To People We Are Called | Acts 16:6–15
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Intro: One of the things I enjoy about doing college ministry is that I get to walk with students as they figure out where they are going in life. I get to be there as students decide on a major. And then decide to change it, and then decide to change it again. I get to watch students as they try to figure out if they should transfer or stay. I get to walk with them as they start looking at jobs for after college, or even in college. Students are always trying to answer one of two questions. “What should I do?” Or, “Where should I go.” Students want to know what God would have them do or where God would have them go to. But I believe that’s the wrong question. I think when we look at tonight’s text, we will see that God does not call us to places, God calls us to people. We will see this in how God closes doors, how the calling is to people and not places, and how God goes before us. I ask my youth group to do this so I’m going to ask you to do it as well. Please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word.
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.
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.
God Closes Doors (6-8)
Verses 6-8
Exposition:Starting with verse 6 we see, Acts 16:6–7 To give some background information. Paul and his team have been going around to different parts of the Roman world telling people that Gentiles, non-Jews could be saved and did not have to become practicing Jews to be Christians. But they are using that as a springboard into a missionary journey. And they were hoping to share the gospel in Asia, which is modern day Turkey, but that doesn’ work. So they start working their way into different parts and they are trying to share the gospel there, but God won’t let them do this. So they travel a little bit further, this time to areas called Mysia and Troas, and The Holy Spirit still won’t let them speak. Now we don’t know exactly what this looked like. We don’t know if an opportunity didn’t present itself, or if they literally couldn’t speak. but what we know is that they were not allowed to speak. All told, Paul and his team travelled about 300-400 miles on foot in this process. You all complain about walking from the pit to the SARC, imagine doing that for 300-400 miles. All of this through mountains and valleys. It wouldn’t have been a lot of fun. Now we don’t know why God didn’t want them to share the gospel there. But it’s clear he did not. In fact, we will find out shortly that God had a very specific mission for them. He was sending them somewhere else.
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.
Illustration: In the 1800s there was a missionary by the name of Adoniram Judson. Judson left with his wife and other missionaries to go to India. Once he got to India he was pretty quickly told by leaders in India that they could not stay and they were kicked out of the country. Feeling they had been called to be missionaries, they went to Burma. Ministry in Burma was not easy. It was years before Judson saw the first convert. But eventually people did come to know Christ. Judson learned the language, and he translated the Bible into Burmese. I was told by a student from there one time that this translation is still widely used by Christians in Burma. I bet Judson and his wife wondered why they were being forced out when they God to India. They probably wondered why God had closed that door. But a closed door is not always punishment or a sign that something is being done wrong. It can just be that God is ready for you to do something else
Application: There will be times in your lives as well that God closes doors. Maybe you don’t get into the program you expected to get into so you have to study something else. Maybe you don’t end up at the college or grad school you thought you would. Maybe your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you or you mutually decide it’s time to end it. In those moments when a door closes it’s easy to wonder what God is doing and why he would even do that. But God is always in control of situations and he has a plan. Maybe you are going through that right now. Closed doors do not have to be punishment. It can just be that God has another direction for you to go. When God closes a door, what is your reaction. Do you wallow in it? Do you get angry or bitter because things are not or do not remain the way you think they are going to be. Young people, trust that God is good. Trust that he is in control. Trust that he wants good for you. And trust that if God closes doors, he can open them as well.
Transition: We see that God was clearly calling Paul and his team to somewhere else. But why? Why not just let them share where they are. God has a specific calling for Paul that we find out.
