Acts 21:13 “Then 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.”
So often I hear of “Christians” talking about how following Jesus is such a chore or that in some way they have had to give up their “good life” to follow Jesus and get into heaven. So often I hear of discipleship as something that sounds more like “lets just get along with our own little group” then this verse today. I visited a church yesterday that talked about ways they were aware of God leading their church and they answered with things like “we are welcoming; we love each other; we are happy; we get along…” and when questions of vision came around the answer was “….to get to know each other better….” Now I am being kind of harsh, but my point is that this is so far from the essence of this verse this morning. How many of us would consider it a true joy and completely embrace the idea of being tortured and put to death because of the name of Jesus? What if when we stood before the church and right before we got baptized the Pastor would say, “are you ready to be tortured? Are you ready to die? …..and love every minute of it?” Perhaps, most of us think Jesus is a good idea but few of us are ready to make Him the Lord of our lives. Paul has made Jesus the Lord of His life and this text shows what that Lordship can do in someone’s life. Paul is not the same person he was before he met Jesus, even his name is different. Maybe this is the questions to ask, “am I the same person I was before I met Jesus?” What’s interesting is those of us that are different people because of Jesus have no problem with this text, they understand what Paul is saying and they would gladly join Paul in going to Jerusalem to be bound and put to death because of the Lord Jesus. On the other hand, those of us that think Jesus is a good idea (or a part of their nice, neat, and proper culture) think this text is a little overboard, want to talk about how things are different now, and have no desire to associate discipleship with sacrifice, service, torture, or death; let alone completely embrace any of those ideas.
Lord Jesus, I come to you today confessing that I am not sure if I am ready for this kind of discipleship, but I know this is the discipleship you have called me to and somehow deep in my soul I believe that true life is found in this discipleship. Would the Holy Spirit come and cleanse my life today and protect me from any flawed notion that seeks to dumb down being a Christian to empty ritual. The human nature in me is scared of this kind of discipleship but the grace of your presence continues to tell me this is the only way to live and experience the life God intended. May your grace be greater than my sin today and may you give me opportunities to step out in faith and to be as focused and determined in following you as Paul is in this text. Wherever my Jerusalem may be; help me not to get distracted; help me not be persuaded by others not to go; but may I embrace being bound and put to death because of you. Sometimes, I am ashamed that I am not doing more for you or that my discipleship is protected around a net of safety that imprisons me from really being devoted to you. Its hard for me to explain, but your Word interrogates my soul and convicts my heart. Continue to show me where to go and give me the grace to follow. I am nothing without you, use me as your tool! Amen!
Today, I am a follower of Jesus; I am invited to pick up Paul’s mantle and continue the journey!
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