The Lord Leads His Church Acts 15:36 - 16:15

The only biography of the late Queen that she authorised was published by the Bible Society. She called the book, ‘The Queen who Reigns and the King she Serves’. It is a salient reminder that whatever we do and plan, it is God himself who remains in charge. It is a very important question that we should all ask, ‘Who rules me, who is my King?’

Paul and Barnabus have completed their first missionary journey to Cyprus and the cities of Galatia. They returned to Antioch where there was tension between the religious Christians who came from Jewish backgrounds and the Gentile Christians. The questions had to be resolved so a council of Apostles and other church leaders in Jerusalem was called together. They concluded, on the basis of what Jesus had said, what the Lord had told Peter and Paul during their evangelistic exploits and on what Scripture clearly teaches that it was not right to put unnecessary hurdles in the way of Gentiles coming to Christ. Jewish rules and rituals were not necessary for the Gentile Christians as they had Jesus to follow, which is better than rules.

The Purpose of Mission

The first missionary journey had been so exciting and Paul decided to embark on a second missionary journey to consolidate the work they had started. They were clear what their mission was for,

“Some time later Paul said to Barnabus, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of God and see how they are doing.” Acts 15:16

What an important reminder this is. The ‘Word of God’ is shorthand for both Jesus (see John 1:1) and the message about him given in the Scriptures. The prime purpose of the church is to teach people the word of God and encourage them to live by what God says.

The Problems in Mission

The next short section is surely included to remind us all that there will inevitably be personality tensions between church members at ties. Paul is the decisive go-getter. He knows what needs to be done and does not want this work to be handicapped in any way. Barnabus is the caring pastor who clearly wants to keep encouraging young Mark and take him again with them, in spite of the fact that he had let the team down on the first journey. It is a battle of wills,

“They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabus took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.” Acts 15:39

Cyprus was where Barnabus owned property. What is encouraging is that Paul later came to trust Mark implicitly. When imprisoned towards the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy and said,

“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:11

This is so encouraging. Tensions will inevitably happen between Christians, especially if some long for more to happen, but when, deep down everyone sees that the Lord is sovereign, then his purposes will bring people together again.

The decisive Paul ‘chose Silas’ to go with him. He clearly felt they could work well together. They returned through Syria, presumably passing through Paul’s home city of Tarsus and then went through Cilicia which was the region that is now South East Turkey. They strengthened the churches they came to, which surely meant they taught the word of God and encouraged them to follow what it teaches. This included the importance of the new Christians being emboldened to share the gospel with others, as Luke writes,

“So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

The team then passed back through Derbe and came to the town of Lystra. There they met a young Christian named Timothy whom the local Christians spoke well of. Paul decided that Timothy was of the right calibre to join the mission team, presumably as a trainee. He must have been a teenager as fifteen years later Paul described Timothy as still being a ‘young man’ (1 Timothy 4:12). Timothy’s mother was a Jewish Christian (see also 2 Timothy 1:5) but his father was a Greek. There is silence on the question of the faith of his father, so it is unlikely that his father was a believer.

What comes next is strange. Paul has just won the theological battle at the council of Jerusalem that Gentile Christians did not need to become Jews but he now admits Timothy into Judaism by circumcising him;

“Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in the area, for they knew his father was a Greek.” Acts 16:4

The only reasonable explanation was that this was done as a matter of expediency. His first contact, wherever he went was with Jews, usually in the local synagogues, so he did not want anything to get in the way of the group being accepted. This is very different from the case of Titus when Paul refused to circumcise him because some were demanding this was necessary for salvation.

The next verse makes it clear that the doctrine had not changed,

“As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.” Acts 16:4

Nobody needed to adopt Jewish practices in order to be saved.

