THE REALITY OF FAITH (Acts 20:22-24 and 21:1-6)
THE REALITY OF FAITH
(Acts 20:22-24 and 21:1-6)
Paul hurriedly travels to Jerusalem with the intention of preaching in Rome and Spain. The Holy Spirit warns him that he will be arrested there, but he doesn't turn away from his path. He was so passionate about his faith that he believed he was being led by the Holy Spirit. However, his disciples and prophets tried to stop him. They too were not acting on their own accord, but were following the instructions of the Holy Spirit by preventing Paul from going to Jerusalem. So what is the true instruction of the Holy Spirit? When the direction of the Holy Spirit is not clear, waiting a little longer is never too late or wrong. Paul should have waited until everything became clear. In fact, in the reality of our faith, waiting is often a virtue.
Paul's Missionary Journeys: A Movie-like Experience
The book of Acts tells the story of Peter up to chapter 12, but from chapter 13 onwards, it shifts the focus to Paul's missionary journeys. The final chapter, chapter 28, records Paul preaching the gospel until he was martyred in Rome.
Paul's missionary journeys were remarkable, and there is a reason why they were so dramatic. First, Paul went from being someone who persecuted Jesus' followers to becoming someone who preached Jesus. His footsteps, once used to capture Christians, were now used to spread the gospel. To put it in Jesus' words, Paul became a fisherman of men.
Another reason why Paul's missionary journeys were so dramatic is that he went on three of them. Not only did he go on difficult journeys three times, but he also traveled as far as Macedonia and Corinth. We can see Paul's dedication to his missionary work through his actions.
It's hard to imagine that Paul could have changed so much without being completely captivated by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Some people even thought he was crazy when they saw how he preached and acted. Governor Festus said, "Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you insane!" (Acts 26:24). Paul traveled on his missionary journeys like a madman to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are moved by his faith and the example he set. At times, we have even aspired to have the same kind of faith and determination as Paul.
Paul's Desire
During his third missionary journey, Paul stays in Ephesus for about three years and preaches the gospel daily at the Hall of Tyrannus. It is during this time that he decides he must go to Rome and to the farthest land of Spain to preach the gospel.
Paul had resolved to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must also see Rome." (Acts 19:21)
Paul sets out from Ephesus, travels through Macedonia and Achaia, and quickly makes his way to Jerusalem, with the intention of being sent to Rome and Spain. His heart was filled with a longing to go to the church in Jerusalem as soon as possible and then to be sent to Rome and Spain to preach the gospel. Why did Paul have such a strong desire to go to Rome and Spain?
There are three reasons why Paul had such a strong desire to go to Rome and Spain. First, it was because of his intense experience of meeting Jesus. When he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was transformed and became someone who couldn't help but share the message of Jesus. Second, Paul had completed his mission of spreading the Gospel in Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia, so he felt a strong desire to go to Rome, and Spain, which he called the "ends of the earth." He had always wanted to visit the Christians in Rome, and he believed he had a responsibility to preach the Gospel there as well : "Now I have no place to work in this province, and for many years I have been hoping to come to you at any time when I go to Savannah" (Romans 15:23). Nothing could stop Paul's passion as he went from being a warrior to capture believers in Jesus to an apostle to spread the gospel. Third, It was because the Holy Spirit impelled Paul. Paul was driven by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem and beyond. Even though he knew that he would face hardships and persecution (Acts 20:22-23), he was compelled to go and share the Gospel wherever he could. Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem as soon as possible so he could be sent to Rome and Spain.
According to the Romans 1 or 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul wanted to go to Rome to preach the gospel, but Satan kept blocking his path. Despite this, Paul was determined to fulfill his mission to testify to the grace of God's gospel, even if it meant risking his life. He was warned by the Holy Spirit that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, but Paul's desire to preach was so strong that it seemed to overshadow the Spirit's warning. His determination was fierce.
“For I do not count my life as dear to me, even my life in the least, to finish my course and the commission I have received from the Lord Jesus, which is to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
It seems that Paul's heart was already bent on his own aspirations, so the words of the Holy Spirit did not penetrate him. Paul's determination is eerie.
The people who prevented Paul from going to Jerusalem
A point that we should examine more closely is the people who prevented Paul from traveling to Jerusalem. Unlike Paul's determination, these people stood in his way. Paul had already declared that he did not consider his own life as precious when he set out from Miletus (a port city in modern-day Turkiye) to sail to Jerusalem. When he arrived in Tyre (a northern port city in Palestine), his disciples tried to dissuade him.
“They urged him not to go up to Jerusalem, but the Holy Spirit had told them that he would face imprisonment and hardships there” (Acts 21:4b).
