8. As He Went

At the beginning of the year of fasting, I studied the book of Acts, asking my old questions about how to know where to go, but this time looking at my mentor missionary, Paul. How did Paul know where to go?

Here is what I saw. The second missionary journey stood out to me the most, starting in Acts 15:36. It seems that Paul didn’t fret or agonize about where to go. He just went. And as he went, the Spirit opened doors and closed them. It was even as he went that he received the Macedonian call. He didn’t wait for a call; he got the call as he went. 

Just because a door closes later down the path doesn’t mean you chose the wrong path. Paul didn’t see it that way. He interpreted doors opening and closing as God’s continual guidance, and he walked in obedience, unbothered by detours, preaching the gospel everywhere he went along the way. 

Later in the year, upon returning to the States, I studied Acts again with Bible Study Fellowship. This time, the first missionary journey in Acts 13-14 stood out. Here I noticed how non-eventful Paul and Barnabas’ “calling” was. It only gets a couple of verses in the whole story, with surprising lack of detail. The important elements were the church’s fasting, prayer, and worship together, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Those things provided all they needed to lay hands and send off, and Paul and Barnabas obeyed seemingly without asking any questions. 

So how did they decide where to go? The first missionary journey involved strategic cities where they knew people. For example, Pisidian Antioch was a place of worldwide influence and considered a hub of communication. This would have been a strategic city for widespread results. So we see the apostles strategizing but not agonizing over where to go. The point was obviously just to get the gospel out to as many people as quickly as possible. What would this kind of strategy look like today? And would it help me make my decision?