After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:10 

Acts 16:6–15 – The Story of the Church: Living Into This Drama in the 21st Century
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – September 5, 2021 (am)
  

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! This is Psa.27:14. And I believe it’s the clearest statement in the Bible of what we should learn from our text in Acts 16 this morning. This is the final verse in that great song about our God being our Guide and our Protector, our light and our salvation (1). He will always be there when we call. And He’ll always be reliable, throughout this life and right on into the next. So, we should wait for Him, wait patiently, knowing He will act. He will be true to His character. He will keep His promises to us, even if they seem to be delayed!

We have a strange account before us today, one that can seem as strangely familiar to us as it sounds strangely unlikely for Paul here in Luke’s history of the early church. Let’s take this passage in two equal parts.

Waiting to Hear from the Lord – 6-10

Following what appears to have been a somewhat spontaneous initiative on Paul’s part to go visit the churches (15:36) they’d most recently planted, which was then followed by a build-up of anticipation for his second missionary journey, including, as we saw last week, the account of the conflict between him and Barnabas (15:36-39), then he and Silas were sent off commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord (15:40), then Barnabas and Mark sailed off to Cyprus. Then at their first stop, Paul added Timothy to his team, with all that entailed (16:1-3), and there was the reaffirmation of how their visits found the churches strengthened in the faith (16:4-5).

So, there was all this build-up, then… nothing happens! 6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. I’m reminded of the slitting of the seventh seal in Rev.8. With each of the first six seals there is stampeding war and violence and famine and death followed by pleading in heaven and cataclysmic destruction on earth! Then came the seventh seal. It was slit. And there was… silence (1)—silence in heaven for about half an hour! It’s an absolutely bewildering development, but poignant!

Here in Acts 16, Paul and his team traveled NW through Phrygia and Galatia (6a) only to be forbidden by the Holy Spirit for unknown reasons to speak the word in Asia (6b) to their SW (that would happen on their next journey). Then (7) they were not allowed by the Spirit to Jesus—again, no stated reason why—to enter Bithynia (7) to their NE (but Spirit of Jesus is interesting wording; it may refer to a prophetic message through Silas, who was a prophet [15:32, Stott 260]). So, they just continued on traveling from the south-east to the north-west extremities of Asia Minor… by a strangely circuitous route (Stott 260) toward Troas (8), at least 400 miles (Polhill 2008), likely more, west from Lystra by the route described here (6-8).

How long do you suppose that took them? Let’s do a little math: if they covered an aggressive twenty miles a day (which is unlikely since they were usually looking to preach), and if they traveled six days a week, it would’ve taken a whole month! Quite probably it took three or four times that long, easily, with no ministry to report!

Then, finally, once they arrived at Troas (8), something happened! 9 … [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.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. The team [concluded] that this was a [call] from God. They decided that in community—discussion together of the [don’t go] and now the come help messages they had received from God (Stott 261). So, they readied themselves immediately to leave for Macedonia! (10) It may’ve still been night! But that was okay, they’d been waiting to hear from the Lord for a long time! And they were ready to go! Ever been there?

Interesting, this is the first of what are known as the we passages in Acts, where Luke moves into first person narrative (cf. 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16). This leads us to believe that Troas was the place where Luke joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy on the team (Polhill 1992 346). Let’s note that, but let’s press on to see what happens next.

The Fruit of Listening to the Lord – 11-15

Samothrace (11) is a mountainous island in the Aegean Sea about midway between Troas and the Macedonian port city of Neapolis, a total journey of about 125 miles (Marshall 1980 282).

Philippi, then, was another twenty miles northwest from Neapolis along the Egnatian Way (Stott 262). It [was] a leading city in the district of Macedonia (present-day Greece) and a Roman colony (12). It was also a storied site in the ancient world (Toussaint 399), named by Phillip of Macedon around 360 bc. Guess in whose honor? It was the site of the defeat of Brutus and Cassius by Antony and Octavian (who became Caesar Augustus) following the murder of Julius Caesar in 42 bc (Marshall 1980 282). And some suggest that Luke may have been born in Philippi, and also received his medical degree there (Toussaint 399), aided along by the we passages that begin here (10).

From the team’s activity on their first Sabbath day (13) in town, it seems clear that there was no synagogue there. So, [they] went outside the [city] to find a place [to pray] (13). The Gangites River was just over a mile away (Stott 263). [They] sat down and spoke to [some] women who had [gathered] there (13) and discovered that a woman from Thyatira was a worshiper of the one true God (14). Thyatira was [known] for making purple dyes (Longenecker 966). It was located in the Roman province of Asia, but it had been part of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, so almost certainly that was the basis for her name (perhaps even “the Lydian lady” [Longenecker 966]). Her name also suggests a slave back-ground to those who study such things (Gempf 1091), so she was likely a self-supporting freed-woman, probably unmarried (Gempf 1091), and was doing quite well for herself [selling] purple [dyed items] from her home region (14).

Lydia’s household (15) may suggest that she had children. But more likely they were adult housemates since they were called the women (13), and seeing how carefully she offered hospitality (15). Regardless, the sweetest thing said about Lydia is here in v.14: The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. Once again, salvation is of the Lord! And it wasn’t just Lydia! We see here that the Lord opened [each of their hearts] because she was baptized, and her household as well (15). Then Lydia [persuaded] the team to stay with them in her house (15). And so they did, for some days (12).

