Acts 16:6-10

                                                         Acts 16:6-10

 

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.  So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

 

How do we know the will of God?  This is a question that haunts many believers.  Passages like this one can make that question even more confusing.  The Macedonian call as it has come to be know has created some controversy.  On one side there are those who insist that all who go into ministry must have a special calling.  On the other side there are those who claim that the kind of super-natural calling was only for the apostles in the early church.  I’m pretty sure that balance is what wisdom demands we seek.  It is important to remember that Acts records the experiences of the apostles and the Spirit’s working through them.  We must be careful not to establish the experiences of the apostles as our own expectations.  We must also be careful not to dismiss the examples of the apostles as irrelevant to our day.

 

THE SPIRIT CAN CANCEL OUR PLANS: Paul and Silas sought to enter Asia Minor in two different places.  The passage simply says that the Holy Spirit prohibited them from preaching there.  We are not told how the Spirit made this prohibition known.  We just know that the team understood this to be true.  It is not that God has something against these people; they would later be reached.  God simply had a different time and place in mind.  It is not easy to have our plans canceled.  It is also unproductive to try to reach those to whom the Spirit prohibits us from going.  The Spirit is the person who reaches others, so it is important to follow His leading in these things.  However, His leading is not always as clear as it was to Paul in this case.  The missionary team was busy taking the Gospel to unreached locations.  When the Spirit closed the door to a certain place, they simply moved forward to continue what they knew Jesus had commissioned them to do.  It is not wrong to make plans.  We must be careful not to insist on our plans when the Spirit is closing those doors.

 

THE SPIRIT CAN CHANGE OUR DIRECTION: God called Paul and his coworkers through a vision to go to Macedonia.  This was likely not even a part of Paul’s plan when he started on this journey, but he was clearly open to the leading of the Spirit.  What is important to recognize in this situation is that Paul was actively involved in following the instruction of Christ to make disciples in the nations when he receives this vision.  He wasn’t waiting around requiring a call before he obeyed a command.  He was open to direction as he followed the command of Christ.  The fact that Paul received this direction in this instance should not make all believers everywhere imagine that they need a similar experience before making a choice or going into ministry.  This was a miracle and God is still able to lead in this way, but it is not a common occurrence.  We need to be sensitive to the Spirit but not sit around doing nothing when Christ has already given a clear command.

 

THE SPIRIT CAN CALL FOR OUR OBEDIENCE: I don’t believe that supernatural guidance from the Holy Spirit is required for the decisions we make.  I do believe He still can and does guide us through these means on occasion.  However, the most important lesson we can take away from the passage is immediate and complete obedience.  No matter how we come to understand what the Lord wants us to do; we are called to obey right away.  When we are convicted about a truth from Scripture; we must obey.  If we are prompted by the Holy Spirit in a specific situation; we must obey.  If the Spirit gives us a vision or directs us by some other supernatural means; we must obey.  The key is obedience.  Paul had not planned to go to Macedonia, but when the Spirit made His will clear; Paul and his crew obeyed and set sail for that place without delay.  God wants us to be sensitive to His leading, but He also requires that we are submissive to His will.

 

APPLICATION: Be flexible with our plans.  Be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit.  Be active in the ministry out of obedience to the commands of Scripture.  Obey the Lord’s leading no matter how He chooses to direct us.  Don’t wait for supernatural leading before doing what Scripture clearly commands us to do.

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