When opposition comes, our natural response is to fear, freeze or run away in any direction. Paul knew differently. When one door of opportunity for the gospel was closed, he always knew that the Lord would open another. The apostle's teaching over two and a half to three years in Ephesus had been fruitful. Many people in the area knew about Jesus, and the church became a group of people who loved the Lord wholeheartedly (Revelation 2:4-5). But the riot stirred up by the silversmiths was so focussed on Paul (Acts 19:23-41), that his presence in the city would divert the church from worship and evangelism. It was time to move on.

Paul saw this opposition as another opportunity to go back to the recently formed churches in, what is now, Greece. But before he travelled north overland to Troas, he gathered the Ephesian church to commend them to the Lord (Acts 20:32). They needed to know that Paul was not deserting them; it was God's plan for him to help other churches.

Then Paul repeated the itinerary of his last missionary journey. He took a boat from Troas to Neapolis and then on the Roman military roads to Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth, where he stayed for three months. Click here for a helpful map. It was not what Paul had intended to do, but the Lord used the opposition in Ephesus to provide vital teaching to the new churches in Greece. He wanted to encourage them to keep on trusting Jesus despite persecution. It was God's plan all along.

The Lord is sovereign. Opposition does not upset His plans; He even uses wicked people to demonstrate His supremacy (Acts 2:23). So why do we become fearful when our way seems to be blocked? Let the Lord guide so that we can make the most of every opportunity to glorify Jesus (Ephesians 5:16). He knows if we should stay or move, go back to what is familiar or do something new, or return to finish what we have already begun. The important lesson is to refuse to be paralysed by opposition or provoked into panic. If the Lord allows one door to close - look for the door He is opening.