Finding Our Way

Take a second to rule. Hello. Good morning. How is everyone? Good to see you this morning. So. Take a second to reflect on that.

Here's a Alan Watts said it, isn't this an older proverb? That Alan Watts has got a reading at the sharing. A said he said, at the end, it is really impossible to tell whether anything happened. It, was there anything that happens? Whether it's good or bad because you will never know the consequences from an event.

If you like that idea.

Maybe some people find that comforting. Some people maybe not. I mean, I would find it difficult to live life single. Maybe I'm just imagining it an amazing event. Like your your kid runs up to you and say daddy daddy. Daddy. Isn't that cool? Maybe.

Talk about a downer, but I do think there's something really fast Eddie. I heard this terrible, many years ago, and I have used it in conversation many times because I, I find it so fast. Getting the reason I sure today is because when we look at the story of Paul and Lydia, my mind went to this and I thought, well, here's a case in which Paul goes through, and we'll go through various forms of Misfortune. At least from a human perspective, and yet he seems to have a drive in a purpose through it all. That will be a woman named Lydia will be sweet. We don't learn a whole lot about. But knowing her position. She's well off. She's a seller of purple cloth and yet something seems to be missing from her life. She's searching for something. Some fashion by the question. How do you give meaning to events in your life? So, ask yourself that question. How do you give meeting? How do you attribute meaning to events in your life? I mean, invite Ruth up to read the text that you are. And think about the question. How do you attribute meaning to events in your life?

Morning, everyone. That reading this morning is from Acts chapter 16. Reading from verse 11 to 15. Its own page. 11, 12, and your Bibles is titled Lydia's conversation in Philippine. From trios. We put out to sea and seal Street for some more threes and the next day we went on to neonopolis. From there. We travelled to Phillipi a Roman Colony. I'm deleting city of that, District of Macedonia, and we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath. We went outside the city gate, to the river where we expected to find a place of Prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of thyatira named Lydia a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to this phone to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized. She invited us to her home. If you consider me, I believe it in the Lord. She said come and stay at my house, and she posed to be DDOS.

Thank you.

Allintitle this talk to embrace and be embraced. I hope you see that Arc throughout this. I'm going to take a step back before we continue a little bit of context from last week. I probably should have quizzed you to see if you remember these rather than putting it up on the screen, but Matt spoke with spoke to us last week where he is and he gave us these steps. You see is he Paul was trying to go to a place that we might call Asia Minor. I'm some text message, call Asia that the reference to Asia. There will be a western part of modern-day turkey and it says that the spirit of God or Spirit of Jesus prevented them or forbidden him from going there. We're not, we're not going to get an explanation. Why? And these are the steps that that Matt walked us through said go until God, says stop. God can stop you easy. When God says go. Go.

So pull for whatever reason wanted to go to this place called Asia Minor. He wanted to reach the people there and known Paul. He would have been passionate about that. We read elsewhere in which Paul says, I want to be all things to all people. So that some might be saved. Pull headache, a fervent Urgent Message, and you be prevented. I'm sure he was frustrated. And do what you do? Oh my gosh, Ona. And running the opposite way. He altered course. He went to this new place. We're actually going to find something rather unexpected when he gets there. So I want to continue this conversation about how should we go? Because the last words that Jesus leaves us as he's ascending up to heaven, are go right. Go make a siples of all Nations. So the Acts of the Apostles, this book are the stories of those, carrying out that command of Jesus, they are going and we're learning about how we should go.

So we'll look at look at this story through a Bibble lens through three virtues that Paul often talks about. Just let me know the three. Major virtues that Paul talks about three major christian virtues. I need the first one safe.

Hope and charity or love. Yes. And so I want to suggest that we can see Paul going in faith going in. Hope and going in love and by going and safe, going, and hope and going in love.

The events that happened to circumstances that changed his course. Do not cause him to lose. Hope, do not cause them to lose a sense of purpose or a sense of urgency. Because unlike the story of a farmer and a horse. Hit a ground to know that things will turn out good in the end. You do have a SimpliSafe. Well, maybe, maybe this is good. That God forbid me from going to Asia Minor, because he knows the kind of God who's sending him. And so we can have faith in. You can have hope he goes to reflect upon faith. Hope, and love has. He's going, I love this quote by Joseph welham. He says faith. Hope love is not a thing. It is a life. It is Christian Life to another way to think through this way of going Faith. Going. Hope go in love. We also say go being a faithful. One. Go being a hopeful one. Go. Being. 11 won.

