⁹A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. ¹¹So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. ¹³And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

One way God guides is through visions, at least in the case of the apostle Paul. But we must be careful about claiming visions for ourselves today, as many emotional experiences can be confused with a genuine vision. In this case, the inspired author Luke is telling us about the experience of an apostle. And we are told clearly in Scripture that God was working in a special way, confirming the message of the apostles at a time before it was written down. In other words, today we have the written Word of God that guides us, but at the time of this first mission tour, the Word of God came through the apostles and the prophets, which formed the foundation of the developing church (Eph. 2:20, see also 2 Cor. 12:12, Heb. 2:3–4). This does not mean God does not or cannot use visions, but we must be careful about seeking supernatural signs (which can actually be an indication of lack of faith) or confusing the proclamations of false prophets who claim to have a “word” from God. Many have suffered shipwreck taking an experience as from God when it is not.

In the apostle Paul’s case, the vision was clearly and unambiguously from God, and so obedience to God was immediate. From Troas on the west coast of Asia, the main port in the area, they sailed across the Aegean Sea to the Roman “colony” of Macedonia, to the city of Philippi where he planted a church, to whom he later wrote a letter we call “Philippians.”

As was his strategy, he preached the next Saturday (the Sabbath), but where? Apparently, with no synagogue in the city, the few Jews (and presumably “God-fearers”) resident there gathered by a river for prayer. Where were the Jewish men? The passage is silent, but these women were probably married to Gentile men who did not observe Jewish customs. Whatever the circumstances, the apostle was undeterred; he preached to any willing listeners, for as he later wrote, “There is neither . . . male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). These women were about to become one with all believers!

Lord, I am ready to share the gospel wherever You lead. Let it be so!