Concluding that God had called us

 Acts 15:36-16:15 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. ³⁸ But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. ⁴⁰ But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

16 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, ² and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. ⁵ So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.

⁶ They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; ⁷ and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; ⁸ and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. ⁹ A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

¹⁴ A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Paul both while he was living and throughout history, through his writing has probably affected more lives for the gospel than any other single person. When the Lord charged Ananias to pray for Paul, after he had encountered the Lord He said:   “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;  for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”      Upon his conversion, his revelation that Jesus is the Christ Paul dedicated his life to fulfilling Jesus call, to being that chosen instrument. We can see in the life and ministry of Paul many of the spiritual gifts he was given. He began many of his letters to the churches saying: Paul, called to be an apostle. As an apostle Paul was a church planter. He traveled and preached the word of God and established churches, local bodies of believers. He was also a teacher, a preacher and did the work of an evangelist. In today’s text he says: “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”    Much of Paul’s ministry was to teach, encourage and exhort believers.

There are many today who think that the church has become to inward focused and perhaps in some ways and some cases it has. But it’s not because teaching, encouraging, exhorting believers is not important or should not be a priority. The writer of Hebrews says:  let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Jesus Himself says: “ For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”(Matthew 18:20)   There is an exponential increase in the power and the presence of God when believers come together, when they worship together and pray together.

The church does perhaps become too inwardly focused when it puts its own programs or agendas before the Lord’s. Later in today’s text it says:    A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.     Paul had a focus and a plan to accomplish the work he set out to do. But first and foremost Paul was led by the Holy Spirit. He responded to the direction of God, putting God’s agenda, His plan before his own. It is not just an inward focus though which can cause the church to miss God’s plan. It is possible for the church to put its own agenda before God’s by focusing on its own methods, programs and plans for outreach as well. Jesus says: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him.” (John 6:44)      In response to the vision, the direction of God it says:    we were staying in this city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.      Following the direction of the Holy Spirit, they went where there would be a place of prayer. They went were there were those who were gathered to seek God. The text says:  A woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.  And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.”

Far too often the church today gets caught up in the debate of whether it should be inward focused or outward focused. Some will say that Jesus associated with the outcasts, the unlovely, the sinners and we should do the same. Yet much of Jesus own ministry was teaching in the synagogues and at the temple, where those who worshipped God were gathered. When the church allows itself to be divided according to methods, programs or agendas it is subject to the same spirit of division which has polarized and divided our culture and society. Jesus says: "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” (Matthew 12:25)     If the household of God, the church is divided against itself how can it stand? How can it accomplish the will, plan and purpose of God?

We need to not be inward focused or outward focused, but rather God focused. The church collectively and believers individually need to operate in the gifts and callings of God, given by the Holy Spirit.      He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)   The Holy Spirit enables each one according to the calling and the purpose of God. The same Holy Spirit will also direct us to the plan and the purpose of God each day. He will lead us to those who are being drawn by God whether they be in the church or in the street. If we pursue our own agenda we work apart from God’s agenda. Jesus Himself said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing. (John 5:19-20)    Like Jesus, we too should do no more or no less than what the Father, through the Holy Spirit, shows us.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.    Amen