Original Meaning

The Macedonian Call (16:1–10)

ACTS 15:41 AND 16:5 indicate that the first leg of this journey by Paul and Silas was essentially one of “strengthening the churches.” One aspect of this ministry was that “they delivered the decisions” of the Jerusalem Council “for the people to obey” (16:4).

In Lystra a well-spoken-of young man of mixed parentage, Timothy, becomes the newest member of the team (16:1–3). Paul’s circumcising of him has received much discussion. It is alleged that the Paul of the letters, who spoke so strongly against circumcision, could not have done this, and therefore that the Paul of Acts may not be the authentic Paul of history. But we must remember that the Paul of Acts also considered the circumcision issue so important that he made the long trip to Jerusalem to battle the Judaizers. His battle was against insisting that circumcision was a condition for the full inclusion of the Gentiles among the people of God. Here the issue was qualifications for ministry. No church today asks for a theological degree as a necessary condition for membership, but many require this for entrance into the ministry.

Timothy needed to win the esteem of the Jewish Christians, and being circumcised would have given him openings in evangelizing Jews. If he had been a “full-blooded Gentile” Paul would not have insisted on circumcision, as we see with the Greek Titus, whom he took along to Jerusalem (Gal. 2:3). But Timothy was half Jewish, and it would be more appropriate for him to go through the painful process of full initiation into the Jewish community. Some accuse Paul of inconsistency, but Bruce reminds us of R. W. Emerson’s statement about “foolish consistency” being the “hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”7

The providence of God is obvious in this section, hindering Paul from doing what he wanted in order to be led to the place where God wanted him to go (16:6–10). After ministering in Phrygia and Galatia8 he wanted to go southwest to the province of Asia, probably to minister in Ephesus, the important capital of Asia, but “the Holy Spirit” prevented him (16:6). Then he traveled west to the border of Mysia and tried to go north to Bithynia, but again the Spirit—this time called “the Spirit of Jesus”—“would not allow them” (16:7). Paul had ministered in the east, he cannot go north or south, so he can only go further west and comes to the seaport Troas (16:8). There he has the vision with a call from Macedonia (v. 9) and concludes that “God had call[ed him] to preach” there (v. 10).9 After this period of uncertainty about God’s will, when the will is confirmed, Paul and his team get ready “at once” to go to Macedonia, and with that to a new horizon in the expansion of Christianity.

In verse 10 we have the first of the “we” passages of Acts,10 suggesting to some that Troas may be where Paul first met Luke11 or at least where they first began to travel together. Some have suggested that he joined the team in his capacity as a doctor (cf. Col. 4:14), which is possible, considering Paul’s frequent ill health. Bruce says, “It is no exaggeration to say that Paul is the hero of Acts.”12 This could be because Luke got to know Paul intimately through being with him. He was the only one with Paul shortly before his execution in Rome (2 Tim. 4:11). But Luke also gives other leaders, like Peter and James, due place in Acts. In fact, as Bruce says, “Luke is a truly catholic writer; he knows that there are various strands in primitive Christianity, and he weaves them together in the interests of Christian unity—a cause obviously dear to his heart.”13 Traveling with Silas would certainly have helped Luke get the perspective of the Jerusalem church.

Bridging Contexts

THIS PASSAGE DOES not have any explicitly stated principles that can be unmistakably affirmed for today. But there are many human experiences with which we can identify and through which we see God at work. Therefore, this passage is instructive to us as we learn how to fight the good fight of faith. We can be grateful that Luke did not gloss over crises in the early church and hide the weaknesses of its leaders. It was not an ideal church, with saints whose perfect lives leave us panting with frustration over our failures and imperfections. It was a church with people just like us but who nevertheless were available to God and were used to do great things for him. This passage demonstrates the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

The conflict. It is significant that after so many centuries of study, the church is still not sure who was at fault in the conflict between Paul and Barnabas. Interpersonal conflicts can be complex and difficult to unravel. It is encouraging to see that God works through this conflict. “But,” as John Stott says, “this example of God’s providence may not be used as an excuse for Christian quarreling.”14 Neither should we assume that such disruption is the norm when there is a disagreement among Christian leaders. It is an exception brought about by human error rather than by divine design.

