Sermon 28

Closed Doors And Clear Voices

Acts 16:1-12

The final two verses of Acts 15 are the record of Paul and Silas' departure on the second missionary tour. When you read about something like a missionary trip, it is full of facts and personal experiences. We went to this place, we encountered this person, this is what happened. That's the way things are reported in Acts 16.

The first eighteen verses of this chapter record two major events. I call those two events "Closed Doors and Opened Hearts."

The Right People

A successful missionary endeavor requires that we get two things right.

First, it requires the right people. Of course, on this team we already know about Paul and Silas (15:40). Two more significant people were soon to be added to this team. First, there was the addition of Timothy, vs. 1-3. This young man figures prominently into the New Testament. He was raised under the influence of a Christian mother and grandmother, II Timothy 1:5. Perhaps Timothy himself was saved under the ministry of Paul. I suggest that because more than once, Paul referred to Timothy as his son in the faith, II Timothy 1:2. Acts 16 gives to us a little more of Timothy's background. He was from the city of Lystra, in the Asian Minor region of Galatia. Paul and Barnabas had visited this city on their first missionary trip. His mother was Jewish and his father was Greek, v. 2. This verse also indicates that Timothy's mother was a believer and implies that his father was not. Timothy had an excellent reputation among the brethren of Lystra and Iconium. Paul, verse 3 tells us, was interested in Timothy becoming a part of his team.

Strangely, it seems, especially in light of the events at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, Paul saw to it that Timothy was circumcised. Because his father was Greek and not Jewish, he had not been circumcised as an 8-day old according to the Old Testament law. Titus was uncircumcised and was not compelled to be by Paul (Galatians 2:3), but Timothy was. Why the difference?

The decision at the Jerusalem conference was that it was not necessary to be circumcised in order to be saved. Had Titus been compelled to be circumcised by Paul, it would have promoted that idea. But that was not the issue when it came to Timothy. Titus was not Jewish. Timothy was. Had Timothy been uncircumcised, he would have hindered the ability of Paul (and Timothy) to reach Jewish people with the gospel. In the eyes of Jewish people, Timothy would have been renouncing his Jewish heritage and choosing to live like a Gentile. Paul's circumcision of Timothy had nothing to do with salvation and everything to do with Jewish evangelism. It was done to avoid any unnecessary stumbling block which might hinder Jewish evangelism. Timothy's circumcision granted him full access to the synagogues with Paul and Silas. I Corinthians 9:20-23 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

There is an important practical lesson here. Missionaries and soul winners must be sensitive the unique characteristics of the cultures in which they work. They must never compromise the timeless truths of Scripture (Titus) but must also avoid giving any unnecessary offense.

There is not much said about it, but another person was also added to this missionary team. For the first time in this book, Luke uses the word "we" in verse 10. Apparently Luke joined the team at this point. There are three "we" sections in Acts: 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 27:1-28:16. Luke changes from "we" to "they" in 17:1.

The missionary team now has four members on it - Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke.

The Right Place

But, in order to be successful, these missionaries must also be in the right place. So where did they go and why did they go there?

Initially, they did a follow-up of the churches which were established on the first tour. This included places like Derbe (v. 1), Lystra (v. 1), Iconium (v. 2), Phrygia (v. 6) and Galatia (v. 6). Verses 4 and 5 explain both the purpose and the results of their return visit. They talked about the Jerusalem conference and its outcome. They saw firsthand how these new Gentile churches were firmly established and growing.

Follow-up is an essential ministry. We have to win people to Christ, but then having evangelized them, we have to help them become established in the faith, growing and coming to the point where they are winning people to Christ.

The second missionary trip was not about to just be a re-visit to old mission fields. Paul was interested in blazing new territory. With the whole world available, the big question was "Which way should they go?"

According to verse 6, their first thought was Asia. Asia was an important region. Eventually, in fact, there would be churches in Asia cities - Ephesus, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, Sardis, Pergamos, Thyatira, Acts 19:10, I Peter 1:1, Revelation 1:4. For now, however, God had other plans for the missionaries and so somehow they were "forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia."

With that way blocked, they decided to turn north into Mysia. But when they endeavored to go further north into Bithynia "the Spirit suffered them not." Again, there is no indication as to how they were prevented, only that they were. With nowhere else to turn, they came down to Troas, a port on the Aegean Sea. They knew God would eventually where he wanted them to go if they kept moving.

At last, in a dramatic fashion, God did reveal His will, v. 9. "Nothing makes a man strong like a call for help" - George MacDonald.

This was a vision. It was miraculous. It was during the apostolic era and not something which we should expect to happen to us. If I am counting correctly and including them all, there were at least five occasions in which Paul had a vision, a direct revelation from the Lord. That's five more times than I have ever had.

While it may not be a vision, a dream, a revelation, a miraculous event, sometimes we also hear cries for help. "Come and help us!" And through those call the will of God is revealed. (The Schmaltz know about that. They knew that God had called them to Canada, but with great struggle they raised the needed support. They landed in The Pas, where a missionary and his established mission sponsored them into the country. From their, a group of believers in Snow Lake contacted them and said, "Come and help us.") It wasn't a vision but it certainly was the hand of God to get them to the place where they need to be.

Paul did not hesitate (v. 10) to travel by sea the 150 miles from Troas to the Greek region known as Macedonia believing that God had called him to preach the gospel there. In two days, he was in Neapolis. Philippi lay only 10 miles inland from the Neopolis which was the capitol of Macedonia, a Roman colony, vs. 11-12.

There are some important principles here with regard to finding and following the will of God. First, God closed come doors before he opened others. This was not a cause for frustration for Paul. Rather, it was a way of seeing the hand of God at work. Second, Paul kept moving even when God slammed the door in his face until the right opportunity was reached. What Paul needed was not motivation but direction. Don't just sit down and wait for God to show you an opportunity for you to take. Do something! Get involved! Get busy! If one door closes then start in another direction. Eventually, God's will will become clear.