Naylor Community Christian Church
9 August 2026
I. INTRODUCTION
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 15:36-41
Acts
15:36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the
believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how
they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in
Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp
disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for
Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the
grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the
churches.
--
one thing I have learned over the last several years is that you cannot do this
Christian life alone – we were never intended to – Jesus meant for us to have
someone to walk with us on His path, because we cannot walk it alone
--
we need others in our lives – we need people to help us get by – we need one
another if we are to be who God has called us to be – and if we are to live the
abundant and full lives that Jesus calls us to here on the earth today
--
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 makes this clear -- “Two are better than one, because
they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can
help the other up -- But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
-- Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm -- But how can one keep
warm alone? -- Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. -- A
cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
--
as we move forward in our study in the Book of Acts, this is going to be one of
the two major themes in today’s message – the Bible tells us to never fight
alone – to never travel alone – and in today’s passage we will see how the Holy
Spirit moves in the life of His people to put alongside them the companions
they need at that moment to live their lives to the full and to do what He is
calling them to do
--
God continues to do the same in our lives today
--
a couple of years ago, the movie Jesus Revolution -- based on Greg Laurie’s
autobiography – was released in theaters – it tells the story of Calvary Chapel
in California and how the Holy Spirit moved to revive a dying church
--
in 1968, pastor Chuck Smith finally accepted the truth that his church, Calvary
Chapel, was dying – it was filled with mostly older congregants – the younger
generations were not coming – and they seldom had visitors – they were living
in the past and the church was dropping in numbers every year
--
Chuck prayed about the situation – he prayed for revival – he prayed for a move
of the Spirit – and God heard his prayers and answered them in the most
unlikely manner – God sent Chuck someone to help – someone who could walk
alongside him and help revive the church by reaching younger people and
bringing new life to the dying congregation
--
Chuck’s daughter Janette was driving through south California when she saw a
hitchhiker along the road – she felt led to pick him up – he got in the car and
introduced himself as Lonnie Frisbee – and he told her he was traveling around
to tell people about Jesus
--
Janette brought Lonnie home to introduce him to Chuck, who was not altogether
excited to meet one of the younger, live-free hippies who were present in
California at the time – but Lonnie impressed him with his earnestness – with
his faith – with his excitement about Jesus – something that Chuck had lost
over the years
--
Lonnie showed up at Calvary Chapel that next Sunday, with a handful of his
friends – many in the church were not happy about their presence – and many
left – but Lonnie and his friends continued coming – even forming a band to
play modern praise music – which led to even more young people coming
--
soon, Calvary Chapel was overflowing with life and the pews were filled for the
first time in years – many people came to receive Jesus as their Lord and
Savior – including Greg Laurie and his soon-to-be wife Cathe – so many people
were coming, that Chuck began baptizing people in the ocean in mass services –
and the church grew so large, that services eventually had to move outside
under a large tent [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Revolution]
--
all of this happened because one person saw the need and prayed for help – and
God sent a companion to join him in his ministry
--
that is what we see here in this section of the Book of Acts – as God moves
Paul to various places and brings people into his life who will join him in
continuing to take the good news of Jesus beyond Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria
to the ends of the earth
II. The Holy Spirit Sends Helpers
-- let’s turn together now to this
passage and see what message the Lord may have for us here in the example of
Paul, as he begins his second missionary journey
-- Acts 15:36-39
Acts
15:36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the
believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how
they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in
Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp
disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus
-- just to remind you of where we
are in this story of the Spirit creating and empowering the church of Christ on
earth, the Jerusalem Council has just met and unanimously agreed that salvation
is by grace through faith in Jesus
--
nothing else is required – not circumcision – not works – not the Law – not
converting to Judaism – Christianity is not Jesus plus anything – it is solely
Jesus
--
the Council had sent Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with their decision,
carrying a letter with the four directives for the Gentile believers that we
looked at last week -- abstaining from food polluted by idols – abstaining from
sexual immorality – not eating the meat of strangled animals – and not drinking
or eating blood
--
these four things were not identified as requirements for salvation, but as concessions
that the Gentiles were to make to avoid insulting the Jews in their community
of faith – things that could be a stumbling block for Jewish believers and that
could harm the unity in the church
--
Paul and Barnabas brought the message back from Jerusalem, along with Silas and
some other believers from Jerusalem – and for a long period, they continued to
teach and preach in Antioch and to participate in the life of the church there
--
but after some time, we read here that Paul went to Barnabas with the idea of
going back to the towns that they had visited on their first missionary journey
in order to see how the churches were doing – this passage occurs around 50-51
AD, so it’s been about five years since Paul and Barnabas had made their
earlier trip
--
Barnabas liked the idea, but he insisted that his nephew John Mark go with them
– and Paul could not agree – Mark had abandoned them on their first trip, and
Paul didn’t want to take him with them for fear he would leave them again
--
they had a sharp disagreement about Mark – to the point where the pair split up
and decided they would not travel together – Barnabas took Mark and left for
Cyprus, following the original journey he and Paul had taken
--
but that left Paul alone – with no one to go with him on his journey to revisit
the churches he and Barnabas had founded
--
verse 40-41
Acts 15:40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by
the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia,
strengthening the churches.