But God is bigger than our problems, and he wills for his children to live in unity. Thus, we can hope for a resolution whenever there is a problem. That we may be unable to resolve it is because of stubbornness, error, or ignorance on the part of one or both sides of the conflict. Conflict is a fact of life in this fallen world, and sometimes conflicts in Christian relationships do end up unresolved.

Encouragers look with the eyes of hope. We cannot help observing the mentality of the encourager in Barnabas, as he refuses to give up on Mark (15:37–39). The younger Paul could not see the potential that Barnabas saw. And Barnabas’s hopes were not unfounded, for Mark did live up to his expectations. The first desertion did not automatically mean continued desertions. Later, Paul came to value Mark, and he seems to have become an assistant to Peter, who sends greetings from “my son Mark” at the close of his first letter (1 Peter 5:13).

Mark was in all probability the writer of the second Gospel. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis around A.D. 130, states: “Mark having become interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered . . . [of] the sayings or deeds of Christ.” He describes how Mark “took special care” to write an accurate account.15 The father of church history, Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History (A.D. 325), claims that Mark undertook this task in response to appeals from Christians who wanted a permanent record of what Peter had taught. Eusebius also presents the less well-attested tradition that “Mark is said to have been the first man to set out for Egypt and preach there the gospel . . . and the first to establish churches in Alexandria itself.”16 There is no doubt, then, that Mark has a significant place in the history of the early church. “As a member of three intersecting circles in the early church, he provides an important link between Barnabas, Peter and Paul.”17

The example of Barnabas’s not giving up on Mark invites us also to look at people with the eyes of hope. Paul also seems to have developed this character, as we see him refusing to give up on people like Timothy and the Corinthians despite their weaknesses. Hope, then, is a key to the ministry of encouragement. This is not blind hope, of course, but hope that comes out of the possibilities of grace. In fact, when we encourage people who have failed in an area of their lives, our main message to them is not, “You can do it,” but “He can do it in you.”

Principles of itinerant ministry. This section establishes some key features about itinerant ministry in the early church. (1) The ministry was done in teams. After Paul and Barnabas separated, each took on another team member, Silas and Mark respectively, who accompanied them in their travels (15:39–40).

(2) Paul’s team accomplished a twofold ministry. They first visited existing churches and strengthened them (15:41). Then they went to the unreached region of Macedonia, in an evangelistic ministry (16:10). Today too itinerant ministers can travel to strengthen churches and do evangelism.

(3) A local group commended the team “to the grace of the Lord” (15:40) as the team set off. This group backed the team and supported it (at least in prayer). We know that on the first missionary journey Paul’s team was sent out by the church in Antioch (13:3) and that they returned there (14:27). Local support groups are also a great asset to itinerant ministers today.

The circumcision of Timothy. Circumcision was a painful experience for an adult in days before the use of anesthetics.18 This is probably one reason why many Gentiles preferred to remain God-fearers without becoming full Jews. Yet in order for Timothy to win his credibility, he had to undergo the pain of this experience. Thus, soon after the battle to free the church of circumcision was won, Paul circumcised his young assistant (16:3). Leaders may need deliberately to take on things that will cause them pain but will give them credibility in ministry.

In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul talks about how he took on many difficulties, even though he was free to live the way he wanted (1 Cor. 9:1). Talking about his legitimate right to support he writes: “But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ” (9:12b). In this same chapter he expresses his passion for the gospel as follows: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (9:19). He goes on, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (9:23). With such commitment he could ask people like Timothy also to pay a price. Leaders who do not pay a price are usually unable to motivate others to such commitment. Paul not only insisted on costly discipleship for others, he modeled it in his own life.

Human planning and divine guidance. God’s strange providence in the way he prohibited Paul from going to places where he wanted to go (16:6–8) shows us that, while it is right for humans to plan and have visions, those plans must be submitted to the will of God and be open to his veto. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Paul submitted to God’s will and was also receptive to his voice. Though he had his plans, he always presented them to God, and God was able to get through to him with his will because of this submissive spirit. Note James 4:13–15:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Just as Paul was guided by God after a period of uncertainty, we too can trust God to guide us if we earnestly seek his will. Paul says, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). We cannot, however, say for how long the time of uncertainly will last. Yet during those dark nights of the soul, God often does a work in us that does us great good.

