Onward
Click here for an audio version of this blog post.
Acts 19:11-22
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
21 Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” 22 And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
Turkish Tea Set | Rousse, Bulgaria | April 2024
Immer Fort! A good friend and colleague often quoted his grandfather, who used that as a battle cry of sorts to keep moving forward. More accurately it’s Immer vorwärts, but the meaning was clear to him. Always forward! Keep moving. Don’t let up. Don’t stop serving, preaching, loving, inspiring! My friend, Mark, took that to heart. You can learn more about him and his ministry, “Always Forward Ministries” here.
He and his grandpa must have learned it from Paul. That was Paul’s M.O. And he shows it here. After the challenges and victories in Ephesus and Corinth, Paul sets out for Jerusalem. After that, he says, he will go to Rome. But given all that, he still has work to do along the way. He will pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Rome. Grass won’t grow under Paul’s feet.
But notice the important caveat: He resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem and on to Rome. Once before Paul and his missionary entourage had been prevented from going into southern Asia, and had heeded the Macedonian Call. The man in Paul’s vision said, “Come on over here and help us.” So Paul went to Macedonia, to Philippi. There the church’s formal mission first landed on European soil. Lydia was baptized, and she welcomed them into her home. Philippi became a vital support for Paul’s missionary efforts. His letter to the Philippians is, in part, a thank you letter for their support.
That’s a good combination: Always forward in the Spirit. There are times when God’s Holy Spirit takes us along paths we had never seen coming. There are times when we propose but God disposes in a different direction. We make our plans. But if we wish to be faithful we will say, as James warns us if it is God’s will we will go to this or that place…” (cf. James 4:13-15).
Sometimes it’s a still small voice that tells us, “Don’t go there.” Sometimes it’s our conscience that compels us to do the right thing. Maybe it’s the advice of wise and faithful friends that gives you direction. It might be that God leads you to a Bible passage that speaks clearly to the path you’re considering.
Whatever the case, as James warns, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). We do well when we seek God’s guidance in our plans and proposals. By listening to Jesus’ words and renewing our minds (cf. Romans 12), we will know God’s will. And in the Spirit we must go there.
David Bahn - Reflections 