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Acts 16:9
ESV And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
NIV During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.'
NASB And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and pleading with him, and saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.'
CSB During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, "Cross over to Macedonia and help us! "
NLT That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us!'
KJV And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

What does Acts 16:9 mean?

Troas is a port town on the westernmost shore of modern-day Asia Minor. Paul, Silas, and Timothy have traveled there, having visited the churches Paul and Barnabas planted in the center of the peninsula. And yet, the Holy Spirit has herded them away from the north and west. Now, the Holy Spirit leads them across the northern Aegean Sea to Macedonia.

At that time, Macedonia covered much of the northern peninsula of Greece. The three will go and "help" the Macedonians by telling them of Jesus' offer of salvation, but their work will come at a cost. In Philippi, Paul and Silas will be beaten and jailed (Acts 16:22–34). The Thessalonians will attack the locals who accept Christ and then chase Paul and Silas out of Thessalonica, follow them to Berea, and harass Paul until he flees to Athens in Greece (Acts 17:5–15). In Athens, Paul will find very few Jews or Gentile God-followers. He will share the gospel with pagan philosophers, who will persecute him, but not as severely as he'd been attacked in other towns (Acts 17:32). Finally, in Corinth, the Jews will harass the Christians, but God will protect them (Acts 18:6–17).

Modern-day western Christians know, on an intellectual level, that spreading the message of forgiveness of sins through Jesus' sacrifice will bring persecution (John 15:18–21). And yet, those who stay in the West tend to be sheltered; at times, western Christians misidentify inconvenience with persecution. To Paul and Silas, starting a church on the bank of a river is a very minor inconvenience. Being mocked for their beliefs did not deter them. Being beaten and chained in a prison cell is persecution, but not so great that they would rather escape than keep the opportunity to share the gospel with their jailer (Acts 16:29–34). It is good for the modern church to insist on the rights promised by the secular government. It is better to accept both inconvenience and persecution while remembering what our mission is: to help others escape eternal torment and find loving reconciliation with their Creator.
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