Contemporary Significance

WHEN WE FACE conflicts. While it is true that this passage does not give us an excuse to quarrel, it does give us comfort if we have disagreements that do not end in amicable resolutions. It also gives hope, for just at Paul and Barnabas got together after the heat of the conflict had died down, so can we. Therefore we must be sure that during the heat of a conflict we do not do or say things that complicate a final resolution. All too often when people are hurt and disappointed, they make public statements that are difficult to live down. Perhaps they write strongly accusatory letters that cannot be erased once written.

Because God is greater than the problem, we can always live with the hope of resolution. That hope will enable us to look beyond the hurt to the day when we will rejoice in a relationship restored. And that, in turn, should cause us to temper our actions and reactions. Therefore, it is always best to get the help of others who are less emotionally involved in the conflict to guide us. Because they are detached from the situation, they may be able to see things more clearly and advise us to act more wisely.

Ministering hope to people. A good summary of hope-filled ministry is found in Paul’s words to the timid Timothy (1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 1:6–7): “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18). What drives Paul here are the “prophecies once made about” Timothy—prophecies that became the basis of his hope in the possibilities of grace in Timothy’s life and ministry. They gave him confidence to expect great things from Timothy.

Many people are being crushed in our competitive society as the law of the jungle (i.e., the survival of the fittest) reigns. The Christian leader looks beyond shallow estimates of what fitness is and dwells in the realm of the possibilities of grace. That fires hope about what can be achieved through people whom the world thinks are useless. We will all find scores of dejected people who have been rejected by our fast-moving, results-oriented society. God is waiting to use us to open their lives to the inexhaustible riches of God’s grace.

The Irishman Adam Clarke was the great theologian of the early Methodist movement. His massive eight-volume commentary of the Bible (1810–26) remains in print to date and earned him the title “the Prince of Commentators” from Charles Spurgeon. But at school Clarke was slow to learn. One day a distinguished visitor paid a visit to the school, and the teacher singled out Clarke and said, “That is the stupidest boy in the school.” But before he left the school, the visitor came to the boy and said, “Never mind, my boy, you may be a great scholar someday. Don’t be discouraged but try hard, and keep on trying.” William Barclay, after relating this story, asks, “Who knows?—it may well have been that word of hope which made Adam Clarke what he one day became.”19

Itinerant ministry today. The features about itinerant ministry listed above are relevant today too. (1) Should itinerant preachers always travel in a team? This seems to be the way both Jesus and the traveling preachers of Acts did it. It is certainly the ideal way to travel, as we showed in our discussion of Acts 3. We should try to always take somebody along. But today there may be situations where we cannot afford to take someone. Then we should ensure that there is a team “at home” backing us and that we have as our temporary team members the people with whom we are ministering. This can be done by staying in their homes, praying with them, spending time in fellowship with them so that they are truly one in spirit with the traveling person, and sharing personal concerns with them.

What we must strenuously avoid is the common situation where gifted people are working alone. They have a private life in their travels that others do not share. Such people can get into serious spiritual trouble. They can lose their cutting edge by not having colleagues who provoke them as iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17). They can succumb to the many temptations that traveling people face and begin to live in a world of defeat with no one to help them. All traveling people should seek to have team ministry in some way or other.

(2) Should we expect itinerant preachers to be both evangelists and teachers? We know that some itinerant preachers are not equally gifted in both strengthening ministry and evangelistic ministry. But usually they should be available to do at least some ministry in both areas. Usually we do a little of all types of ministries (other than those we are definitely not gifted in, e.g., public singing for a person who cannot sing in tune!), though we specialize in a few areas.

(3) We should apply the principle of having a group in our home base who sends us out, who prays for us, and to whom we are accountable. Such support and accountability is vital for effective ministry, for much strength comes from such people. They can also help us manage our finances. As the misuse of finances has caused the downfall of many a traveling preacher, it is helpful to have others to whom we are accountable keep watch over the finances pertaining to our traveling ministries.

