Acts 16:10
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 unto them. 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 unto them.
After he had seen the vision of a Macedonian asking for help, Paul and his companions immediately endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel there, for the call was imperative and admitted no delay. The vision marked the way for the gospel to move beyond Asia Minor into Europe, and the party that responded was Paul with Silas, Timothy, and Luke, whose use of we shows him as an eyewitness companion on the crossing into Europe. The change to we marks Luke joining Paul's labor because of his skill as a physician to whom the Lord had entrusted a special work, and after Paul left he stayed at Philippi and continued to labor there for several years, doing double service as both a physician and a gospel minister. His medical skill opened the way for the gospel message to find access to hearts, as he combined the ministry of the Word with medical work and asked the Lord to let healing power rest on the afflicted. The Macedonian cry is now an urgent appeal sounding from all countries and every quarter where God has opened fields, calling every believer to answer at once by going out to labor on personal responsibility and proclaiming the life-giving message, and if human instrumentalities will cooperate with divine agencies in humility and faithfulness, many souls will be won to the truth.
Vision and Journey to Macedonia
After the vision of a man of Macedonia asking for help was seen, Paul and his companions at once endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel there. The call was imperative and admitted no delay, so there was no hesitation but immediate action to obey it. That vision marked the way for the gospel to move beyond Asia Minor into Europe.
The party that responded was Paul with Silas and Timothy and Luke, whose use of we shows him as an eyewitness companion on the crossing into Europe. They loosed from Troas with a straight course to Samothracia and the next day to Neapolis. From there they went to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony.
Luke's Medical Missionary Work
The change to we marks Luke joining Paul's labor at the call to go into Macedonia. Paul had heard of Luke's skill as a physician to whom the Lord had entrusted a special work, and he sought him out and secured his cooperation in the gospel work. Luke then traveled with Paul to Philippi, and after Paul left, Luke was left there and remained for several years continuing to labor. There he did double service as both a physician and a gospel minister.
He was indeed a true medical missionary, combining the ministry of the Word with medical missionary work. His way was to do his medical part and then ask the Lord to let His healing power rest upon the afflicted ones. His medical skill opened the way for the gospel message to find access to hearts, reaching many people and opening many doors to give him opportunity to preach the gospel among the heathen.
Present Call to Unworked Fields
The Macedonian cry is an urgent appeal to come and preach the gospel and teach the truth, a call to carry the gospel to others into a new field. It is the Lord calling for the gospel to be preached in every unworked place where nothing has been done to give the warning message. That cry is now sounding from all countries and from every quarter and every direction where God has opened fields before His workers, from unworked fields in spiritual poverty and from places where souls are still inaccessible, including in Australia as a large portion of the Lord's vineyard with great need for laborers, and from all the settlements from Cooranbong to Queensland. The call has been coming to God's people for the last forty years, with heavenly beings waiting to cooperate with men, and some have heard and responded.
The call is to be answered at once by going out to labor on personal responsibility, not by waiting for permission from controlling minds or leaders, but by going as best one can depending on personal ability and the help of the Lord. Those directed by the Spirit are to begin in a humble way and create an interest in the truth, working with the hands to be self-supporting while proclaiming the warning as opportunity offers, with hearts filled with love for souls ready to perish. Every believer must have the senses keenly alert to the needs of the cause of God and the ear open to the cry, and with the end of all things at hand in these closing days the cry calls for help to carry the simplicity of the gospel as revealed in the Saviour's life of ministry. Those who hear the call should give themselves to God's service as messengers of grace, and surrender makes God's workers ready to go where He sends them, stirring them to turn desire into earnest work in Christ's strength.
Recognizing God's call leads gospel workers to act at once and preach where God directs, and God's providence opens countries where people eager for saving truth are seeking light, so training workers to enter these fields serves the work of carrying the gospel forward. Hearing many such calls means many places need help, and those called should fit themselves as public speakers and teachers of the truth, preparing in school and then going where work is to be done, including going to other climates to meet the need. Answering the cry requires keeping missionaries in the field and not calling them home because of dearth of means, even when there is no money in the treasury to send them, trusting in God who holds all resources in His hands, and the call has at times been one that could not then be answered because the workers lacked the means to advance the work. Every sanctified heart is to respond by proclaiming the life-giving message, and if human instrumentalities will cooperate with divine agencies in humility and faithfulness, many souls will be won to the truth, the Spirit of the Lord will be graciously manifested, and wonderful results in conversion will follow. The Lord encourages those who answer, and a true missionary spirit is given to those who earnestly seek to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.