Nobody ever accused Jesus of being a yes-man. Jesus, Tony Horsfall writes, “would never allow himself to be ‘bullied’ into doing anything.”6 Likewise, the Spirit of Jesus says no. Acts 16 records the instance of Paul approaching Bithynia, a region in modern-day Turkey where the gospel had yet to be proclaimed. The harvest was plentiful. Yet Paul’s missionary venture was soon disrupted: “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (Acts 16:7). Imagine Paul’s consternation, even anger. Souls hung in the balance. The door
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