--
Paul needed a companion – the Spirit knew that Paul could not do this alone,
just like none of us can do this Christian life alone
--
so, the Spirit called Silas to Paul’s attention – Silas had been living in
Antioch since the Jerusalem Council – and was obviously known to all there as a
faithful man of God
--
we read here that Paul “chose” Silas and left – I think the better way of
describing this is that the Spirit chose Silas and led Paul to receive him as a
companion on his journey
--
the Spirit will always put in our path the person or the people that we need at
that time – and, He will remove people from our lives if there is a reason –
Paul and Barnabas split because of their disagreement about John Mark – and
although the Spirit would not have supported division in the church, He allowed
Barnabas and Paul to separate, for this would magnify their missionary efforts
– and allow the gospel to spread at a greater pace than it would have if Paul
and Barnabas remained together
--
Acts 16:1-5
Acts16:1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where
a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but
whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of
him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him
because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father
was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions
reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So
the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
--
evidently, since Barnabas and Mark sailed west out of Antioch to Cyprus, Paul
decided that he should travel north by land to visit the churches he had
previously founded
--
Paul and Silas left Antioch and traveled up to Tarsus in the Roman province of
Cilicia, Paul’s hometown – Tarsus is where Paul had retreated to after his
conversion experience on the Road to Damascus – and it was here that Barnabas
first found him and brought him back to Antioch to become part of the church
there
--
Paul and Silas left Tarsus and traveled on to Derbe and Lystra – it was there
that the Spirit put another companion in Paul’s path – the disciple Timothy –
who would become a major helper of Paul in growing and maturing the church
throughout the Roman Empire
--
all the believers in the church in Lystra spoke well about Timothy – and Paul
was evidently impressed by his faith and dedication to the Lord, even though he
was a young man at the time – probably in his teens
--
the Spirit moved Paul to take Timothy along with him on the rest of his
missionary journeys, and he would serve and help Paul throughout the rest of
Paul’s ministry on earth
--
the main point I want you to see in this section of the Book of Acts is how the
Holy Spirit calls and places people in our paths when we need their help or
when they need our help
--
several years ago, Kim had to attend a veterinary conference in Orlando, and
Brooke and I went along – we went down there in a little Toyota truck – it was
the most dependable vehicle we had – but it broke down along the way
--
it was late at night – our lights kept getting dimmer – apparently, the
alternator had gone out – we called my uncle who lived in central Florida to
come and help us – there wasn’t much he could do that late at night, but he
charged up our battery to the point we could make it into Orlando
--
we had to buy another battery at an all-night Walmart, but we made it into the
town and were there in time for Kim’s conference
--
while she was at the conference, I went to an auto parts place and bought an
alternator and tools to replace it – and in the parking lot of the motel, I
started my project – it was easy to get to the alternator and remove the bolts
– but I could not get the alternator out of that engine – the way they had
built the truck around the engine, there was no way to get it out
--
I struggled with that alternator for hours, and could not get it to move out of
its location so I could put the new one on – when you do a project like this in
a public place, you attract attention – and several people stopped by to see
what I was doing – each of them tried to help, but none of them could budge the
alternator from its place
--
finally, one guy stopped by and talked with me for a while – we actually shared
a little about Jesus while I was borderline cussing this alternator – he kept
encouraging me and said I could do it – I went inside to grab a couple more
tools, and when I walked back out, the alternator was sitting on top of the
fender
--
I looked at the alternator – I looked at him – and he said, “I just figured it
out” – and then he walked off
--
I put the new alternator on and we were back in business
--
I have no doubt that God sent that man to me at that very moment so that I
could get the alternator replaced – he may have been an angel – I don’t know –
but it’s proof of what we see here – God puts people in our path to help us
when we need it – and for us to help when they need it
--
that’s why – if you think about your life – you’ll realize that many people have
walked into and out of your life over the years – they have done so for a
variety of reasons – there are many people that I have walked with in life that
I never see or hear from today – but God has brought many others into my life
during that same period
--
the lesson here is the same one that Chuck Smith discovered at Calvary Chapel –
the same one we see explicitly given to us in this passage concerning Paul and
Barnabas and Silas
--
we can’t hold on to the past or to past companions if they are not meant to be
part of our life in the present – sometimes, holding onto the past keeps us
from moving forward to where we are supposed to go – Chuck had to let past
congregants go and receive Lonnie and his friends in their place in order to
revive his church and have a lasting impact on California for Christ -- Paul
and Barnabas had to split ways in order to do what God was calling them to do
--
similarly, we need to be open to the people that the Holy Spirit is sending our
way – and we need to receive them into our lives as fellow companions on the
road – just as Barnabas took John Mark and Paul took Silas and Timothy
--
God always puts in our paths the people we need at that very moment
III. Oh, the Places You Will Go
--
there’s one more major companion that God is going to put in Paul’s path in
this chapter, but we’re not going to focus on him – I’ll point him out when we
get there, just as another example of how the Spirit leads us to join with
others at specific moments and for specific purposes
--
that brings us to the other major theme in this chapter – the first major theme
was what we’ve been talking about – how the Holy Spirit moves in the life of
His people to put alongside them the companions they need at that moment to
live their lives to the full and to do what He is calling them to do
--
the second major theme has to do with location – with geography – with the
places that we are supposed to be at that moment
--
we’ll see in the next few sections how the Spirit leads Paul, Silas, and
Timothy to the places He wants them to go, even though the missionaries have
other ideas
--
verse 6-10
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.
-- Paul and his companions,
including Timothy – who is now part of the missionary team – leave Lystra and
continue on their journey – they visit the churches scattered throughout the Roman
highland regions of Phrygia and Galatia – carrying with them the message of
salvation and eternal life through Christ and sharing with them the letter from
James and the Jerusalem Council
-- after reaching Pisidian Antioch,
the northernmost place that Paul and Barnabas had reached, Paul set his sights on
Asia Minor and the populous and influential cities of Colossae, Laodicea, and
Ephesus – certainly, Paul thought, this was where God intended them to go with
the gospel
-- but even though it looked like a
perfect place for ministry, the people there were not ready to receive the
gospel yet – and so, we read that Paul and his companions were kept from
preaching the word in the province of Asia
-- no one knows what happened – how
this move of the Spirit looked – but Paul and his companions were prevented
from going into Asia and visiting the people in the cities of Colossae,
Laodicea, and Ephesus at this time
-- when their plan to go to Asia
failed, Paul became convinced he should go into the region of Bithynia, far to
the north near the Black Sea – but, once again, the Spirit would not allow them
to go there
-- they couldn’t go southwest into
Asia – they couldn’t go north into Bithynia – they concluded the only thing
left for them to do was to continue to follow the road straight to its terminus
in Troas, formally known as Troy
-- it was there that Paul met up
with another famous traveling companion – the good doctor Luke – if you’ll
notice, the pronouns switch once we get to verses 9 and 10 – where before, it
was written – “they came” – “they passed” – now it reads, “we” – for Luke has
joined the missionaries as one of their group
-- perhaps this was part of the
reason why the Spirit kept Paul and Silas from going into Asia and Bithynia –
perhaps they were sent to Troas at that moment to meet Luke and invite him
along on their journey – we don’t know for sure, but this seems to be the
pattern of the Spirit that we see in this passage so far
-- while Paul and his companions
were in Troas, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him
to “come over to Macedonia and help us” – when Paul received this vision, there
was no doubt – the Spirit wanted them to go to Macedonia – and so they got
ready, and the group left for Macedonia to preach the gospel to them
--
Allen Ross points out an interesting parallel from history to what happens to
Paul when he goes to Europe to spread the gospel – he notes that Troas was an
extremely important city in the days of Paul -- it was a modern seaport city
built just a little north of the probable site of ancient Troy
--
originally, Caesar had wanted to build the capital of the Roman Empire there,
but he decided to remain in Rome because of an interesting fact of history –
when Troy fell to the Achaeans, a man by the name of Aeneas escaped the city
and traveled to Italy – where he founded the city of Rome -- for that reason,
the Romans always believed that they were the descendants of Troy – living in
the tradition and heritage of Troy
--
so, the belief that filled the hearts of the Romans was that from Troy one man
went forth and founded their city, and began what turned out to be a vast
empire that ruled the world
--
in a similar vein, we read in this passage that the Spirit gave Paul a vision
that would lead him to Europe and eventually to the city of Rome itself – and
this one man, coming from Troy, would be influential in spreading the good news
of Jesus and building the kingdom of God in Rome and throughout the Roman
Empire – a kingdom that would surpass the Roman Empire and that would last for
all eternity
-- verse 11-15
Acts
16:11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the
next day we went 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.