Nurturing a team of prayer warriors at home while we travel takes commitment on our part. A heroic figure of recent missionary history, James O. Fraser, was forced, much against his wishes, to do a lot of lone pioneering work among the Lisus in the mountains of China. Yet he had a band of friends in England who were committed to pray for him. He kept them motivated by sending them regular letters with detailed descriptions of his needs, victories (which were few for a long time), and struggles. A recent biography of Fraser gives helpful hints on how to get others to pray for us.20

Each of the three principles just given runs counter to the individualism that has hit our generation. Even those who travel in teams can live in their private worlds without real spiritual accountability. In Paul’s team there was openness among the team members. This is why he could say to Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured” (2 Tim. 3:10–11). Paul had opened his life to Timothy. It is strange that many Christian leaders still persist in maintaining closed private lives in spite of the scriptural models and of the many cases of fallen leaders who had no accountability. It indicates how the lifestyle of the world has overcome the scriptural lifestyle. In this area we must be clearly countercultural.

Taking on pain. When we were teenagers, we had a tract that helped us much in the path of discipleship, entitled Others May, You Cannot. Others might avoid the pain of subjecting themselves to circumcision, but for Timothy to succeed in ministry he had to take this on. This was the pain of identification with people. One who loves to eat meat may need to become a vegetarian if he finds that eating meat will be a stumbling block to the Buddhists he is trying to reach. Certainly one who likes hunting will have to give that up if one is to work with Buddhists (who consider killing animals a serious sin). A missionary may need to take on the tough task of learning a new language in order to identify with the people. One who is trying to reach people in the slums may need to live near the place where the people she wants to reach live. As a result she may have to endure the pain and terror of having her house broken into. In a society where people are allergic to pain, these things are difficult to endure. Most people will avoid such things, but we should voluntarily take these things on in order to bear fruit that really lasts.

Submissive visionaries. Paul was a visionary who planned ahead and developed strategies for reaching the lost and taking the gospel to the farthest corners of the world. In Romans 15:23–29 he refers to some of his visions, which included visiting Rome. But he always lived in submission to God’s will. Thus, he goes on to say, “pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers . . . so that by God’s will I may come to you” (15:31–32). As we saw in our passage, he submitted his plans to God for rejection, acceptance, or modification.

How can we discover whether God is telling us not do something we have planned to do? We are told that the Spirit stopped Paul, but we are not told how he became aware of that message. There are many ways in which God can communicate his will to us on such matters. It may be through a miraculous means, like prophecy or a dream. When the community meets prayerfully to discuss a given plan or when it is being discussed at a personal level, God may speak through the wisdom of someone there. Sometimes there is what people call “a check” in the inner spirit, when there is a sense that this may not be right. It may come through a feeling of reservation inside us about some aspect of the plan, through some obstacles that come along that are seen as signs from God to desist, or through the reservations of someone else whom we trust.

When that happens, we must go into earnest prayer and discussion over the issue, seeking clarification from God. We should be careful about pushing through projects when we have reservations about them. After all, we will be unable to give our heart and soul to such projects. It is better then to take the time to grapple with God to find out what his will is.

When we are in an attitude of earnestly looking to God for guidance, God may guide us in an unusual way, as he did with Paul through a vision. We do not know how long Paul had to wait before God came to him in this vision. But it seems to have been a considerably long time. Such times can be frustrating. But believing in the promises of God we look to him, awaiting his word with patient hope, doing all that we know we can do under the circumstances. When we sense that God has spoken, we must respond immediately, as Paul did (16:10), and launch out in faith.

When I went to the United States to study in seminary, I went with the plan of coming back to Sri Lanka to work with Youth for Christ. But in seminary, several teachers and friends advised me against such a step, saying that my giftedness seemed to be for another kind of ministry (either the pastorate or teaching). I wrote home about this, asked whomever I could for advice, and prayed much. But no sense of direction emerged for several months. Then I got a letter from the national director of our program, Sam Sherrard, in which he said that he was moving to another YFC program and asked me to take his place. I suddenly sensed that this was the leading that I had been seeking from God. I showed the letter to one of my professors, Dr. J. T. Seamands, who concurred. I went back home to the job that I have had for the past twenty-one years.