The Lord controls his mission

The group, Paul, Silas and now Timothy, travelled west through Phrygia and Galatia, now central Turkey. Then something strange happened,

“ . . . having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” Acts 16:6

Asia, now west Turkey surely needed to hear the gospel. Jesus had said, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel’ and yet here Paul is prevented by God from doing just that. As they approached Mysia, which is what is now North West Turkey, they decided to share the Word of God with people in Bithynia, which is now northern Turkey facing the Black Sea,

“But the Spirit of God would not allow them to.” Acts 16:7

We are not told how the Lord steered them away from continuing to evangelise Turkey. Perhaps the opposition was so strong that it became clear that they should not continue working there, Paul was often forced to move on because of such animosity. Perhaps one of them had a dream or vision or it may have been just an inner sense about what God wanted his people to do. It is clear that we are not meant to derive a pattern for guidance from this passage.

Jesus had given his followers the agenda God he had for his church,

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Jesus had not then retreated into heaven and left his people to this work on their own. He remains intimately involved and is all controlling.

God still directs his people today. David Livingstone, the African explorer who was really a missionary, originally tried to go to China but God sent him to Africa instead. William Carey planned to go to the Polynesian islands in the South Pacific but God took him to India. Gladys Aylward was a maid in London but God took her to China. I thought I would always be a surgeon but he took me to be a Bible teacher and church planter. We do our best, acting on what we know but the Lord still controls what happens.

In an atheistic world view everything is up to us. There is no doubt that God particularly uses those who are trying to live for him. Just as it is difficult to direct a bicycle that is not moving forwards, or steer a car that is not moving, so it seems that the Lord seldom leads those who are not intent to live for him. Paul certainly was desirous to live actively for the Lord Jesus. The team then came to Troas, the ancient city of Troy, which lies opposite Europe. There,

“Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him,’Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Acts 16:9

Here is Paul, uncertain where to go to and he has this vision. There have been some who advocate that Christians should do nothing until the Lord makes it supernaturally clear what he wants them to do. It can sound so spiritual to say, ‘The Lord told me to . . .’ but those speaking like this usually mean they had a good idea and they verbalise this in such a way as to appear particularly close to God! Beware such people. Even in the book of Acts, which covers thirty years of active mission there were only a few guiding visions. It was much more normal, when decisions had to be made, for the Christians to read the circumstances and combine these with the convictions that come from the Bible. This is then discussed with wise Christians and a decision is made, all the time knowing that God can change our plans if he so wishes. You don’t often read of visiting angels coming after days of prayer or a long time of worship. They knew what God wanted his people to aim for and they made decisions based on this, knowing that God can intervene if he has other plans. He, after all, is ‘the king we serve’.

Even for a decisive man like Paul, the vision was not binding. They discussed its significance together and together they made a decision. One problem can arise if those we discuss such issues with are not really focussed on extending God’s kingdom. It is easy to tell what motivates people by seeing if what they do is geared to winning people for Christ and whether they actually bring people to hear the gospel.

“After Paul had seen the vision, we got up at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10

This small band of men were all gospel focussed and they made a corporate decision about what God wanted them to do. The Lord could always step in and change things if they had got it wrong.

An excellent book on how to make the right decisions is Kevin de Young’s ‘Just Do Something’. Passivity is not what God wants to see in his people. There is too much ‘Waiting for Goddo’ in many churches. We have been told ‘Go’ and our response should be ‘So we . . .’. Jesus has told us,

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23

God does not want Christians to amble along, singing to him once a week. He wants to see people who are intentionally gospel led all the time.

‘Captain Corelli's Mandolin’ is a 2001 war film based on the book by Louis de Bernières. The film pays homage to the thousands of Italian soldiers executed at the Massacre of the Acqui Division by German forces in Cephalonia in September 1943. In one scene a soldier, who has been condemned to die, complains to his officer,

“Its not fair, I have done nothing.”

The reply was clear,

“If you have done nothing, you deserve to die.”