Blocking Paul's path to Jerusalem was not a one-time occurrence. In Acts 21:8-12, when Paul arrived in Caesarea, which is closer to Jerusalem than Tyre, a prophet named Agabus from Judea came to them and took Paul's belt, tied himself up and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" Upon hearing this, Paul's companions and the local people urged him not to go to Jerusalem.
"And a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, and came to us, and took Paul's girdle, and bound his hands and feet, saying, The Holy Ghost saith, In Jerusalem the Jews shall bind this girdle-bearer, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles: and when we heard it, we, and the people of that place, bade him not go up to Jerusalem" (Acts 21:10b-12).
If Agabus was not a false prophet, he could not have staged such a performance based solely on his own thoughts, but would have proclaimed the will of God. However, Paul boldly confessed his faith, saying, "I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13), and urged them not to prevent him from going to Jerusalem.
We find something peculiar in the behavior of Paul and those who sought to prevent him from going to Jerusalem. That is the Holy Spirit. Paul said he was being led by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem. However, in Tyre and Caesarea, his disciples, who were also led by the Holy Spirit, urged him not to go. Isn't it strange? The message of the Holy Spirit to Paul was different from that to his disciples.
Paul's failure to wait and discern
Paul, who showed determination in dedicating himself to the Gospel, went to Jerusalem but was arrested in the temple. As he faced the possibility of death, he used his Roman citizenship to appeal to the emperor and was sent to Rome. This event was also fueled by Paul's passion to go to Rome. However, Nero had Paul beheaded in Rome, and as a result, Paul's desired missionary work in Rome was only partly accomplished, and he couldn't go to Spain where he had hoped.
Sometimes the Holy Spirit can't speak clearly because of human passions. Paul's hasty behavior in going to Jerusalem, claiming he was led by the Holy Spirit, seems to be a delusion caused by his burning missionary passion. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he longed to be sent to Rome and Spain again, but he felt that Satan was obstructing him when his way to Jerusalem was blocked (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Paul should have calmly discerned the Holy Spirit and the disciples who were moved by the Holy Spirit and were blocking his path. The more he felt that going to Jerusalem was the will of the Holy Spirit, the more accurately he should have discerned why the Holy Spirit spoke differently and acted accordingly. However, Paul was impatient.
Waiting is also a form of faith. If we think of the scene in Acts 16 where Paul and his companions were prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching in Asia and tried to go to Bithynia and then to Galatia, but were again stopped by Jesus' Spirit, we can see that waiting for a vision in Troas is an act of faith.
"And the Holy Ghost forbade them to preach the word in Asia: and they traveled through the land of Bruria and Galatia, and came to Mysia, and endeavored to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit of Jesus forbade them not. And when they had passed through Mysia, they went down to Troas: and in the night a vision appeared unto Paul: and there stood a man of Macedonia, and called unto him, saying, Come over to Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:6-9).
Paul wanted to preach in Asia, which is modern-day western Turkiye, but the Holy Spirit stopped him. So Paul tried to go to northeastern Turkey, but the Holy Spirit stopped him there as well. The Holy Spirit led Paul to go to Macedonia, specifically to the city of Troas, which he had not considered before. It was there that Paul had a vision and obeyed the Spirit's direction. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to guide him to the right place was an act of faith for Paul.
When the Holy Spirit prevented Paul from going to Jerusalem, or at least restrained him in Caesarea, Paul should have stopped and waited. However, Paul did not adopt the patient attitude he had taken in the past in Troas. His missionary zeal had become a hindrance to him.
Paul's desire to quickly preach the gospel in Rome and Spain, even more than the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, was driven by his own passion. When people become anxious and confused, they can misinterpret their own thoughts and passions as the voice of the Holy Spirit. Especially when people think they are faithfully living their faith and serving Jesus sacrificially, they may not realize how weak they have become.
Jesus' Walk to Golgotha is the result of obedience to God's will. What we should not misunderstand is the fact that even if we dedicate ourselves and are prepared to die for God, it is not necessarily the result of obedience to God's will. Paul's zeal, even to the point of death, prevented him from following the Holy Spirit's guidance. Our faith cannot go before the Holy Spirit, and we cannot go before prayer.
We cannot deny Paul's missionary zeal and dedication, but even in mission, there can be gaps. This is because Paul and we are weak human beings. Satan does not miss such gaps. Of course, we may make wrong judgments, show our gaps, and go ahead of prayer, but God knows our weaknesses. Therefore, even if we walk on the wrong path, God will help us and accompany us. However, it is more meaningful to live a faithful life by walking the path that we have received in response to prayer or the path that the Holy Spirit has guided us to take. Faith that waits is glory to God and beneficial to us, rather than simple zeal.