Hear my cry, O God...

Come Over and Help Us

(Acts 16:6-15, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 7, 2012)

[6] And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia,

Paul and Silas together with Timothy were on a kingdom adventure. The specific kingdom that they were proclaiming was the kingdom of God, this same kingdom that Jesus came preaching and teaching in Galilee decades before. They were visiting the churches that had already been established in southern Galatia. But where would they go after they had done what they felt the Lord had for them to do in the towns where they were known? Where would they go next?

having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. [7] And when they had come up to 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.

Their own judgment was to continue to move west and south into the large province that was called Asia, which included cities like Ephesus and Thyatira. But they came to see that this was not God's plan at least not right at that moment. How did they know that? We are not specifically told. All we know is that they were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word in Asia.”

Their next plan was to turn to the north, and to enter the province of Bithynia which was on the Black Sea. Once again, this was not God's plan. “The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” Was it God's providence that convinced them of this? Was it some direct revelation? We do not know. All we know is that they had their plans, but God overruled them. They, with all good intentions, wanted to go to the south. Then they wanted to go north. The Lord kept them going west. They passed by Mysia, which was the northern region of Asia bordering the southern part of Bithynia.

Finally they came to Troas and the sea. It appeared that they were out of land. They had gone west. Suddenly there was no more west left, or so they thought.

[9] And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” [10] And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.“Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul had a vision in the night of a man of Macedonia, that is northern Greece. God had closed the door to Asia in the south. Then God closed the door to Bithynia in the north. Just when they thought that there was no place else to go, the Lord called them over the sea.

He did that by impressing upon Paul the plight of a Macedonian man. Here in a night vision from the Lord was the call of one who needed help. Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke, and the team that traveled with them had the message of help that was needed for that man. Would anyone go there? God was opening up an unexpected door. The help that was needed in Macedonia was the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ. Notice the conclusion that this team reached was not just Paul's conclusion. “We” sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called “us” to preach the gospel to them. Did they delay? Not at all. Once it was clear to them that this was God's call, they began “immediately” to seek the open door that He would provide.

We ask for wisdom, the knowledge and will to do what is right, and we can expect to receive. We seek first the kingdom of God, and we find the King of the kingdom, and His heart of love for us and others. If we ask and we receive, if we seek and we find, then we can count on the fact that we will begin to knock and the door will be opened. Jesus died to establish a kingdom that will never fail. He is the Lord of that kingdom. When we become convinced together that He is calling us forward in love, we should knock, and He will open the right door.

Have you been told “No” by some providence and wondered where God is and what He has for you? Could it be that the “No” is part of a much larger “Yes?” Could that “No” open up unexpected pathways of service and love? Perhaps today is the day to hear the call of the one who is in need, to knock on the right door, and to find that the door is opened to you?

[11] So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, [12] and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. [13] And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

Paul and his band were in this together. This was not just a burning in the heart of one man. His own sense of call was first to the south and then to the north. Jesus and the Holy Spirit said “no.” Then the call came from over the sea to the west, and everyone knew that it had to be followed. The pillar of fire, the divine glory cloud, had picked Himself up and was moving across the sea to northern Greece. It was time for the ambassadors of Jesus Christ to go forth.

They went on a boat to the Island of Samothrace in between Turkey and Greece and then arrived in the port city of Neapolis on the Macedonian coast. The neighboring city was Philippi. The next Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, they went to the riverside and found a place of prayer where some women began to gather. And these men did what God had called them to do. They spoke.

[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. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. [15] And after she was baptized, and her household as well, 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.

Very soon there was a new place of Christian worship in the home of a businesswoman named Lydia. Interesting that she was not from Macedonia, but from a city right in the middle of Asia, that region where Paul had originally intended to go. She was a worshiper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to the message of Jesus as Paul spoke. She and her whole household in Philippi were baptized, and her house became a center of Christian mission in this leading city in Macedonia. Who could have predicted that?

We need wisdom from God in order to know how to follow Jesus. We cannot assume that our eager longings are the pinnacle of that needed wisdom. If the Lord is leading we should expect that others among His people will be able to bring some light concerning the right way to go. The Lord needs to reveal His plan, but we cannot assume that it is His plan just because one person or even one church or denomination is sure of that plan.

Do not despair about doors that may seem closed today. The Lord has His ways of answering prayers that we may have even forgotten about. Ask for wisdom. Seek His heart of love that is at the center of the kingdom. When He shows you and the churches what to do and fills us with a love that must be shared, knock and trust that the door will be opened by the Lion of Judah.

1. How did Paul and his companions determine to go to Macedonia?

2. What did they do when they arrived?

3. What do we know about Lydia?

4. How is a church to understand whether or not it is moving in the right direction?

OT Passage: Genesis 49:8-12, 22-26