps to read Paul’s declaration that he’s prepared to die for the Gospel in today’s context where hyperbole is commonplace (Acts 21:13). However, Paul backed up his words with action and knowingly travelled into the arms of an enraged crowd to advance the kingdom.

Paul’s New Testament letters to the early churches heave with encouragement, correction, lament, and at times, profoundly dense theology. But here in Acts, Paul's words are clear. He prioritizes God above all.

Paul’s testimony is that God’s promise is our strength to prevail over hard times, not to protect us from them. May we align our priorities with His, surrendering our fears, desires, and if needed, our very lives for the sake of the Gospel and the advancement of His kingdom.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES