Taking the lead from God himself

Notes from Bible Study on Tuesday 15 December 2015

Acts 16 verses 6 - 10

We have been following through in the Acts of the Apostles the spread of the gospel from chapter 1 where the great commission was given by the Lord himself to his disciples.  Here we see Paul and Timothy going out to preach the word of God.  The spread of the word of God is more than giving out a gospel tract, standing in the street corner or behind a sacred desk or even a personal witness.  All of these are important but notice one factor here.  The fact of the lead of God.  That is what we find here.  Paul`s life and every decision he made was governed by the will and purpose of God.  Every decision we make is governed by the will of God and backed home by the word of God.  The apostle Paul has split with Barnabas over his decision to include John Mark in their team.  Paul and Timothy went forth here.  Now he comes to one of the most important decisions in his life, of the work and in his life.  That made me start to think of the importance of decisions we make when it comes to the work of God, to the will of God and to the word of God.  We need to be clear in our decisions.

This decision was made with great caution.  He was about to make a great decision.  When Ananias went in to see Paul, Paul had been blind for 3 days and had been praying.  God was using Ananias then sent Paul on his way preaching.  Since Paul was saved and commissioned the most important thing for him was for the spread of the gospel.  Night and day he prayed exceedingly, going into the synagogues and into the market places his spirit moved within him.  When in Athens he saw the whole city given over to idolatry.  He wrote in Romans "my heart`s desire and prayer for Israel is that they would be saved."(Romans 10 verse 1)  That was the most important thing in his life.  The spread of the gospel.  Is that our priority today?  Here we see the apostle Paul in chapter 6 waiting for God.  It was not a knee jerk reaction but rather waiting on God to know which road to take.  Paul wanted to go to Asia but the Spirit said no.  He wanted to go to Bithynia but the Spirit said no.  The decisions we make must come via God.  We are dealing with things above us.  You and I need to tread carefully concerning the work of God.  In the Old Testament scriptures David was bringing back the Ark of the Covenant on a cart.  It should never have been set there, it should have been set on the shoulders of the priests and carried.  There were oxen driving the cart.  As it moved it gave a jolt and the Ark must have moved.  Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark and God struck him down dead. (2 Samuel 6 verse 7)  A knee jerk reaction but the Lord didn`t want him to do that.  The decision he made was wrong.  Paul has to wait on God - verse 9.  A vision came on him in the night - verse 10 "assuredly gathering that the lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them."  

This decision came with consequences.  Paul wanted to be sure where he was going.  He wanted to go to the place God wanted him to go.  Paul takes time to seek God`s blessing and way.  To many the church is a mere social club, a bit of entertainment.  The church is for the spread of the gospel of saving grace.  it is the means in God`s hands to save the ungodly.  Uzzah`s knee jerk reaction, his decision to help God out had personal consequences.  He was smote dead.  Paul`s decision would have far reaching consequences.  he had wanted to go to Phiippi and a family was saved.  Lydia, the seller of purple was also reached, a little girl used by men to tell fortunes was reached.  All because of Paul`s decision.  In the book of Judges we read "every man did that which was right in his own eyes."  Sometimes it is easy to make a decision and think it is the right thing to do but we haven`t waited on God.  In the book of Ruth we read of some dire consequences from decisions.  There was a famine in Bethlehem Judea.  The interpretation of Bethlehem is "house of bread".  One little Jewish family, Elimelech, Naomi and their 2 sons talked about what was happening around them.  Elimelech decided they needed to go to Moah for there was food there.  He took his family and we do not find any record of where he sought the Lord in that decision.  The spirit of the age was "every man did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord."  He took them down into a heathen country.  Elimelech died there as did his 2 sons.  That left Naomi on her own with her 2 daugthers in law.  Only by the grace of God did she realise there was food in Bethlehem.  She got back to where she came from.  Our decisions are so important.  Paul didn`t know the consequences of his decision.  Paul simply prayed then carried it through.  We should pray for our loved ones but then our actions must take over too.  Our decisions must be governed by the will and word of God.  Paul didn`t know the consequences of his actions.  Remember Abraham and the decisions he made.  He stepped out of Ur of the Chaldees and when he got to the land promised to him by God there was a famine.  He lost sight of God and went further on down the road to Egypt.  In that city he told lies about his wife to protect himself.  Abraham became rich in Egypt so much so that the land wasn`t able to bear both him and his nephew Lot.  There was a separation, all because of a decision he made.  Our decisions are so important for the spread of the gospel.

A decision with confidence.  The man in Paul`s dream told him to come over to Macedonia and help them.  Verse 10 says "immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them."  He didn`t make the decision on his own.  God took him from where he was to the place he wanted him to be.