So what does Paul do when he's forbidden to go to Asia? Minor? It changes course and he had straight this place called Phillipi a Roman colony. Now, I am a Buffalo Bills fan. We just had our draft food. Does not know what I just said. Thank you for the Buffalo Bills are American football team. Went through a 17-year. Drought of not making playoffs. I'm sure you probably could think of some UK are European football teams. Have gone through similar drugs. Have there been any? I don't know football over here. This is the coach, Sean McDermott Pool guy, Christian gentleman as well, and he has this phrase, trust the process, trust the process. He became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. The NFL team in Buffalo about 5 years ago after, so many years, he knew it was going to take time to turn things around. Just a little plan. Just trust the process. They don't fire me before I fix things give you a chance. It'll take time.

Nope, halted. Paul. Trusted the process. Why? Because you knew God. Any new God, loved and desired the people. He wanted to reach. More than Paul did himself thought about that. God loves you, more than you love yourself. God loves those, you want to reach those, you want to help more than you love them. I know sometimes it it might not seem like it. Sometimes it can be frustrating, confusing. You know, I wonder what Paul was thinking when he got prevent from Asia. Maybe he's like, oh, how fortunate unfortunate. Maybe. Maybe. Paul trusted the process. And so he went to Phillipi. Is through his face, he went and hope he went expecting. When he went outside the city to find a place of prayer, know, a few things about Faith and Hope. David's Appliance. Is trust trusting. Knowing that God is good. Even though you don't see the results yet. The same thing is true of faith. Faith doesn't mean you're just going to sit around here, but just waiting for God to do things because you think things are going to turn out. All right, Noah to Paul do God changed. Its course. And then he had a plan of action. He went outside to the city. This place called the place of prayer. Some commentators that commentators think it may have been a synagogue could have been building. It likely wasn't likely Ann Phillipi there probably weren't enough men at the time to to have a set of God during the tradition around that time. You need to ten males to fish. Have a synagogue in a city and this will make sense. Why, when Paul gets this place of prayer he finds women there. Chipotle on suggest goes in hope. He doesn't just got to pick around waiting for God to fix things after God. Changed his path, but no, hope drives him to move. So faith. Steady Paul through the process, Hope movie, Paul. Do the process? For the last one, he went in love. Number to come back to this a bit morbid to be a bit more relevant toward the end of the story. Go to suggest right here that Faith studies us hoop, moves us and love. Ultimately unites us to the people we seek to reach. So, jumping over to the other character in the story. This Lydia. I know Lydia is a seller of purple cloth. What we know about this if she was likely well-off, there is some research that perhaps around this time. The household of Caesar could even had a monopoly on purple. We're not quite sure when that Monopoly started. I'm if that's the case. She may very well, been part of the broader House of Caesar. That's speculation. We don't know, but we know she was likely well-off and yet, she's attending this place of prayer. There's this phrase used of her God worshiper. Look uses that uses a few different words in some cases, like, for example, in Cornelius, in Acts 10. He uses the phrase god-fearer. Those are synonyms for someone who is outside the Jewish faith. What is sympathetic to the Jewish faith in some way? So what can we really know about Lidia? Well, outside of her being well-off having some kind of inclination or interest in Judaism. It's hard to say, we're not giving much, but I want to, I want to speculate. If you can give it to me for a bit, kind of looking at the range of possibilities for for what Luke would have called. A god worshipper. Let's consider each and think about what Lydia may have. Been thinking, what Lydia may have been Desiring. What was it in Paul's message, when Paul sat down and spoke to her and spoke to the women there, that made her move for my God, worshipper someone on the outside, but not quite not quite committed. Not quite on the inside to being a Christ, follower, who then invites him to stay in her home.

The first one was acting is actually rather unlikely, but it's a possibility. So let's talk about it. It's that she was merely interested in Jewish teaching. So maybe to say maybe she was hedging her bets, maybe, you know, people like that. You know what? Maybe there's a God out there. Maybe there's a higher power, but I can't quite commit to anything. But you know, just in case God exists, just in case the stuff is real. I probably should live a good life. Maybe I should go to church once in a while. You know, I I kind of like this God stuff, but isn't it enough just to believe that there's a higher power? You know, perhaps, you know, people who don't like organized religion, you know, organized religion, often makes things messy, doesn't it? You know what? You can just be spiritual but not religious. If you can just have your your own faith, your own belief in God without joining a community, without committing to any particular teachings. Like those of Christ. Well, who needs the arrogance, the abuse of Pharisees? Better pastors that administers that have priests.

Perhaps lady was in the outside because she just had some vague interest was hedging her bets. So you know what, maybe, maybe there's something true in this so I should listen to it. You know, there's some there's some ancient wisdom here, but it's not all true. I don't know. Maybe, maybe what he was in that place.

