Being Teachable through Closed Doors

God's glory in the bumps on our road

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Ac. 16:6-11)

The book of Acts—like the book of Numbers in the Old Testament—represents what some Bible scholars have called a “travel narrative.” It records, in painstaking detail, the travel itineraries of the earliest apostles as they meandered their way throughout the Roman world to spread the message of Jesus. Like Numbers, Acts is not only concerned with the message that is being preached; the narrative is equally interested in the ways and means by which it is spread. The method and the message were both critical to Luke. Unlike much of our world, the means appear to be as critical as the ends. The gospel changes everything. However, the way the gospel is delivered prepares the way.

The passage in Acts that we are reflecting on today represents a frustrating moment for Paul. He has been traveling from region to region as an itinerant preacher, proclaiming that the Jewish Messiah had come and made himself known in the person of Jesus. Proclaiming this message was bearing much fruit. But this work was also the occasion for much of Paul’s pain and toil. Everywhere he goes, it seems, people—even some of the Christians—either reject, renounce, or rebel against his message. Resistance was around every corner for Paul. But not just from people. God seemed to be the source of some of that resistance as well.

Photo by Megan O'Hanlon

On the brink of entering several geographical regions where the gospel had yet to be preached, Paul attempts to go to these new areas only to be rebuffed by God. In fact, upon closer examination, we see three instances in succession in which doors seem to be closing for Paul. Paul tried to go and preach in Asia; only to be “kept by the Holy Spirit” from doing so. Paul made an effort to enter Mysia; but the “Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” Then, Paul makes his way to Troas; only to have a vision that he needed to go somewhere else to preach. Rejection, it seems, has a way of coming in threes.

There is a lesson: God often resists our travel itineraries. Sometimes God resists us, not out of anger or a desire to keep us from good things. At times, it seems, God places significant obstacles in our path for divine purposes. Some of that resistance may be God’s way of testing us. A wall often serves as a test of our resolve. Are we genuinely committed to our goals? I can still remember the first time I received a “no” from a publisher regarding a book I wanted to publish. I look back with immense gratitude for that rejection letter. It challenged my sense of purpose. Was I truly serious about becoming a writer, or did this aspiration hold less significance for me? I pressed on and discovered that the first rejection was God’s way of deepening my sense of calling.

That’s one side of divine resistance. But there’s another side. Not all resistance is directly intended to make us stronger. There are times—if Acts is our template—when resistance is God’s way of bringing about redirection in our lives. That is what happens in the passage of Acts we are looking at. In the case of the three no’s that Paul receives, the closed doors would eventually lead to his traveling to Macedonia. On the way, he stops in Philippi, where a church would be established in the home of Lydia. From a meta perspective, the three no’s that Paul received ultimately led to an entirely different, fruitful trip in a place he never anticipated. As cliché as it may be, a closed door in one place can very well be an open window in another. God initiates resistance to help us go where he desires us to go.

How we handle a closed door reveals much about our hearts. If we cannot accept a no from the Lord, it is unlikely that we will have the character to truly embrace a yes from Him. It is notable to me that when Paul reflects on his experience of not preaching in Troas, he does not repeat the so-called “vision” that Luke recorded in Acts. Instead, he speaks of his departure to Macedonia in straightforward terms. In short, he doesn’t overspiritualize his decision to leave Troas for Macedonia. And there is a reason for this. Paul looks back and sees the hand of God in the circumstances of life. In Acts, Paul doesn’t preach in Troas because of a vision. But in 2 Corinthians, he merely mentions that his “brother Titus” was not there (2 Cor. 12:12). We can all be prone to overspiritualize the rejection we face. Paul has worked through his issues. Paul views what happened in Troas as a very small part of God’s larger story.

What do you do with rejection? With doors being closed? With opportunities being lost?

One of the most challenging aspects of the Christian journey is learning to embrace other people’s decisions as God’s voice in our lives. It hurts. It feels like you are out of control. And that others have way too much power. This includes the elder board making a decision that results in you not getting the dream job, or when the boss determines that someone else can do your job better, or when someone else makes a decision that entirely changes the travel plans. It is so painful, but so important, to learn to see God’s hand in the painful decision someone else has made that impacts you. But if we don’t learn this, Lord knows, we will lose our minds. It is not a mistake (in my mind, at least) that the entire book of Acts begins with lots being cast to determine whether Joseph or Matthias would be the replacement apostle for Judas. The dice fell on Matthias. Joseph didn’t get the apostolic job.

Notably, Joseph (also known as Barsabbas) is never mentioned again in the New Testament after this. Where did he go? Some apocryphal traditions suggest that he was poisoned for his love of Christ but survived. Others claim he became a missionary who did significant ministry work. I want to believe that he received the profound mercy of that decision and continued to follow Jesus until his death. But did he persevere? Or did he give up because things went a way he wished they hadn’t?

We know, for sure, that Paul didn’t give up. Ever. Even when God put bumps in his road. Experiencing a closed door is such a beautiful and essential place to be taught by the love of God. It is there, in the rejection, in the heartache, in the not-being-chosenness, that the mercies and kindnesses of God are often on full display. Let the pain be, friend. But also allow the experience to make you a deeper, more trustworthy, and humbler person than you were before. Lord knows, it did for Paul.

Be willing to be teachable from the resistance you face. It is possibly there for a very divine purpose. Sometimes to strengthen you. Sometimes, to redirect you. But it is rarely there accidentally.

In God’s kingdom, a bump on the road to glory is merely a sign that we’re on the road that leads to glory.

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Thanks for being a reader of the Low-Level Theologian. For further reading this week, consider reading a piece I recently published with Bible Gateway entitled, “How to Grow as a Christian: 5 Rituals for a Growing Disciple.” As always, you can find me wasting as little time as possible on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Or, check out my podcast with Dr. Nijay Gupta at Slow Theology. Do remember that I just released A Teachable Spirit: The Virtue of Learning from Strangers, Enemies, and Absolutely Anyone with the folks at Zondervan Reflective. Pick up a copy and dig on in.