The Spirit works in us to guide us sometimes also by forbidding us and not allowing us. Acts 16:6 says, “They passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.” The move of the apostle Paul and his co-workers for the spread of the gospel was not according to their decision and preference, nor according to any schedule made by human council, but by the Holy Spirit according to God’s counsel, as that which was indicated in the mission of Philip (8:29, 39). They intended to speak the word in Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade them. Forbidding is also a part of the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Acts 16:7 continues, “When they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, yet the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” The Holy Spirit’s forbidding them from turning to the left to go to Asia and the Spirit of Jesus’ not allowing them to turn to the right to go into Bithynia indicated that Paul and his co-workers should go directly forward, in a direction toward Macedonia and Achaia in eastern Europe. Paul, however, did not have the thought of going there. This made it necessary for the Lord to give him a vision during the night, and in the vision a Macedonian call came to Paul (v. 9).
In Acts 16:6-7 the interchangeable use of the Spirit of Jesus with the Holy Spirit reveals that the Spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. By forbidding and not allowing, the Spirit led the apostles, enabling them to carry out the propagation of the resurrected and ascended Christ. Today our work for the Lord depends on our being guided by the Spirit that we may spread the Lord’s kingdom by the Holy Spirit according to God’s will.
In Acts 20:28 Paul told the elders of the church in Ephesus to “take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.” It was the apostles who had appointed the elders in every church (14:23). But here Paul, the leading one, who did the appointing, said that it was the Holy Spirit who did the placing of the elders. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was one with the apostles in their appointing the elders and that the apostles had done this according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, those who establish the elders in the churches must do so by following the leading and establishing of the indwelling Spirit in them. In this way the arrangement of the eldership will be perfected in the church according to the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit.
This word shows us that the existence of the churches is altogether due to the Holy Spirit, not due to the apostles. Although the apostles had appointed the elders, it was the work of the Holy Spirit. This reveals that a church is produced through the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the work of the apostles concerning the churches should absolutely be the work that comes out of the Holy Spirit and belongs to the Holy Spirit.
First Corinthians 12:4 says, “There are distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit.” The gifts here refer to the outward gifts, the abilities or capacities for service. Some of them are miraculous, and some are developed out of the initial gifts (which refer to the inward gifts issuing from grace). These gifts, which are obtained through the Spirit, enable the believers to do spiritual things and manifest their spiritual function.
Hebrews 2:4 speaks of distributions of the Holy Spirit. Distributions of the Holy Spirit are the things, including the Spirit Himself, which the Holy Spirit distributes to those who receive salvation by faith. This includes also the imparting of the divine life into the believers. All of us who have believed in the Lord Jesus need to realize that the divine life has been distributed into our being with the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. This is the first basic gift distributed by the Spirit. Furthermore, in our experience there are also other gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit. No believer should think that he does not have a spiritual gift. Just as we have human abilities and capacities because we have human life, we also have spiritual gifts because we have the divine life. As long as we have been born of the Spirit and have received the divine life, we possess some spiritual gifts. Moreover, the gifts we have may be different, yet we have obtained them by the same Spirit. Therefore, in the church life we need to develop the spiritual gifts and manifest our spiritual function by the Spirit.
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