Did God Say "No"?

-

"They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia…and the Spirit of Jesus did no permit them…" - (Acts 16: 6-10, NASB)

   This is a very interesting passage of Scripture to me for a number of reasons. First, Jesus had commanded the disciples to take the gospel to the "uttermost parts of the world," (Acts 1:8) so why would Jesus not allow Paul to speak in Asia? I am not sure that we can completely know the reason for this. However, it does show us that God has a specific timing in working in the lives of people. The Bible is clear in telling us that no sinner can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them to Christ (Jn. 6:44, NASB). We cannot trick, bribe, or convince someone to get saved if the LORD has not drawn him. Furthermore, any person who gets "saved" out of trickery or pressure is in trouble, for they have been deceived, and what they have will not last.
   The second thought revolves around the idea of Paul realizing that is was Jesus who was keeping him from entering the areas. Paul could have chalked this "limitation" to some sort of spiritual attack of the devil, and start rebuking him, or perhaps he might have thought that he needed a new strategy in order to be successful in moving into these lands. How did he know this was of God? He knew the LORD, and the LORD was telling him "No." It is impossible for us to know the entire plan of God. We know that God wants all men to be saved (2 Pet. 3:9), but His will as to when and how they hear it is up to Him.
   There is very poor theology circulating in Christian churches that teaches believers that they can have anything they pray for as long as they pray in faith. It is true, the Bible teaches us that faith can move mountains (Matt. 17:19-20), but that does not mean that we can simply go around proclaiming mountains to move from here to there just because we wish. David wrote, "Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart." (Ps. 37:4, NASB) The key here is delighting in the LORD. I've said for the years that the greatest dangers in the church are Biblical half-truths. These have just enough truth to sound correct, but just enough lie to deceive and destroy the individual. God's Word will always line up with God's Word. If any prophet, preacher, or teacher is presenting a message that does not line up with the whole book, they should be avoided. God does want to bless His people, but that does not mean that every prayer we make is going to be an automatic affirmative answer. Knowing the LORD is the best practice. As we spend more time in His presence we learn to hear His still small voice, and we learn to follow His spirit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Waste Your Pain

-
Image
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction... - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9    Affliction (pain and suffering) is an inevitable, unavoidable, and repeatable part of life. None of us are exempt. While  we would all like to avoid affliction, the truth is that pain and affliction  serve a greater purpose , whether it comes from our own choices, the ordinary course of life, an attack of spiritual forces, or from God Himself.  Richard Cecil is noted as saying, "God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Even  though we cannot avoid affliction, we can use it for the glory of God. That’s right. Your pain can be used to glorify God. How do we do this?    First, we need to learn to receive God's comfort. Much like in life, some folks are better at letting others "in" th
Read more

Dependent Upon God

-
Image
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food
Read more

Biblical Apprenticeship

-
Image
"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the information they have learned into practice. First by wat
Read more