The Spirit Told Them
Scripture: Acts 16:6-10
6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. 9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. (Acts 16:6-10 NLT)
Before we get into this, there’s an “Easter Egg” I want to show you! Up to verse 8, Luke uses the pronoun “they”. In verse 10, he begins using the pronoun “we”. Luke joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy at Troas and becomes an eyewitness to most of the remaining stories and incidents in this book! Welcome aboard, Luke!
Paul was an activist. Before his conversion, Saul was a “Pharisee of the Pharisees.” But Paul didn’t remain passive in his fear and hatred of the Jesus is Lord Movement. We first see him as a bystander at the stoning of Stephen, but one chapter later Saul was “uttering threats with every breath” and got permission to track down the believers and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. He didn’t wait, he acted!
As a Christ-follower, he was still an activist! If the Holy Spirit gave him direction through prophecy or a vision or an impression or even through the passion in his heart to communicate the Good News, he made a plan and went for it. However, in the first of these verses, the Holy Spirit wasn’t telling him what to do, but what not to do. Paul was going for it, acting on his desire and his strategic plan. That’s good. But he was also sensitive to the direction of the Spirit not to carry out his plan and to listen for correction in his direction.
It’s not always “either-or.” Sometimes it’s “both-and.” For Paul it wasn’t a choice between making a strategic plan or depending on the Holy Spirit’s direction. Paul made his plan and then submitted it to the Holy Spirit for confirmation or correction or cancellation.
Prayer:
Father, Thanks for Paul’s example of passion and obedience. Help me learn to be similarly sensitive—not to merely wait around for something to happen, but to act on what I know and what I’m called to do and then submit that plan to the Holy Spirit’s direction or correction. And please help me, like Paul, to not get so caught up in pursuing my plans that I miss the Spirit’s promptings! Amen.