Down by the Riverside (Acts 16:11-15)

Intro - Where do you go to find the mission of the Lord? I remember in college witnessing to the entire auditorium, making everyone angry, then giving the Gospel to the campus reporter and remembering keenly that it was all for her...

TR: Paul received a similar call upon his arrival in Macedonia to speak to a much smaller than anticipated group of ladies…down by the water at the riverside...

The Water

After receiving the vision from the Lord to go to Macedonia, Paul and his companions immediately left Troas, stopped momentarily at an island called Samothrace, but ultimately landed in Europe at Neapolis.

This was Paul’s first touching down in Europe having done his previous missionary work on the continent of Asia.

Eventually Paul left Neapolis and made his way inland to the main city in the Macedonian district, Philippi.

It was a Roman colony which essentially meant it was a Rome away from Rome, whos citizens enjoyed Roman privileges and rights.

Here’s is where today’s message takes place.

Later Paul writes to the church that he helped establish here in the book of Philippians which has wonderful expressions of Paul’s affection for the people here.

One of the first things of note is Paul’s enduring dedication to his people the Jews.

As was Paul’s custom, he entered a city and made a beeline for the nearest synagogue. However in this case there isn’t one.

We know this because the conclusion Paul and his companions have made (now including Luke our writer), is that they need to go to the riverside to find some judiaistic activity.

What may be lost on us here is that according to the practice of the day, there had to be at least 10 men, 10 represented families, present in a city in order to start a synagogue.

If there was not then the Jews of that city, or those who were converted to Judaism were usually found outside the city, near some water, which allowed for the washing of hands during prayer and worship.

Listen family…there are going to be many times in your life when what you are looking for isn’t going to be in the place you expect.

Expectations should be held loosely in this life, knowing that God directs the steps, but rarely gives you the full understanding of the destination.

I remember my old pastor Pastor Sullivan would frequently come pick me up and we’d go riding around. I had no idea where we were going. We’d grab lunch, go visit people, go to meetings, etc. I didn’t really care where it was because I was with him. I enjoyed the journey and learned to be ready at any time to get up and speak because he was notorious for putting you on the spot.

In this case Paul was led to a group of people who are not even significant enough to have an actual building.

What is interesting is that even the minutae…the people that are small or insignificant God is sending one of His foremost Apostles to speak with them.

So many in this world are seeking the grand ministries, the grand impacts, to make a massive difference, and so they spend all of their time in the city gates.

They wax eloquent in speeches, politic with the who’s who, maybe even go to a dinner or two with some important folk.

Or we have people that are caught up in the bustle of life or the familiarity of the city life. All of the trappings that must have been there.

But what I really want to ask you is how much time are you spending outside the city gates and by the riverside searching for those God wants to save?

Those that have been relagated to a secondary place in society, at least in this case from a religious standpoint?

Where are you in your life? Stuck in the “city” or finding the people by the riverside?

While we may be captivated by the pomp and preaching that amasses the crowds in the city…it’s always interesting to me how much work God does in the margins.

Let’s do a quick survey, how many people here came to faith from the preaching of a small church pastor, largely unknown Christian, or in any capacity outside of a large ministry event or church?

See God works in margins, by the riversides, by the waters where people are just trying to figure out a way to do something right and making something out of nothing...

TR: Not only is God doing His work by the water but also with an unexpected group socially speaking....women...

The Women

Acts records that not only did they find people by the riverside, but it was all women.

Paul ran up in a women’s prayer gathering where no doubt the ladies would pray, read from the Torah, and discuss it as best as they could to understand it.

Mind you that Paul is a decent ways away from Jerusalem at this point, on a different continent, and so these ladies while no doubt devoted, probably didn’t have any formal education on these matters.

Yet let me make it clear, not only is God operating in the margins geographically but He’s operating in the margins socially.

Here you have Paul, who was literally raised to pray as a Pharisee by thanking God that he was not a Gentile or a woman, witnessing to a woman’s gathering.

This is how we KNOW that Paul was led by the Lord…he is the only brother willing to roll up into a group of women and think he had something to teach them.

Paul could never be accused of being a male chauvinist because according to the custom of the time, he was violating many social barriers.

Shout out to all of the ladies historically and currently killing it in the faith!!!

