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A closed door We know from the Acts of the Apostles that Paul made three out¬standing missionary journeys in the course of his lifetime. Some¬thing quite remarkable happened on the second when we read that he and his colleagues were 'kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia' (Acts 16:6). What happened was this: the Holy Spirit would not give Paul the go ahead to preach in the province of Asia at this point in time, he more or less said to Paul: 'You can't go down there now.' We are not told the specific reason why he closed the door, no divine explanation is given. But we do know that God's timing is always perfect. In his sovereign providence, he would send him there, at a later date, when he felt the time was right. The story progresses for we read Paul traveled west into Macedonia, to Philippi, down to Berea and Athens, over to Corinth, and then, on his way back, he came by Ephesus. What a window of opportunity he saw there - he could hardly believe his eyes when he thought about the phenomenal potential of such a strategic place. He was staggered at the possibilities (el Acts 18, 19). An open window Paul was so impressed with the opportunities for missionary work in that area that he promised to return as soon as he could. True to his word, when the big day came, he made a beeline for the synagogue where he proclaimed the gospel of Christ for three months. Then he moved into the school of Tyrannus where he stayed for a further couple of years. At this venue, we are told, Paul held discus¬sions in the lecture hall on a daily basis. Acts 19: 10 records the huge impact Paul's ministry had on the locals by confirming that 'all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.' Is it any wonder that Paul wrote later to the church in Corinth with the humble comment that 'a great door for effective work has opened to me in Ephesus' (I Corinthians 16:9). God's river in spate Such was the tidal wave of God's blessing upon his ministry-he was experiencing times of refreshing from the Lord. The Spirit of God was with him, using him in a spectacularly unique way. These were days when God was moving by his Spirit in the hearts of ordinary men and women. Dr Luke summarized it superbly when he wrote that 'God did extraordinary miracles through Paul' (Acts 19:11). All that happened in sin city paid eloquent tribute to the grace of God, it was a clear indication of the ability of God to change men's lives for the better! And so it is to these dear people -- individuals who have experienced
a new creation on a personal level that Paul picks up his quill
and parchment to write about the genius of grace in God's new society. Past Paws & Prints |
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