Acts 16:8

Troas was a major port on the Aegean Sea and an important city in the Roman Empire. Paul often visited major cities like Troas, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus. Once the Christian faith was established in larger cities, local Christian workers could continue to share the good news with smaller nearby communities (for example, Epaphras took the message from Ephesus to Colossae (Colossians 1:7; 4:12–13).

God directed the missionaries’ travels: The Holy Spirit had prevented them from proceeding westward into the province of Asia, the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go north to Bithynia, and then Paul had a vision calling them to go northwest over the Aegean Sea to Macedonia.

In the book of Acts, God's Spirit guided his servants in many ways, including:

• through visions from God (see also 9:10; 10:9–16; 22:18),

• direct intuition (compare 8:29, 39; 10:19; 20:22),

• advice from other believers (compare 15:29),

• guidance through prayer (13:2, 4),

• understanding through Scripture (28:25–27), and

• prophecy (11:28).

The Holy Spirit's guidance helped them accomplish their mission to be Christ's witnesses (1:8; see also 4:8, 31; 11:24; 13:9).