Thus, we will dream great things for God, which become the stuff out of which our visions emerge. But we will seek God’s face to know his will and be always eager to submit to that will. And during the sometimes frustrating times of waiting, until we know God’s will, we must do whatever we know we should do, realizing that the times of frustration we dread will one day yield a rich harvest of blessing.

Original Meaning

The Team Breaks Up (15:36–40)

IN DISCUSSING THE idea of revisiting the churches with Barnabas, Paul disagrees with the suggestion that they take Barnabas’s cousin Mark (Col. 4:10) along, “because he had deserted them in Pamphylia” (vv. 37–38). Though the word Luke uses for the resulting conflict is a strong one (paroxysmos), it does not give us a hint about who was right and who was wrong. That the team should have broken up because of this conflict is sad. Perhaps the pain of the public confrontation in Antioch after Barnabas went along with Peter (Gal. 2:13) had something to do with the severity of this conflict.1 Longenecker suggests that Mark may have been “in some way responsible for inciting the Judaizers to action,”2 which would have made Paul all the more wary of taking him on. But this too is not stated.

We agree with Marshall: “It is a classic example of the perpetual problem of whether to place the interests of the individual or of the work as a whole first.”3 It is encouraging to find out that later Paul and Barnabas seem to have become colleagues again (1 Cor. 9:6; Col. 4:10) and that Paul had not only come to appreciate Mark but also to depend on him so much that he asked for him to come to him towards the end of his life (2 Tim. 4:11; cf. Col. 4:10; Philem. 24).

The sovereignty of God as he works out his purposes even through human weakness is revealed as two teams now set out, and the area of the first missionary journey is divided between Paul and Barnabas. The latter goes to his native Cyprus with Mark (15:39), while Paul takes Silas and travels via Syria and Cicilia to South Galatia (15:40–16:1).

Silas was a leader in the church of Jerusalem (15:22) and a prophet who “said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers” in Antioch (15:32). This must mean he was an enthusiastic backer of Paul’s program of Gentile evangelism. He was also a Roman citizen like Paul (see 16:37)—an asset in an itinerant ministry in the Roman empire. Silas is probably an abbreviation of the Latin Silvanus, by which he is called in the letters.4 He is named as coauthor of the two Thessalonian letters. He “was probably the amanuensis employed in the writing down of 1 Peter, and responsible for its rather elegant Greek style”5 (see 1 Peter 5:12).

Paul and Silas are commissioned and sent off by the church in Antioch (15:40), just as the earlier team had been sent off (13:3). There the commissioning included fasting, prayer, and the laying on of hands. The same may have been done here too. The commissioning is mentioned as being “commended . . . to the grace of the Lord.” There is no mention of a similar send-off for Barnabas and Mark, but this may be because from now on Luke focuses on Paul’s ministry. All ministry stems from God’s grace, but grace is often mediated through the prayers, concern, accountability, and provisions of other Christians. The laying on of hands itself was intended to signify the mediating of God’s blessing.6 The church released Paul and Silas to the grace of God, but they would have pledged to do their part in continuing to mediate this grace.

Bridging Contexts

THIS PASSAGE DOES not have any explicitly stated principles that can be unmistakably affirmed for today. But there are many human experiences with which we can identify and through which we see God at work. Therefore, this passage is instructive to us as we learn how to fight the good fight of faith. We can be grateful that Luke did not gloss over crises in the early church and hide the weaknesses of its leaders. It was not an ideal church, with saints whose perfect lives leave us panting with frustration over our failures and imperfections. It was a church with people just like us but who nevertheless were available to God and were used to do great things for him. This passage demonstrates the truth of 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

The conflict. It is significant that after so many centuries of study, the church is still not sure who was at fault in the conflict between Paul and Barnabas. Interpersonal conflicts can be complex and difficult to unravel. It is encouraging to see that God works through this conflict. “But,” as John Stott says, “this example of God’s providence may not be used as an excuse for Christian quarreling.”14 Neither should we assume that such disruption is the norm when there is a disagreement among Christian leaders. It is an exception brought about by human error rather than by divine design.

But God is bigger than our problems, and he wills for his children to live in unity. Thus, we can hope for a resolution whenever there is a problem. That we may be unable to resolve it is because of stubbornness, error, or ignorance on the part of one or both sides of the conflict. Conflict is a fact of life in this fallen world, and sometimes conflicts in Christian relationships do end up unresolved.

