When It's Time to Pivot

Acts 16:1-15

Have you ever had a time, when things didn’t go as planned?

Maybe the plan was to get that job, or that apartment, or that financing.

Maybe the plan was to reach that goal, or to win that game, or to earn that bonus.

I’m pretty sure every adult can say, In my life, things haven’t always gone as planned.

Life is full of setbacks. Life is full of obstacles. Sometimes, when Plan A fails, it’s time for Plan B.

Sometimes, when forward progress comes to a stop, it’s time for us to pivot.

Paul and Barnabas had returned from their first missionary journey. They were back at the home base in Antioch in Syria, at the northeast corner of the Mediterranean. This was the launching pad for each missionary journey to the Gentiles. Antioch was where disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11).

In their first journey (Acts 13-14), they traveled as far as Antioch in Pisidia, 200 miles to the west.

Yes, there were two Antiochs. Antioch in Syria (Paul’s home base) and Antioch in Pisidia (200 miles west). Think of it like Portland ME and Portland OR.

Well, during that first journey, Jewish believers were stirring up controversy among the Gentiles, and it needed to be addressed. So the elders in Jerusalem convened a council, they gave instructions, and sent a letter. The letter in Acts 15 explained that Gentile believers need NOT follow Jewish customs to follow Jesus. The letter was addressed to Gentile believers. The letter was brought to Antioch, for Paul and Barnabas to deliver to the churches established in the first journey.

So Paul made a plan to do so.

Barnabas didn’t like Paul’s plan, because Paul’s plan didn’t include John Mark. And they couldn’t resolve that disagreement. So Barnabas and John Mark left, heading for Cyprus without Paul.

Paul’s Plan A was kaput. His partner in ministry was gone. For Paul at this moment, it wasn’t time to quit. It was time to pivot.

Have you ever been abandoned? Have you ever had someone else give up and leave you high and dry? Well guess what, you’re not alone. You’re in good company. So did the Apostle Paul. In fact, so did Jesus. But Paul didn’t give up, did he. No he didn’t.

God provided another partner to Paul by the name of Silas, who the church in Jerusalem had sent to deliver Paul the letter. Like Barnabas, Silas was described as an encourager. So off goes Paul and Silas to strengthen the churches from the first missionary journey.

This is the setting for Acts 16:1.

1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.

Point 1. When others give up on you, don’t give up on the mission.

What Paul lost in Barnabas and young John Mark, God provided in Silas and young Timothy. When God calls you, He will put the right people in your path at just the right time. Just don’t give up.

Imagine if Paul had given up. Imagine if he had just headed back to Jerusalem, like John Mark had done previously. Yes, there was a moment of discouragement. Of course. But discouragement didn’t turn to despair. Paul had a calling and a duty to bring these letters to the churches. And he was not deterred from that mission.

When others give up on you, don’t give up on the mission.

What was Paul’s mission? Look at verse 5. Paul’s mission was not to beat Caesar, or to liberate Jerusalem.

Paul’s mission was to share the good news, to make disciples, to strengthen them in faith, and increase in numbers daily. This is our mission also.

Alright, so Paul, Silas and Timothy are traveling around churches previously established in Paul’s first journey. And we reach verse 6, leading Paul to cities beyond that initial region.

6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia [along the eastern border of Asia], having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia [in northwest Asia], they attempted to go into Bithynia [north of Asia], but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas [at the western shores of Asia]. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over [across the Aegean Sea] to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Why would the Holy Spirit forbid Paul from speaking the word in Asia? Doesn’t say.

Discussion

1. Barnabas left. Silas showed up. Where has God replaced someone you thought you could not do without?
2. “Discouragement didn’t turn to despair.” What is the difference, and where is the line for you?
3. Paul’s mission was not to beat Caesar or liberate Jerusalem. What is the mission you are actually on?

Point 2: When a door closes, don’t bust it down. Ask God for direction and keep an open mind.

Sometimes God closes the door, even on plans we think are good. But our Father knows best.

For Paul, the cities of Asia like Ephesus and Colossae were 200 miles even further west. But God said no. Not now. The heart of Asia (in present day Turkey) was off limits for now.

Paul had a vision that made him think further.

