Preached by Gregory W. Lee
24 June 2006
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 16
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- one of the songs that seems to hold a sacred place in the worship life of our churches is "The Church in the Wildwood"
-- I think we're all familiar with this song that tells about the little church in the valley in the wildwood -- the writer tells about how the bells from that church ring out on Sunday mornings -- calling to the saved and unsaved alike -- and beckoning them to come to the Lord -- announcing to them that this little brown church in the vale carried within it a message larger than itself -- the good news of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
-- perhaps it is the memory of his encounter with the risen Lord in a similar setting that caused the writer to pen these words, "no place is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale"
-- at homecoming one year, we learned of the inspiration of this song to the writer, Dr. William S. Pitts -- as you probably remember, Dr. Pitts was in the process of moving to Iowa -- and as he traveled through this country in about 1857, he came on a spot that overlooked this little valley in the middle of -- what was then -- frontier land
-- as the sun danced on the leaves of the trees and as the wind whispered through the trees, it struck him that this site was the ideal place for a church -- and in his mind's eyes he envisioned a little brown church sitting in that very location and composed the words to this familiar old hymn
-- as I thought about Dr. Pitts explanation of how he was inspired to write this song, it struck me this week that as he gazed across this valley, he was responding with his heart to the call of the Lord -- you see, it has always been the will of God for His word to go forth into places where it could touch the hearts and lives of others -- it has always been the will of God for His people to carry the good news of Christ to people who were living in wilderness areas -- whether it is the wilderness of a new frontier, like Iowa in 1857, or the wilderness of an unbelieving heart in the middle of a city in the United States today
-- in this passage in the book of Acts, we see a clear example of how God called Paul to the wilderness of Europe in order to proclaim the good news of the gospel to the people there
II. Witnessing in the Wilderness
-- look back at verse 6
6. Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
-- as this passage opens up, Paul and Silas and his other companions had been traveling throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia -- preaching the gospel and establishing churches in that region -- now Paul was not called to be a pastor -- he was called to be a missionary -- to go forth into the wilderness, carrying the good news of the risen Christ -- so, once the fledgling churches were established and growing and strengthened by his ministry with them, Paul cast an eye out for the next place he could go in his ministry
-- immediately south of Galatia was the province of Asia, with its capital city Ephesus -- this was a heavily populated area in his day and was the center of Greek culture -- Paul obviously felt this was to be his next mission field -- so he headed off in that direction
-- but we are told that the Holy Spirit kept him from preaching the word of God in Asia -- God clearly told Paul that he was not to go south -- so, having come from the east and not being able to go south, he headed north, towards the province of Bithynia along the Black Sea -- there was a large population in this area and a heavy concentration of Jews as well -- if he couldn't go to Asia, surely God intended for him to go to Bithynia
-- but once again, the Spirit of God spoke to him and would not allow him to enter Bithynia -- he had come from the east -- he tried to go south -- he tried to go north -- but God said "no" each time -- the only other option was for him to go west, and west he went, skirting Asia and Mysia until he reached the port city of Troas
-- As I was reading this, I wondered how many times we were faced with a similar situation as that of Paul -- Paul had great plans for ministry -- he was going to go to these great population centers and preach the gospel and see lots of people come to Christ
-- I think a lot of times we are like Paul -- I think we come up with great ideas for ministry -- maybe we hear about an idea another church has implemented with good results and we think we can do the same -- or maybe it's an idea that comes from the current hot book that everyone's reading -- regardless, a lot of times we come up with great ideas for ministry that are sure to work -- the only problem is, they are not God's plan for us
-- Going into Asia and Bithynia was not God's plan for Paul -- Paul surely would have been successful in these places and many people would have come to Christ, but God had other plans for him -- God said "No" and Paul listened
-- the question for us is, "When God tells us 'No,' do we listen, or do we press on with our own plans for ministry and do them in our own power?"
