“From Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus for the leaders of the congregation. When they arrived, he said, “You know that from day one of my arrival in Asia I was with you totally—laying my life on the line, serving the Master no matter what, putting up with no end of scheming by Jews who wanted to do me in. I didn’t skimp or trim in any way. Every truth and encouragement that could have made a difference to you, you got. I taught you out in public and I taught you in your homes, urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus. “But there is another urgency before me now. I feel compelled to go to Jerusalem. I’m completely in the dark about what will happen when I get there. I do know that it won’t be any picnic, for the Holy Spirit has let me know repeatedly and clearly that there are hard times and imprisonment ahead. But that matters little. What matters most to me is to finish what God started: the job the Master Jesus gave me of letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God.” (Acts 20:17-24)
A person, whose name shall remain anonymous, was describing an incident where she mistakenly stopped at a Stop-Sign Ahead sign and stopped, unexpectedly and abruptly, on a busy road prior to getting to the real Stop Sign, just a few feet ahead. Don’t worry there was no unsettling happening, no unnerving collision, and no unnecessary calamity. As the incident was shared, the driver who stopped too soon, humorously asked, “Who ever heard of a pre-stop, stop sign?”
Not me! So, I looked it up and learned about the Stop Sign Ahead sign. I found out that it is a sign that indicates that you are approaching an intersection with a Stop sign. It is intended to give drivers sufficient distance to come to a safe, complete stop at an upcoming intersection.
When I heard the shared experience, I said, “There is a Mark Writes inspiration spurred by that story in the future.” Today, “the future has arrived.” Are you wondering what inspiration came from the story? I really didn’t know myself, not instantly, but eventually, with the Lord’s help, I came up with something that all believers should be aware of on our Christian journey. I looked at Paul’s pre-stop warning sign in the text above. I looked closely at what he experienced. I saw that it was a time where the Holy Spirit repeatedly told him what was ahead. But Paul’s pre-stop warning had nothing to do with stopping the sense of urgency that he felt to go to Jerusalem. It was not about a definite stop ahead, but nevertheless, it was an alert that down the way Paul would face hard times and imprisonment. But this pre-stop warning by the Holy Spirit was not intended to have him pump the brakes on his travel, not intended to cause Him to stop immediately or in the future. The Holy Spirit was merely preparing Him for what he would face: hard times and imprisonment. In other words, the Holy Spirit was not signaling that the Apostle should stop. He was just giving Paul a clear picture that the road ahead would not be easy. After being alerted, Paul proceeds to finish what God started, “the job the Master Jesus gave” him of letting everyone and anyone know about the “incredibly extravagant generosity of God.”
What’s in this for us? I’ll tell you! The Holy Spirit will warn us in advance of dangers that lie ahead if we are about to go the wrong direction and get off the path of righteousness. And in those cases, there is a parallel with the anonymous driver’s pre-stop, stop sign. Yes, in those cases, we are prewarned to change our course, or pump the brakes on heading to the wrong direction. However, know that there are other times that we will be warned by the Holy Spirit of what awaits us, without suggesting we stop at all, but rather, we keep moving, and stay devoted to doing what the Lord called us to do. Note “us” is not limited to just preachers, but every person called a believer. As it was with Paul, He lets us know in advance that the task may be tough, the road may be rough, and we will face opposition, more than enough as God’s chosen. Yet, remember, we are not to stop! We are to press on! We are to complete our work, aware of dangers, toils, and snares that will try to stop us, but we will proceed, anchored by our commitment to do what the Lord wants us to do, fully aware that our sense of “I must-go” is appropriate.
It’s Tuesday. Listen to the Holy Spirit today. He dwells inside you! He tells you things. Discern if He is telling you to change your direction because its off the path of righteousness, or if He is just preparing you so that you to be ready to face come what may, and to prompt you to never give up serving, never stop your effort to fulfill the purpose God has left you here to fulfill. Think on these things! Be encouraged! Be about the Lord’s business! Have a great day! Be blessed!
“When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come.” (John 16:13 The Good News Translation
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King