Acts 16:1-13 (English Standard Version)

Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1Paul[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named(A) Timothy,(B) the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2He was well spoken of by(C) the brothers[b] at Lystra and Iconium. 3Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he(D) took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance(E) the decisions(F) that had been reached by(G) the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5(H) So the churches were strengthened in(I) the faith, and they increased in numbers(J) daily.

The Macedonian Call

6And(K) they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but(L) the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8So, passing by Mysia, they went down(M) to Troas. 9And 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." 10And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately(N) we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11So, setting sail from Troas, we(O) made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to(P) Philippi, which is a leading city of the[d] district of Macedonia and(Q) a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13And(R) on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate(S) to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we(T) sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

Wow, it's been a while since my last post! Life has been busy. If you're interested in what I've been doing, check this out. Anyway, this passage of scripture is pretty important to me. It was a passage that God brought me to often when my family and I found out that we would no longer be ministering on the west coast. We went to Washington in 2003 planning to stay there the rest of our lives. However, the Godly men who lead our ministry decided to move us in a new direction. God has called us now to minister at Word of Life's headquarters in Schroon Lake, NY. At first, this was a very hard thing for us, but God gave us this scripture to help us wrap our heads around what he was doing. It was exciting to read it again in today's Quiet Time.

Always before when I have read this or seen it preached at missions conferences and the like, I always see the emphasis put on the man in Macedonia calling out to Paul to come help. Then the application usually goes something like this..."get off your rear-end and start telling people about Jesus because there are people all over the world like the Macedonian man." That's a GREAT application. However, I saw it in a little bit different light this fall. I realized that this passage is not about calling someone into ministry who has been sitting around doing nothing. Instead, it's about how God through the Holy Spirit changed the direction of a man who was already in motion, doing stuff for God... a seasoned "professional." He definitely was not sitting around on his rear-end. However, even though he was going full steam ahead, God would not allow him to continue with his plan. Paul was sensitive to this and did not try and force God's hand. The result was that God gave Paul a brand new vision and direction and WOW, am I glad. I'm saved today because of Paul's ministry and obedience to the Lord. I'm sure the people in the places where Paul wanted to go may have been disappointed, but bottom line... it's always better to obey. I feel just like this. It was so HARD to leave the west coast. But, it's always better to obey. And, already God has given us new vision and new direction. We are so pumped about what He has in store for the ministry from here that goes out across the world. PRAISE GOD!