On the Gospel Road Again (Acts 16:1-10) -- 9/23/07

Sunday, September 23, 2007

ON THE GOSPEL ROAD AGAIN
Acts 15:40-16:10

This morning we are coming back to the book of Acts, from which we departed almost two months ago. We were at the end of Acts 15, where Paul and Barnabas had a serious disagreement concerning whether or not John Mark should accompany them. They were in complete agreement that they should go back and visit their brothers and sisters in the churches which they had established. However, while Barnabas insisted that they take Mark with them, Paul was just as insistent that that they should not do so, in light of the fact that he had left them during their previous missionary journey. We read in 15:39, "And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other." Because of that, Paul chose Silas to be his partner, and they did indeed head out to strengthen the young churches that had been established. Barnabas took Mark with him, and they too engaged in missionary service, sailing for the island of Cyprus.

This morning we want to take up the story in 15:40 and begin to follow the journey of Paul and Silas. Before we do, let me remind you that Silas was a brother from Jerusalem. We know nothing of him until the close of the Jerusalem Conference. After the decision was made to send a letter back to Antioch with the verdict of the Jerusalem leaders, two men were chosen to deliver the letter. Those men were Judas and Silas. After delivering the letters, these two men, who were also prophets, stayed around for a while to "exhort the brethren" (15:32). This is the Silas that Paul chose to be his missionary partner.

Read Acts 15:40-16:10

We can divide this passage into three sections…
1. The Addition of Timothy to the Missionary Team (16:1-3)
2. The Strengthening of the Churches (15:41; 16:4-5)
3. The Expansion to New Fields of Service (16:6-10)

I. The Addition of Timothy to the Missionary Team (16:1-3)

This young man is usually referred to as Timotheus, but sometimes as Timothy. Whichever name we read, I will refer to him simply as Timothy. This is our first introduction to him here in 16:1. We see that he was from Lystra. Now let’s pause for just a minute to consider the route that Paul and Silas traveled.

On the first missionary journey, you will recall that Paul and Barnabas left by boat from the port city of Seleucia and sailed to Cyprus (point this out on the map). From their, they sailed northward and landed in the region of Pamphilia. It was here at Perga that John Mark decided to leave them. From there, they went to Antioch, and to Iconium, to Lystra, and finally to Derbe. After preaching at Derbe, they then retraced their steps, sailing from Attalia directly back to Antioch.

This time they traveled by land and immediately headed north, confirming the churches in Syria and Cilicia (15:41). We will talk more about that in a little while. As they traveled west, they would come to the cities where Paul and Barnabas had established churchess on the previous journey. As you can see (point out on map), the first of these cities they came to was Derbe. That is exactly what we read here in Acts 16:1. Nothing is said about their stay at Derbe. We assume that they encouraged the saints there and then moved on to Lystra. Without doubt, the most significant event of the visit was the addition of Timothy to Paul’s team.

We note from the text of verse 1 that Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Furthermore, his mother was one who believed. That is, she had put her trust in the Christ that Paul preached. Though we are not specifically told, it seems almost certain that she and Timothy had been converted when Paul and Barnabas ministered the Word in Lystra, a couple of years before. Though we are not told here, we learn from II Tim. 1:5 that her name was Eunice.

Verse 2 indicates that Timothy was "well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium." It is interesting that Timothy was not only known to the believers in Lystra, but also to those in Iconium, a city about 10 or 15 miles away. Yes, there was fellowship between these two churches which were in different towns. Timothy was a young man whose growth in the Lord could be seen by his brothers and sisters. No wonder Paul would consider taking him with them.

However, there was one problem. His father was a Greek. We say, "So what? What difference does that make?" Apparently, Paul felt it would make a great deal of difference to the Jewish people to whom they would minister. Let’s read verse 3, "Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters; for they knew all that his father was a Greek."

On the surface, this strikes us as rather strange. After all, Paul made a big deal out of refusing to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3). It was this same apostle Paul who warned the Galatians not to submit to circumcision. (Most likely Lystra was one of the very churches to whom Paul wrote.) Let’s read it in Gal. 5:1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." However, there is no contradiction. To understand Paul’s purpose in saying this to the Galatians, let’s read the next verse (5:3), "For I testify again to everyone that is circumcised, that he is debtor to do the whole law." Paul was protesting against being circumcised and thus taking on the obligation of keeping the whole law. He was urging the Galatians not to put their trust in the works of the law. A few verses later he acknowledged that circumcision in itself meant nothing. Gal. 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

But when Paul had Timothy circumcised, it was not for the purpose of obligating him to keep the law. Rather, Paul’s purpose was a very practical one, as stated in verse 3: "…and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek." The people of Lystra and that area were well aware that Timothy’s father was not a Jew. In the eyes of Jews, Timothy was an uncircumcised son of a Greek. No doubt, Gentiles saw him as Jew, because he was raised in the religion of his mother. Paul ended the confusion by having him circumcised. In this case, circumcision was not a religious observance, but rather a physical procedure performed for a practical purpose [Bruce]. This would open the door to a wider ministry. If Timothy remained uncircumcised, he would not be able to speak in the synagogues. This action of Paul squares perfectly with his view of ministry, which is stated in I Corinthians 9. We won’t take time to read the entire context, but let’s read I Cor. 9:19-22…
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20. 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; 21. 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. 22. 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.

