KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 21:4. And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

In chapter 21, Apostle Paul followed up on his mission to go to Jerusalem. When they got to Tyre, some disciples came to him and spoke by the Spirit, that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Paul had had a similar warning in some of the cities he visited.

Paul went ahead with his agenda to go to Jerusalem. Why didn’t he heed this warning, although the bible said they spoke by the power of the Spirit? (The bible only reported what the disciples said was the instruction of the Spirit) His decision to go raised a lot of questions to answer. Did Paul know that the Spirit was asking him not to go? I can’t answer certainly, yet in all the studies we’ve done on the life of Paul, we see that he did not count his life dear unto himself. Apostle Paul was a man of the Spirit and would not just disobey the voice or instruction of the Spirit. The following verse lays every question and doubt to rest. Acts 23:11 “And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome”. In Acts 23:11, the Lord Jesus himself stood beside Paul and told him that he must get to Rome and preach the gospel over there too.

The issue at stake is why these disciples in Tyre say the Holy Spirit was asking Paul not to go to Jerusalem and subsequently to Rome? Many times, we may receive a clear word from the Spirit about a situation, yet we must ask the Holy Spirit for His next instruction about what must be done. This, I believe, was the error of these disciples from Tyre. They truly received the revelation that, at Jerusalem, Paul would be bound and given to the Gentiles. I believe they did not receive any further word that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. Such instruction purported to be from the Spirit would have been a contradiction with the instruction Jesus gave. Please note that every revelation of Jesus is, in actual fact, the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Himself stood beside Paul and told him; he would have to be in Rome to testify over there too. how could the Holy Spirit turn around to tell these disciples that he should not go to Jerusalem, which would lead him to Rome ultimately?

Every one of us children of God must be very diligent to wait for full and clear instructions from the Holy Spirit before going about to say it, or we may be acting on what we might not have been instructed to say.   NEVER MAKE CONCLUSIONS FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT.

PRAYER

I pray in the name of JESUS that I may be extra sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice, that my way shall always be clear to bring glory and honour unto the Lord.

FURTHER STUDIES

John 16:13. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Romans 8:9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.