Encouragers look with the eyes of hope. We cannot help observing the mentality of the encourager in Barnabas, as he refuses to give up on Mark (15:37–39). The younger Paul could not see the potential that Barnabas saw. And Barnabas’s hopes were not unfounded, for Mark did live up to his expectations. The first desertion did not automatically mean continued desertions. Later, Paul came to value Mark, and he seems to have become an assistant to Peter, who sends greetings from “my son Mark” at the close of his first letter (1 Peter 5:13).

Mark was in all probability the writer of the second Gospel. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis around A.D. 130, states: “Mark having become interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered . . . [of] the sayings or deeds of Christ.” He describes how Mark “took special care” to write an accurate account.15 The father of church history, Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History (A.D. 325), claims that Mark undertook this task in response to appeals from Christians who wanted a permanent record of what Peter had taught. Eusebius also presents the less well-attested tradition that “Mark is said to have been the first man to set out for Egypt and preach there the gospel . . . and the first to establish churches in Alexandria itself.”16 There is no doubt, then, that Mark has a significant place in the history of the early church. “As a member of three intersecting circles in the early church, he provides an important link between Barnabas, Peter and Paul.”17

The example of Barnabas’s not giving up on Mark invites us also to look at people with the eyes of hope. Paul also seems to have developed this character, as we see him refusing to give up on people like Timothy and the Corinthians despite their weaknesses. Hope, then, is a key to the ministry of encouragement. This is not blind hope, of course, but hope that comes out of the possibilities of grace. In fact, when we encourage people who have failed in an area of their lives, our main message to them is not, “You can do it,” but “He can do it in you.”

Principles of itinerant ministry. This section establishes some key features about itinerant ministry in the early church. (1) The ministry was done in teams. After Paul and Barnabas separated, each took on another team member, Silas and Mark respectively, who accompanied them in their travels (15:39–40).

(2) Paul’s team accomplished a twofold ministry. They first visited existing churches and strengthened them (15:41). Then they went to the unreached region of Macedonia, in an evangelistic ministry (16:10). Today too itinerant ministers can travel to strengthen churches and do evangelism.

(3) A local group commended the team “to the grace of the Lord” (15:40) as the team set off. This group backed the team and supported it (at least in prayer). We know that on the first missionary journey Paul’s team was sent out by the church in Antioch (13:3) and that they returned there (14:27). Local support groups are also a great asset to itinerant ministers today.

The circumcision of Timothy. Circumcision was a painful experience for an adult in days before the use of anesthetics.18 This is probably one reason why many Gentiles preferred to remain God-fearers without becoming full Jews. Yet in order for Timothy to win his credibility, he had to undergo the pain of this experience. Thus, soon after the battle to free the church of circumcision was won, Paul circumcised his young assistant (16:3). Leaders may need deliberately to take on things that will cause them pain but will give them credibility in ministry.

In 1 Corinthians 9 Paul talks about how he took on many difficulties, even though he was free to live the way he wanted (1 Cor. 9:1). Talking about his legitimate right to support he writes: “But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ” (9:12b). In this same chapter he expresses his passion for the gospel as follows: “Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (9:19). He goes on, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (9:23). With such commitment he could ask people like Timothy also to pay a price. Leaders who do not pay a price are usually unable to motivate others to such commitment. Paul not only insisted on costly discipleship for others, he modeled it in his own life.

Human planning and divine guidance. God’s strange providence in the way he prohibited Paul from going to places where he wanted to go (16:6–8) shows us that, while it is right for humans to plan and have visions, those plans must be submitted to the will of God and be open to his veto. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Paul submitted to God’s will and was also receptive to his voice. Though he had his plans, he always presented them to God, and God was able to get through to him with his will because of this submissive spirit. Note James 4:13–15:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Just as Paul was guided by God after a period of uncertainty, we too can trust God to guide us if we earnestly seek his will. Paul says, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). We cannot, however, say for how long the time of uncertainly will last. Yet during those dark nights of the soul, God often does a work in us that does us great good.

