David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 16:1-10

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night:a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

We got into the HOV lane Thursday morning on the way to the airport. We were morally and ethically properly in that lane. But there was someone(!) in that lane who didn’t understand the rules of the road: You don’t go slower than the non-HOV-lane traffic when there’s room to go faster. You especially don’t do that when you are the only person in the car: that’s just wrong – on every level! But I digress… We did the wrong thing: we should have gotten into the lane only after we had passed that slower-moving car. Wrong choice. Not sinful, immoral, or even unethical – and frankly of little real consequence.
Paul’s reasoning for circumcising Timothy is a case of making a choice that is not specifically moral or ethical. That choice, however, was vitally important: Paul didn’t want Timothy’s lack of Jewish bonafides to get in the way of the message of the Gospel. The result was that the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. It was the right call.
When it came to the missionary band’s intent and plan to go into Asia with the message of the Gospel, however, that proved to be the wrong call. And they realized that was the case only after the fact. God had another plan: He wanted them to bring the Gospel to Europe. He would use the man from Macedonia to further that plan.
The one constant in all this was Paul’s desire and commitment to share the Gospel according to God’s direction – wherever that might take him. His willingness to circumcise Timothy and his decision to go into Macedonia was guided by that desire. And his plans changed along that way as need be. When it came time to circumcise Titus, however, Paul refused. On other occasions his intended missionary trek was not impaired. But in the end, all that mattered to him was that he was able to spread the Good News of Jesus to new places and new people.
A focus always on doing the right thing might get us a good reputation in certain circles. But a focus on following God wherever he leads, and being willing to make different decisions based on the circumstances will much more likely serve the cause of the Gospel of Jesus.
This is no call to abandon the True North of God’s word. Nor is it a call to ignore traditions and best practices. But we must always be ready to examine our commitment to those things that could get in the way of spreading the Good News. Sometimes they may need to be laid aside for the sake of the Kingdom.
Here’s my list of possible candidates:

Strategic Ministry Plans may need adjusting along the way no matter how well done and carefully thought-through they may have been.
Ministry Teams may need to be divided or re-arranged in order to accomplish the mission more effectively.
Governance Models may need to be re-defined to allow for more agile response to mission opportunities.
Spending Plans may need to be changed in order to meet new challenges.
Favorite Ministries may need to be honorably retired in order to allow for more effective initiatives to take root.
Summer Vacation Plans may need to be set aside in order to do a family mission project.
Busy Schedules may need to be cleared so that you can connect with your neighbors and share the message of Christ with them.

What might be on your list?