Paul knew where he wanted to go next on his second missionary journey. Accompanied by his new team of Silas and Timothy, he had already visited several of the churches he and Barnabas had planted during their first missionary journey. Asia was now the obvious next step: but then God said no. They were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). Then “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” to enter Bithynia to the north of Asia, either (Acts 16:7). What was up with that? Jesus told the apostles to be His witnesses “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Had they missed the fine print excluding Asia? Not at all: it was a matter of God’s timing.
If Paul had entered Asia any sooner, he may not have made it to Troas, where there would be a vibrant group of disciples (e.g. Acts 16:8, 20:5-12). Without Troas, he might never have met Luke. In Acts 16:8-10, the pronouns describing the travels of Paul’s team shift from “they went” to “we sought to go on”. This tells us that Luke – the author of the self-titled gospel account and its sequel, Acts – had joined Paul’s team as they left Troas. This Gentile physician became one of Paul’s most beloved companions, staying connected with him through the next two decades until the very end (cf. Col. 4:14, 2 Tim. 4:11). During that time, Luke became an important New Testament writer. He wrote more total words than anyone – including Paul – and his two lengthy and important books make up 27.5% of the New Testament. And it all started with the Spirit telling Paul, “No.” That’s not all: coupled with the “Macedonian call” - Paul’s nighttime vision of a man pleading, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” – the Spirit’s “no” led to churches being planted throughout Macedonia and Achaia. This included Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth – to whom five of Paul’s thirteen New Testament letters would later be addressed. A lot came from that “no.”
Yet, it really wasn’t a “no” as much as a “not right now.” Just before concluding this missionary journey, Paul did stop in Asia. “When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus” (Acts 18:20-21). As it turns out, God did will. Paul not only returned to Ephesus, but the response at that time was so great that he stayed for two years, “so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:10).
Sometimes along the Way, God closes certain doors to move us where we need to be. Instead of bitterly trying to beat that door down, we should watch for where the Lord is leading. If we will, we may find that closed doors one day reopen, allowing God even more glory than if we had gone through it at first. To experience this, though, we must learn to trust God’s timing and follow His call.
Join us as we learn from the real people in Jerusalem, Antioch, and Ephesus how to truly follow “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” of Jesus Christ together!