Acts 21:1-16 – On to Jerusalem
- “The Holy Ventriloquist doll.”
- It is amazing how much Paul had learnt from Jesus even though he was never one of His talmidim.
- Paul knew something that I was taught very early in my Christian life. In fact it was the second spiritual lesson I was ever given.
- The Holy Spirit will never contradict the word of God or Himself.
- The Jews had their own version of this, when referring to Bible study they would say that
- ‘no passage ever loses its p’shat”
- In other words; when interpreting the Bible or when asking the Holy Spirit to reveal something to you – if it contradicts the facts then it is not correct.
- Paul’s friends are spoken to by The Holy Spirit – they receive a word of prophecy. They know via the Holy Spirit what is going to happen. Later a prophet clarifies exactly what will happen – Paul will be bound up. This was a ‘word of knowledge’.
- But then the flesh enters; because they know what is about to happen – they try to convince Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
- It is clear from the Word of God that Paul must do everything to advance the Kingdom; plus Paul had already been told by the Spirit that He was to go to Jerusalem.
- It is a problem we see all the time.
- God speaks and then we keep speaking.
- This has happened to me. People have given me a word from God via the Holy Spirit but have then carried on talking and pour out their own interpretation of what must be done.
- Stable people must learn to discern between these two things.
- Stable people must learn that we are all prone to use the Holy Spirit as a ventriloquist doll.
- I must learn not to do that.
- I must learn when others are doing that.
- Stable people must learn to stop prophesying the second the Spirit dries up and stop listening the moment that happens as well – no matter how pleasant what follows may sound.
- I must avoid becoming an unstable person.
- Someone who learns over time learnt over time to cut and paste what the Holy Spirit says.
- When I see a person who is busy doing but not building it is because they have took the things that have been said and rather than arrange them according to spirit and flesh they have arranged them according to “I want to do’s” and “I don’t want to do’s”
- Paul had learnt from Jesus, He also had people dissuading him from going to Jerusalem but He also was determined to do what had to be done.
- He also could have hid behind the Holy Spirit or ‘godly advice’ but He did not.
- What must be done must be done.
- Praying for discernment today for when I speak and when I hear.
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