In Acts 21, Paul set his mind to go to Jerusalem and so, he began his journey there. When he landed at Tyre, we read this:
“And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” (Acts 21:4 ESV).
Well, Paul isn’t swayed from his plans and eventually finds his way to Caesarea and the home of Philip- yeah, the same Philip we read in Acts 6, one of the first deacons and the one in Acts 8 who taught the Samaritans and Simon the Sorcerer, and then the Ethiopian Eunuch.
While staying with Philip, a prophet named Agabus, in dramatic fashion, tells Paul that if he goes to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit tells him that Paul will be bound and handed over to the Gentiles. Still, this does not sway Paul, and we read:
“And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:14 ESV).
But earlier in Acts 16, Paul had determined to go into Asia to preach, but the Holy Spirit had other plans for him:
“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.” (Acts 16:6 ESV).
It is after this that Paul received the famous Macedonian Call in a vision.
So, the question is, “Was Paul disobeying the Spirit in Acts 21 when the Spirit sent message after message to warn Paul about what would happen if he continued with his plans to go to Jerusalem?
There is one huge difference in the Spirit’s revelation of chapter 16 and His revelation in chapter 21. In 16, the Spirit gave a direct command, forbidding Paul to travel to Asia. Had Paul continued anyway, he would have been in direct violation of God’s expressed will. But in chapter 21, the Spirit is merely revealing what will happen if Paul travels to Jerusalem. There is no prohibition. But the brethren who loved Paul did not want harm to befall him, so they took the revelation of the Spirit as a means to warn Paul in order to keep him safe.
In the end, Paul stayed within the will of God the Spirit. He never disobeyed Him. Paul understood what was waiting for him, yet he weighed the benefits of his visit to Jerusalem against the harm that would befall him and chose that paying that cost would be worth it.
Sometimes, we will plainly understand that the actions we take for the Lord will cost us something. Perhaps, it may cost a friendship, a job or it will bring derision upon us. Whatever the cost, we are left with the same choice Paul had in Acts 21. Do I feel that the benefits to the Lord outweigh the cost to me?
And a word of caution to those of us who love the one struggling with a decision like this. Let us be careful in our zeal to caution them from being harmed that we refuse to honor their decision to follow their conscience, even if it is a different decision that we would have made ourselves. The best way we can support someone who is struggling with a decision like this, when we see that they will not be swayed, is to pray that the will of the Lord be done.
In my daily Bible reading, I am in the book of Ezekiel, where God is pronouncing warnings and judgements upon the people of Israel for their sins. And again, I see a cause of their pride and arrogance that should give warning to us today.
“They cast their silver into the streets, and their gold is like an unclean thing. Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs with it. For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.” (Ezekiel 7:19 ESV).
Wealth and possessions have always given man false hope and security. In it, we have the power to satisfy our immediate desires and to sway others to do our bidding. The power that wealth gives us will tempt us to think that we do not need God.
But when God brings upon His judgement, what can our gold and silver do for us? God will not be swayed from His wrath. Wealth cannot buy us a place of safety from His judgement.
Let us be careful in the trust we put into our things. For in the end, they will be burned up and we will all stand naked before the judgment seat of Christ- both rich and poor alike. On that day, none shall be richer or poorer than the one next to him.
“for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” (1 Timothy 6:7 ESV).
“for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12 ESV).
What is the difference between God's mercy and God's grace?
God's mercy is extended when He doesn't give us the punishment we deserve.
God's grace is extended when He gives us the rewards that we do not deserve.
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
To do for God's glory means we will serve, teach and give so that He is praised and honored.
If we serve, teach and give and then step into the shadows so that no one praises us, but thanks God, it is the highest stewardship we can perform.
Do all for God's glory and none for ours. When we pray for wisdom, healing, food or gold and silver, do so that we may be better stewards to use all those things for God's glory.
We are Christians. Life is about serving the King and to live for the day we hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”
What will you do today to bring glory to King Jesus?
Are we at a disadvantage because we don't witness people performing miracles today? While miracles may help us see the gravity of the message, it was never the thing that saved. It was the message preached that prompted repentance. Look at how Jesus feels about this:
“Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.” Matthew 11:20.
Jesus was teaching a message that required repentance. He spoke with authority, but the people didn't have to take His word at face value. The miracles confirmed the message He preached.
When He ascended to heaven, the Spirit gave men the power to perform miracles to confirm their message. There was no New Testament to read or turn to and the Lord did not expect the world to take their new word at face value either.