Contemporary Significance

WHEN WE FACE conflicts. While it is true that this passage does not give us an excuse to quarrel, it does give us comfort if we have disagreements that do not end in amicable resolutions. It also gives hope, for just at Paul and Barnabas got together after the heat of the conflict had died down, so can we. Therefore we must be sure that during the heat of a conflict we do not do or say things that complicate a final resolution. All too often when people are hurt and disappointed, they make public statements that are difficult to live down. Perhaps they write strongly accusatory letters that cannot be erased once written.

Because God is greater than the problem, we can always live with the hope of resolution. That hope will enable us to look beyond the hurt to the day when we will rejoice in a relationship restored. And that, in turn, should cause us to temper our actions and reactions. Therefore, it is always best to get the help of others who are less emotionally involved in the conflict to guide us. Because they are detached from the situation, they may be able to see things more clearly and advise us to act more wisely.

Ministering hope to people. A good summary of hope-filled ministry is found in Paul’s words to the timid Timothy (1 Tim. 4:12; 2 Tim. 1:6–7): “Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18). What drives Paul here are the “prophecies once made about” Timothy—prophecies that became the basis of his hope in the possibilities of grace in Timothy’s life and ministry. They gave him confidence to expect great things from Timothy.

Many people are being crushed in our competitive society as the law of the jungle (i.e., the survival of the fittest) reigns. The Christian leader looks beyond shallow estimates of what fitness is and dwells in the realm of the possibilities of grace. That fires hope about what can be achieved through people whom the world thinks are useless. We will all find scores of dejected people who have been rejected by our fast-moving, results-oriented society. God is waiting to use us to open their lives to the inexhaustible riches of God’s grace.

The Irishman Adam Clarke was the great theologian of the early Methodist movement. His massive eight-volume commentary of the Bible (1810–26) remains in print to date and earned him the title “the Prince of Commentators” from Charles Spurgeon. But at school Clarke was slow to learn. One day a distinguished visitor paid a visit to the school, and the teacher singled out Clarke and said, “That is the stupidest boy in the school.” But before he left the school, the visitor came to the boy and said, “Never mind, my boy, you may be a great scholar someday. Don’t be discouraged but try hard, and keep on trying.” William Barclay, after relating this story, asks, “Who knows?—it may well have been that word of hope which made Adam Clarke what he one day became.”19

Itinerant ministry today. The features about itinerant ministry listed above are relevant today too. (1) Should itinerant preachers always travel in a team? This seems to be the way both Jesus and the traveling preachers of Acts did it. It is certainly the ideal way to travel, as we showed in our discussion of Acts 3. We should try to always take somebody along. But today there may be situations where we cannot afford to take someone. Then we should ensure that there is a team “at home” backing us and that we have as our temporary team members the people with whom we are ministering. This can be done by staying in their homes, praying with them, spending time in fellowship with them so that they are truly one in spirit with the traveling person, and sharing personal concerns with them.

What we must strenuously avoid is the common situation where gifted people are working alone. They have a private life in their travels that others do not share. Such people can get into serious spiritual trouble. They can lose their cutting edge by not having colleagues who provoke them as iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17). They can succumb to the many temptations that traveling people face and begin to live in a world of defeat with no one to help them. All traveling people should seek to have team ministry in some way or other.

(2) Should we expect itinerant preachers to be both evangelists and teachers? We know that some itinerant preachers are not equally gifted in both strengthening ministry and evangelistic ministry. But usually they should be available to do at least some ministry in both areas. Usually we do a little of all types of ministries (other than those we are definitely not gifted in, e.g., public singing for a person who cannot sing in tune!), though we specialize in a few areas.

(3) We should apply the principle of having a group in our home base who sends us out, who prays for us, and to whom we are accountable. Such support and accountability is vital for effective ministry, for much strength comes from such people. They can also help us manage our finances. As the misuse of finances has caused the downfall of many a traveling preacher, it is helpful to have others to whom we are accountable keep watch over the finances pertaining to our traveling ministries.