Conclusion

So, what is this passage saying to us?

Three Summary Lessons

1. God does not always lead with what we would consider efficiency. Even on this second of only three missionary journeys for the apostle Paul, we don’t see things going smoothly! They needed to listen to God intently and continuously all along the way just to [discern] where and where not to go! And they endured what had to seem like a very long delay in the process! We’d grow pretty uneasy in their place, wouldn’t we? And we’d be pretty tempted to act on our own, as they very well may have done themselves!

How about these long days of delay we’re in? How about all the things we can’t do during them? Our experience of this pandemic, and the frustrating inefficiencies it’s generated, are really quite different from what they were facing. But our experience might help us understand how they may have felt in their circumstances, and their model of faithful endurance could surely be a lesson to us in our circumstances.

From every indication in the text, they took the unexplainably odd limitations they faced—I mean, why would it ever be a problem to take the gospel into new regions like Asia, Bithynia, even Mysia—and just pressed on, listening to and [waiting] for God to lead, to say: Yes! Now is the time! Here is the place! How well do we do with [waiting], with divine inefficiencies, with letting God be God, and lead us in His time?

2. Delays and false starts are not outside of God’s providence. This could just be another way of saying the same thing as Lesson 1, but I believe it adds something. It’s not just a possibility that God might lead inefficiently from our perspective. Delays, and what could look to us like false starts, are all part of His providence, part of His plan! Clearly the Lord was guiding the team’s steps throughout this brief passage. But still, fully half of it is about their inaction—where they didn’t go, what they didn’t do! And even when God did lead, through Paul’s vision at Troas—The Macedonian Call—they had to put the pieces together. They had to conclude that God had called them! (10) They had to discuss in community what God had done and discern His calling together. It was His denial at the threshold of Asia and Bithynia, and it surely seems to’ve been something similar when they [passed through] Mysia (8) (which included the city of Troas [Longenecker 961]). But it could also include the more subtle adding of Luke to the team (the we passage [10]), who was evidently from Philippi. Then add in Paul’s vision at Troas. And all this together helped them to see and discern, to [conclude], that God had called (10) them to Macedonia!

This was all part of God’s plan—the denials and the delays, the closed doors and the open invitation, all of it! Do you see that in your life? Of course you do! There are delays all over the place—big ones, as you’re part of a cattle-call for some desirable job interview, or waiting for the sale of your house, or for that report from the lab, and small ones, as you’re sitting at a light, or standing by a microwave, or just figuring out what to do next. Waiting is part of life for all of us, and evidently also of the apostles lives!

This is where Psa.27 fits in, that great song about our God being our Guide and our Protector, our light and our salvation (1). He will always be there when we call, and He will always be reliable—throughout this life and right on into the next. 13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! David is convinced God will meet him in his need and deliver him, both now in this present trial and forever! Therefore he says: 14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! This is what Paul and his team were doing in their delay. We need to do so as well! How long is the cry of the persecuted saints in Scripture (cf. Rev.6:10), but their God always answers, in His time. And any delays are only for His good (2Pe.3:8-9; Rom.8:28).

3. When we act can be just as important as what to do. There had been delays from the start of this mission—first, the sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas (15:39), then the circumcision of Timothy (16:3), now the Spirit saying, No, to this area and that. What they were seeing, what we need to learn, is not to rush—not to rush ahead without the call of God being clear, and not to rush to the conclusion that He’s abandoned us, or doesn’t care, if we have to wait for a while to hear that leading!

These areas of Paul’s delays are familiar to us all, a relational conflict, a medical procedure, and a closed door on some life opportunity! They’re not odd at all, are they! They’re part of real life, for us! Psa.27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! There’s our answer! It’ll look different as each of us puts it into practice in our own circumstances, but there’s our answer in the delays and false starts of life. God isn’t absent! He’s acting, through them!

Let’s now celebrate the death that Jesus died for us, drawing us into this richness of God’s presence.

 _____________________

Resources

Beale, G. K. and D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Acts, by I. Howard Marshall, 513-606. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Beveridge, Henry, ed. Commentary upon the Acts of the apostles, vol. 1, by John Calvin. Translated by Christopher Featherstone.

Bruce, F. F., ed. 1988. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. The book of Acts, revised, by F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Carson, D. A., R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, eds. 1994. New Bible Commentary 21st Century Edition. Acts, by Conrad Gempf, 1066-1114. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1992. New American Commentary. Vol. 26, Acts, by John B. Polhill. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Grudem, Wayne, ed. 2008. ESV Study Bible. Study notes on Acts, 2073-2156, by John B. Polhill. Wheaton: Crossway.

Longman III, Tremper and David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Acts, by Richard N. Longenecker, 665-1102. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, ed. 1980. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Vol. 5 Acts, by I. Howard Marshall. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Stott, John, ed. 1990. The Bible Speaks Today. The Message of Acts, by John Stott. Leicester, Eng.: InterVarsity.

 

NEXT WEEK: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Act I, Acts 16:11–24, Todd Walker