The Lord's Will Be Done

Acts 21:10-14 NKJV

10After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands, and said, “The Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

13Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14When he would not be dissuaded, we quieted down and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

God’s Will

Paul was now in Caesarea, and he was staying at the home of Philip, the evangelist. But he was on a journey to Jerusalem, where he knew he was going to be persecuted. A prophet of God even confirmed that before Paul and all the people. And the people pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem. But Paul’s response was that he was ready, not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So, when the people were not able to change his mind they said to him, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Now, Paul should not be regarded as the only exception to the rule of “let’s play it safe.” For we are taught all throughout the New Testament that faith in Jesus Christ, if it is true biblical faith in the Lord, must involve us having tribulations and trials to test our faith, and us being hated and persecuted as Jesus was treated for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of the gospel. So, if we are out there, like Paul, sharing the truth of the gospel, and not the lies spreading so rapidly, we should be experiencing some of this.

Facing Persecution

Especially in our day and time when so many preachers and evangelists are altering and diluting the gospel to make it less offensive and more appealing to the ungodly (which includes many who profess faith in Jesus Christ), if we teach and preach what Jesus taught, and what his New Testament apostles taught as the gospel, in its correct biblical context, unless we are not really out there in the world where people can hear us or read what we write, we will face opposition, even from others who say they believe in Jesus Christ.

We won’t be opposed just by the general populace. But we will be opposed, rejected, crucified (words only), hated, and cast aside as unwanted by many preachers and evangelists, too, who are diluting the gospel to make it more appealing to human flesh. In fact, many of them are being trained, in their training sessions on how to “do church,” to reject the gospel truth and its messengers. And they are being warned about people like me with “strong convictions,” that they are to invite us to go somewhere else where we fit.

Be Ready

We should not be surprised if we are not generally accepted even by most who also profess faith in Jesus Christ, but if we are more often than not rejected and even persecuted, if we are speaking the truth of the gospel of Christ to the people. We should be fully ready and fully prepared to face the kinds of things we are warned about in the Scriptures that Jesus and the prophets and the New Testament apostles experienced for their walks of faith in the Lord and for preaching the truth of the gospel to the people.

We must be prepared, as Paul was, that we could be put in prison, or beaten, or falsely accused of wrong we did not commit. And we could be put on trial in a court of law on false charges. And the liars may be believed over us based on false evidence, which is very easy to create in our generation, especially with the assistance of AI (artificial intelligence). And we could be put to death because we refuse to deny Jesus as the Christ. This is all coming our way. So we need to be fully ready for when it comes.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]   

Fully Ready!  

Based off Acts 20-22,26; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

An Original Work / June 19, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.

If I must die for the sake of His name,

I am convinced it will not be in vain.

Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,

Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;

Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.

Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.

I have appointed you as a servant,

And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.

Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.

Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;

From power of the evil one to God,

So they may receive forgiveness of sins,

And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”

https://vimeo.com/115439432

The Lord’s Will Be Done

An Original Work / June 1, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love