Would You Die For the Lord Jesus?

Read Acts 21-14
Title in NIV: Paul is warned to avoid Jerusalem.

If you knew something bad was going to happen on a trip you were about to take, would you take it? What if you knew you were expanding God's kingdom and spreading His Word, would you go anyway? Paul did. He probably found comfort in knowing what to expect. In 23:1, Paul says, "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." How many of us can say that with confidence? There are areas in my life I must ask forgiveness because I have let God down.

In Tyre, the disciples warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem. All the disciples and their wives and children pray with Paul before he leaves.

When Paul and his companions reached Caesarea, they stayed with Philip the evangelist for several days. This is the Philip who baptized the Ethiopian eunuch and was suddenly taken away by the Spirit of the Lord. This is the Philip that was one of the Seven who, in chapter 6, were full of the Spirit and wisdom and selected to administer care for widows. (These men were Stephen who was later stoned, Philip, Porcorus, Nicolas, Nicanor, Timon and Parnenas. FYI: Except for Stephen and Philip, the other men are only mentioned once in the Bible, here in Acts.)

I love the little details in the Bible such as vs. 9: Philip had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. That must have been an interesting household!

Agabus came to see Paul. Agabus predicted through the Spirit a severe famine in the Roman world in chapter 11 which prompted the disciples in Antioch to send aid to their brothers living in Judea. Agabus predicted through the Holy Spirit that Paul would be handed over to the Gentiles and bound. Again they pleaded with Paul not to go. In verse 13, Paul says, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." They finally said, "The Lord's will be done."

I hope I would die for the Lord Jesus. I think of the girl who was killed in Columbine who was asked if she believed. I don't know what I would do at the end of a gun.

Next week Acts 21:15-26 If you have any insight on those verses, please comment! I'm going to have to dig to understand why Paul does what he does.