How did the Holy Spirit dissuade them? It is important to look back at how the
very varied ways that the Holy Spirit guides in the book of Acts. Sometimes, he
speaks through a revelation to an individual (Acts 11:28) other times he works
through the very mundane and unremarkable process of debate and study and
group consensus building (Acts 15; cf.15:28). One time the Spirit seemed to
lead the group to a conclusion not through group debate but through group
prayer (Acts 13:1-3). Therefore, we cannot be sure what means the Holy Spirit
used to keep the missionaries from preaching. It could have been a) through
an outward circumstance such as an illness or a legal ban (which Luke
attributes to the providential plan of the Spirit), or b) through an inward
circumstance such as thinking and analysis or conviction in prayer, or c)
through a corporate circumstance such as a lack of agreement within the
group to embark on a local mission, or d) through a miraculous circumstance
such as a prophecy or dream or vision. All of these methods are used by the
Holy Spirit in other parts of the book of Acts. However, it is reasonable to
conclude, since the particular circumstance is not mentioned, that the Holy
Spirit’s guidance was ordinary, not extraordinary. Usually, when there was a
miracle or vision, Luke notes and describes it.
What does this teach us?
First, we learn that God may guide us for a long time sending us only “no’s”
without any “yes’s” at all. When we are in the midst of all these “closed doors”,
we can feel like God has abandoned us, but when we look at the big picture, we
can see that a “no” is as much an act of guidance as a “yes”. If this team had
stopped at any of these provinces, there might never have been the books of I
and II Thessalonians, I and II Corinthians, or Ephesians! Also, the pronoun
change (from “they” to “we”) indicates that they picked up Luke at Troas. Luke
was highly aware that if they had followed their plan, he would never have
joined up with them. Sum: God’s guidance is negative as well as positive--it
consists of closed doors as well as open ones.
Second, guidance is never passively received--it always entails wrestlling with
the evidence and using your mind and making a choice. Notice that, even after
the dream, the team had to “conclude” that God had called them to preach in
Macedonia. This is the Greek word symbibazo which means to literally “put the
pieces of a puzzle together”. These verses show us, probably, some guidance
that was very ordinary and one piece (the dream) that was very extraordinary.
But it still involved thinking, analyzing, and decision making together. Sum:
God’s guidance is rational as well as circumstantial. It is not a matter of
“guessing” God’s will, but of making a wise decision.
Third, guidance is corporate. In every case, the verbs are plural. “The Holy
Spirit would not let them in”, and “we concluded that God was calling us”. We
are not to seek God’s will in isolation from the counsel of others.
Fourth, guidance is gradual. It is possible to go a very long time without
seeing where you are going! When Paul and his companions finally arrived at
Troas, at the “Dardanelles”, the gateway to Greece, they had come an
extremely long way by an extremely circuitous route. They had traveled the
entire length of Asia Minor without anything to show for their effort! They had
planted no churches and had made no converts. Imagine their perplexity.
Surely we can relate to this. There are times in our lives where it looks like we
are getting nothing done, or where it looks like our time and efforts are being
completely wasted. But guidance is gradual. It is like a mountainous road, on
which you often labor hard, doubling back and seeming to get nowhere, until
you come to some vantage point where you can see the “big” picture and see
how much progress you’ve made and where you are going. --tim keller
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