Last week we also had a great discussion on the role of the
moral law in the life of a Christians. I’d like to stress three things. First, we
should always have the highest respect for the moral law in our lives. In fact,
we need to get to the point that we stop doing anything that causes us to
wonder if we are honoring and glorifying God. Second, we need to be very
careful to never present as a law something that isn’t contained in the moral
law (Deuteronomy 4:2). Thirdly, in response to Psalm 119, we should seek to
understand the ritual law and see it's beauty in foreshadowing Christ and
teaching us truths about God.
Acts
16:6-10 … And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been
forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come
up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did
not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 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.” And when Paul had seen
the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God
had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lots of books have been written about trying to discover
the will of God in your life. Some of these books seem to be directions for negotiating with
God. That isn’t likely to be a smart path to take. Generally the presumption is
that if you are trying to serve God then everything will go well and God will
lead you on without a hitch. I’m not sure which Book of Acts they read to come
up with those ideas.
I think it is important to see that Paul, Silas, Timothy
and all those with them (including Luke) were seeking God but took careful steps and got some negative direction. That is OK. God has the plan and these guys take the steps. They get
to see the next step so they have a lamp for their feet. They know the end.
They know they will serve Christ on earth until they go home to be with Him so
they have a light to their path.
Psalm
119:105-112 … Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have
sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. I am severely
afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! Accept my freewill
offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules. I hold my life in my hand
continually, but I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts. Your testimonies are my heritage
forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your
statutes forever, to the end.
Paul likely knew this Psalm. God was guiding but it was
step by step. Paul was committed to the truth of the Gospel and to moral
purity. He was afflicted and needed life from God according to the promises in
the word. It would have been an offering of praise and their lives were often
in danger. There is a joy in the Gospel and in surrender to God that kept them
going. It was approximately 350 miles around Asia. They were not to preach in Asia.
They were not to preach in Bithynia. God says don’t turn left and don’t turn
right. So you keep walking for 350 miles … on a missionary
trip … you keep His righteous rules, even when afflicted, you offer praise, you
pray for wisdom, and realize that all we have is what He gives us. Luke is a
good historian but doesn’t really tell us anything about what happened to Paul,
Silas, and Timothy as they headed down to Troas and the sea. Verses 7, 8, and 9
cover a long time and many miles of work walking toward Troas.
When we are smart enough to seek God we generally don’t like
negative direction. We associate closed doors with an error. We like positive
direction. Both closed doors and opened doors are blessings if received with an
appropriate attitude. Paul and his companions kept focused on the Great
Commission. It is in each Gospel near the end and in Acts near the beginning so
it must be heard and obeyed. However, it isn’t just obeyed out of duty. Paul
had Christ’s love moving his heart to maintain obedience and he knew the
desperate need for the Gospel in the entire world. After 350 miles they got
positive direction. That is a long wait.
Once at NC State University when I was walking to work I
found a team of horses in my way. It was the Southern States Percheron Team. It
during “Ag Days” and they were getting ready to make an appearance on the Brick
Yard. Since they were in my way I walked close. These 6 horses were about 6
feet tall at the shoulder so even at 6’ 1” or so I couldn't really look over them
without straining and of course the heads came up from the shoulder and were massive.
They each weigh over 2000 pounds and they were born to carry and pull burdens.
They helped make America a nation as they served as draft animals. That morning,
as I walked up close and looked in their eyes, God impressed on me that, regardless of their power, if they didn’t know how to wait they would be
useless. Paul knew how to wait in obedience to God. Paul waited 350 miles. That
is a long way to wait for someone who knows how to preach. He knew how to plant
churches. He was constrained by God for a purpose. He needed to go straight to
Macedonia. It is one of those fundamental lessons of God that you keep doing
the last thing He told you to do until He tells you to do something else.
Isaiah
40:29-31 … He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he
increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall
fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they
shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they
shall walk and not faint.
I bet Paul and his companions knew that verse from Isaiah too. I pray
that we would learn to rest in both negative and positive guidance. Paul, Silas, and Timothy would plant the Gospel and begin the flow
toward Europe. This would begin the flow toward most of our ancestors and our
cultures.
If you can watch the “we” and “they” transitions in the
text you can try to infer where Luke was on this journey. He apparently wasn’t
with them the whole time. On this second journey it seems he joined at Troas
because the author switches to “we” from “they” in describing events in verse
10. Luke is a good historian so I don’t think that is very important but it is
an interesting personal aspect of Luke’s ministry.
Acts
16:11-15 … So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace,
and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a
leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in
this city some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the
riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and
spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named
Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper
of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying,
“If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.”
And she prevailed upon us.
These verses tell us how they got to Southern Europe
and the city of Philippi. They are still carefully seeking God’s will in the
missionary journey and they were there for days before they shared the Gospel
near the river and Lydia was saved. Keep in mind that the early Church was
built from Judaism outward but without any limitations or restrictions for
non-Jewish members. You needed 10 men to form a Synagogue but if you didn’t
have 10 for a “minyan” then the next step was to have an outdoor place of
prayer that was preferably near a body of water. There is an outdoor chapel in
Philippi today at least near where Lydia was saved and baptized. Not finding a
synagogue … Paul and his companions did the next logical thing. He went down to
a body of water looking for a place that would be a likely meeting place.
Lydia was likely pretty well off financially. Purple
cloth was produced using species of sea snails and it was very expensive. She
was already in that class of people who were worshiping God and not pagan
deities. Confirming the direction that had resulted in such a long trip, God
opened Lydia’s heart, she was baptized along with her household. These were the
first European converts. Since there is
no mention of a husband it is likely that she was a widower. Imagine the relief of Paul and all those with him when they saw God bless and save Lydia and her household.
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