God Calls us to people not places (9-12)
Verse 9
Exposition: We read in verse 9 Acts 16:9 In some religions today this is still true, but it was especially common in the ancient world. There was a certain amount of weight that was placed on information received in dreams. It was thought that the divine often communicated through dreams. So when Paul got this message in a dream when so many doors had been closed, he knew it was a message from God as to what he and his team were to do. But it is important to look at exactly what Paul saw in this vision. How many of you have seen Inside Out. I watched it for the first time recently. I love in the movie how dreams are movies bade by an actual production crew. The dream Paul had didn’t look like it was a commercial that was produced by the visitor’s center in Macedonia. The dream wasn’t telling them to come see the cities in Macedonia and how much there was to do. No, it was a man of Macedonia saying to come help the people there. You see, God wasn’t calling Paul and his team to a place. He was calling them to a people. Missions and ministry is about people.
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.”
Illustration: When I was a sophomore in college, I went as a summer missionary to New York City. New York was one of those, “Whoa,” places. Whenever I told people that was where I was going, it got a, “Whoa,” reaction. And I had never been to New York so I was excited. I wanted to see all the famous sights that anybody wants to see when going to NYC. I wanted to go to the place. But then I went, and when I left that summer, I very rarely found myself thinking about the place that is New York. No, instead I found myself thinking about the people in New York. I thought of the kids at the summer program who before the summer, really had no idea who Jesus was. I moved back after graduating college for a year, and it became even more a people. As I left to move back to Georgia in August 2017, as I rode the train to Newark airport early in the morning, I watched the lights from the city grow dimmer and dimmer. It was not that I was leaving the city that made me sad, but that I was leaving the people in the city. We have two students that this weekend were appointed as summer missionaries. Both Kaley and Mercedes will be going to serve this summer. When Kaley leaves Missouri, she will not leave behind a place but a people, Mercedes won’e leave behind in Arizona a place, but instead a people. God does not call us to places he calls us to people, But why? Why does God call us to people? Because of what the Macedonia man said, they need help.
Exposition: When the man said this he was not saying they had some work that needed to be done. It was because there were people who were in need of hearing the gospel. Missions and ministry are about people because it is people who are in need of hearing the gospel. We must deal with the reality, those who do not know Christ are separated from God now and for eternity. They need help. So when God calls us to the mission field, He is calling us to bring that help.
Application: But this does not just apply to going on mission trips or going to be a missionary. When God places you in a specific job, he is calling you to the people there. This ministry, BCM, it is not a ministry to the campus at Gordon. We’re not going around trying to do nice things for the buildings. No, God has called us to bring help to the students here at Gordon. The way we bring that help, is to proclaim Jesus as Savior and Lord. We do this by telling people that there is God who loves them enough that though we are sinners, he sent his son to die on the cross for our sins. There are people all around us on this campus that need to hear that message. If God has called you hear he has called you to the people here. And wherever else he is calling you, he is calling you to those people.
Verse 10-12
Exposition: So what is Paul’s response to this call. We see in verses 10-12. Acts 16:10 Immediately Paul starts heading to Philippi. He doesn’t just go either, he goes full steam ahead. Verses 11-12 read Acts 16:11–12“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.” They immediately travel from all these places until they go to the city of Philippi, which was one of the cities in the first district of Macedonia. Paul’s response to being called was to go.
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.
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.
Application: Why did Paul do this, for two reasons. For obedience to God and the people there. Paul knew that there was a specific calling that came from God, and he answered that call. What about you? If God called you to go, would you be willing to go? If you knew God called you to something like this, would your reaction be to go like it was for Paul? Or would you kick it around. Would you say, well, I have school, or I was going to stay home and work, or my family and I are really close so I couldn’t do that to them. Would you say, well there are so many people here that need Christ here so this is where I’m going to stay, knowing that is not the real reason. When God calls us to people and we do not go and share with them, we are being disobedient to an almighty God. God has the authority because of who He is to call us in this way. Are we willing to listen? While the most important reason is because God tells us to, it’s not the only reason. There are people who need help. When you have a classmate, how often do you not share with that person for whatever reason? What about coworkers who you know need Christ. Their eternal fate is calling out, “I need help.” Are we willing to respond to that call. Does it bother us that there are people who do not know Christ? If not, pray that God would break your heart for the lost. Pray that your heart would be broken as His is.