13
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to
find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had
gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira
named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord
opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of
her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a
believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded
us.
-- Paul was guided by hindrance as
the Holy Spirit stopped him from entering Asia and Bithynia and instead lead
him to Troas and from there to Europe – Dave Guzik notes that the Holy Spirit
often guides us as much by the closing of doors as He does by the opening of
doors
-- when Kim and I were living in
Tennessee, I felt strongly that we were being called to south Georgia to expand
the mission of Bible Study Fellowship – BSF – BSF is an international ministry
that walks people through the Bible in 5-7 years – and both of us had been part
of a BSF group in Tennessee
-- when I was offered the job at
Moody Air Force Base, the first thing we did was try to find a BSF group here
in south Georgia – and there wasn’t one – we talked with the director and he
said that maybe God was calling us to go to Valdosta to start one – and we
pressed on with that mission
-- but door after door closed – we
were blocked by everyone from BSF International to local realtors and churches
who weren’t interested – I couldn’t understand what was going on – but in the
process, God brought a friend back into my life – He put the right person in my
life at the right moment – I don’t even remember how it happened
-- but that led us to go to Morven
United Methodist Church – where I received God’s call into the ministry and
which led me to this very place today
-- sometimes, God leads us by
closing doors – David Livingstone originally wanted to go to China as a
missionary, but God sent him to Africa – William Carey wanted to go to
Polynesia, but God sent him to India – Adoniram Judson went to India, but doors
began closing, and God led him on to Burma
-- Paul wanted to go to Asia and
Bithynia, but the Spirit closed those doors to him at that time – and led him
to Troas and then on to Europe – where the gospel was preached for the first
time through Paul and his companions – it was there in Macedonia that the
evangelization of the Western World began
-- God guides us along the way to
the right place at the right time – our job is to hear His call and to respond
in faith, even if it seems to make no sense
-- which brings us to the man from
Macedonia
IV. Closing
-- God gave Paul a vision of a man
from Macedonia standing and begging him to come over to Macedonia and help us –
as we have learned, this is one way the Spirit leads us in fulfilling the
calling in our lives
-- there is always a man from
Macedonia in our lives – there is always someone, somewhere, who needs help –
as Haddon Robinson wrote in Our Daily Bread, “That man or woman may be
well-educated, or have no education at all. He may drive an expensive car, or
he may be poor and eke out a living ransacking garbage cans. He may live next
door, down the street, or across the sea. He may speak a different language.
But wherever you find him, and whatever his situation, he has one pressing need
-- to know Jesus Christ as his Savior.
--
“Sometimes that need is expressed as a cry for help. At other times it is
veiled in bitter hostility to the Savior and the gospel. Many times his sins
and errors and crimes announce this desperate condition. Yet despite the
thousand different ways he voices that need, the plea is always the same:
"Come over… and help us"
--
this is the ultimate movement from God in our lives – and this is what we see
leading and guiding Paul throughout this passage – from placing in his path the
companions and helpers Paul needed to fulfill the mission God had him on – to
leading him to the very place where Paul was to carry the gospel – closing the
doors to Asia and Bithynia so that Paul might go to Troas and carry the gospel
to Macedonia
--
when God puts people in your path – or puts you in their path – and when He
leads us down particular roads and directs us to specific places – it is all
for His purpose and His will – it is to spread His message of salvation and
eternal life through Jesus – it is to touch the life of someone in need – of
someone who is crying out for help – even if they don’t speak this need with
words
--
so, as we close in prayer, let us ask God to open our eyes and our ears and our
hearts to His call – let us ask Him to put in our lives the people He wants us
to help – and when we see the need, we need to do what He has called us to do –
and let us ask Him to lead us to the places where He wants us to go – so that
His name will be lifted up and His kingdom advanced on earth
--
let us pray
No comments:
Post a Comment