Missionary work led by the Holy Spirit
[Acts 16:6-10]
I came across an internet article under the title 'At the Crossroads of Change in Korean Overseas Mission,' which reported that there is a possibility of change in Korea's overseas mission approach following the incident of the Sam-mool Church volunteer team being abducted in Afghanistan, as published by the U.S. newsweekly Time on July 27. The article provided a detailed overview of the current state of Korean missions, stating that, as of last year, Korea sent 16,000 missionaries to over 150 countries worldwide, positioning itself as the second-largest missionary-sending country after the United States. It emphasized that missionaries are most heavily dispatched to China, followed by Russia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Additionally, it mentioned that in China, where missionary activities are prohibited, missionaries engage in activities such as research and entrepreneurship. Time pointed out some negative aspects of the fervor for evangelism, such as causing excessive competition between churches. It also expressed concern that the intensified competition might lead to a performance-oriented approach to missions, focusing more on showcasing accomplishments rather than genuine service. According to the article, 'There is a tendency to send missionaries to more dangerous areas in the process of trying to send as many missionaries abroad as possible. Also, with increased competition, there is a fear of a results-oriented approach to missions' (Internet). My thoughts on the Sam-mool Church volunteer team's mission work in Afghanistan are as follows: rather than critically assessing and speaking, I believe that their missionary work is truly precious, and those missionaries are truly admirable and beautiful. Furthermore, my perspective is that now is not the time to criticize, but rather a time to pray for them. In prayer, we should extend our prayers to missionaries who go to various corners of the world to proclaim the gospel, as well as their families and ministries. As for the August District Bible Study ('World Vision'), during the District Directors' Bible Study, we challenged ourselves to broaden our prayer areas progressively. Our homes are mission fields, our relatives are mission fields, our workplaces and companies are mission fields, our neighbors are mission fields, our home countries and the United States where we live are mission fields, the countries where the missionaries sponsored by our church are working are mission fields, and so on. We need to pray for these mission fields.
I would like to focus on Acts 16:6-10 under the title “Missionary work led by the Holy Spirit,” contemplating a couple of points to receive lessons about what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit in missionary work.
First, missionary work led by the Holy Spirit encounters interruptions when the Holy Spirit restrains it.
Look at Acts 16:6-7: "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." Paul, along with his fellow workers Silas and Timothy, during their second missionary journey, encountered Timothy, a disciple of Jesus who was well-spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium (vv. 1-3). As they traveled through various cities, delivering the apostolic and elders' decisions from Jerusalem to the Gentile brothers to observe (v. 4), there was a history of strengthening the faith and increasing in numbers daily in many churches (v. 5). Then, in verse 6 of today's passage, Paul, Silas, and Timothy, intending to embark on missionary work together, planned to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit prevented them from speaking the word in Asia. Therefore, Paul and his companions traveled through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia again (v. 6), attempting to go to Bithynia but were hindered by the Spirit of Jesus (v. 7). Isn't it strange? Paul and his companions were eager to proclaim the word of God in Asia and Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit prevented them. Therefore, Paul, Silas, and Timothy found themselves turning toward another region, Macedonia (v. 10). Isn't it perplexing why the Holy Spirit would hinder Paul and his companions from proclaiming the gospel when they had the right intentions? Shouldn't it seem odd that the Holy Spirit prevented the proclamation of the gospel? The key point to consider here is the priority from God's perspective. In other words, the Holy Spirit did not hinder Paul and his companions because He didn't want them to proclaim the gospel but rather because He had already planned for the gospel to be proclaimed in another place before Asia and Bithynia. That other place was Macedonia (v. 10).
Preaching the gospel is God's desire and a responsibility we must bear. Therefore, there is no situation where the Holy Spirit of God would prevent the proclamation of the gospel. However, it is a fact that the priority of proclaiming the gospel, according to God's perspective, lies within His divine plan for certain regions. Often, we struggle to discern God's priorities clearly. Certainly, our intentions to do everything for the glory of God are admirable, but when it comes to deciding what comes first and what comes next, we often find ourselves confused about God's priorities. Thus, in our times of contemplation and prayer to seek the Lord's will, we must be mindful that our priorities align with God's priorities. God's priority for Paul and his companions was not Asia or Bithynia; rather, it was Macedonia. Consequently, when Paul and his companions were unaware of God's priority, they enthusiastically set out for missionary work, but the Holy Spirit hindered (did not permit) them from going to Asia or Bithynia. Although the Bible does not explain how the Holy Spirit prevented Paul and his companions from going to Asia and Bithynia, the essential point is that when the Holy Spirit hindered them, Paul and his companions did not persist in their own desires but obeyed the Holy Spirit's hindrance. The lesson we should draw from this is that when the Holy Spirit prompts us to stop, we must know how to apply the brakes. In other words, when the Holy Spirit says, 'stop,' we should respond with a 'yes' and obey. However, it seems that, much like a driver who presses the accelerator pedal too deeply and cannot quickly apply the brakes, we, in our eagerness to do the Lord's work, often fail to use our spiritual brake pedal effectively when the Holy Spirit says, 'stop.' We must know when to stop. We should not carelessly continue running without realizing the moments when we need to halt. If the Holy Spirit says to stop, we should respond with a willing 'yes' and obey. To achieve this, we need spiritual sensitivity. When we are spiritually sensitive at all times, we can perceive the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our Holy Spirit does not merely vaguely reveal the Lord's will; rather, He does so clearly, providing distinct guidance with a straightforward 'yes' or 'no.' Yet, why do we sometimes fail to realize when the Holy Spirit hinders us? The reason lies in our spiritual dullness. The cause is that God's Word does not sharpen our minds as it should. Therefore, as Paul encourages in Romans 12:2, we should not conform to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. When we do this, we can discern what is good, pleasing, and perfect according to the will of God.