This passage made me think of Fannie Lou Hamer. She was raised in the Mississippi during the Jim Crow era. She was the only person on her plantation that could read and write she was the plantation timekeeper. In 1961, Sis. Hamer went in to get a uterine tumor removed but instead of doing that they simply gave her an entire hysterectomy. This was common during that time to limit African American reproduction and was dubbed a “Mississippi appendectomy”. However, Fannie Lou Hamer was a woman of faith. At one point after being beat nearly to death in a jail cell by the guards for trying to vote, so much so that she had lifelong injuries, she began to sing:

Paul and Silas was bound in jail, let my people go.

Had no money for to go their bail, let my people go.

Paul and Silas began to shout, let my people go.

Jail doors open and they walked out, let my people go.

What we see amazingly smashed through here are the many barriers that are falsely constructed in society. Listen, God doesn’t care about our categories for people.

He’s not concerned for what is socially acceptable.

God’s concern consistently doesn’t seem to primarily be for the masses but for the marginalized, not for the expected but the excluded, not for the easily found but the evasive and hidden.

Don’t you see, when God found you with the Gospel, He had to FIND YOU!!! Why then are we waiting on evangelistic opportunities to be served up on a silver platter?

You have to go find them.

In addition to that we see that God is killing it when it comes to gathering people from ALL walks of life. We’ll see more social intersections later but here we not only have a women but a WEALTHY women, named Lydia, from Thyratira which was an Asian city.

This is of note, especially because, Lydia was a seller of purple goods. Purple goods during that time were expensive. So Lydia was a fashionista of sorts selling the 1st century equivalent of Louis Vutton.

While she, along with the other women may have been marginalized from a gender and religious aspect, economically she was amongst the elite.

Yet, STILL…she needed the Gospel

Again I find it amazing how diverse not only the church is but that ALL of this was intentional! Don’t forget GOD CALLED PAUL TO THIS PLACE!!!

What riverbank, marketplace, social strata, political affiliation, religious position, is the Lord directing you to?

Lydia, financially would have been well off and yet was desperately spiritually destitute.

Family, if preaching through this book doesn’t drive you to go out and preach the Gospel I’m not sure what will!!

Go and engage in various intersections of life! Love people from the rich to the poor.

Why? Because just as it is here, God will open hearts!!! God will save!! Salvation is of the Lord!!!

Listen, your salvation was dependent upon God opening your heart to even pay attention to the Gospel being presented!!

Yet for some reason we think it’s dependent on us to save so we fall into paralysis of analysis. We only shoot our shot on what we believe are sure things.

No, God is the one who opens hearts. Lydia was religious already but still needed salvation. We see others in Scripture that hated God and were saved.

The only technique that will reach all types of people is the technique of trust in the Spirit to do it.

And when He does watch what happens

TR: When people have the life of the Gospel dominating them they can’t help but to welcome others into their lives...

The Welcome

Lydia, after trusting in the Gospel had the completely expected response to welcome Paul and his companions into her life.

When the Gospel is ruling your life…people will be welcomed into it. You will take joy in intersecting with people.

You will take initative in inviting them in.

Imagine, KBC if what ruled our hearts was the Gospel and that was seen by us persisting in inviting other people into our worlds.

I find it funny here, true of a entrepreneur, she was extremely persistent. She was argumentative to the point Luke just says...”she prevailed upon us”...

Family, this world needs a healthy dose of people, who desire to be found faithful to the Lord, and are so consumed with it that we PREVAIL upon people.

She led her family in obedience in baptism and no doubt had an impact on many of the ladies around her.

At the end of this chapter we see her being a place of refuge for Paul as they are released from jail.

LAND IT LOUD

Family, I implore you today to go down by the riverside, speak to the marginalized minority of society, and welcome them in.

Be a vessel that God uses to prevail upon them

Love them enough to pursue them, GO LOOKING FOR THEM!

REMEMBER THE DAY THAT GOD SOUGHT YOU OUT!!! REMEMBER THE MOMENT WHEN HE MET YOU BY THE RIVERSIDE!!!

WHEN YOU WERE TOO FEW IN NUMBER TO EVEN CONSTITUTE A PLACE OF REPUTE WITH EVERYONE ELSE!!!

Use that moment to propel you to go seek out those that are likewise.

If we really believe as Romans 3:11 that “no one seeks for God” then we need to seek for them.

Family, God has sought you out....he has opened the womb of your heart…and in the most amazing way possible now has allowed for life to come out of it for others...

What will your life give birth to? What places will you search for those who desire to listen but haven’t yet heard?

That is your calling, that is your mission…down by the riverside!