Priorities, plans and prompts

This part of Acts begins with Paul and Barnabas setting off to visit the churches God had planted through them during the first great missionary journey. The disagreement about John Mark (that appears to have been resolved some later time) causes Paul and Barnabas to part company. So it is that we find Paul with new companions travelling through the region of Phrygia.

This second great journey was yet another step in God’s big plan for reaching the world. Through Paul, churches are, for the first time, established in what we call Europe. Not that Paul saw it that way, they were just in another province of the empire at the time. It’s interesting to note that if Paul had a specific agenda in mind it seems to be to plant a church in the administrative capital of the provinces of the Roma Empire (Thessalonica in Macedonia, Corinth in Achaia, and Ephesus in Asia).

On this particular journey Paul tries to go south-west into Asia but God stops him. He tries north into Bithynia but again God stops him. How, we don’t know. We’re not told. Anything we say about how God, by his Spirit, prevented Paul from entering these two regions is pure speculation. What we do know is that God was not ignoring the people of either place, but that he had another agenda for this particular journey at this particular time.

Church history is full of stories of people who, in the pursuit of God’s agenda, ended up in a place that was not originally on their itinerary. Livingstone tried to go to China, but God sent him to Africa instead. Carey set out for Polynesia but ended up in India, Jim Elliot found himself in Ecuador after several years wondering if it would be elsewhere.

How God guides us is of far less importance than our willingness to follow and walk with him as we are guided.

God’s double guidance

One writer uses the term “double guidance” to describe God’s leading of Paul to Macedonia. He argues that God applies prohibition and restraint to hold Paul back from Asia and Bithynia, and permission and constraint to draw him towards Macedonia.

The key is that during the period of prohibition and restraint, Paul does not sit still. Now I’m sure that if we looked hard and long enough we could come up with a very workable argument for not doing anything until we are absolutely clear about what God wants us definitely to do. But it seems to me that there is an equally strong argument that says: continue to do what honours God and fulfils the great commission where you are as you seek God’s guidance about the specific next step.

So Paul ministers wherever he goes, trusting that God will reveal the next step in either a negative way the Spirit of God would not let them…, or positive way so we concluded that God wanted us to go and preach the message in Macedonia.

God’s combined guidance

Guidance is not just a matter of spirituality it is connected with practicality too. It is this combination of factors that plays an important role in Paul’s progress. We shouldn’t just separate out the spiritual prohibition and permission parts of the story without thinking about the discussion they had together and the travelling they continued to do as they sought God’s clear direction. Luke tells us that Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. They didn’t sit still. What they did, we’re not told—in fact there seems to be an awful lot of things we are not told in this story. We do know that instead of sitting back and wondering “where next?” they headed north but found that door closed to them also.
It’s this leaning on doors style of approach that I want us to think about. We can’t go south, perhaps it’s north. We can’t go north perhaps it’s west. It turns out to be west. There are times when God will guide you through circumstances.

God’s collective guidance

In v10 they conclude that God is pointing them towards Macedonia. It’s not rocket science. To you and I it might seem ridiculous that they even discussed it: A clear vision; A man from Macedonia; Come and help us. Seems pretty clear to me. But they talked it through and together they concluded. If it’s important to do this when things appear so obvious, how much more important is it when things are less than clear?

Conclusion

How God guides us is of far less importance than our willingness to follow and walk with him as we are guided.

Because of the obedience of Paul and his companions, the gospel went west into Europe. Europe, at one time, was the source for missionary activity through the modern era of history. How significant was Paul’s second journey? How significant was God’s guidance on that journey?
What is important is that God’s purpose for the church to reach the world is being worked out. Through the obedience of his followers, Jesus continues to build his church and the gates of hell still fail to close over it.

As one commentator says:

Christian response to the call of God is never a trivial thing. Indeed, as in this instance, great issues and untold blessings may depend on it.