Maybe Lydia. Like the rituals, what's another definition of God worship for someone who would practice the, the, the Jewish rituals, like being part of the scene, like being part of the the festivals, like the social aspect, maybe, maybe being a loosely associated with Community. Even if you're not quite on the inside and you're just on the outside. I was reading recently about a number of atheist revisiting, I'm going to scrub. Is it even songs if you guys call him, is that right? So maybe you're not even songs because of some sense of nostalgia a piece when they were going to, these churches are beautiful things, right? And so they'll feel a sense of nostalgia. So then we want to be a part of that Community. Find some kind of peace or Sacred Space, but didn't want to commit to God, didn't want to commit to Christ.

Dog. Whisperer could be within that category now. I don't, I don't think this was Lydia, but but maybe, And maybe, you know, people who are in that position. Maybe you are in that position.

Did you like church? Because it gives you some good moral Foundation.

Baby, could you give me something to do on the weekends? Because we all don't have busy enough life's already.

The baby Lydia wanted to be part of the community. But you just couldn't get in. That's another form of a god, worshipper due to certain ethnic barriers during first-century, Judaism, particularly for women, perhaps you wanted to commit to the Jewish faith, but just couldn't get inside.

I Need Your Love positions. Maybe you've come to Hope City for a while. Maybe you wanted to Be a part of this community and you're not quite sure. What to do. You're not quite sure. How to be a part of a community.

Let's look at Paul's message. Paul's message isn't sure? This text. We have to look elsewhere. It just says, Paul talk to them. So to be honest with transparency. I don't know what Paul said, but I probably know kind of what Paul said, because all says the same thing a whole lot. Here's what Paul writes to the Romans. He says it is with your heart that you believe in are Justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess. Your faith and are saved as scripture, says anyone who believes in him. That is, Jesus will never be put to shame. He goes on to say for there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses, all who call on him for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Paul writes to the Corinthians. He says he kind of defines the gospel as Jesus death, burial and Resurrection. A resurrection witnessed by many we celebrated that a few weeks ago now.

I think this message probably resonated with Lydia. For there is no difference between Jew. And Gentile, you know what? Maybe the other cases were true, but I think Lydia probably wanted to be in the faith. I think Lydia was stuck on the outside Point, literally outside the city and the price of prayer, but also outside the people of God. She wasn't born, Jewish.

if you want to think about Paul wanting to go to Asia Minor, do you know where Lydia is from? Asia Minor. She's a gentle from Asia Minor. The people that Paul originally wanted to to reach and then God diverted them elsewhere. And then Paul gets this massive don't even call from a man. The first one interacts with his a, a woman. How much does that say? I don't know, but I find it pretty cool. How do you says the gospels for all people? Dodging to prevent Paul from going to Asia Minor, because he didn't want to reach the people there. He diverted on many years of reaching someone from there. And Paul would later go on to reach. The people of Asia Minor. We would see receive letters to the churches in Asia, Minor in the Book of Revelation. The coming back to Lydia. How exciting how, how, joyful must have been to hear that message saying, you know what, the barriers gone. This guy named Jesus was God came died for you. Rose against to knock down that barrier. So there's no longer any difference between Jew and Gentile.

You can come in. You're part of the family. Did you know I think this is probably the right interpretation of Lydia is because of what she asks. Next. She said, if you consider me a believer in the Lord come and stay at my house. And she persuaded us. She was eager. She wanted their stamp of approval if you come and stay with me. If you come and eat with me that you say, we are part of the same family. We are part of the same people. What's your that must have been for Lydia? We saw Paul go on faith, going. Hope and go in love. As he accepts videos of a Tatian in ghost Warehouse, sing, you are part of the people of God, and he would baptize her. Identify her with the death Bill and resurrection of Christ. Some of the Christians here were called to go go on faith going. Hope go in love. If you're outside the faith today. The offer is there to come to come and fit to come into the faith. To come into hope. All those things. Go on your life. You don't have to be like that farmer saying maybe You can have a faith, a hope and a God, who loves you immensely. And you can have a confidence that maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not next week, but ultimately things will be made, right?

Your life will be meaningful. He's events in your life will be meaningful. You can look back on the machine. What good fortune. Ultimate in the gospel. We are called to embrace and be fully. Embraced. In the gospel. We are called to embrace. And be fully. Embraced.

Now, I understand some of you, if you're you're outside the faith. You must have all the sounds all good. But how do I know it's true? well, if you have another three hours, I'm happy to

I am actually happy to do lunch or coffee.

But we also have the same calling cover, that Caroline is organizing. Why don't you sign up for that? Take at least that stuff? Maybe it's like, Lydia going to the place of prayer. Let me know. You at least take that stuff to go in to sit under some teaching and to think it's learn to discuss it were. Okay with questions here. You can ask whatever question you want, like, in like 2 minutes when I finish.

The message of the Gospel is come. The message of the Gospel to the Christian is go. So, what are we doing today? Are up to come in to help us reflect. It's a song. One thing and