Help needed

Today when people hear of appeals from people in other countries for our help, they immediately think of famine relief with food parcels or digging wells or health care. This small band had no doubt about what the Macedonians really needed, they had to be to be taught about Jesus.

“. . . concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10

This remains man’s greatest need. Everyone will die and we will then come face to face with God in judgment. What a disaster it will be for those if they have not heard of the grace and love of God that Jesus revealed.

The task is massive but help is given

They cross to Europe and travel to the main city of the area, Philippi, which was a Roman colony. The city was very Roman and must have been somewhat intimidating. The world view of Rome was that they controlled everything, their gods reflected the human appetites of people. This little band had arrived to take on the might of Rome with the gospel, but they knew that the Lord was with them. In their search for any who might be interested in hearing the gospel they discovered that there was no Jewish synagogue but heard that every Sabbath a group met to pray by the river that runs just outside the city gate. They went there and did find a small meeting but those present were only women! That made no difference to Paul and Silas,

“We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.” Acts 16:13

We are not told what they spoke about but it must have been the same message about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins through faith in him. We are only told of one woman who responded,

“One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Acts 16:14

Purple cloth was worn by royalty so it is likely she was well connected in that Roman city. Luke makes a poignant point about God’s sovereignty. He clearly distinguishes our task, to speak about him, and our need to rest on God for results; it is God’s prerogative to give people his Spirit. So much gospel work stresses how we do things. Some think, ‘If only the evangelist was funnier or more emotional in the way he speaks then perhaps more would happen’. Such gifts may help draw people to come and listen but they will never change people’s hearts.

“We sat down and began to speak . . . The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”

The translation ‘to respond’ is rather weak. She wasn’t just ‘interested’, she was hooked by the gospel. The same Greek word is used in the book of Titus and there it is translated as ‘addicted to’ and in that case it was to wine. Lydia’sresponse soon became clear,

“When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home.” Acts 16:15

That is always the response God wants. When we hear the word of God and the forgiveness he offers he urges us to accept it wholeheartedly and align ourselves publicly with him and his people. The fact that her whole household joined her implies that she ensured that they heard this message too. This new commitment had social consequences too.

“‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.” Acts 16:15

Christian conversion should result in a real involvement with others in God’s church. If this doesn’t happen we should ask ourselves,’Am I really a believer in the Lord, am I right with God, am I saved?’

What is very interesting is where Lydia came from - Thyatira. This was in the area called Asia that Paul had been prevented form going to. We do know that within the next twenty years churches were established in all the major cities there, including Thyatira, as they are mentioned in John’s book of Revelation, chapters 2-3. The Lord knew what he was doing in taking Paul, Silas and Timothy to Macedonia. He had people there who were going to be saved and go on to spread the gospel.

It is obvious that Lydia had received a new heart and had new priorities. The prophet Ezekiel had foreseen that this would happen,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 36:26

Christian conversion is always God’s work. A time comes when we know the one true God is calling us to be his people and we open our hearts to him. We were all spiritually dead and hopeless until God wakes us up and calls us to respond to him.

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient . . . But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace that you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:1-5

Our task

Paul and his small group faced massive problems but they persevered. They were given real excitements as they saw God at work in people’s lives when they had simply passed on God’s message. Paul, shortly before his execution reminded Timothy, that the priority of the church never changes. He passed on this urgent charge,

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: ‘Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine . . .” 2 Timothy 4:1-3

The role of every Christian is to ensure that those around them somehow hear the word of God. They may simply be inviters and supporters, they should be able to explain what has happened to them, they may learn how to explain the gospel to friends or family and a few may become preachers, but all true Christians will have a heart for this gospel sharing ministry. What a disaster it is when churches close their doors to outsiders by their notices, their rules and behaviour, their dress, their rituals, and the way they talk to outsiders. As one non-Christian told me this week,

“What is needed is for someone to sit down and explain the Christian message to us in words we can understand. That’s what I need.”

BVP September 2022