MPC, 21st October 2001.Acts 16 - "What Matters Most?"
Phil Campbell MPC, 21st October 2001.
For the Presbyterian Church in Queensland, this has been a very interesting week. A week in which a group of about 56 ministers and elders and anyone else who had the time and the inclination got together for two days at Mount Tamborine to try to figure out THE ESSENCE of what we're meant to be on about as a denomination.
It's something businesses like to do as well. Get a clear statement of PURPOSE. Boil it down to simple terms everyone can understand. And so a high powered consultant was brought in from Adelaide to steer things. And from 9am Tuesday to dinner time Wednesday, that's what we were doing. Trying to pin down in simple terms the CORE PURPOSE of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland.
And the main problem, like it is anywhere that wants to go through an exercise like that, is that there are all kinds of GOOD THINGS that can go in there. Which means the hard thing is separating the GOOD THINGS from the CENTRAL THING.
We’re going to be looking over the next few weeks at the journies of the Apostle Paul. A section of the book of Acts that runs from chapter 16 to chapter 19. And as we look at Paul's visit to Philippi this morning, can I ask you to watch for some clues as to what PAUL THE APOSTLE sees as his CENTRAL PURPOSE.
Paul and Silas have travelled over 1000 kilometers on foot; they're following the cobblestone Roman roads, which were one of the wonders of the ancient world. But I reckon after 1000 kilometers you'd have pretty sore feet no matter HOW GOOD the roads were. They've picked up TIMOTHY along the way; we're told they skirt around some areas, then hit the West Coast.
Verse 8 says they pass by Mysia and go down to Troas.
And while they're at Troas, Paul has a vision in the night. A vivid dream you can see in verse 9. Have a look. "During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
Macedonia is 200 ks across the Aegean Sea. No small trip. But that's the vision. A Macedonian guy begging for help. And so Paul and his friends weigh up the vision the next day; which is what you're always meant to do with Visions. Think them through. And I want you to notice what they decide. Because it's a good hint as to what they see as their CORE PURPOSE.
Here's where as Christians we can very easily get sidetracked. By losing sight of THE HELP PEOPLE MOST NEED. There are all sorts of helpful things we can do for people. Like build them hospitals and schools. Which the Presbyterian Church has done lots of through the years. There are all sorts of NEEDS IN THE WORLD. Immense needs. And because we want to be so helpful Christians have done things like maybe start up a job centre. To find people jobs. Which grows into Salvation Army Employment Plus which has found work for 80, 702 people since 1998. Or we build aged hostels. Like our own PresCare does. Which cost millions of dollars a year to MAINTAIN and RUN.
All sorts of ways we try to HELP in a world with BIG NEEDS. But what's our CORE PURPOSE? In Paul's vision, there's a man across the sea waving his hands, and he's saying COME OVER AND HELP US. And instead of saying, we’ll bring sandwiches; instead of saying, we’ll build you hospitals and job-search centres, it's interesting to see the words of verse 10 – have a look for yourself -“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. The best help the Macedonians could ever get is to HEAR THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS. Which has ETERNAL BENEFITS. That's the HELP Paul's on about. And we'll see that in practice in the rest of the chapter.
Verse 11 and 12; they get on a boat down at the docks; and you notice from this point it says WE; because now LUKE'S joined them as well; Luke who's writing this down for us in the book of Acts. He's pieced together the rest of Acts from what other people have told him; at this point, and a few other points as well it's different. Because now HE'S PART OF IT. First person. "From Troas WE put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. And a few days later they’re in Philippi; the leading city of the area. And they're READY TO HELP. Which means they're ready to TELL PEOPLE THE GOSPEL.
Verse 11 to 15; they speak to Lydia from the local dress shop; she’s on the riverbank praying with some other women. And Luke says, the Lord opens up her heart and she responds. Now notice, Lydia's already a RELIGIOUS WOMAN. She's what they used to call a god-fearer. A a gentile who's been praying to God; hanging around the edges of the Jewish faith. And now Lydia's found the missing link. She's found the help she needs the most. Lydia hears about Jesus, and BELIEVES. And she and her whole household are baptized. And she invites Paul and Silas and Luke and Timothy to stay at her place. Which you can see later on in the chapter becomes the home base of the new church in Philippi.