Not Asia for now. But Macedonia, with cities like Philippi, Thessalonica which opened the door to Corinth. These cities weren’t 200 or 400 miles away from home base in Antioch. They were over 800 miles away.

It’s like God telling us, go further than Albany, further than Buffalo, head to Chicago and the midwest.

Now Paul could have busted the door to Asia down, but had he done so, who knows if we would have had the books of Phil, 1/2 Thes, 1/2 Cor.

Prov 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Ps 37:23 (NLT) The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

When God closes a door, don’t bust it down. It’s time to pivot. Ask for guidance. Keep an open mind.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith…”

What does that mean, ask in faith? Does that mean wishful thinking?

The Greek word is pistis, meaning conviction, fidelity and trust. To have faith is to be faithful.

Asking for wisdom in faith, means being faithful and trusting that God will direct your steps.

So when you hit a snag, and a door closes, recognize that for what it is.

Pray for direction, and keep an open mind.

So as we move to my last point, let’s read the rest of the passage:

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace [a peninsula jutting out from the region of Thrace], and the following day to Neapolis [the eastern most city of Macedonia], 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

From here, they went to Philippi (Philippians), Thessalonica (Thessalonians), Berea, Athens and Corinth (Corinthians), before returning to Antioch in Acts 18:22.

Discussion

1. “Sometimes God closes the door, even on plans we think are good.” Which good plan of yours closed?
2. Pistis is conviction, fidelity, trust. What does asking in faith look like when the answer is slow?
3. Paul could have busted the door down. What door are you leaning on right now?

Point 3: Closed doors make way for bigger opportunities; and can reopen at a better time later

If Paul had not gone to Philippi, we would not have Philippians… Thess… Cor

Afterwards, when Paul returned to Antioch, he prepared for his third missionary journey. And in this third journey, God opened the door to Asia. Paul finally did get to Ephesus. He left Timothy in Ephesus to lead and to teach. And it was on this third journey, Paul brought the gospel to those he would later pen letters in Ephesians, Colossians, 1/2 Timothy.

Not only did we get this, but we got something else.

2 Tim 4:11b

Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

And as we know, Mark (or John Mark) wrote one of the four gospels.

You see, when we began this passage, not only did Paul feel abandoned. So did Mark. Not only did Paul have doors close on him. But so did John Mark. And the relationship was beautifully restored.

Between Barnabas and Paul, their temporary division led to multiplication and eventually reconciliation.

Closed doors often make way for bigger opportunities.

Discussion

1. The split produced two mission teams instead of one. What has a division in your life produced that you did not expect?
2. “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me.” What does it take to write that about someone who walked out on you?
3. A door that closed in Acts 16 opened later in Acts 19. What closed door are you still waiting on?

Something to Sit With

So let’s recap:

• When others give up on you, don’t give up on the mission.
• When a door closes, don’t bust it down. Ask God for direction, and keep an open mind.
• Closed doors make way for bigger opportunities; and can reopen at a better time later

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Paul and Barnabas separate in Acts 15?

Paul and Barnabas disagreed over whether to bring John Mark on their second journey. John Mark had left them during the first journey, and Paul didn’t want to include him again.

The disagreement was sharp enough that they parted ways. Barnabas took John Mark to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and headed west.

Why did the Holy Spirit forbid Paul from preaching in Asia?

Scripture does not give a specific reason. What is clear is that God redirected Paul away from Asia and toward Macedonia, where the gospel would reach cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth for the first time. The door to Asia reopened later during Paul’s third journey.

What is the Macedonian call in Acts 16?

Paul received a vision at Troas of a man from Macedonia urging him to “come over and help us.” Paul and his companions concluded that God was calling them to preach the gospel in Macedonia. This led to the founding of churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and eventually Corinth.

Who was Lydia in the Bible?

Lydia was a seller of purple goods from Thyatira, living in Philippi. She was a worshiper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. She and her household were baptized, making her one of the first European converts recorded in Acts.

What does “pistis” mean in the Greek New Testament?

Pistis is the Greek word commonly translated as “faith.” Its semantic range includes conviction, fidelity, and trust.

In James 1:5-6, asking God in faith means trusting with genuine conviction that He will direct your steps. It’s not wishful thinking. It’s faithful trust.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway.