Waiting In Troas

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None Of His Benefits:

Published December 26, 2024
. . . and passing by Mysia, they came to Troas, Acts 16:8.
As I noted a few weeks ago, Saul of Tarsus was born around 5 A.D. and was converted around 33 A.D., about two years after Jesus’ ascension, while on the road to Damascus where he was persecuting Christians. He was twenty-nine years old at the time. We know that about fourteen years later, after consulting with the leaders in Jerusalem, he and Barnabas began their first missionary journey in 47 A.D. in what is now south central Turkey. After the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15, 49 A.D.), Paul, Silas, and Timothy embarked on their second missionary journey in 50 A.D. By this time it was pretty clear that Paul’s strategy was to plant churches in large metropolitan areas where there was much trade, surmising that people coming and going from some large cities would greatly enhance the propagation of the gospel to all the nations of the world. On his second missionary journey Paul planned to go directly west to Asia Minor, now called western Turkey, probably to Ephesus, but the Lord forbid him. Not to be deterred, Paul then tried to go in a northeasterly direction to Bithynia near modern day Istanbul but the Lord said “No” on that trip too (Acts 16:6,7). A few hundred years later the gospel had so impacted Bithynia that the Creeds of Nicea (325 A,D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.) were written there. Paul kept moving, however, and went to Troas, a city just ten miles from the ancient city of Troy on the coast of the Aegean Sea, a gateway city to and from Europe. That’s where Paul received his Macedonian call, “Come over to Macedonia (in northern Greece, Europe) and help us,” (Acts 16:9). Paul spent two years on that journey (traveling 1400 miles on foot and 2000 miles by ship) in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. God gave him a very productive ministry.

Paul had his marching orders from Jesus. He was to bear the name of Jesus before Gentiles, and kings, and the sons of Israel. He was to suffer for Jesus’ sake (Acts 9:15). Paul was driven by God to plant churches. So moving forward with the gospel was a “no brainer” for Paul. His dilemma, however, was where next? Paul had a plan. It seemed logical. “Ephesus is a hugely strategic city. Let’s go there.” No doubt to Paul’s surprise, the Holy Spirit impressed upon him in some way that, “No, that’s not the plan.” Okay, then. Byzantium is also strategic. Let’s go there and again the Lord said, “No, that’s not what I want.” So Paul kept moving to the next logical place, Troas, the gateway to and from Europe.

Perhaps there is a message here for you as you face the new year. There may be some major issue on your horizon in 2025. You are praying about your plans, sincerely wanting to follow the Lord’s will but not sure which way you should go. ...

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