Written by Paul J Bucknell on July, 04, 2023
Acts 16:1-10 Discerning God’s Will
1. Lifestyle Sacrifices (Acts 16:1-5)
“1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. 5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily” (Acts 16:1-5, NASB).
Luke shares a special insight into Timothy’s background. His father was a Greek, so he was not circumcised, though having a Jewish mother. Timothy was circumcised; he did not have to go through the unpleasant procedure but volunteered to for a more effective ministry. Paul shared his approach to personal freedoms and their relation to effective ministry.
“31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.” (1 Cor 10:31-33)
On top of this, Paul and Timothy traveled from church to church to tell the churches that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised! Timothy was circumcised to accompany Paul in ministry among the Jews.
Have we no rights?
A true disciple of Jesus has died to his own will. He only does what the Lord desires. Believers agree that it is not our right to do other than God’s moral will. For example, we should not lie because God does not lie.
The notion of ‘giving up our rights’ only touches our preferential will. This occurs when, for the sake of love for God and others, we sacrifice our liberties to serve another. For example, “It is not wrong to watch football, but if someone needed my help during the game of the year, I would be willing to help them.” Or “I am willing to use my Saturday afternoons to further the cause of the gospel.”
2. Discovering God’s Will (Acts 16:6-10)
6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:6-10).
Paul had a plan that the Holy Spirit foiled. Let’s note the stages of this process.
Attempt #1 - foiled
Not west to Asia
After passing through Phrygia and Galatian regions, he couldn’t go into Asia. Asia was then a section of Turkey nowadays. He was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). We are not sure what convinced him that he was not to speak the Word of God there, but it was clear enough to redirect him.
Attempt #2 - foiled
Not north or east into Bithynia
We find in the very next verse something similar happening. When they came to Mysia, they were trying to get into Bithynia. “The Spirit of Jesus did not permit them” (Act 16:7). We are not to differentiate the “Holy Spirit” (v. 6) from the “Spirit of Jesus” (v.7). It’s probably more like an author who uses a similar term rather than repeating the same term (e.g. God, the Lord). However, he also did not just want to say the “Spirit” which might cause people to wonder what spirit spoke to him. In short, God redirected him. Again, we do not know how Paul knew he did not have permission to go there.
In brief, we don’t know what specific means the Holy Spirit used to direct Paul through these two attempts. Maybe he couldn’t get a ‘passport’ or translator, or maybe there was a planned resistance from the Jews. We don’t know if the Holy Spirit spoke through an event or some inward leading or prophetic word. It’s possible that the governmental authorities did not allow Paul to travel to those regions. These situations do happen to this day!
We are to conclude that the Holy Spirit would lead a famous apostle/missionary/evangelist away from pioneering into a new region.
However, God did positively direct Paul; this becomes more interesting.
Attempt #3 - Successful
God’s Leading
In verse 9, Paul receives a vision, “Come over to Macedonia.” Whether or not Paul was earlier contemplating crossing the Aegean Sea is not clear. He was on the coast at Troas. Entertaining the idea of going to a foreign land, away from his own land, required a clearer call.
A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9-10).
God chose to communicate via a vision, usually a dreamlike state when awake. He saw a man calling for help in Macedonia. Upon seeing this vision, Paul immediately concluded that God wanted him to go there.
Plurality makes a difference (Acts 16:10-12) - Luke joins
10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days.” (Acts 16:10-12).
“He” becomes “we” in Acts 16:10-11. Luke, the author, shifts from being an outside observer to an inside team member. It’s most plausible that the man of Macedonia appealing to him was Luke himself. Luke went with Paul on the boat—the “we” indicates that Luke was already with Paul.
Perhaps Paul, when over in the port city of Troas, or earlier, had this nighttime vision (9). He might have first had the vision and then met Luke, or met Luke and had the confirming vision calling to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
For further exploration of discerning God’s will, study Nehemiah 1.
Observations: Discerning God’s Will
Later, Paul would return to Asia and conduct a great ministry, as in Ephesus. We can make a few observations.
1) A “no” should mean ‘at least not now,’ rather than a forever “no.”
2) Seek, and you shall find. Paul didn’t give up. He did finally get into the coastal regions of Asia. Persistence is of value.
3) “No” doesn’t mean the Lord isn’t concerned.
4) Different routes and plans can, at different times, change the reasons for the original “no.”
5) Timing is critical.
6) Paul sanctified his frustration by observing that it wasn’t just a government official or sickness that derailed his original plans but the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit had His reasons but didn’t tell Paul.
Summary
When we study the life experiences of Paul and how God guided him, it’s essential to remember that our sovereign God can reveal His plans to us at the right moment. However, it’s also important not to obsess over the reasons behind closed doors. God has His reasons for not disclosing everything.
Finding God’s will is like embarking on an adventure, not knowing precisely when or where it will take us. But be available. His timing is always perfect.
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