Trouble is, at this point Paul and Silas don't get to enjoy the comforts of Lydia's place for very long. The place they're heading, the beds aren’t NEARLY as comfortable. And the food’s not so good either.
You can see if you look what happens from verse 16 to 40, Paul and Silas are heading for jail. But the interesting thing is, not even being thrown in jail can deflect them from their CORE PURPOSE.
It's another Saturday, they’re heading back down to the prayer meeting at the river, and there’s a girl with an evil spirit; she apparently predicts the future. Now you don't have to be too smart to know if you can pick tomorrow's winning LOTTO NUMBERS today, you've got it made. And even if it's only that other people THINK you can tell them tomorrow's winning Lotto numbers today, you've still got it made.
And so there are some guys, they’ve got this girl, and they’re making a FORTUNE from their little FORTUNE TELLING business. Reading Tea Leaves in the market place.
You notice, though, she can’t just tell the future. Like the people with evil spirits who met Jesus, she tells the PRESENT pretty well too. Because she knows EXACTLY why Paul and Silas have come. She knows their core purpose as well as they do, and she hasn't even been to the two day seminar.
Somehow EVIL can recognise the power of God quicker than anything. And this girl knows exactly what’s going on. And she doesn’t just say it once. She follows them round day after day, and she’s shouting at the top of her voice, you can see what she’s saying in verse 17; “These men are servants of the most high God, WHO ARE TELLING YOU THE WAY TO BE SAVED.”
Which is exactly true. That's EXACTLY what they're on about. Preaching the gospel of Jesus is EXACTLY THAT. Telling people the way to be saved. You'd reckon it would be a HELP, having a walking advertisement everywhere they went like a town crier. Except as you'd know if you've ever driven anywhere in a car with kids saying WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE, hearing the same thing over and over again drives you crazy. And so after a few days of it Paul's had enough. And he turns around and says to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, come out of her.” Which the evil spirit does.
Now, ask yourself, have Paul and Silas committed a CRIME here? I mean, they’ve done this girl a huge favour, haven’t they? Set her free from the power of an evil spirit. But the owners of the slave girl aren’t pleased at all. Because with those 14 words, with the words IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS I COMMAND YOU TO COME OUT OF HER, Paul’s just put them out of business.
And in verse 19, the slave owners grab Paul and Silas and drag them into the market place to the outdoor courthouse, and they round up a crowd; and they make their accusations to the local magistrate – these guys are doing stuff that’s against our Roman law. And when the magistrates see the crowd that’s around, they give the order; strip them. WHIP THEM. Throw them in jail.
Which is where you find Paul and Silas in verse 23. After they’ve been severely flogged, they're thrown in prison, backs raw and bleeding from the lashes; and the jailer is commanded to guard them carefully. Not just any cell. But the inmost cell.
Which looks like quite a setback, doesn't it? I mean, if that was you, maybe you'd be RETHINKING things a bit. Thinking it was time to look for something ELSE to talk about other than Jesus. But these guys know EXACTLY what they're here for. And the inmost jail cell isn't going to stop them.
So Paul and Silas are sitting innocent in their jail cell with their red raw backs against the stone walls and their arms in chains and their feet up in front of them locked in the stocks, and they’re PRAYING. And they're SINGING HYMNS TO GOD. Verse 25; it’s nearly midnight. And the other prisoners are LISTENING TO THEM. A captive audience.
And then suddenly, without any warning, there’s an EARTHQUAKE. And it seems like it’s coming from right under the prison, because the whole foundations are shaking, and the big iron bolts shake right out of the walls; and the prison doors fly off their hinges.
Now I imagine when you're a prisoner and you get an opportunity like that, there's only going to be one thing on your mind. There's a hole in the prison fence, you get out of there in a flash. That’s the way it usually works, isn’t it. Get a chance for freedom, you GRAB IT. Especially in a case like this. I mean, you’d reckon if you were Paul and Silas, you’d be saying, IT’S A MIRACLE, wouldn’t you. GOD’S OPENED UP THE DOORS. So let’s get out of here.
