On his way to Jerusalem, Paul spent a week with some disciples in Tyre. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4).

How do we reconcile this with Acts 20:22, which says the Holy Spirit was extraditing him to Jerusalem? Did the Spirit make a mistake? No. The simplest solution is that the Tyrian disciples have a true revelation that Paul will suffer in Jerusalem. Of their own accord they urge him not to go.

This is exactly what happens next in Caesarea. Luke and Paul meet with two leading figures of the Early Church, Philip the Evangelist and Agabus the Prophet. With these four men in one room, you have a virtual who’s who of church history. Add Philip’s four prophetic daughters and the cast is complete for the drama that unfolds.

Agabus takes Paul’s belt and performs a prophetic act. He ties himself up hand and foot and predicts Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem. Then they all urge Paul not to go. On a personal note, Luke the author discloses his affection for Paul: “We begged him not to go” (Acts 21:12 Composite Translation).

This parallels the moment in the Gospel when Peter tells Jesus not to go to Jerusalem where death awaited him (Matthew 16:22). Like Jesus, Paul would not be dissuaded from his destiny.

This is an invaluable lesson in personal prophecy. On this journey, Paul had been receiving words in every city concerning his doom in Jerusalem (Acts 20:23). And he had just recently written in his letter to the Corinthians, “we know in part, and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).

Paul understood that each prophecy is but a partial revelation of God’s will. He had to put all the pieces together and discern the will of God for himself.

He would not be jostled off his path by a new revelation, however true, not even from a proven prophet like Agabus. He judged the Tyrian and Caesarean prophecies in light of what the Spirit had already shown him:

“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”. (Acts 21:13)

It was a Gethsemane moment for Paul and his friends: “And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, ‘Let the will of the Lord be done’.” (Acts 21:14)

• Here in cosy Singapore, we are spoilt. We bemoan every little discomfort or inconvenience. When it’s hotter than usual, we call it suffering. When the train breaks down, we call it tribulation. Turn to God in repentance. Promise to end this bad habit and ungodly behaviour. Pledge to live life from the Gospel perspective.

• The Early Church was married to poverty, prisons and persecutions. Today, the church is married to prosperity, personality and popularity (Leonard Ravenhill). Learn from Paul. By this time in his career, he had already been stoned once, beaten with rods thrice and given 39 lashes five times (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). Yet he did not flinch from going to Jerusalem, knowing full well that imprisonment and afflictions awaited him (Acts 20:22-23). Remember our missionaries. Pray for each one by name. Pray that, like Paul, they will be constrained by the Spirit to stay on track and persevere through thick and thin – even in the face of insane circumstances and risks to life and limb. Ask God to cultivate in each of them a willingness to share in the sufferings of Christ and learn obedience through it all. Speak blessings over each one. May they flourish and finish well for the glory of God!

• Pray for our future missionaries. God’s cause will never fail. The only question is, will we fail His cause? Will we fulfil our Antioch call? Will we release our sons and daughters to gateway cities in the 10|40 Window where evangelism is a capital offence? Will we pray: Let the will of the Lord be done? Will we share in Jesus’ victory over Satan and the world? Will we suffer with Christ now so that we may be glorified with Him in the age to come (Romans 8:17)? That is the question. What is your answer? Pray it forward in your own words.

• Do not quench the Spirit. Despise not prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). Personal prophecy was a dominant feature in Paul’s journey. The words he received were true. But nowadays, prophetic words fly around like paper planes colliding in mid-air. Beware of prophecy on tap. The Apostle Peter insisted that no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man (2 Peter 1:21). That bears repeating: No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man – until today, that is. Nowadays you can queue up for a personal prophecy. And if you don’t like it, you can exchange it for another. We need to be wary and wise. Pray that we will never let any potluck prophecy dissuade us from what God has already shown us through other means, and especially in His written Word. Ask God for sharp discernment. Pray for an outpouring of the true Spirit of prophecy on the Singapore Church: Lord, come like a refiner’s fire. Purify us like gold. Purge out all dross. Expose everything that is false and tainted. Uproot every tree you did not plant. Deliver us from deception. Forgive us for esteeming personal prophecy above Scripture. Silence the Babel of words that contradicts your written Word.