When the Will of God is Dangerous

We are back to our study of Acts and the story picks up with Paul's return voyage to Jerusalem from his third missionary journey. The Holy Spirit has compelled Paul to go with a group of men to take an offering to Jerusalem. The journey is filled with emotional encounters with brothers and sisters in Christ who love the Apostle. And, the message from the Spirit of God for them is clear---going to Jerusalem will be dangerous for Paul. Yet, the Spirit has also made it clear to Paul that it was God's will for him to go to Jerusalem. For followers of Jesus, the will of God is not the path of least resistance. There are times where our obedience will be costly. To follow the voice of the Spirit means that we pursue a mission that may be difficult and may even end in persecution or martyrdom. Yet, we also need to know that the will of God is the best place for us to be. Our theme today is knowing and doing the will of God, even when there might be danger ahead.