When the Gospel Entrepreneur Had to Stop
The Hurry Virus — Thursday Storyform | June 5
The Apostle Paul was the kind of man who would’ve made investors swoon.
Vision? ✅
Drive? ✅
Scalability? ✅
A global vision for gospel expansion? ✅
If anyone could singlehandedly take Christianity to the ends of the earth, it was Paul. And to be honest, that’s how he seemed to be approaching it in Acts 16.
He wasn’t planting one church. He was launching a movement.
He wasn’t asking permission. He was taking territory.
He wasn’t waiting around. He was on the move.
Asia? Let’s go.
Bithynia? Sure.
Mysia? Why not?
Paul had a vision, a mission, and momentum. Just the kind of entrepreneurial force that would’ve attracted modern supporters, funders, and platform invites.
Except for one problem: none of his plans were working.
When Speed Meets a Closed Door
“They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia…”
“They attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them…”
(Acts 16:6–7)
One door. Closed.
Another door. Closed.
A third? Also closed.
If you trace Paul’s movements on a map, he’s literally bouncing in every direction except the one God intended.
It wasn’t rebellion.
It wasn’t sin.
It was just urgency without discernment.
And God wasn’t going to let that pass for direction.
Troas: The Dead End That Opened the Future
Eventually, Paul ends up in Troas—a coastal nowhere. A place between things. A place after failure. A place where the entrepreneur finally ran out of strategy.
And then, finally, silence.
“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.’”
(Acts 16:9)
The first clear direction in the whole chapter. And it came not while moving—but while still.
Not while planning—but while sleeping.
God didn’t give Paul clarity when he was knocking on doors.
God gave Paul clarity when he had no more doors left to knock on.
Driven but Disconnected
Paul wasn’t out of alignment with God.
He was just moving too fast to listen.
And that makes this story so familiar.
We’ve got vision.
We’ve got goals.
We’ve got spreadsheets, launch dates, and backup plans.
And yet…
Sometimes the mission of God will not be revealed until we stop trying to manufacture it.
Paul wasn’t the only one sent to Macedonia that night.
His ambition had to be sent to Troas first.
What Troas Might Look Like Today
Troas is that place where momentum stalls.
It’s the dead week.
The quiet season.
The meeting that didn’t happen.
The job that fell through.
The strategy that won’t move.
Troas is where entrepreneurs wait.
It’s where spiritual leaders come to realize:
I can’t build the Kingdom of God like it’s a startup.
A Word for the Builders, Hustlers, and Dreamers
If your plans aren’t working…
If your drive is hitting closed doors…
If you’ve been trying to serve God with all the energy you can muster, but you’re exhausted…
This story is for you.
Not to shame your ambition.
But to redirect it.
The gospel doesn’t need faster pioneers.
It needs quieter listeners.
Troas wasn’t the end of Paul’s mission.
It was the moment it finally got clear.
How to Become a Quieter Listener
This is where a lot of us get stuck.
We hear the call to slow down, to listen, to attend more deeply to God…
But then we ask: How?
Not in theory. In real life.
So here’s a start. Not a full spiritual plan—just a simple rule of listening to practice this week.
A Rule for Quieter Listening (Inspired by Troas):
🕯 Pause before planning. Don’t fill the page until you’ve sat in silence—even for five minutes.
👂 Listen longer than feels comfortable. In one conversation this week, let there be more silence than usual.
📅 Wait for clarity instead of forcing the timeline. If the next step isn’t clear, don't default to motion. Wait. Ask again.
Waiting for clarity is not avoiding action.
It’s the only way to know what action to take.
This is how Paul was shaped in Troas.
It’s how gospel entrepreneurs become spiritual guides.
It’s how speed becomes wisdom.
What If Listening Feels Like a Waste of Time?
Maybe you’ve read this far and you’re still thinking,
“This sounds nice, but it doesn’t move the needle. I don’t see how listening changes anything.”
I get it.
But the longer I’ve walked with people—and walked with God—the more I’ve learned that it’s unrushed presence, not answers, not strategies, that unlock the deepest transformation.
Listening isn’t passivity. It’s discernment.
It’s leadership.
It’s a form of holy attentiveness.
And in a world addicted to speed, it may be the most radical act of faith you can offer.
If you’d like a weekly companion to help you practice these kinds of rhythms…
👉 Subscribe to receive a printable spiritual formation tool every Wednesday—designed to help you slow down, listen well, and live with clarity.
💌 Know someone who’s hungry for a slower life and deeper connection wtih God?
This might be a post worth passing on.
You never know what one shared story can do.
🕊️ Benediction
May you have the courage to stop when your plans stall.
May you trust the silence where clarity waits.
And may you come to know that God’s direction often begins—
not with a strategy,
but with stillness.
Gratefully,
— Gene
Pausing, listening, and waiting for clarity. Yes Lord.
This post was very helpful in understanding a current situation with someone I am gentle guiding through Solitude and Silence while using Lectio Davina.
I was sharing the difference between using our intellect and listening from the heart. It didn’t go well, she snapped back with an intellectual response. She is very intelligent far more so than me.
I felt I should take a pause and give her some space in this area. It’s been almost two weeks. This morning an apology came. Later this afternoon, I am going to knock on the side door to see if we can have a conversation.
Your daily Substack posts have been life changing while learning to navigate the paths we are on with sure footing and discernment.