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Rev. Gustaf F. Johnson 65
the whole Roman world in commotion to bring a young woman to the
little town where she was born. To the Roman government taxes
were the chief thing; to heaven Mary’s coming to Bethlehem was the
object. And Caesar decreed, and the clerks wrote, and wheels turned,
and armies marched, and Mary was brought where God wanted her.
The Lord wanted Paul in Rome and He let the Roman government
pay the fare. Jonah ran away from the Lord and had to pay his own
fare but Paul travelled free because he was in the way of his Master.
How little did the great ones of the earth know that the Lord was
using them as His errand boys. How they would have balked and
rebelled had they known it. Today the Lord is carrying out His plans.
Out of the present choas He will bring about the great things of His
eternal counsels. While some doors may be closed to us by this very
conflict, others will open and the hand of the Lord will control the
decrees issued from the capitals of the world.
Now Paul was at Troas, facing the new continent across the narrow
strip of water. That was historic ground. Alexander had been there,
Caesar had been there and here was a new conqueror. Alexander and
Caesar had seen visions, too, visions of great victories, kingdoms sub-
dued, thrones fallen and great conquests. This man also saw
A Vision
not a vision of bloody conquest or human glory. There he stood before
the gates of Europe, ready to enter in with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
He had been forced down to the coast by the Spirit closing doors
around him, and now the Lord beckoned to him through a vision.
What would have happened if the Spirit had allowed Paul to go east
at that time? Turning north, they soon would have reached the Black
Sea, then turning east, they would have soon reached the Caspian
Sea. Then some of Paul’s followers would have turned south, to
Turkestan, India and China. Others would have turned north, into
Russia, with headquarters probably in Tiflis, the Chicago of Russia.
Then tonight there would have been a great conference like this one,
but not in Chicago but maybe in Tiflis. It would not have been a
conference for the evangelization of Russia, but a conference for the
evangelization of America. And Brother Fetler maybe would be there,
and Brother Neprash and other Russian brethren, and they would be
discussing ways and means to send the Gospel to us here in the west.
Brethren, do you not feel like thanking the Lord for heading that little
band westward and closing every other door around them.
Now, why did God close the eastern doors to Paul? Did He care
less for the eastern peoples? No! God cares for the whole world
—
Germany included. You good Americans should have said "Amen"
then. Do not think that God’s heart is frozen toward that nation.
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