Timothy was a young man whom Paul loved and with whom he worked closely. It is interesting that in all the references to Timothy, we never hear him speak a single word. We know him through Paul and Paul’s love for him. In I Cor. 4:17, Paul refers to Timothy as "my beloved son." In II Tim 1:2, Paul addresses him as "my dearly beloved son." And I Tim. 1:2, he addresses him as "my own son in the faith," strengthening the view that Timothy was converted through Paul’s ministry. Paul came to trust Timothy as a valued fellow-worker, as we see from passages such as Phil. 2:19-23…
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. 20. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. 21. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. 22. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 23. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.

II. The Strengthening of the Churches (15:41; 16:4-5)

Now we move on to their ministry in the churches. Remember, that this was the original intent of the trip, as we see in Acts 15:36, "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." We are not given much detail of this ministry. Rather, Luke treats it in a summary fashion.

First, go back to 15:41, "And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." When Paul and Silas left Antioch, they immediately passed through these areas, as Antioch itself was a part of Syria (show on the map). Since Paul was a native of Tarsus, we can assume that they went through Tarsus as they traveled.

The word translated "confirm" [episthrizw] is used four times in the New Testament, all here in Acts. It is actually a compound word. The root [sthrizw] is used 13 times in the New Testament and means "to strengthen, to establish." We find it in Luke 22:32, where Jesus said to Peter, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Also in 1 Pet 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." The compound we find here in Acts 15:41 has a preposition in front of this root, which makes it stronger. It means "to establish besides, to strengthen more, to render more firm, to confirm" [Thayer]. As Paul and Silas visited these churches, they further strengthened them in the Lord, making them even more firm.

You might ask, "So where did these churches come from? We are not told specifically, but it seems highly likely that the churches of Syria were founded by Paul and others who worked in Antioch. It would have been natural for them to preach the Word in the surrounding areas, even as would be the case later in Ephesus. But what about the churches in Cilicia, which was a greater distance from Antioch? Let me ask you a question. Where was Paul before he came to Antioch? Go back to chapter 9, where we read about the conversion of Saul (Paul). After a lengthy stay in Arabia, he finally came to Jerusalem. Now let’s read the account in Acts 9:28-30
And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

Paul was in Tarsus, which is right in the heart of the province of Cilicia. He was there until Barnabas found him and brought him to Antioch, as we read in Acts 11:25-26a, "Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch…" It is difficult to know exactly how long Saul was in Tarsus, but all agree that it was several years [F. F. Bruce, in Paul, the Apostle of the Heart Set Free, locates Paul in Tarsus for 11 years; p. 475]. Surely it would have been just like Paul to have evangelized the entire area during this time period. We find this confirmed by Paul’s own testimony in Gal. 1:18-21…
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

So after passing through Syria and Cilicia and further strengthening the churches there, they came to Derbe and Lystra, where Paul chose to take Timothy with them. Then we read the statement about their work in these churches, which had been established by Paul and Barnabas during the first missionary journey. Acts 16:4, "And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem." The cities they went through were Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. No doubt, in all of these cities they further strengthened the churches, as they had done in Syria and Cilicia. They also did something else; they delivered the decree which came out of the deliberations of the Jerusalem Conference. Let’s read the last part of the letter that the apostles and elders (indeed, the entire Jerusalem church) sent to Antioch. Acts 15:25-29…
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26. Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29. That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

It was fitting that Silas should be with Paul, as he was one of the men who had been sent with the letter to Antioch.

Then we read this summary statement in 16:5, "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." The word translated "established" means "to make solid, make firm, strengthen." It is used only two other times in the New Testament, both times in the third chapter of Acts, where we are told that feet and ankle bones of the lame man "received strength" (3:7) and that by the name of Jesus he was "made strong" (3:16). As that man was made solid and firm physically, so these churches were made solid and firm spiritually. Not only were they spiritually strengthened, but the number of believers continued to increase every day.

This little summary statement in verse 5 is a characteristic feature in the book of Acts. We find other such statements in 6:7; 9:31: 12:24.

