40. When Plans Change

Random Question

What would you do if you were given $1 million but had to spend it all in 24 hours?

Lesson

Recap: We talked about Timothy…

Help me with our recap… What was our story last week? What was happening?

What did you guys learn?

At this point, Timothy is officially part of the crew, and they continue on their second missionary journey.

Vs. 6

Acts 16:6 NKJV

6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

Phew! That was a lot of locations, let’s pull up the map together and picture what’s happening here.

Map of their journey

Q: Take a peek at vs. 1, where did Paul and the crew start off? (Derbe & Lystra)

- Lystra: South central Turkey… They probably make a stop to Iconium, and now they are back off on their journey.

Q: Where are the two regions they pass through first in vs. 6? (Phrygia & Galatia)

- Phrygia & Galatia: Both are regions, not cities, and this is not their destination…

Q: Looking at the map here, which direction would be the most logical choice for them to go? Left to Asia? Or right to Galatia? (Asia)

- Asia: Don’t confuse this with the continent of Asia. This Asia we’re speaking of on the map is the Roman colony of Asia (often called Asia minor)

This is where I’d be headed next if I were Paul. Just take a look at the cities you can find in Asia alone:

- Colossae (High population)

- Laodicea (150 000 people)

- Sardis (100 000 people)

- Pergamum (200 000 people)

- Smyrna (200 000 people)

- Ephesus (250 000 people)

- Miletus (30 000 people)

Combine all those cities and you’ve got 1 million souls to reach for the Gospel. Talk about opportunities! This place was ideal, Paul and his crew had their eyes set on this region.

But what does the Holy Spirit do with that plan (end of vs. 6)? (Squashes it)

What’s the wording here? (Forbidden)

Forbidden = Prevented, hindered. The Holy Spirit was absolutely not allowing this under any circumstance.

This reminds me of Adam and Eve in the garden. They were allowed to eat from any tree that was in the garden, but one tree was forbidden. Under no circumstance were they allowed to go there…

So, God says, “This is my boundary for you, cross that line into Asia and you are disobeying My command.”

Now is the time to use your sanctified imagination, how do you think Paul felt when he got that news from God? (Dissapointed)

This is a big deal! Think of how long Paul had his eyes on these cities. I’s sure he had been dreaming of heading there to preach the Gospel. Maybe he even knew some people from there, some people may’ve been expecting him, “Paul I’m so happy you’re coming to see us!”

How many of you would call yourselves planners?

Many of us like order. We want to know the detailed plan, we’re looking ahead weeks, months, years in advance…

Ill:

- Trip itinerary

- Camp schedule

What emotions/feeling come up when your plans are changed?

Elizabeth, Anneke, Felicia’s Israel trip…

How did you girls feel when your trip was cancelled two days before you were supposed to go?

It’s hard to give up on our plans and accept the Lord’s

Why do we have such a hard time giving up our plans? (Pride; we realize that we are not in control of our lives)

Having a plan gives us a sense of control; I feel uneasy if I don’t have something on my google calendar. So for some of us, when plans change, it feels like our whole world has been flipped upside down.

This change in Paul’s case would have been particularly tough, I’m sure his heart was in the ministry in Asia, but God said no for now.

Vs. 7

So, God tells the crew NOT to go into Asia, do they obey that command in vs. 7? (They do!)

Where do they go? (Mysia)

Acts 16:7 NKJV

7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

Map:

- Mysia again is a region. Now, take a look at the map. We’re not entirely sure what road they took to get through Mysia, but it looked something like this. If it’s anything like this, they walked around 900km’s!! That’s an 11hr drive, it would take us over a month to walk that distance. Talk about a detour!

Was this their plan in the first place? (No, definitely not)

But whose plan was it? (The Lord’s)

They recognized the fact that the Lord’s plans are higher than their own.

Pastor Joel always told us in Bible college…

“Be organized, think ahead, fill your calendar, but hold those plans losely!”

