Acts 16:5

Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 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. 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. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

How God leads His people—through requests, checks, visions, and open doors—as Paul takes Timothy and turns toward Europe.

Picking Up the Journey Again

Back at the beginning of October was the last time we were in the book of Acts. We took a detour into Galatians, which Paul wrote just before his second missionary journey and just before he returned to this region. In Acts 15 we looked at seven ways God leads and guides us as we follow Him: through the unity of the body, the quality of the leaders, the activity of the Spirit, the consistency of the teaching of the word, a personal desire He places within us, a concern or burden He puts on our hearts, and sometimes through differing visions.

You may remember the end of Acts 15 saw a split vision. Paul wanted to go up into Galatia, but Barnabas wanted to bring his nephew John Mark, and Paul wouldn't have it. So the two split ways—Barnabas went toward Cyprus, and Paul took Silas and went up into Galatia again. As we look at the first verses of Acts 16, we'll see five more ways God leads us as we follow Him.

Returning to Lystra

They came to Derbe and Lystra. In Acts 14 these were the same cities where Paul and Barnabas saw great ministry. There Paul healed a lame man by the power of God, and the people grew so excited they believed two Greek gods had come down, thinking Paul and Barnabas were Jupiter and Mars, and were about to offer a sacrifice. Paul and Barnabas stopped them and preached a great message of repentance. Just days later, Paul was dragged outside Lystra, stoned by the Jews of that city, and left for dead. He didn't die—and now he returns to that very place, this time with Silas, his new partner in ministry.

When they arrived, they were met by a disciple named Timothy. This is the first time we meet Timothy in the New Testament, but we'll come to know him well through Acts and the epistles, for he became a great co-laborer with Paul. On a number of occasions Paul called him his son in the faith—his dearly beloved son in 2 Timothy 1:2—and told him, "You are useful to me in the ministry." In Philippians 2 Paul boasted of Timothy as a like-minded co-laborer, saying he had no one else with the same heart, one who had served faithfully in the gospel.

At this point Paul is just being introduced to this young man, probably in his late teens or early twenties. His mother was Jewish; his father was a Greek. Paul finds that Timothy knew the Scriptures, and it's very likely Timothy had come to faith under Paul's ministry when he first came to that city. Now Paul wants to take him along in the work.

Pauls and Timothys

Just as John Mark had been with Paul and Barnabas at the beginning of the first missionary journey, Paul was seeking to have another young man follow along. It is so important in the work of God that the older teach the younger. It is a firm conviction of mine that at every stage of our Christian life we should have both Timothys and Pauls. It doesn't matter if you're an elder, pastor, or leader—every one of us should invest in those younger in the faith what has been invested in us. Freely we have received; freely we ought to give.

Timothy was a disciple. There are many terms for the followers of Jesus in the New Testament, but this one—disciple, a learner, a student of God—is used more than any other, 272 times. Jesus called His followers disciples and commissioned them to make disciples. When Paul came back to a city where he had spent only a brief time, he didn't just find believers; he found true disciples. And he wanted this well-reported young man to come along.

If older, mature Christians do not adopt younger believers, who will fill the ranks when God calls the veterans home? That is why we have a school of discipleship here. It is our goal that every follower of Jesus would become a disciple, fully equipped for every good work God has prepared. Paul told the Ephesians that God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. Pastors and leaders are called to equip the body so we can all do the work—here in Escondido, in Southern California, and to the uttermost parts. But it begins with being discipled, just as Paul instructed Titus and Timothy that older men should teach younger men and older women teach younger women. And this was not only Paul's teaching but the example of his life—Titus, Gaius, Timothy, and others he brought in to train.

Circumcised for the Sake of Love

For all of Timothy's favorable qualities—well reported, a disciple, trained in the Scriptures by his grandmother and mother—Paul saw something that needed addressing. In verse 4 we read that Paul took Timothy and circumcised him. This seems almost a contradiction. In Acts 15 a great contention arose at Antioch when teachers came from Jerusalem saying, "Unless you're circumcised, you can't be saved." Paul was so steadfast against this false teaching that he went down to the Jerusalem council, where it was determined circumcision is not necessary for salvation. Part of the reason Paul and Silas are now in Galatia is to share that very decree—and yet here Paul circumcises Timothy.

