Saturday 16 May 2009
- Bible Book:
- Acts
"When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them." (v.10)
Background
Paul starts his second missionary journey this time with Silasand Timothy, rather than Barnabas, because of a disagreement overwhether to take John Mark with them (
Interestingly, although the Council in Jerusalem did not requirethe non-Jewish (Gentile) believers to be circumcised, Paul had histravelling companion Timothy circumcised, possibly to avoidneedlessly antagonising the Jewish community.
Throughout the book of Acts we are reminded of the often-hiddenwork of the Holy Spirit in leading people to faith, equipping andempowering the believers for witness and service and in thisinstance, providing clear guidance. It is noteworthy that here theSpirit is known as the Spirit of Jesus, reinforcing the closerelationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit and reminding usthat the role of the Spirit is to make Christ a living reality inour midst.
The Spirit guides both by hindering and inviting. The missionarieswere first forbidden, and then not allowed to enter certainterritory, until finally Paul had a vision of the Macedonian manbegging them to bring the good news about Jesus to his people.Under this leading, the missionary enterprise is guided westwardinto mainland Europe and eventually to Britain.
To Ponder
Can you think of parallels to Paul's action incircumcising Timothy in the Church or wider society where we canavoid antgonising others? What are they?
What do you suppose is the connection betweenbeing "strengthened in the faith" and "increased in numbers daily"?Are there lessons here for Church growth?
In Acts, we have seen several models of guidanceand decision-making: drawing lots, debate and discussion,circumstances and visions. What is your experience of God'sguidance?