III. The Expansion to New Fields of Service (16:6-10)

So Paul and Silas had completed the carrying out of the original purpose of their trip, which was "to visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do" (15:36). From the text here in chapter 16, it seems clear that they were not content to stop there. After visiting these churches, they would have found themselves in Antioch of Pisidia. By now, they had traveled somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 miles from their starting place (Antioch of Syria). So what would they do now? There is no hint that Paul and Silas even considered turning around and going back home. Beyond Iconium were vast lands full of people who had not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s read Acts 16:6-8…
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7. After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 8. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

On this map, we can see the general designations of Phrygia and Galatia. There are different ideas concerning exactly what their route was, when they left Antioch of Pisidia, but it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. What we do know is the Holy Spirit would not allow them to preach the Word in Asia. Now we must understand this term "Asia." We think of "Asia" as one of the seven continents of the world, even the largest of the seven continents. That is not what Luke means, when he uses the term "Asia." Here on the map we can get an idea of where Asia was. Asia was a Roman province and its capital was Ephesus. All of the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 were in Asia. It is likely that Paul was planning to go through this area and finally come to Ephesus. We know that Ephesus would be the center of his ministry during the third missionary journey.

So why didn’t Paul and Silas go to Asia and Ephesus? Because the Holy Spirit forbade them to do so. That leaves us with two big questions: Why? And, how? Had not Jesus made it clear that Paul was His chosen vessel, to bear His name before the Gentiles (Acts 9:15)? Had He not blessed Paul, as he shared the gospel in areas where the good news of Jesus was unknown? So why would the Holy Spirit say "No" to evangelizing Asia? The simple fact is that we don’t know. Later, Paul would go to Asia and preach the gospel in that area for some three years. Why not now? We don’t know, but we can rest assure that Paul’s plan at that time would not have brought as much glory to God as the plan the Lord would reveal.

But how did the Holy Spirit communicate that they were not to preach the Word in Asia? Again, we are not told. Was it an inward prompting? It could have been. Or perhaps in one of the churches (such as Iconium or Antioch) a man prophesied that they were not to go into Asia. Let me read to you about a later incident, where a prophet did that very thing. Acts 21:10-11…
And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

The verb form in verse 6 could be read more accurately, "…and having been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia." It seems that the Holy Spirit had already spoken to them long before they came close to Asia. Perhaps it was while they were still at Lystra that the Spirit made this clear.

We can assume that when the Holy Spirit said "No" to Asia, they then turned north. Verse 7 begins, "After they were come to Mysia…" Literally, "When they had come against Mysia." Translations will differ, but it seems clear that they had come to the edge of the region of Mysia. Mysia was not a province, but a region that was in the province of Asia. [Show it on the map]. From this point, they attempted to go further north into an area known as Bithynia. This was a highly civilized area, where Paul and Silas would find Greek cities and Jewish colonies. It must have been a promising field for evangelism.

Nevertheless, we read at the end of verse 7, "…but the Spirit suffered them not." As the Holy Spirit wouldn’t allow them to preach the Word in Asia, now that same Spirit barred them from going to Bithynia. Again, we are not told why, nor are we told how He spoke. However the Spirit communicated this refusal, the message was very clear to Paul and Silas. They must not go into Bithynia.

Let’s pause right here for a moment. This could have been very discouraging to Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Perhaps they were indeed discouraged. They might have thought, "Well, the Lord must be telling us to go home. He has closed the door to further evangelism." As we will see, that isn’t what they did. We will also find that the Lord had not closed the door to them sharing the good news of Christ.

Sometimes we talk about open and closed doors. I am not saying that the Lord cannot work in that way, because God is Almighty and He can work as He chooses. However, I do want to sound a warning. Following open and closed doors can be dangerous. If Paul and Silas had done so, they might have turned around and gone back to Antioch. We must remember that we have an enemy who is also capable of opening and closing doors.

Of course, we can probably think of examples of how the Lord used a closed door. I am thinking of Balaam and his donkey. Do you remember the story. The Moabite king Balak sent for Balaam, hoping that Balaam would come and curse the Israelites. Later, Balaam set out to go and see this king Balak, who had sent for him. However, before he had gone very far, the donkey upon which he was riding began to give him trouble. The donkey turned aside and went into a field. Balaam hit the donkey and turned her back into the way. Then the donkey lunged against a stone wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam hit her again and tried to get her to straighten up and continue on. But this time the donkey fell down to the ground. Balaam was so mad that he began to beat his donkey with his staff. That’s when the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and she said, "What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?" Even more amazing than the talking donkey was the fact that Balaam answered, striking up a conversation with her.

