Finding God’s Will

Acts 16:6-10

The first place to look in seeking God’s will is to start where one is. You are in this spot because God brought you here, even if it is not where he prefers you to be. Jonah deliberately ran from God, and God caused him to wind up in the fish’s belly to get him to pay attention. While it was not God’s first choice for him, it was where God wanted him. Only when he surrendered to God was he allowed to go where God wanted him to go. Serving God starts where you are.

God almost never calls anyone to ministry who is not already serving him. Paul, Barnabas, Titus, Timothy, and Silas were all serving God where they were before they were called to the mission field. Surrender to the Lord must come before surrender to missions or the pastorate. Only when they have demonstrated the necessary spiritual qualifications should they be encouraged to enter ministry. As Paul told Timothy, “Let these first be proved…” Though it was announced that he was called for a special purpose when he was saved, even Paul did not learn what he was called to do until he had established himself in his home area of Tarsus and the surrounding communities.

Once the church was established, with their own pastors and teachers, Paul moved to another area and started another, often leaving one of his associates to help the new pastor until the church was able to stand on it’s own feet. It was very logical to go to a nearby town, where they could quickly be consulted if something came up the new pastors and leaders did not know how to deal with. The church at Galatia was started as a result of such a logical move into nearby areas.

“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” (Acts 16:6-7)

Paul usually left one of his interns to help the new pastors and to report any problems so they could deal with them before they got too serious. The book of Galatians was written to this church several years after Paul had started the church, because teachers came to Galatia just as they had to Antioch, teaching that it was essential to keep the law to keep one’s salvation, and a number of the people were buying it. While there is risk of the church turning away, it is essential that they be allowed to face that risk to grow.

When the Holy Spirit directed, Paul began to look for a new place of service. Asia Minor, with it’s huge population and proximity was a logical destination. The Holy Ghost forbid them to go there, at that time. Later Paul was able to establish churches there. Contrary to what some have taught, the need does not constitute a call.

When they couldn’t go to Asia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit wouldn’t allow them to. Not infrequently, people attempt to go to a field they cannot get into. It is often blamed on Satan, but the Holy Spirit is God and can get us in if he wants us there, “because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world,” according to I John 4:4. The Holy Spirit had a different place for them, as he soon revealed. All they had to do was wait, and continue preaching until he revealed it.

“And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:8-10)

When the Holy Spirit was ready, he revealed where they were to go in a miraculous way, sending Paul a vision of a man begging for someone to come to Macedonia and help them. It was an area they hadn’t even considered, in southern Europe. When they went, they found that the hearts were already prepared to receive the word. One can only speculate that closer contact with Greek and Roman culture, and Jewish emigration made them ore receptive to Christian teaching.

Seeking God’s leadership, the vision seemed a sure indicator of where God wanted them to go. Sometimes, just waiting is the hardest part of finding God’s will.

Apparently it was at this point that Luke joined Paul’s company because for the first time he says that they gathered that the Lord had called “us” to preach the gospel to them. In verse 8, he still said “they” went to Troas, implying he was not with them. Throughout the rest of the book, he will frequently use the first person plural, making it clear he was with them, and is not just writing what he has heard from others. He thus clearly establishes the legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship.