The Thought for the Week

Scriptures to Read

Acts 21:1-9

Acts 21:10-16

Acts 9:10-17

Acts 11:25-29

St. John 13:31-38

St. Luke 22:27-34

Acts 1:7-11

Indeed the journey continues, but we have now moved on to Acts Chapter 21. The deadline of getting to Jerusalem in time to celebrate Pentecost is getting closer. Paul has used a combination of land and sea travel. He knows about how long things normally take and felt the land journey would save time, give opportunity to visit with friends from the churches he has established and of course save some money. But from here on, the journey shifts to sea travel.

If you can imagine an inverted triangle, the land travel would equal the two legs of the triangle and the sea travel would be the hypotenuse. It becomes shorter, more direct. But there will be the need to change ships. He utilized two types. The first are generally smaller ships, going shorter distances, sticking closer to land, stopping in multiple ports.

But sometimes he will use larger ships that are better suited to deeper sea travel. We don't know exactly how many people were on such ships, but we do know that on a later deep sea ship there were 276 people on board. Of course there needed to be room for extensive cargo, too.

This first part of Acts 21 gives us details. One detail is that Paul was free to tell everyone he was going to Jerusalem. They, in turn, told him he should not go because he was headed straight into trouble. The most detailed of those warnings came from a prophet named Agabus. He seems a resident of Antioch who 15 years before had predicted a severe famine was coming to that part of the world. It did. Now, he takes Paul's belt and binds himself hand and foot with it, predicting the owner of this belt will be bound and handed over to Gentiles. He claims this prophecy comes from the Holy Spirit.

Paul's traveling companions, and there may have been a dozen of them, then plead and earnestly urge Paul to abandon his plan to go to Jerusalem and save himself. At this point, Paul breaks down and weeps. He is not reprimanding them but freely acknowledges their weeping is having an effect on him. He then gives a clear, strong, testimony: "I am ready not only to be bound,... but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Have you ever heard such a testimony? I have and it deeply challenged my spirit. Simon Peter had made such a testimony just before Jesus' crucifixion. Peter failed and denied the Lord three times. The testimony I heard did not end in death but in deliverance.

Paul's testimony did indeed come to fruition. He already knew their prophecies were going to come true but he was ready to face the great challenge. Upon hearing Paul's testimony, his companions shifted from trying to dissuade him to supporting him and they said, "The will of the Lord be done." How powerful to believe the church could be this supportive of its members. It'd be wonderful if all of us prayed for one another and committed each other to do the Lord's will faithfully and fearlessly. Church would regain some of its power.