by Skip Heitzig
I think "The Acts of the Apostles" could aptly be called "The Acts of the Holy Spirit Through the Apostles." I mention this because it might appear that Paul the apostle is fighting the leading of the Holy Spirit in Acts 20-21.
Paul spoke of the "many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews" (Acts 20:19). "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem without knowing what will happen to me there, except that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that I will face imprisonment and hardships." (vv. 22-23).
Paul was sensitive to what the Holy Spirit was saying. He had an inkling of what was coming. He didn't know the details exactly, but he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. In the first few verses of chapter 21, three groups of believers told Paul not to go. He was completely outnumbered, and even his traveling companions were on that train.
Even today, there are some people—good, godly people, even anointed preachers—who believe that Paul made a mistake in going to Jerusalem, because that's where he was arrested. He was confined for four years, first in Caesarea and later in Rome. He made a mistake, these people say; he was fighting the Holy Spirit, who was trying to tell him not to go.
Well, I think Paul would have a different story. When he was sitting in jail in Jerusalem, he wrote, "Brethren, I want you to know that what has happened to me has actually helped spread the gospel," (Philippians 1:12). I believe he was being sensitive to the Holy Spirit when he was making this claim.
He didn't confuse a prediction from the Holy Spirit with a prohibition—that is, the Holy Spirit saying no. God was big enough to keep Paul out of a place He didn't want him to go, like when He sent him to Macedonia rather than Asia in Acts 16. That same God was preparing Paul for what lay ahead. That's how Paul viewed it.
There's a practical application here. You and I are sometimes reluctant to ask the Lord to direct our lives. We tell Him, "Direct me in whatever Your will is." But if we're honest, we're banking on Him taking us to a comfortable, nice place. We're reluctant to let go completely.
But when you step into the Christian life, you relinquish all control. You don't have rights over your life anymore. That's how Paul lived his life. "As for me, I do not regard my life as of any value, only that I finish the race and complete the mission that I received from the Lord Jesus—to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace." (Acts 20:24).
You can't stop someone like that. Only God can.
The example to us is that, sometimes, well-meaning people who love us may indeed be hearing from God. At the same time, we must weigh out what God is telling us in our own hearts about what ought to be done.
Hardships are a mark of a mature ministry. If you're going to be worth your salt in serving the Lord, you must face difficulty. It's what God uses as sandpaper to knock off your rough edges. And if you think you don't have any rough edges, think again. The Lord knows you do!
Hardships make you more valuable and better equipped for ministry. So, if you're serving the Lord, and you're getting some blowback, don't worry—and don't quit. God's honing you, strengthening you, using you.
Don't bypass it. Let the Lord do His work.
