Acts 16:2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. The band of brothers were Paul, Silas, and Timothy and they were on fire for Jesus with a message of hope and salvation that was gaining ground all across Asia. As Paul and his group traveled along they wanted to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit told them not to go South, or North, or east. So they traveled west to Troas on the coast. While in Troas Paul had a vision and it is explained in the following verses 9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
The Lord was directing them to sail to Europe and they ended up in Macedonia in a town called Philippi. Acts 16: 11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there for several days. Oh, Philippi! There was much God had in store for Paul in Philippi. Philippi was a Roman Colony and there were also many Greeks and other Gentiles who lived there since they were kind of an international port city.
When Paul stayed there several days he was looking for where God wanted to send him Next. Paul was following the leadership of the Holy Spirit which led him away from Asia and other cities in the area and God showed Him where to go Next in that vision.
What is God's next place for you in service? We tend to think of God as being very static, but in reality, God is always moving and when He is working in our lives He moves us too. I never realized we would live in some of the places we have lived, but God made it happen and we made it through in good shape. In every place we found other believers looking for God to do good work and they fell in alongside us and we were like-minded and it worked. Only God can do that! And He is still showing us places for us to share His message and lives are being impacted just like in Paul's time. Ask God to show you your Next and he will. But hang on because it will be quite a ride, but very rewarding.
The Pilgrimage Continues
David Warren
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