2023-01-01 The Start of Something Big

THE START OF SOMETHING BIG (Acts 16:11-15) January 1, 2023 Read Acts 16:11-15 - This is "The Start of Something Big" bc here is the 1st convert to Xnty in Wester Civ. And God's sovereignty is all over this event. God has directed P&S to Europe. And the very first convert there is Lydia - a woman. What is the message? Inclusiveness. The gospel of JC knows no ethnic, geographical, gender, political or class barriers. It is for everyone. A few years ago some historians were asked why against all odds, Xnty came to define western culture. They noted first of all that Xns died well. Rather than wipe it out, persecution fueled Xn growth. As Tertullian said around AD 200, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." But 2nd, the scholars noted, Xns were inclusive. Until that time religion was localized. Not Xnty. It's for everyone. It is for the worst of the worst as well as for the best of the best. So, as the gospel invades Europe for the first time, let's see how God's sovereignty works with human choice to bring salvation. I. Obedient Messengers A few weeks ago we saw God funnel P&S to Troas. Then, 11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis." Neapolis Philippi's seaport, 120 miles across the Aegean from Troas. From there, P&S went 10 miles north to Philippi. Luke may have attended medical school there. It was named after Philip II of Macedon (Alex's father). When Octavian (Caesar Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated Caesar's assassins, Brutus and Cassius, in AD 42, the city was made a Roman colony with special privileges (like self-government, lowered taxes, landownership) and Roman citizenship --- highly prized and playing a part in our story later. It was a fertile region with active gold mines -- known as "Little Rome" in that district. The Greco-Roman orientation of the city is shown by the fact that 80% of the inscriptions found from the period in Philippi are in Latin as compared to only 40% in another Roman colony - Pisidian Antioch. Jewish influence appears to have been minimal. The critical point here is that had P&S not gotten to Philippi, the gospel would never have come to Europe: Rom 10: 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" . . . 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." Pretty clear, isn't it? People come to faith by hearing the gospel from others who know it. Faith begins with obedient messengers bringing the Word to places it has not yet penetrated. Prior to Paul, Lydia was "a worshiper of God" (14). She revered Yahweh, but was not a Jewish proselyte. Yet she knew nothing of Jesus and His atoning death! But as her heart reaches out to God, God re-directs the greatest evangelist of his time to her very doorstep. And Paul obeys. It's God orchestrating but using faithful messengers. Faithfulness to God's call may take us to the far corners - or it may take us next door. Either way the privilege of being partners with God is priceless! For Lee Strobel it was a fellow-worker. After accepting Christ, Lee invited the guy to Easter service. The guy said he was an atheist, but Strobel said, "I know, but we could celebrate Jesus' resurrection together." The guy said, "Jesus never rose from the dead?" So Strobel, fresh off a two-year study on the subject said, "Well, actually, there is some pretty good evidence that He did." The guy showed blew him off, and Strobel continued to pray for him. Years later, at a conference, a man approached and said, "I want to thank you for the spiritual influence you had in my life." Strobel said, "Fine, but who are you?" Turned out he was a floor-tiler. He said, "One day, near Easter, I was in an office next door to where you invited this guy to church and gave him evidence for the resurrection. He didn't give a rip. But on my hands and knees next door I was thinking, 'I need God.' Next Sunday I took my family to church and we all came to faith in Christ." The moral -- you never know how God will use your message, but we can be sure He'll reward obedience. II. Open Hearts Paul's pattern was to go to the synagogue, preaching to Jews first everywhere he went. But not here. Why? Bc there was no synagogue. Maybe the community was small, or maybe they'd been banished. In AD 49 Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. Perhaps "Little Rome" followed suit. But Paul heard of some women who met on the Sabbath beside the Gangites (Gang-ites) River to pray, read and discuss the OT. As a traveling rabbi, he was warmly welcomed. Then, 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." Purple was royal and rare. Purple dye came from the secretion of shellfish (molluscs), and it took 8,000 of them to produce one gram of the purple dye, so purple goods were extremely expensive. That was Lydia's business. She came from Thyatira, famed for producing the purple dye. Now she operated from Philippi and her large home indicates wealth. So, there she is - knowing Yahweh, but knowing nothing of Jesus the Messiah. Paul had been sent by God to fill that gap. Even this first step away from paganism was prompted by God. Rom 3:11: "No one understands; no one seeks God." God turned her heart toward Himself when she first heard about Him. Now, as Paul completed the story of redemption by identifying Jesus as the Messiah and Redeemer who died and rose again to pay for her sin, the Lord completed this work of faith. 