Acts 16:6-10

Sorry, you can’t do that - you’re too young. Sorry, but after reviewing your last performance report, you no longer fit into our plans. Sorry, but you can’t get there from here. Too young, too old - unqualified, overqualified - road blocks, detours - closed doors, locked windows. At some time or another all of us have encountered one or more of these problems, and our text today points out the fact that even the greatest world missionary of them all, the Apostle Paul, was no exception.

Our text for today takes us into Paul’s second missionary journey. A lot of things have happened since his first missionary journey. Allow me to bring you up to speed. First of all, after returning to Syrian Antioch, from which he and Barnabas had started out, some messengers came from the mother church in Jerusalem, questioning whether these new Gentile converts should be required to submit to the Old Testament civil and ceremonial laws. After meeting with the disciples in Jerusalem, they agreed that such legalism would only make it more difficult for the Gentiles to turn to the one true God. So instead of laying down the law, they sent a letter of encouragement with Paul and Barnabas, in order to strengthen their new brothers in the faith.

For a while, Paul and Barnabas continued to teach and preach in Syrian Antioch, but then Paul suggested, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.” While they both agreed on the trip itself, they didn’t agree on who should go along with them. Barnabas wanted to take along his nephew, John Mark - but Paul objected, because Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia on their last journey. The disagreement was so sharp, that Paul and Barnabas actually parted company. Barnabas took Mark and went back to visit the people on the island of Cyprus, while Paul took a man named Silas, and returned to the churches which had been established in Syria and Cilicia - although he visited them in reverse order from the way they had been established.

When Paul and Silas reached Lystra, they added Timothy to their travel party. And that’s where our text picks up for today. We read, “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” After Paul had brought his words of encouragement and strengthening to the congregations which he had founded on his previous journey, he set his mind on going to the metropolitan areas found to the west in Asia. Now, we should note that we aren’t talking about the continent of Asia, but rather, the Roman province of Asia. This is the area in the SW part of what we now know as Asia Minor, or Turkey. In it were found the cities to which letters were written in the Book of Revelation - including the most important and influential city in the area, Ephesus.

For all intents and purposes, this would appear to have been a very fruitful mission field for Paul, Silas, and Timothy. But it was not going to happen at this time. The Holy Spirit kept them from entering the province of Asia. Our question - is why? And the answer to that question - is unknown. Certainly it was not because the people of Asia didn’t need the Gospel, because they were just as sinful as everybody else. Besides that, later on this field would be open for the spread of the Gospel, both by Paul as well as by others. But for now, the door to Asia was closed.

So, with Asia being closed to them, the party of missionaries proceeded to the north. Again we read, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.” Bithynia was a prosperous area bordering the Black Sea which contained the city of Nicea, the place where almost 300 years later the Nicene Creed would be formulated. But for the time being, that door was closed too. Now Paul and his companions had two strikes against them. Didn’t God have any more work for them to do? Why was He keeping them out of these important areas? It just didn’t make any sense.

But as always, our God knew exactly what He was doing, and once the missionaries reached Troas, God’s plan was made known to them. Our text continues, “During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Asia was a closed door - Bithynia was a closed door - but Macedonia was an open window. God was calling this group of men to serve in a new field. He was leading them to Europe.

Something else which is very interesting also happens here. Did you notice how in the first verses of our text the author talked about they and them, and that in the last verse he talks about we and us? This is the first of what is called the “we” sections in the Book of Acts, and it shows us that now Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, has joined Paul and the others as a traveling companion. Here was another window which God opened by guiding the missionaries to the city of Troas. Now Luke would be able to go along with them, and see first-hand some of the things which he would later write about in the Book of Acts.

Now, how are these closed doors and open windows significant for us? First of all, we can look at the wide variety of individual problems and shortcomings which I mentioned at the beginning of today’s sermon - the road blocks and the detours - the closed doors of our daily existence. When someone tells us we can’t do something, that only makes us more determined to prove that they are wrong. However, mere determination doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, probably more often than not, trying to push through such problems on our own, will only lead to frustration and failure. Yet, when we turn to the LORD for a solution to our problems, we are able to attain the unattainable, for as the Apostle Paul himself tells us, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Secondly, we can look at the way the LORD closes doors and opens windows for us as a congregation, in the process which He uses to administer what we know as the divine call. Pastors and teachers are called away from one congregation to serve another - and a door is closed for the congregation who loses their called worker. However, in a short period of time, the LORD also moves that congregation to call a new worker into their midst - and suddenly, a widow is opened. You can’t fully explain to me how it happened that the LORD moved you to call me to be your pastor. And I can’t fully explain to you how the LORD moved me to follow your call to this congregation. But it is exactly the same process which we saw in our text with the Apostle Paul. One way or another, God made it clear to Paul that he needed to be in the city of Troas - and with the LORD’s guidance, that’s exactly where he ended up.

And finally, the LORD periodically closes doors and opens windows in our mission work as a Synod. It is always distressing when one of our mission endeavors seems to fail. But, at the same time, the LORD always seems to have another place in mind for us to go - and He opens a window, just as He did for the Apostle Paul in our text. And since it is the LORD Himself who is directing all of this activity, we can rest assured that it is all for the best. When The LORD Closes A Door, He Opens A Window. May we be ready and willing to use those open windows to the fullest. Amen.