Saturday, July 17th
Read: Acts 21
Fortune tellers are intriguing, at least at first glance. If Tarot cards really can predict your future, wouldn’t you want to know what they had in store for you? A desire to know the future has always clouded our human minds. Generally, we are intrigued by the unknown and unseen mysteries of this world. Although interesting and widely used, we must be aware of the enemy’s schemes in these activities. The enemy likes to imitate all that is good and tries to pass it off as harmless and beneficial. A word about the future is not in itself evil; it is the source that we should be aware of.
In scripture we see the words ‘prophet’ and ‘prophecy’ frequently. So what exactly is a prophetic word? To prophesy is to receive and speak words from the Lord, pertaining especially to the Kingdom of God or to declare something which can only be known by divine revelation, for the edification of the Body. In the Old Testament, prophets heard God’s voice audibly, so there was no mistaking the message He intended to give. However, after the Holy Spirit descended on the Church in Acts 2, believers now have the voice of God in them, and so when prophecy is given, it is more of a forth-telling of the words of God, rather than a fore-telling, as in the Old Testament. (See glossary’s definition of “prophecy” for a longer explanation). All this to say, prophecy is not so much a “future telling” as it is delivering a word from the Lord to His people.
In this chapter of Acts we see how God gave a prophetic word to several people about Paul’s future if he traveled to Jerusalem. Paul was first warned by some disciples through a word from the Holy Spirit that he should not continue on to Jerusalem. Next, a man named Agabus, who was gifted in prophecy, told Paul that he would be bound and turned over to the authorities if he went to Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, Paul continued on to Jerusalem. Does this mean Paul didn’t believe the words given to him by the Lord? Was he in the practice of ignoring prophecy? No! Paul knew full well that he was in danger. He absolutely knew those words were from the Lord. Paul himself said that he was prepared to be “jailed at Jerusalem, [and] also to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus” (v.13). However, Paul also knew that God was calling him to Jerusalem, and that the suffering he would endure was for the sake of Christ.
Knowing the future can be scary, especially if it holds knowledge of inevitable pain, struggle or something that is a real fear for you. Knowing the future can be really exciting, especially when it holds the knowledge of future victory, growth and blessing. Either way, prophecy has the potential to usher in revolution! We read earlier that revolution means “an assertedly momentous change in any situation.” Receiving a word from the Lord through prophecy presents us with choice. We can choose to believe it in faith or we can choose to scoff at it and brush it aside. It is the choice we make that will determine whether we further the Jesus revolution in our life or in the Kingdom through our response to prophecy. Paul continued on in a revolutionary way by going where God wanted him despite the truth of danger and possibly death.
I pray that you will partner with the Kingdom and heed the word of the Lord from prophecy.
Process:
1. Have you dabbled in ungodly forms of future-telling? Ask God to purify you and break any strongholds these activities may have planted in your life.
2. Do you believe that people today are gifted with the ability to prophesy? Why/why not? Ask the Lord for a word of knowledge and believe in faith that he will give you one, either directly or through another believer.
CHALLENGE
Look at the content in this passage. Split it up into three or four main ideas, based on verse clusters. Then, summarize the passage in one sentence. Then, write what you think the aim of the passage is (Why was this passage included in the Bible? What are we to learn from it?). Lastly, how do we apply what we have learned to our everyday lives?