But the whole verse explains why: he did it "because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek." Under Jewish law a man was considered Jewish through his mother's line. Even today, if you go to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, devout Jews will ask you, "Is your mother Jewish?" because they want to share your roots in Judaism. I was asked that very question in 2001. I had to say no; Timothy could have said yes. Yet because he was uncircumcised, the Jews of his day would have viewed him as an apostate, not fulfilling the covenant given to Abraham.

Paul knew they would be visiting synagogues and ministering among Jews, so this issue had to be addressed—painful as it was, and as unenthusiastic as a young man in his late teens would have been about it. For effective ministry among that people, it had to be done. It was an issue of love, not legalism; it was not necessary for salvation, but it was important for the work.

So the question is raised: are we willing to give up our rights so we won't unnecessarily cause someone else to stumble? Are we like Timothy, willing to lay aside our liberty for the sake of love and effective ministry? What things in our lives must we set aside, crucify, or cut off so we might minister to those who could be stumbled by how we act, look, or talk? Some may seem trivial—"no big deal"—yet they are stumbling blocks to someone else. Out of love, Timothy took a painful but necessary step. And so he begins to go with Paul into the ministry.

How the Church Truly Grows

The very decree Paul, Barnabas, and Silas received at Jerusalem was now being carried by Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the churches of Galatia. As they delivered the doctrine of the apostles, the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily.

It amazes me every year how many church-growth programs and seminars there are—hundreds, probably thousands—on how to grow a church, how to make it a "sticky church," how to get people to stay. What blows my mind is how few of them have anything to do with what took place in the book of Acts. Acts talks constantly about the church growing. Acts 2:42, the early church continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer; verse 47, the Lord added daily those who should be saved. Acts 4, they preached Jesus and the resurrection, and many believed—the church grew above five thousand. Acts 5:14, multitudes of men and women believed. Acts 6:7, the word of God increased and the disciples multiplied greatly, even a great company of priests. Acts 9:31, the churches had rest, were edified, and were multiplied. Acts 11, a great number believed; Acts 12, the word grew and multiplied; Acts 13, the Gentiles were glad and the church multiplied.

As they made disciples, preached the gospel, and exercised the gifts of the Spirit, God multiplied the church. And throughout church history, when the church is established on the foundation of God's word, it grows. That's even the testimony of Calvary Chapel. When it began in the mid-1960s and Pastor Chuck Smith simply taught the word of God simply, the church began to grow—and now, generations later, fourth-generation pastors who weren't even part of that movement are doing the same thing.

In Acts 16 the church was established in the faith—not in programs, not in campaigns, but in the faith. Here at Calvary Chapel of Escondido we don't have many programs or campaigns. All we do is simply teach the word of God simply, because honestly, we can't do anything else—we're not smart enough for programs. We just teach the word, and God adds to the church in an awesome way, as He has for two millennia.

When the Spirit Says No

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, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

At the beginning of the passage, in verse 3, God led through an apostolic request—Paul asked Timothy to come along. But in verses 6 and 7, God moves them through a spiritual check. The book of Acts might well be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2 God poured out His Spirit and the church grew. In Acts 10 the Spirit told Peter to go with the men from Cornelius. In Acts 13 the Spirit said, "Separate unto me Saul and Barnabas." Yet here the Spirit forbids Paul, Silas, and Timothy from going into Asia and would not allow them into Bithynia.

What does it look like to have the Holy Spirit forbid you from a good thing—going to preach the gospel? The Scriptures are silent on exactly how this happened, and many have speculated. Some think Paul became ill moving into the higher elevations and had to drop down to the cooler coast at Troas. Others think he simply had no peace, that there were closed doors, no real opportunity, perhaps poor weather, perhaps unreceptive people. We don't know. Whatever the case, Paul recognized the Spirit of God was saying no. Coming from the south in Galatia, he could not go east into Asia or north into Bithynia—so the only way left was west, where God was leading.

Perhaps you've experienced this, where every direction in your service to the Lord seems to be a closed door and a dead end, and you have no peace about it.