Second, engaging in missionary work under the guidance of the Holy Spirit involves obedience when the Holy Spirit opens the way.
Look at Acts 16:10 – “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.” Since the Holy Spirit hindered Paul and his companions from going to Asia and Bithynia, they went down to Troas, a gateway to Macedonia, passing through Mysia (v. 8). While staying there, Paul had a vision at night where a man from Macedonia stood and implored him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' Paul accepted this request as God's will to preach the gospel to the Macedonian people ('concluding') after recognizing it as God's call. Immediately after the vision, he made efforts to leave for Macedonia (v. 10). When the Holy Spirit prevents us from going through a certain door, He is the God who, without fail, opens another door for us. Although Paul and his companions sought to go to Asia and Bithynia, the Holy Spirit closed that door. However, through the vision, the Holy Spirit opened the door to Macedonia, which represents Europe. The fact that the Holy Spirit opened the door to Macedonia through a vision raises the question of whether the Holy Spirit still communicates His will to us through visions. A vision is considered a revelation where a visible form is the focal point (Park). Personally, I believe that in this current age, unlike the time of Paul, the Holy Spirit communicates His will to us not so much through visions but through the Word of God. In other words, I believe that the Holy Spirit reveals God's will to the spirits that hold onto and pray with God's Word. When the Holy Spirit has blocked the door we were trying to enter, He surely opens another door. In our pursuit of God's will, the door Paul and his companions were trying to enter was Asia and Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit closed that door. However, ultimately, through a vision, He opened another door for them – the door to Macedonia, or Europe. The fact that the Holy Spirit opened the door to Macedonia through a vision raises the question of whether the Holy Spirit still communicates His will to us through visions. A vision is considered a revelation where a visible form is the focal point. Personally, I believe that in this current age, unlike the time of Paul, the Holy Spirit communicates His will to us not so much through visions but through the Word of God. In other words, I believe that the Holy Spirit reveals God's will to the spirits that hold onto and pray with God's Word.
One word that I am pondering in today's passage is 'concluding' (v. 10). In English, versions like NIV or NASB use the word 'concluding.' This means that Paul and his companions 'concluded' that God had called them to preach the gospel to the people of Macedonia. What is the more concrete meaning of this word? According to Word Pictures in the New Testament commentary, the word 'concluding' means 'to make go together,' 'to coalesce or knit together,' 'to make this and that agree and so to conclude.' When thinking about the meaning of this word, Paul and his companions, while praying with the vision Paul received, used the reasoning God had given to each of them and 'concluded' that going to Macedonia to preach the gospel was the Lord's will. To borrow Calvin's words, Paul and his companions were sufficiently convinced (being fully persuaded) through the vision that the Lord had communicated His will for them to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel (Calvin). What we can consider here is that, in discerning the Lord's will, the first thing is not to conform to this age but to renew our minds for transformation (Rom. 12:2). Therefore, in a spiritually sensitive environment, we need to discern the doors that the Holy Spirit closes and opens. He clearly closes one door and opens another; that is God. The next important point is to pray together to discern whether it is the Lord's will. When using the reasoning God has given, that is, being filled with the reasoning from God's Word, when we agree together, we should move forward with peace, faith, and boldness given by the Lord.
To carry out missionary work under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we need to be spiritually sensitive and discern the doors the Holy Spirit closes and opens. We should not try to open a door that the Holy Spirit has closed, seeking to fulfill our own will. Instead, when the conclusion is reached that the Holy Spirit is hindering, believe and pray that the Holy Spirit will open another door. At that time, the crucial thing is our obedience to the Holy Spirit. When we are obedient to the Holy Spirit, the Lord will accomplish His will through us at His time.
Seeking spiritual discernment,
James Kim
(Praying for faithful handling of missionary work according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit)