Acts 16:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

NIV: When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

NASB: and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;

CSB: When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

NLT: Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there.

KJV: After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

NKJV: After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

For the first part of Paul and Silas's missionary journey, they visited churches Paul and Barnabas had planted during Paul's first missionary voyage (Acts 13:1—14:23). Besides seeing Paul's old friends, they shared a letter from the leadership in Jerusalem. This missive affirmed salvation is by grace through faith alone and gave instructions for how Gentile and Jewish Jesus-followers could more comfortably live in community (Acts 15:22–29).

The two men had intended to continue west to the province of Asia on the western end of modern-day Asia Minor. The news about Jesus' offer of salvation had not yet infiltrated the cities there, although some had known John the Baptist (Acts 19:1–7). The Holy Spirit redirected them, however. In response, they tried to head north, into Bithynia, the province along the southern coastline of the Black Sea. But God wants them to bypass the rest of the peninsula and continue west, across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia (Acts 16:9–10).

So, they travel to Troas. At that point, the pronouns in the gospel change from "they" to "we." Luke, the author of the book of Acts, will have joined the team.

Neither Asia nor Bithynia will be neglected for long. Paul will stop by Ephesus on his way home, and Apollos, Priscilla, and Aquila will share the gospel there (Acts 18:19–21, 24–28). On Paul's third missionary voyage, he will return to Ephesus and firmly establish the church (Acts 19). Asia is home to the seven churches of Revelation 2—3 as well as Colossae.

Bithynia will host two major councils that will determine significant matters of our own orthodox theology. The members of the Nicene Council in 325 wrote the initial draft of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, finalized in AD 381. The creed affirms the Trinity, the universal church, and the bodily resurrection of both Jesus and believers. The Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 firmed up the church's understanding of the hypostatic union. This is the teaching that Jesus is fully man and fully God, two natures in one Person. The council also determined the autonomy of churches: specifically stating that the Church of Rome had no authority over the Church in Constantinople. This ruling eventually led to the Schism between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

Mysia is a territory in northwest Asia that includes the major port Troas. It's not clear here if "the Spirit of Jesus" means the Holy Spirit or if Jesus more directly communicated with either Paul or Silas, both of whom were prophets (Acts 13:1; 15:32).

Acts 16:6–10 records Paul, Silas, and Timothy striking out into new territory. They have visited the churches Paul and Barnabas planted in Galatia and given them the letter from the church in Jerusalem affirming Gentiles do not need to convert to Judaism to follow Jesus. Now they head farther west. The Holy Spirit tells them to bypass Asia and Bithynia—the districts in the far west and far north of modern-day Asia Minor—and cross the Aegean Sea. Jesus' offer of salvation is coming to Macedonia and Greece. They also meet the author of both this book and the gospel which bears his name: Luke.

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.