But that’s not the issue. Cause instead of worrying about their FREEDOM, they’re worried about THEIR JAILER. Read verse 27 and 28. And you’ll see what happens. There’s the earthquake, the doors fly open, the jailer who’s been asleep on duty wakes up; and when he sees all the doors open, it says in verse 27 that he draws his sword and he’s about to kill himself, because he thinks the prisoners have escaped. And he knows the rules. Lose a prisoner. You take his place. But verse 28, Paul shouts to him; he says DON’T DO IT! He says, “Don’t harm yourself. We’re all HERE!”
I mean, here's the guy who's just WHIPPED THEM a few hours before. About to kill himself. But Paul stops him. Paul who’s been whipped. Who’s been singing hymns in chains. Cares about his jailer more than he cares about his freedom. And has something MORE IMPORTANT TO DO than just get out of prison.
So have a look at the results. The jailer can’t believe his ears. He turns on the lights, he races in; and he falls trembling in front of Paul and Silas. And he brings them out of the cell and he says to them, he says “SIRS, what must I DO – to be saved?”
I guess he’d heard about the slave girl with the evil spirit; she’d been saying it, hadn’t she – “These men are from God. And they’re telling you how to be saved.” And now he wants to know the answer.
If you’re a Christian who’s keen on sharing your faith, you DREAM of an opportunity like that, don’t you. If only it was always that easy. If only people came up to you at the office, and they said, okay, tell me, what do I have to do to be saved.
You know, I reckon it might happen a bit more often – if we were a bit more SINGLE MINDED about our Core Purpose. Looking for opportunities at every point to BE DIFFERENT like Paul and Silas were; singing and praying after a whipping, caring for this guy instead of taking advantage of him.
And we need to notice carefully what they say to him, don't we. He says, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO BE SAVED? Key question.
And the answer is the same if you’re a Philippian jailer or a Brisbane uni student. Incredibly simple. Surprisingly clear. You can go to church all your life and not hear it this clearly, so listen what they say. Verse 31. Not TRY YOUR HARDEST TO BE GOOD. Not MEDITATE and climb up some ladder of spirituality. Believe. In Jesus. Which doesn’t just mean BELIEVE HE EXISTED. It means put your TRUST IN HIM. With your whole life. The jailer brings them out and says "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
And they say, verse 31, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
And the jailer does that. And so does his family. And so because they've believed and been saved, they’re baptized; as a symbol of the way they've been washed clean on the inside. And then they wash Paul and Silas’s wounds and they bandage them up and they serve up a midnight meal. And the whole family is filled with joy. Because they've come into the family of God. By trusting Jesus.
Friends, wouldn’t you love to see that happening more often? Every week? Every day? People added to the kingdom like that?
For Paul and Silas, that's the CORE PURPOSE. And yet it can so easily be obscured, can't it. By all the other ways we can help. Come to Macedonia and help us. And over and over again, what they do is PREACH THE GOSPEL. Which means they call on people to PUT THEIR TRUST IN JESUS. And by the time they leave, here's the start of a whole new church. With Lydia. And her household. And the jailer. And his household. And probably the SLAVE GIRL as well.
You know, when I read it to you it's going to sound pretty obvious and trite. But here's the Purpose statement 50 or so Presbyterians came up with at Mount Tamborine through the week. It's not official. But I reckon it's terrific. Here's what it says. The heading is, OUR PURPOSE. As the Presbyterian Church of Queensland. And it says this:
"We are committed to making known the good news of Jesus Christ and his claim on our lives, encouraging one another to grow as his followers."
Pretty simple, isn't it. But the emphasis in the same place as it is here in Acts. Seeing lives turned around as people hear about Jesus. And encouraging one another to grow as his followers. Which again is exactly what Paul and Silas do. They're let out the next day. And they gather at Lydia's house. Where you can see they GATHER THE CHRISTIANS. And encourage them. And then they leave.
I'd be pretty pleased to be part of a network of churches that gets its core purpose right. There's still going to be a bun-fight, because it's all got to be debated at next year's state assembly where half the people are going to say it's too SIMPLE and it should have said this or it should have said that.
But in the meantime its worth remembering. Because we need to make sure that OUR LOCAL CHURCH HERE has got our focus clear as well. Helping our world. "By making known the good news of Jesus Christ and his claim on our lives; and all the time encouraging one another to grow as his followers."
Paul moves on. Leaves Philippi behind. But later on he writes them a letter. Which we're going to look at next week.