Determining Divine Direction

Acts 16:5–13 NASB95

5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily. 6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

I. KEY STEPS IN KNOWING AND DOING GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE:

“inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, 'What doest thou?' Man’s will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so.”

― A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

A. THE FIRST AND MOST STEP COMES EACH DAY DECIDING TO FOLLOW CHRIST AND DENY SELF. (V. 6-8)

B. BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF YOUR GIFTEDNESS.

Romans 12:3–4 NASB95

3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

C. YOU MUST BE OPEN TO DOING THE IMPORTANT THINGS, NOT SIMPLY THE NEXT THING. (The cry for “help;” v. 9)

D. YOU NEED TO MOVE BEFORE THE OPPORTUNITY SAILS AWAY. (v. 11)

Don’t jump too soon.

Don’t get stopped by the paralysis of analysis.

Don’t limit God’s purpose by your expectations. (v. 13)

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament 16:11–15—A Response in Philippi

Conservative Roman writers often complained that women pursued religions from the eastern Mediterranean, and Josephus attests that tremendous numbers of women (far more than men) were attracted to Judaism. The sphere of religion was the one sphere in Greek culture where women were given some public responsibility, and the Diana cult in Philippi may have made women more prominent than in other Greek centers (Macedonian women traditionally exercised more freedom than Greek women). But Greek religion consisted of ritual, not teaching; thus these women would have had little training in the law and would welcome Paul’s teaching—although his teaching a group of women might violate traditional Palestinian protocol.