Nurturing a team of prayer warriors at home while we travel takes commitment on our part. A heroic figure of recent missionary history, James O. Fraser, was forced, much against his wishes, to do a lot of lone pioneering work among the Lisus in the mountains of China. Yet he had a band of friends in England who were committed to pray for him. He kept them motivated by sending them regular letters with detailed descriptions of his needs, victories (which were few for a long time), and struggles. A recent biography of Fraser gives helpful hints on how to get others to pray for us.20

Each of the three principles just given runs counter to the individualism that has hit our generation. Even those who travel in teams can live in their private worlds without real spiritual accountability. In Paul’s team there was openness among the team members. This is why he could say to Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured” (2 Tim. 3:10–11). Paul had opened his life to Timothy. It is strange that many Christian leaders still persist in maintaining closed private lives in spite of the scriptural models and of the many cases of fallen leaders who had no accountability. It indicates how the lifestyle of the world has overcome the scriptural lifestyle. In this area we must be clearly countercultural.

Taking on pain. When we were teenagers, we had a tract that helped us much in the path of discipleship, entitled Others May, You Cannot. Others might avoid the pain of subjecting themselves to circumcision, but for Timothy to succeed in ministry he had to take this on. This was the pain of identification with people. One who loves to eat meat may need to become a vegetarian if he finds that eating meat will be a stumbling block to the Buddhists he is trying to reach. Certainly one who likes hunting will have to give that up if one is to work with Buddhists (who consider killing animals a serious sin). A missionary may need to take on the tough task of learning a new language in order to identify with the people. One who is trying to reach people in the slums may need to live near the place where the people she wants to reach live. As a result she may have to endure the pain and terror of having her house broken into. In a society where people are allergic to pain, these things are difficult to endure. Most people will avoid such things, but we should voluntarily take these things on in order to bear fruit that really lasts.

Submissive visionaries. Paul was a visionary who planned ahead and developed strategies for reaching the lost and taking the gospel to the farthest corners of the world. In Romans 15:23–29 he refers to some of his visions, which included visiting Rome. But he always lived in submission to God’s will. Thus, he goes on to say, “pray that I may be rescued from the unbelievers . . . so that by God’s will I may come to you” (15:31–32). As we saw in our passage, he submitted his plans to God for rejection, acceptance, or modification.

How can we discover whether God is telling us not do something we have planned to do? We are told that the Spirit stopped Paul, but we are not told how he became aware of that message. There are many ways in which God can communicate his will to us on such matters. It may be through a miraculous means, like prophecy or a dream. When the community meets prayerfully to discuss a given plan or when it is being discussed at a personal level, God may speak through the wisdom of someone there. Sometimes there is what people call “a check” in the inner spirit, when there is a sense that this may not be right. It may come through a feeling of reservation inside us about some aspect of the plan, through some obstacles that come along that are seen as signs from God to desist, or through the reservations of someone else whom we trust.

When that happens, we must go into earnest prayer and discussion over the issue, seeking clarification from God. We should be careful about pushing through projects when we have reservations about them. After all, we will be unable to give our heart and soul to such projects. It is better then to take the time to grapple with God to find out what his will is.

When we are in an attitude of earnestly looking to God for guidance, God may guide us in an unusual way, as he did with Paul through a vision. We do not know how long Paul had to wait before God came to him in this vision. But it seems to have been a considerably long time. Such times can be frustrating. But believing in the promises of God we look to him, awaiting his word with patient hope, doing all that we know we can do under the circumstances. When we sense that God has spoken, we must respond immediately, as Paul did (16:10), and launch out in faith.

When I went to the United States to study in seminary, I went with the plan of coming back to Sri Lanka to work with Youth for Christ. But in seminary, several teachers and friends advised me against such a step, saying that my giftedness seemed to be for another kind of ministry (either the pastorate or teaching). I wrote home about this, asked whomever I could for advice, and prayed much. But no sense of direction emerged for several months. Then I got a letter from the national director of our program, Sam Sherrard, in which he said that he was moving to another YFC program and asked me to take his place. I suddenly sensed that this was the leading that I had been seeking from God. I showed the letter to one of my professors, Dr. J. T. Seamands, who concurred. I went back home to the job that I have had for the past twenty-one years.

Thus, we will dream great things for God, which become the stuff out of which our visions emerge. But we will seek God’s face to know his will and be always eager to submit to that will. And during the sometimes frustrating times of waiting, until we know God’s will, we must do whatever we know we should do, realizing that the times of frustration we dread will one day yield a rich harvest of blessing.