-- Paul was seeking God's will -- God's plan for his ministry -- through the leading of the Holy Spirit -- when the Spirit said "No," Paul didn't go -- he didn't complain or try to find the reason why God wouldn't let him go to Asia or Bithynia -- instead, we find Paul waiting and listening for the moment when the Holy Spirit would say "Go" and then -- and only then -- would he move -- Terry Tekyll calls this being "Presence Driven" -- being guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit instead of our own ideas and our own plans
-- one thing is certain -- when God tells you "No" to one ministry, then that means that He has plans for you that are greater than you can ever imagine -- when God says "No" it means that He has even greater things in store for your life and for your ministry
-- after having his plans for ministry rejected twice by God, Paul obviously was going to need a clear prompting from the Holy Spirit before he went anywhere else -- and it was then, as he was sitting in Troas at the border of Asia on the Aegean Sea, that Paul sought the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit -- and God responded by giving him a vision that was to direct him in his next steps
-- verse 9
9. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
-- in this vision from God, Paul sees a man from Macedonia begging him to come and help them -- as John Wesley put it, to help them "against Satan, against ignorance, and against sin" -- the man from Macedonia didn't know what they needed -- they didn't have a conscious desire for the gospel -- but they knew they needed help from someone greater than themselves to bring them out of their hopeless situation and bondage to sin and death
-- while it is probable that this was an angel who was appearing to Paul in the garb of a Macedonian, it does point out the fact that we can sometimes discern the will of God from the call of man -- God speaks to us and directs our path through various means -- through His Word -- through prayer -- through circumstances -- and through the church
-- as we are seeking God's will and direction for us, we need to be listening for His voice speaking to us from these various sources -- it might just be today that God puts a man from Macedonia in our midst to call us to action -- it might just be today that God speaks to us and calls us to go forth in His name and start a new ministry that we never envisioned
-- notice something else important in this next verse -- verse 10
10. After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
-- after God gave Paul this vision, he shared it with his companions and they "concluded" that God was calling them to go to Macedonia to preach the gospel -- we are told in the Scriptures to "test the spirits" to see if they are from God or not -- and Paul, when he received this vision, did not accept it blindly but put it forth to his companions to see if they confirmed it as the Word of God to them or not
-- when God is getting ready to call this church into a new ministry, He may give the vision to only one person at first -- but before we step forward into a new ministry, we need to first confirm it is from God, just as Paul and his companions did with the vision that he received -- and, if it is truly from God, then the rest of the church will receive confirmation from God that the church is being called to go out and join God in this ministry
-- we need to be open to hearing from God and not being afraid to go forth in a new direction that we have never been before -- as Eugene Peterson said, "It is God's nature to seek us out and draw us into participation with what He is doing" -- Henry Blackaby said a similar thing in the Bible study, "Experiencing God" -- Blackaby taught that "God is always at work around you, and He invites you to join where He is working" -- the vision of the man from Macedonia that Paul received from God was an invitation for Paul and his companions to join God in His work in Europe
-- verse 11
11. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
-- immediately after they were certain that this was a prompting from the Holy Spirit, Paul and his companions headed for Philippi and began to share the gospel of Christ with all those residing in the wilderness in that place
-- it was during this trip to Macedonia that new churches were started in Philippi and in Thessalonica -- churches that went on to impact the world with the good news of Jesus
-- because of a vision that stirred his soul, Paul went to where the people were that God wanted him to touch, even though this was not his plan -- he went into Macedonia as God commanded, and the world was never the same again
III. Closing
-- I began this message this morning by reflecting on the story of how the great hymn, "The Church in the Wildwood" was inspired -- as a result of the vision by Dr. Pitts of a church in this wilderness valley, a church was built on that very spot and the good news of Jesus Christ began to be proclaimed in the wilderness -- because of a vision by Dr. Pitts, hearts were touched and lives were changed through the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
-- now think for a moment about this church -- this church is here in this place because someone had a vision -- a vision that the people in this community needed a place where they could hear the gospel of Christ -- a place where they could come to find help -- to find forgiveness of sins -- to find eternal life through Christ
-- the vision that built this church is no less valid today than it was when it was first given by God -- we are here for a reason -- we are here for a purpose -- we are here to respond to the people around us who are calling out to us for help and to fulfill the vision that God gave to those who built this church in the first place
-- God does not want us to merely sit here in these walls and wait for them to come to us -- but He wants us to go forth into the wilderness around this church -- the wilderness of hearts -- the wilderness of lives -- in the community that surrounds us and to help them by sharing with them the love of Christ
-- last night I saw a promo for a new t.v. show that caught my attention -- as I listened to it I thought, "That's it -- that's who we are -- that's who God has called us to be"
-- here's what it said, "Some people are born to be extraordinary -- they thought they were like eveyone else -- until they woke with incredible abilities -- this show chronicles the lives of extraordinary men and women -- people whose destiny just might be saving humankind"
-- that is God's vision for us and that is our calling this morning -- to not be ordinary but to be extraordinary people for Him -- people willing to listen to His call to go forth into the wilderness -- people willing to carry a message of salvation to those around them -- no matter the cost -- people like the Apostle Paul, who didn't hesitate to stop when God said "No" and who moved when God said "Go" -- people like you
-- as I close, let me ask you a question, "Who is calling out to you this morning for help? Who is our man from Macedonia? What extraordinary ministry is God calling us to begin?" -- will you be faithful to the vision that God has given us? -- will you commit to going where the people are and telling them about Jesus?
-- if so, then I'm going to ask you to pray a prayer of commitment to God right now as we close this service -- let us pray
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