Unshakeable Faith in Suffering

Discover how Paul’s unwavering faith sustained him through suffering. Learn what it means to trust God’s calling even when others warn against the path ahead, and how the Church supports one another through trials. On his way to Jerusalem, Paul learns in advance of the suffering that awaits him there. Even as disciples moved by the Holy Spirit urge him not to go, and as the prophet Agabus delivers his prophetic warning, Paul is prepared not only to be bound but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. This reveals the true character of a soul that remains unshaken by faith, even in the face of coming hardship.

[Scripture]

Acts 21:1-14 (ESV)

[1] And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. [2] And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. [3] When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. [4] And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. [5] When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed [6] and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. [7] When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. [8] On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. [9] He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. [10] While we were staying for many 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, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” [12] When we heard this, we and the people there urged 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 imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” [14] And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:1-14, ESV)

[Daily Word]

The Church as One Body Is a Community That Walks the Road of Suffering Together

On his way to Jerusalem, Paul stopped at Tyre and stayed there for a week. The disciples in Tyre, who knew through the Holy Spirit that Paul would face suffering in Jerusalem, naturally pleaded with him not to go. Yet Paul, convinced that it was the Holy Spirit’s command, resolved to press on toward Jerusalem.

God grants each of His people fellow members to walk alongside them so that no one must travel the road of suffering alone. In that sense, we must remember that the Lord gathers us together as one body — the Church — so that we may bear the cross entrusted to each of us by working together in unity.

In today’s passage in particular, the disciples of the church at Tyre learned through the Holy Spirit of the suffering that awaited Paul. Because they were one body, they urged him not to go; because they were one body, they all accompanied him outside the city gate to send him off; and naturally, as one body, they gathered together to pray. We must always remember that the Church established by the Lord is a community called to co-labor in prayer for one another’s ministries — as one body, to the very end.

God’s Purpose in Revealing Suffering in Advance

Paul and his companions left Tyre and stayed at the home of Philip in Caesarea. This Philip was one of the seven deacons, and notably his four daughters were engaged in the ministry of prophecy.(Acts 21:9) While they were staying in Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. He took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and prophesied, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'”(Acts 21:11)

The reason the Holy Spirit forewarns Paul of the sufferings he is about to face is so that he will not be caught off guard or lose heart when the great trials in Jerusalem come upon him, but will instead prepare through prayer in advance. In this way, God is reminding us that living in the Lord cannot be compared with the glory that is yet to be revealed.¹

Paul’s Faith, Ready Even for Death

Even as Paul takes to heart the anguish of his companions — who weep and plead with him not to go — he asks them not to break his heart with their tears. For though he knows he will be bound in Jerusalem, Paul is fully prepared to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. This was a resolute act of faith, as seen in Acts 20:24, in which he counted his own life as worth nothing, so long as he could finish the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.²

We, too, are people who have received grace from God and have been called to carry out the work of the Lord. Therefore, what we must do is bear the sufferings of the cross entrusted to us — by the grace of the Lord who enables us to endure. Let us once again call to mind the ministry the Lord has placed in our hands today, and may we all be those who carry it out in faith alone.

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com