Why do we need a lose grip on our plans? (Because God is most likely going to change them! His plans are much higher than ours)

Remember what Pastor Brindamour told us? (FLEXIBLE!)

Paul, Silas, and Timothy believed this was true, so they didn’t go into Asia Minor.

What attitude do we show when we exchange our plan for the Lord’s? (Humility, obedience)

After they were in Mysia, where did Paul’s crew try to go next in vs. 7? (Bithynia)

Who did that go for them? (The Spirit said no)

There’s something super interesting in that name of God…

Does anyone have a different translation that adds on to “the Spirit” in vs. 7? (The Spirit of Jesus)

Some people think that the trinity is at work in guiding Paul and his crew…

Vs. 6 = Holy Spirit

Vs. 7 = The Spirit of Jesus

Vs. 10 = The Lord (Father)

Very interesting, it could well be that too!

But that’s not the point… Paul is flexible, and they mock up another plan. Their flexibility by the way is a great example for us when the Lord changes our own plans.

They make a new plan, and what does God do with it? (Squash, they were not permitted to go)

Vs. 8

So, what do they do in vs. 8? (Keep passing through the region of Mysia and came to Troas)

Acts 16:8 NKJV

8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

Map view of Troas…

- Troas: Harbor city 10 miles south of Troy

Q: Anyone know a cool fact about Troy? (Trojan horse)

Now they’re right on the harbour, easy passage to Greece…

Now this is the second time God tells them no.

What can we learn from finding God’s will from this passage so far? (We need to hold plans loosely, but we also need to plan!)

When God told them no, they didn’t give up and wait for God to write the name of their next city in the clouds. They recalibrated, got together, talked over their options, and went the direction they thought best.

If God doesn’t want us somewhere, He will make it clear to us, He will shut that door. And He tells us no in a variety of ways.

What are some ways God might show us that He’s saying no to a plan of ours? (Sickness, desires, lack of opportunities, laws change, etc.)

Ill: Brian & Monica Berry

- Prep for missions in Ireland…

- Closed door there, open door in Puerto Rico

It’s not easy, but when the Lord is showing us that the door is shutting, there’s four things we need to do…

Whiteboard: COPE

C - hillax

O - bey

P - ray

E - mbrace the new path

Vs. 9

Finally we get a positive direction from the Lord.

Acts 16:9 NKJV

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Up to this point in their time journeying in Turkey, how do you think they felt? (Useless, disappointed)

Up to this point, I’m sure the whole crew of missionaries felt pretty useless. They’ve been walking for over a month, not being allowed to serve in all the places they want to be in.

Sometimes, you’re going to feel useless, like the Lord isn’t allowing you to do His work. But what we don’t realize is that these seasons are what God uses to make us even more useful.

Paul & crew gradually moving closer to Greece (where the Lord wanted them)

Claire Eastwood raising children, feeling useless at home…

- Outcome…

The Lord works in the slow times too… He brought them where they needed to be…

Paul saw a vision at night, what did he see in vs. 9? (A Macedonian man asking for his help)

Could you ask for a clearer yes?!

Map: Macedonia = modern Day Greece, at this time was a Roman province…

Vs. 10

Acts 16:10 NKJV

10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

According to vs. 10, how did Paul interpret this dream? (A green light to make his way to Macedonia)

Now the Gospel is making its way to Europe, how cool is that?

By the way, how long did it take Paul and the crew to make their way to Macedonia? (Immediately)

They knew right away that the Lord was clearly calling them to this place, so they took no time in leaving.

What can we learn from that? (When God directs, we obey immediately, even if it’s not what we wanted)

What wording does vs. 10 say describing who went to Macedonia? (We)

What does that mean? (Luke officially joins the crew!)

And they go on serving the Lord in obedience to His direction.

Application

What can we learn from this passage?

Hold your plans loosely, humility! Proverbs 16:9

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

Obey when God leads

Slow times are not useless, they are times of preparation if we receive them well