ACTS 21
10 And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
11 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
12 And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
14 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
BOUND BUT FREE
Paul was a very focused man, he was never disobedient to the heavenly vision that he had seen on the Damascus road all those years before.
Jesus said that he would have to suffer greatly for his names sake, and he had suffered beatings and imprisonment on several of his missionary journeys.
Agabus, a prophet came down from Judea, this was the same one, who had prophesised that there would be a famine fifteen years earlier.
Now he was telling them, that their beloved Paul, was going to be arrested if he went up to Jerusalem.
They were shocked, they were going to lose their beloved leader, the man who had built the church.
They tried to persuade Paul not to go, but Paul would not be moved, his words in verse 13, should stir us, they stir me.
What Paul said in verse 13, is Don’t stop me!
Why this weeping, this is God’s will for my life. God is going to use this as never before, he is going to unlock the doors to speaking to kings and even to the emperor himself.
You see sometimes, we don’t see the big picture, God does.
Sometimes, we have people in our churches, who will go to dangerous places, we will say, why are you going there, it’s so dangerous.
The words of Paul in verse 13 are the cry of every Christian:
I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.
Although Paul was bound by chains in Jerusalem and in other places, he has greater opportunities to share the gospel with influential people, who probably would have never had the chance to hear it, if he had remained a free man.
Paul saw this as an opportunity not an obstacle to the spread of the gospel.
Let our cry by always that of verse 13, I am ready not only to be bound but to die for the gospel.
Every day, someone is killed for the gospel, people are killed because of the name of Jesus.
Am I/you prepared to say the words of verse 13?
God bless you
kk