We know why the donkey wouldn’t go any further. The angel of the Lord was standing in the way with a sword, ready to kill Balaam. The Lord allowed the donkey to see the angel, but Balaam could not. It wasn’t until after the conversation with the donkey that the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and allowed him to see the angel. Now we might say that the Lord closed the door. Surely the Lord made it crystal clear that he was not supposed to go to the king of Moab. Is not this a picture of how the Lord closes doors in order to give us direction? He might not send His angel, but He does the same thing through circumstances. We need to be very careful. We must remember the rest of the story. When the messengers of Balak first came, Balaam told them to spend the night, while he found out what the Lord wanted him to do. So Balaam went before the Lord and laid out the situation before Him. Now listen to what the Lord said to Balaam in Num. 22:12, "And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed." The Lord made His will absolutely clear from the start. Balaam’s brush with death, as he tried to force the donkey to pass the angel, was totally unnecessary. If he had not been greedy for money and disobeyed the clear instructions of the Lord, this incident would have never happened.

We will come back to this idea in a few minutes, but let’s get back to Paul, Silas, and Timothy. The Spirit refused to let them preach in Asia or Bithynia. So what were they to do now? Verse 8, "And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas." In order to travel to Troas, they had to go through Mysia, this region which lay within Asia. That means that they actually went through part of Asia. So what does Luke mean, when he says that they "passed by Mysia"? Surely he is saying that though they went through Mysia, they didn’t preach there. As far as preaching the gospel was concerned, they passed it by.

"Troas" was the name of both a region and a city. It was a Roman colony. Here it seems to be city of Troas that Luke has in mind. While Troas is mentioned six times in the New Testament, it is what happens here in verse 9 that sticks in the minds of biblical students. Verse 9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Cover over into Macedonia and help us." The Greek verb tenses indicate that this was continuing action. The Williams Translation renders it, "a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him."

Don’t you know that Paul was excited! The negative prohibitions of the Spirit had now given way to a positive guidance through the vision. Paul knew it was from the Lord and wasted no time responding. Verse 10, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." Paul recognized this as the divine summons to action. Troas was a busy port through which traffic flowed between Macedonia and Asia. It was from Troas that they would depart for Macedonia, the Roman colony in what we now know as Greece. Now the gospel was going to Europe.

By the way, did you notice the word "we" in verse 10? What does this mean? It means that Luke, the author of Acts, is now a part of the action. He has joined the missionary team. Some believe that he was Paul’s personal physician, but we are not told that. Though we know he was (or had been) a doctor (Col. 4:14), we do not know that he was traveling with them in a medical capacity.

Conclusion

Let’s conclude this morning by thinking a bit more about the guidance that Paul and Silas received from the Lord. I want to point out one particular truth and leave it with us this morning.

Notice that Paul wasn’t sitting around waiting for direction from the Lord. He was certain that the Lord had sent Him to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Because of that certainly, he made it his practice to do just that. We have already seen this truth, as we studied the first missionary journey in chapters 13 and 14. However, the Spirit of the Lord stopped him from going to certain places and preaching the gospel there. We saw that the Spirit would not allow them to preach in Asia and then He didn’t permit them to go into Bithynia. After that, it was at Troas that the Lord gave them clear direction to go to Macedonia.

Now let me ask you a question. In the vision of the man from Macedonia, was there anything about preaching the gospel? Nothing. The man only said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." He didn’t say what kind of help he needed. Do you think maybe he needed housing assistance? Or do you think maybe his family was short on food? Best we can tell, Paul didn’t investigate to see. He headed out, "assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them" (10). Read it any translation you choose – "concluding," "confidently inferring," "being assured." Whatever words we use, it is clear that Paul had no question what the need was. The need was for the good news of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, do we need the guidance of the Spirit. Indeed we do. We need to be sensitive to the Spirit, even as Paul was. But we must understand the role of the Spirit in evangelism. Paul’s understanding was that the Lord wanted him to share the gospel with people. He did not wait for the Spirit to tell him to proclaim Jesus. When the Spirit wouldn’t allow him to go into Bithynia, he didn’t for one minute consider the possibility that the Spirit was telling him not to preach the gospel. It was only a matter of where and when, not a matter of whether or not he was going to preach it. When he couldn’t go into Bithynia, he and his companions moved on. They had confidence that there was plenty more evangelism to be done, and surely the Lord would show them where.

Let us hear that message. No, we are not Paul and Silas, but we have been sent to proclaim the gospel. Is God still on the throne? Is Jesus still Lord and Savior? Are there still lost people around us? Nothing has changed; the need for the good news of Jesus is as great today as it ever was. We read it Wednesday evening; let’s read it again… (Rom. 10:13-15)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Concerning the propagation of the gospel, the Lord has already revealed His will abundantly. Concerning exactly where and when we are to share it, we must be sensitive to His Spirit. Warning: If we are not sharing the gospel on a regular basis, then either we are not hearing the Lord accurately, or we are simply refusing to obey. Praise God that the same Spirit who would not permit Paul to preach in Asia or Bithynia is the Spirit who empowered him to proclaim the gospel effectively and to say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth – to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). That same Spirit will empower us to effectively share that same gospel in our world for the Lord’s glory.