“The will of the Lord be done!”

Acts 21:18-36 (NASB) from the daily reading in the One Year Bible (link on links page)

¹⁸ And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰ And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; ²¹ and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ²² What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; ²⁴ take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. ²⁵ But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” ²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

²⁷ When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸ crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” ²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰ Then all the city was provoked, and ^[j]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹ While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³² At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³ Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. ³⁵ When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; ³⁶ for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

Paul knew when he went to Jerusalem that He would face the probability of being arrested. It had been prophesied, Acts 21:10-14 says:

As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

Even when Paul had first had his encounter with Jesus and had been blinded God sent Ananias to him saying:  the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”(Acts 9:15-16)

In the same way Jesus has told us, His followers that there will be hard times. In John 16:33 He says: "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."   In Mark 10:29-30, even as Jesus promises a reward to those who follow Him, He also tells us the truth about difficult times that will come.

Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, 30but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.  

In the same way that it was said of Paul, " he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel"   Jesus says this to all of His followers concerning the times before He returns. Mark 13:7-13

 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. ⁸ For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

⁹ “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. ¹⁰ The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. ¹¹ When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. ¹² Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

It will do us no good to try to compromise with men, trying as Paul did in today's text,   to prove something to them. All we can do in the times we face is to as Jesus says:  do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.    Whether we are called to stand and testify before kings and governors as Jesus  says , or we are as Paul was,  a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel,   We trust the Spirit. Even when we look at verses 12-13 above: Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.¹³ You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

If we are called to and given the opportunity to testify and bear witness of the kingdom of God and the truth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, even to our own families who have turned against us, we must hold fast to the truth. Not for our own sake, but that they too might receive the revelation that Jesus is the Christ.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, the Lord of all, precious Holy Spirit. Give me this day and every day the courage and confidence to walk in the fullness of Your calling for my life. Fill me Holy Spirit. Give me the words to say, whether I speak to one or 100,000. whether I testify to kings or to one of "least" of the Kings children.  Give me the words to say and use them for your glory. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.   Amen