Paul's Response to God's "No"

Though we don't know the details, we learn much from how Paul responded. First, he was receptive to the Lord's no—listening, seeking, open to God speaking. Second, he was sensitive to it—recognizing the clear statement that this was not the way. Third, he was not discouraged by it. Have you ever been discouraged when the Lord made clear, "I don't want you to do that"?

Fourth, he did not argue when the Lord said no. I have a hard time with this one—I tend to explain to God why my idea is good even when He's saying no—yet Paul did not argue. Fifth, Paul was willing to change his plan in accordance with God's will, doing what God wanted over what he wanted. That is what it means to call Jesus Lord. As Paul asked in Acts 9, "Who are you, Lord?"—and with that submission he was saying, "I will go where you want me to go." Sixth, Paul kept moving as the Lord seemed to direct.

I've met many believers over my years of ministry who, when the Lord said no to a certain area, simply stopped serving altogether. But when God said no to Paul, he kept moving. It's difficult to turn a car that isn't moving, and the same is true in our walk—the Lord cannot redirect and turn us if we're not actively serving Him. Just as God led Israel out of Egypt with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, He desires to lead us as we follow Him—through His word, through prayer, through the wisdom of brothers and sisters, through consistent teaching.

The Vision, the Call, and the Open Door

And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

Going away from Galatia, Paul wanted to go east into Asia—God said no. He wanted to go north into Bithynia—God said no. The only place left was west, and the furthest point west before falling off into the Aegean Sea was Troas. He went as far as he could go, and there in the night he saw a vision of a man of Macedonia pleading, "Come over and help us."

So God can lead through a spiritual vision, a heavenly vision. Joel foretold that in the last days God would pour out His Spirit, and old men would dream dreams and young men see visions. Fourth, God can lead through a prophetic call—someone saying, "Come and help in the work." Paul didn't know who this man was; perhaps he'd never meet him, or perhaps he was the very man he'd meet in Philippi. Whatever the case, this is the first time the gospel will move into Europe—Macedonia, the region we would call Greece today. Most of us sitting here are recipients of this very move of the gospel by Paul, Silas, and Timothy from Asia Minor into Europe.

And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia... Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; and from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony... And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Fifth, God leads by an open opportunity. After the vision they immediately endeavored to go, getting on a boat at Troas and heading west across the Aegean Sea, and brought the gospel into Europe as God had called them to do.

"We"—Luke Joins the Journey

Notice one more thing in verse 10: "after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go to Macedonia." Circle the word we. We know the author of Acts is Luke, the physician, and here, for the first time, he speaks in the first person. A fourth person has been added to the group. Paul and Silas left Antioch into Galatia; in Lystra they met Timothy; and now in Troas they meet Luke. Together they step out to bring the gospel to a new part of the world that had not received it.

Arise and Go

That is the call God has given us as well. As I mentioned weeks ago from Micah 2:10, "Arise and go, for this is not your rest." This is not our place to rest. The Scriptures reveal we shall be with the Lord eternally—John 14:1, He has gone to prepare a place and promised to return and bring us to Himself, and that will be the place of rest. For the Christian, this is not our home. Until the Lord calls us home, He's called us to go.

Just as these four men left Troas for Macedonia, where in 2010 would the Lord call you to go? Perhaps He'll partner you with someone here, equip and develop you, and ready you to step out. Maybe He'll call you to the children's ministry, or out into Escondido, or to Africa or China. God is calling, and when we gather on Sunday morning, He is equipping and readying us. The question is, will we hear when the request comes, when the door opens, when He gives a vision—and will we have faith to step out?

I'm thankful the faith we have is increased by the reading of the word. Romans 10 says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. May the Lord increase our faith to step out as we step into a new year.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You for Your word. We thank You, Jesus, that You stepped out—You stepped into humanity, into our world, to bring us salvation. And Lord, You have given us a commission to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. So I pray that You would stir our hearts, prepare us by Your word, and make us willing to go wherever You would call, willing to do whatever You'd ask, with that same willingness Paul had in Acts 9: "Lord, what would You have me to do?" Lord, thank You for reminding us as we step into 2010 even to ask that question. Stir all of our hearts to do the same, and allow us this year to see Your kingdom grow in a powerful way. We ask it in Jesus' name, and all God's people said, Amen.