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THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY IN PRESENT
WORLD CONDITIONS
By REV. GUSTAF F. JOHNSON
PAUL, the great apostle, with three of his associates, Silas, his
chosen companion, Timothy, the young convert, and Luke, the
beloved physician, were on a missionary tour in Asia Minor.
They called at some places where they had established churches on
former occasions and strengthened the brethren; they preached also
in new places, until they had practically covered all the territory in
Asia. Then it is that we meet this strange announcement in the
record
:
"Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of
Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word
in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into
Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts 16:6, 7).
Now, if you will look at the map, you will notice that they are going
west, or northwest, in Asia Minor. They were nearing the end of the
continent. Then suddenly
—
The Holy Ghost fo7-bade them to preach
there!
Strange that! Were they not to preach to all men? Yes, that was
the Master’s orders. And yet the Holy Ghost forbade them to preach.
When not allowed to preach where they were, they tried another field.
"They assayed to go into Bithynia." That is, they turned north. What
would have happened, if they had been allowed to continue in that
direction? They would in a short time have reached the Black Sea,
and then naturally turned right and gone back east again. "But the
Spirit suffered them not"! Again their plans changed by the hand
of the Lord.
Every avenue closed, except to go right on ahead, and there was
the sea and the end of the continent. What were they to do? "They
came down to Troas." That was as far as they could go, for it was
the end of Asia. Beyond was the sea and the other continent, Europe,
"the foreign field."
And night came on and Paul went to sleep—and had a vision. Paul
saw a man from the other side, and heard his call for help. "And
immediately u)€ endeavored to go into Macedonia." Please notice the
change of pronoun. It is "we" now. The narrator, Luke, became so
63
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