What is the Macedonian Call?

The northern part of Greece as divided by the Romans. It contained the cities of Neapolis, Philippi, Amphipolis, Thessalonica, Apollonia, and Berea. Paul saw in a vision a man of Macedonia, who said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." To this he at once responded, believing it was a call from the Lord, and thus the gospel extended to Europe. The churches of Macedonia were specially commended for their liberality. Acts 16:9-12; Acts 18:5; Acts 19:21-22, 29; Acts 20:1, 3; Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:5; 2 Cor. 1:16; 2 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 8:1; 2 Cor. 9:2, 4; 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15; 1 Thess. 1:7-8; 1 Thess. 4:10; 1 Tim. 1:3.

Alone with God, in the silent hours of the night, the Apostle received what we may call fresh marching orders; and the secret of his steps being diverted from entering Bithynia was now to be understood. "A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (16:9). Communicating to his companions what he had seen and heard, all agreed that it was a call from God to cross the sea to visit that country. For we read, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that God" (not "the Lord") "had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (v.10).

The Spirit more than once forbade these dear servants of God to go in the direction they themselves thought to labour in, for "after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia, came down to Troas" (vers. 7, 8). This was a large mercantile city, a very important one too, from man's point of view, being populous, and opulent. While there, "a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (ver. 9). What a touching petition for an evangelist to hear, "Come over and help us!" Ah! it is a fine thing when a man knows that he needs help. "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel to them" (ver. 10). A happy conclusion! A most blessed inference! A conclusion charged with the deepest import for those who come before us in the after-part of the chapter.

Following upon this, a remarkable account is given of the way in which he was constrained to visit Europe. He was "forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia," and then, "after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not." (vv. 6, 7.) Was Paul out of communion with the mind of his Lord? We know not; but it is clear that the Lord was watching over and directing His servant, and that the apostle was in subjection to the guidance given. He had not long to wait for the Lord's will. He came with his fellow-labourers down to Troas, and there in the night "a vision appeared to Paul." A man of Macedonia stood, "and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us." The source of the vision and its significance were immediately perceived, for both Paul and his companions assuredly gathered therefrom, that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia. Happy servants, unentangled with the affairs of this life, they were free and ready to set forth at the Lord's bidding, and they immediately embarked, with a fair wind,* for the opposite shores. In two days they reached Neapolis, and from thence they journeyed with all despatch "to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony." (vv. 11., 12.)

Good it is that the Holy Spirit can not only guide where His servants are to labour, but He can also forbid and hinder, if they endeavour to go where they are not sent. We find that the Holy Spirit had fresh plans for His servants. When in Troas, possibly in great perplexity and exercise before the Lord as to where he should go, Paul had a vision, a God-given vision. If you will look at Mysia on your map, you will find it close to the Dardanelles, that narrow strip of water separating Asia from Europe. The vision was of a man of Macedonia, praying him, “Come over into Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:10). We see now the reason why the Holy Spirit checked Paul moving in other directions. Here was the solution of all his perplexity. Paul might never have thought of leaving Asia, and going into Europe.

The events related in this sixteenth chapter of Acts have a peculiar interest for us as Gentiles, because, you will observe, this was the first time that the gospel got into Europe. Oh, what infinite mercy that God has sent us the gospel of His grace. The way in which it comes out is exceedingly interesting. The apostle Paul is going on with his work in Asia; he tries to go this way and is hindered, and then he tries to go in another direction and is hindered again, and he does not know what to do. God sends him a vision in the night: he sees a man of Macedonia beckoning to him, and saying, "Come over, and help us." Nothing could be plainer than this: here was a man who felt his need. "Come over, and help us," is the language of a needy man.

On the first Sabbath after their arrival the travellers sought out the place for prayer, there being no synagogue in the city; this indicating that the Jewish population was neither large nor wealthy. Resorting to the spot, near the river Gangites, now Angista, they found only women. Where were the men? Religion among the Jewish settlers seems to have been at a low ebb. Some faithful ones were, however, there. The women would attend at the place for prayer, if the men did not. Was the vision all a delusion, a snare? A man of Macedonia Paul had seen, who said, "Come over into Macedonia, and help us." Had men been crying to God in that country? Very likely it was the prayer of godly women which was to be answered by that vision and its consequences. Unbelief might have judged erroneously, and, seeing only women, might have thought there was little field for labour in that city. Paul and his company, however, were not discouraged. "They sat down and spake unto the women which resorted thither." And they spake, we can well believe, as freely and as earnestly as if a large number of men were collected with a proportionate number of women. And the women got a blessing. Thus the work began. Ere long the question, where, were the men? received an answer, as many evidently were converted. A small beginning led to great blessing.

This intrepid servant of Christ slept and God spoke to him. “A vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:9). Assuredly gathering that the Lord was calling him to go further afield, he took ship and landed at Samothracia, the next day he journeyed by land to Neapolis and from thence reached his first objective, Philippi. These former towns were in Thrace; Philippi was in Macedonia, Greece, and the vision had called him to Macedonia.

From Antioch, Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem about the question of circumcision, which some from Jerusalem (or Judea), had taught, troubling the saints at Antioch. After having this matter settled by the Apostles and brethren at Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, and after a dispute between Paul and Barnabas Paul and Silas went on to the province of Lycaonia, and at Lystra were joined by Timothy. Passing through Phrygia, Galatia and Mysia, they came to Troas. While in Troas, in a vision, there appeared to Paul “a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us” (Acts 16:8-9). From the vision Paul gathered that the Lord had called them to go and preach there.

The controlling hand and guidance of the Spirit are here very clearly seen. There was no one method of it, — and this is for our instruction, as well as the fact itself. If the broad commission be to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," that in no wise sets aside the fact that there is to be subjection to God as to the way of carrying this out. His personal interest in it is such that He cannot leave to hap-hazard, or to the fallible judgment of men, the questions of time and place, and indeed of any other matters in connection with a work so precious. There is need — even for an apostle, there always was — for every one who would have success in his work to take every debatable point into the sanctuary for guidance. How we shall be guided, we see here to be another matter. They pass through Phrygia and Galatia, where we hear afterwards of disciples who are, no doubt largely, if not altogether, the fruit of their labor at this time. They then turn westward towards proconsular Asia, which included Mysia, Lydia, and Caria, that is, all the western coast, — at another time to be evangelized by Paul from Ephesus with large results. Now, however, they are forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the Word there. They seek from Mysia, therefore, to go north-east into Bithynia; but here again, with more of outward restraint apparently, "the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not." In both these cases we are left without positive means of ascertaining the character of the hindrance: for the first word does not necessarily signify a verbal prohibition. Satan too might hinder, as the apostle says to the Romans; but hindrance by the Spirit would, no doubt, be realized by its character, if not sometimes without serious and profitable exercise: the enemy cannot so well mimic the work of God as to deceive the one who is truly single-hearted. Indeed the unique expression used here — the Spirit of Jesus — may well intimate this: the Spirit in the power of which He walked upon earth; Jesus being the personal Name by which He was known on earth.

Thus they are hindered from going whether to the right or to the left. If they go forward, they must go to Troas. There, almost upon the old battleground between Europe and Asia, they were just opposite Macedonia; and there that vision appeared in the night to Paul, in which a man of Macedonia, representative of the whitening harvest fields beyond, stood and besought him, saying, "Come over and help us!" Immediately they concluded that the Lord had called them to announce the gospel in those parts, and sought to go forth into Macedonia.