Transition: So we know that God has called Paul to Philippi and that Paul goes. But what happens next. What happens next is that Paul and his team get to see that God was already there.
God Goes Before Us (13-15)
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.
Explanation:Philippi was an interesting city. It was the location of the defeat of Cassius and Brutus by Marc Antony and the soon to be named Augustus after the murder of Julius Cesar. To commemorate its significance, Augustus granted it a special status when he became Emperor. The citizens there were granted citizenship and the city was an Augustinian city. This meant the people there did not pay taxes. It was a common place for military men to retire to with their families. Typically Paul went to the synagogue on the sabbath. But there apparently was no synagogue in Philippi, so they went outside the gates. The text says they supposed there was a place of prayer there. But the word shows they were not sure. It’s like this, if somebody is a Georgia fan, I suppose he or she knows it’s not normal to bark like a dog at human beings, but I don’t know that for sure. But when they went there was in fact a place of prayer. And they began to speak to the women about Jesus being the messiah, just as he would have done to Jewish men and women in a synagogue. Verse 14 reads Acts 16:14 “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.” The author speaks of a lady named Lydia and he tells us a little bit about her. She’s from the city of Thyatira was a long way away from Philippi. We see that she was a seller of purple goods. Making the dye for the color purple was expensive and hard work. For this reason, it was expensive to buy purple cloth. Lydia would have ben a rather wealthy woman. He also tells us she was a worshiper of God. This meant that she was born a gentile, but had become a follower of God and a respector or adherent of the Jewish faith. And these are all important things. Because the last thing it tells us about Lydia in verse 14 is that God opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul said. In that moment, she believes that Jesus is the messiah and gives her life to Christ. She becomes a believer in Him. And then we read in verse 15, Acts 16:15 “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.” She gets baptized, and so do all the people living in her house. Being that she was a woman in the marketplace, this means she was probably single. She probably had servants living in her house who also believed and were baptized. Then she asks Paul and his team to stay with her. Paul had never been to Philippi. He didn’t know who to talk to or where to go. He didn’t know where to stay. But this gave him a home base. There’s a lot that had to happen for Paul to meet Lydia that day. It wasn’t just that God called Paul. He moved Lydia from Thyratira to Philippi. She had become a believer in the one true God, even if she didn’t know who Jesus was yet. He had to get her into the field of selling purple cloth so that she could be wealthy and then one day have a big enough place for Paul and his team to come stay. You see, Paul had never been to Philippi, but God had. God had already gone before Him. God was in Philippi long before Paul was. He was just bringing Paul to where he already was.
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.
Illustration: One of the things that scares us about obedience is the unknown. But while something may be unknown to us, it’s not unknown to God. God does not call you somewhere He has not already been at work. He doesn’t call you to somewhere that He hasn’t been. When God calls you to people, He has already been working in the hearts of the people there. He has done so many things behind the scenes to have your paths cross.
Verse 14
Lydia had converted to Judaism at some point.
She was wealthy
God opened her heart.
Verse 15
She gave Paul a place to stay
A lot had to be orchestrated for that to happen. God had gone before them and he will go before us as well. Explain how the church at Philippi supported Paul
Conclusion: When God brought me to Georgia, I didn’t know what He was doing. I thought I was going to Statesboro and that didn’t work out. Then I was out of ministry for several months. I didn’t know what he was doing. But then he opened up doors for me to come and work as a campus minister here and as a youth pastor. I have seen that God was calling me to people. And he is doing the same in your life. God is calling you to a people. And maybe you don’t know yet who that is and maybe it’s not who you thought. But God has a calling in your life and He has gone before you. You just have to be obedient. But maybe the first call He is placing in your is to accept Him. Maybe you need Him as the people in Macedonia did. Don’t leave her tonight without making Jesus Lord of your life. I would love to talk to you about that. Maybe you need help talking through a calling. I would love to do that as well. But don’t leave tonight without talking about that. Let’s pray.
