Unconventional Ways

Introduction

Making plans is something we try almost every day. We figure out what we will eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We plan what we will wear for the day. We will plan for where we need to be when if we have things planned. We will plan our chores for the day. While we may do things spontaneously at times, for the most part, we try to have something of a plan for each day. In today’s passage, Paul is following through a plan to make his way to Macedonia. When he gets to Philippi, he does something unconventional. Instead of going to a local synagogue or where the men of the city hang out, he seeks another place. It is here that we find an place where God’s plans are done in an unconventional way.

Problem in the text

If we go back a few verses from where we read earlier, it helps give some more context. Listen to Acts 16:1-8

Acts 16:1–8 NRSV

1 Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went from town to town, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily. 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.

Here is you Paul, Timothy, and Silas delivering instructions and strengthening the churches they visited. However, this plan is disrupted because they find they are blocked going where they wanted to go. They tried a few different ways but kept running into being blocked by God from proceeding where they planned to go. Their mission was being blocked by God. It was time for another plan.

Trouble in our world.

We too sometimes find ourselves frustrated and unable to continue in our plan forward. We can come up with sound plans and good plans that should work but somehow they don’t. I believe we have all experienced this is our life at one point or the other.

I have one story I can share with a district youth summer camp I was part of for a long time. I had been serving in this camp which had a long history of impact on many, including myself. In the beginning, I served in small group leadership roles and over time as other leaders transitioned out, I took on other larger roles. Over time, it came down to a point of making a decision to take over as director or let the camp go. This camp was something I looked forward to every year and I could not let go of so I agreed to take over as director.

While director of this camp, we experienced some fun times and we experienced also a decline I could not figure out. We reached a point where the camp was having to change prices or keep losing money as the camp was costing more than was collected. We made plans and increased the price and reached a place where financially, it was roughly breaking even or slightly ahead of that. Our plans were good and we had resolved the financial issues of the camp and we had established leadership roles and planning schedules. Yet each year, attendance was less and less.

We reached a hard juncture where we knew what we were doing was not working despite coming up with solid plans. We had a minimum number of campers that we had to have to in order for camp to happen and we found ourselves, despite many efforts, forced to cancel the camp that year. We tried shifting the leadership and planning to another group but we ended up in the same situation again. Forced with two years of cancelling camp, we realized this was not moving forward and the camp was officially cancelled for good.

Grace in the text

Paul received a vision from God and was told to go to Macedonia. In the city of Philippi, the group went outside the city to a river on the sabbath. They found a place of prayer where a group of women had gathered. They started talking to these women and certain woman named Lydia was convinced by their words and by God opening her heart. God opened her heart to eagerly listen to Paul’s words.

God’s plans took Paul and company to a different place. Paul and company were guided to go outside the city and by the river where they supposed a place of prayer would be and found this group of women. By God’s grace these two groups were brought together and God’s grace opened their hearts to hear the good news. Lydia’s home would be one of the places where the Philippian church would gather. In some ways you could say that this was the birth of a new church outside the city or normal church places and it was by the river with women only that it was started.

Grace in our world

I wish I had a great story to share related to this camp closing but as you have already been told, sometimes when one door closes another opens. What that door is may be many things that God has since directed me to do since. I have finished school. I am being commissioned as an elder this summer for future ordination. I have worked with other churches in the area for joint services and community building.

So what is God’s plan? It was not to continue in youth ministry. It was to focus on ministry here. It is to work on community building here and focus my passion I had for community building in the camp setting and use that same passion here.

What unconventional ways may God be moving us towards for building community? What unconventional ways may God be asking us to reach people? Ask God today, what plans we should give up and what plans we should pick up.