14) "The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul." Paul didn't open Lydia's heart; Lydia didn't open her own heart. God opened her heart. Salvation is of the Lord! The Bible drives this truth home time after time. Acts 13:48: "And when the Gentiles [in Pisidian Antioch] heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed." Appointed by whom? By God, of course. No one comes to Christ except God calls them. Jesus Himself says in Jn 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." Those outside of Christ are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1). Dead - unable to respond until and unless God breathes new, spiritual life into that person as He did with Lydia. But tho God opened her heart, Lydia still had to "pay attention to what was said by Paul." God's sovereignty and human responsibility are so often set like this, side by side, without explanation. And while we can do nothing about His work, we can choose for or against Him. Jesus persistently said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Lu 8:8). As God opens your heart; you must respond. His sovereignty is enacted through our response to His grace. To respond means to repent and believe. We move out of the driver's seat so He can move in. This Lydia did. She repented and believed. So must we all. Spurgeon put it, "You and your sins must separate, or you and your God will never come together." Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin. Inseparable. We know God chose us the minute we choose Him. III. Overturned Lives Saving faith is a commitment made in a moment, then lived out over a lifetime. It's fruitful. We see this reflected in two ways in Lydia. A. In Baptism - Lydia's faith was followed by baptism - no doubt in the Gangites River. And her household (servants and any family) with her. What a celebration! The baptism didn't save her. But it was a first act of obedience to a new master who instructed His disciples that they were to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the HS" (Mt 28:19). They do that all the way thru Acts. Resurrection was at the core of their message; baptism was the first means of expressing faith in and identification with the risen Jesus. It happened to 3,000 in one day at Pentecost. In Samaria they believed and "were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12c). The Ethiopian eunuch believed and was baptized (8:38). After the Damascus Road, Paul believed and "was baptized" (9:18). At Cornelius house, after the HS fell, Peter "commanded them to be baptized" (10:48). The Philippian jailer "was baptized at once" (16:33). The Corinthians "hearing Paul believed and were baptized" (18:8). OT believers in Ephesus, on hearing of Christ "were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (19:5). How did all of these know to be baptized when they came to faith? Bc it was an integral part of the apostles' messages -- doing exactly what Jesus commanded - making disciples and baptizing them. It was consistently the first act of obedience of a changed life. Baptism is a wonderful way God's given to show we're following Christ. You say, "I was baptized as a baby." Great. Obviously didn't hurt you! But neither is it the NT pattern. Never instructed and never practiced. Baptism expresses a personal commitment to Christ as Savior and Lord. B. In Benevolence - The 2nd proof of her conversion. 15 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's wealthy. Had a big home with lots of room. She says, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house." - including at least Tim and Luke and maybe others. She was saying, "I'm under new management. All I have is His, and I want to use it for His glory. I want it to be a worship center [which it became - v. 40]." And notice - "she prevailed upon us" - literally, "We had a debate and she won!" So here's Paul; he's an apostle; he's writing the Bible; she's a brand new convert. He's a man; she's a woman - but she wins - immediate fruit of saving faith. "All I have is now His, and I want to put it to work." So, what does our life say about our claim of Christ? Are we real? Does it show in our service? Lydia wasted no time. Billy Graham once said, "No man can be said to be truly converted to Christ who has not bent his will to Christ. He may give intellectual assent to the claims of Christ and may have had emotional religious experiences; however, he is not truly converted until he has surrendered his will to Christ as Lord, Savior, and Master." So, has your world changed since you came to Christ? Are you using the ways He's gifted you to serve? Does anything in your life show you belong to Him? What He asks may look overwhelming, but Jesus promises, "My yoke is easy, and my burden light" (Mt 11:30). Whatever He asks will make life flourish. Conc - Lydia was a good woman, but not good enough. She needed a Savior. Such a hard realization for most to reach. Perhaps for you. It was for Derwin Gray. He made the all-time FB team at BYU. Got the girl, got the job with the Colts in mid-90's, had the world by the tail, just like Lydia. But on the Colts, he met a guy he derisively thought of as the Naked Preacher - linebacker Steve Grant who would come from the shower, wrap up in a towel, pick up and his Bible and ask those in the room, "Do you know Jesus?" Derwin didn't want anything to do with Jesus, but one day the Naked Preacher came to his locker and said, "Rookie D. Gray, do you know Jesus?" Derwin pretended not to hear him, but he repeated the question. Derwin says, "I was not a churchgoer, but I gave what I thought was a very religious answer: 'I'm a good person.'" He was the only man in his family who hadn't been to jail, didn't have a drug problem, who'd graduated college and didn't have a child outside of marriage. He was a good guy. But the Naked Preacher shared two verses: "No one is good except God" (Mark 10:18), and "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Derwin said, "Naked man, you are telling me that my moral comparison is to God and not other people?" He said, "Exactly." Derwin replied, "But God is perfect. How can I be perfect?" The Naked Preacher assured him he couldn't - but while he could not reach God, God had reached him by sending His own Son to be perfect for him, to die for him so his sins, and to give him Jesus' perfection - not by working for it, but by repenting his sin and asking for it. And before long, that is exactly what he did. So have you accepted Jesus? The standard isn't other people. The standard is God; fortunately, the answer is also God in the person of Christ. Let's pray. 7