But even then, it wasn't the miracles that led to repentance and gave salvation. It was the Word that the miracles confirmed that led to repentance and salvation.
Not everyone who witnessed miracles repented. Some walked away, even admitting that a mighty work was done, but with no intention of submitting to the message.
Today, we don't have to take a speaker at face value either. But we no longer need miracles to ensure the message is from God. We have the written Word of God to do that for us.
And today, the same truth stands. It is the Word that will prick the heart and lead to repentance and salvation. Miracles never had that power.
If we submit to God's Word, we will do that with or without miracles. Miracles were never a guarantee that people would accept God's Word.
If you own a Bible, you have access to something far greater than miracles. Let it show you the way to Jesus and teach you repentance.
Cancel culture is nothing new...
“And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district.” (Acts 13:49-50 ESV).
Cancel culture is nothing new...As I continue in my daily Bible reading in Ezekiel, we see God’s wrath building to a point where He says that judgment is imminent. That means, there will be no mercy, no grace extended at this point. But Ezekiel gives us insight into God and His nature in a verse that is both exceedingly comforting and heartbreakingly sorrowful when we read it:
“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30 ESV).
We see that God is not quick to pour out His wrath upon those whom He loves. Peter calls it God’s longsuffering, or patience (2 Peter 3:9). Before God brought His judgment upon the nations in Ezekiel, God sought a righteous man who He could use to stand in the breach; someone who would give Him a reason to stay His wrath.
But how heartbreaking that there was not one man who rose to the occasion. Not one whom the Lord could find. It was therefore, in resignation, that the Lord had no choice but to pour out His wrath. Not because He was eager to do so, but because He could find no reason not to, though He earnestly sought a reason.
When the Lord looks upon a nation of people today who are guilty of many of the same sins (and much more, if we are honest) that brought about the wrath of God in the days spoken about in Ezekiel, will He find someone to stand in the breach? Will He find many who profess godliness, but when He looks upon the secret things in the heart, will find envy, hatred, bitterness, lewdness, or all manner of evil?
Let us all strive to be the men and women of God, who not only profess godliness with the lips, but in the integrity of our heart, harbor righteousness. Let us be the men and women He can find to stand in the breach today.
In Romans 3, Paul talks about a lot about people who walk in their own evil way and concludes:
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18 ESV).
People kill with no remorse. People curse without a second thought. People lie, cheat and steal and then rejoice in their sin.
And we think how low people have fallen to commit such brazen acts of evil with no fear of God before their eyes.
But what about the times we sit in front of the television and bring swearing, immodest dress or people using the Lord's name in vain into our homes?
What about listening to a comedian known for coarse jesting?
What about engaging in whisperings, backbitings and gossiping?
Before we throw the book at the “really bad” people, should we consider whether we have the fear of God before our eyes when we invite evil into our homes, our eyes, our hearts without giving it a second thought?
Perhaps, we all need to have a little more fear of the Lord before our eyes as we consider the choices we make in our entertainment.
I am still going through Ezekiel in my daily Bible reading. I have an observation I want to share specifically with my fellow fathers. I know these lessons have weighed heavily on my heart. It starts with a proverb that was common in Israel in the days of Ezekiel:
“What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?” (Ezekiel 18:2 ESV).
This is akin to the false and destructive doctrine of Calvinism that teaches that we inherit sins. The Bible plainly teaches that each is responsible for their own sins and God makes this very clear when He says:
“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:3-4 ESV).
Fathers, understand that God will judge you for your sins and your children for their sins. On the Day of Judgement, your sins will not pass to your children, nor will their sins be held against you. The soul that sins will die.
But in chapter 33, Ezekiel also teaches about the sacred duty of the Watchman:
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand.” (Ezekiel 33:6 ESV).
Is there any more appropriate situation in which fathers can be considered Watchmen than when it comes to protecting and warning their children of spiritual dangers? My fellow fathers, know that your children will fall in their iniquities because of their own responsibility, but have you warned them?
If we have taught and warned them, then we have fulfilled our duty as their Watchman. But if we have been easy in warning them; if we have withheld the council of the Lord from them; if we have turned a blind eye when they walk astray… then we have failed them as their Watchman. And what is the result?
They will fall in their iniquity because we did not warn them and the Lord will require their blood at our hands. Fathers, we are not doing our children any favors by protecting them from the statutes of the Lord. We need to warn them by giving them every opportunity to prepare in themselves a heart soft for the Lord.
My fellow fathers, if we truly love our children, we will be their Watchman. No matter how old they are, it's never too late to start being their Watchman.