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Thoughts for today are centred around the following verses: Acts 16. 9-15. Our text is found in verse 9. ‘Paul had a vision. He saw a man over in Greece pleading with him: Come over here and help us.’
The book of Acts is the first record of Church History. It contains the story of God in action in His human family.
Paul’s first missionary journey was with the approval of the Holy Spirit. Acts 13. 2-3. Paul set out on his second missionary journey without seeking Divine approval. As a result, Paul and his party were subject to restraints and constraints. Acts 16. 6-7. David Livingstone attempted to go to China as a missionary, but God sent him instead to Africa.
Acts 16. 9. ‘A vision appeared to Paul in the night.’ He saw a man from Europe calling for help. Visions and dreams are not the sole property of the New Testament believers. Joel 2. 28. ‘I will pour out My Spirit on all of you. Your sons and daughters will prophesy; your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions.’ Visions and dreams have a place in our lives and in the Church, today.
‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ Proverbs 29. 18. Quote ‘The most pathetic person in the World is someone who has sight but no vision.’ (Helen Keller) Many Christians are short sighted, always looking down, looking around or looking within. We need to be driven by 20/20 vision. Make a practice of fixing your gaAudio – Click Heree on things that are unseen and eternal. After all, we are called to be horizon people!
v 10. ‘After Paul had seen the vision we got ready at once to leave for Europe.’ Paul’s response to the vision is immediate, positive and unquestioning. What is the quality of our response to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in our lives? The Church at Philippi was birthed in vision, prayer and public witness. A formula we need to follow!
v 9. ‘Come over and help us.’  God has appointed ministry gifts in His Church including helpers. 1 Corinthians 12. 28. This is a common gift of the Holy Spirit exercised by the greatest number of Christians. Paul, in his farewell talk to the Ephesian elders said among other things, “Help the weak.” Acts 20. 35.
Helpers are people who are motivated to lift heavy burdens from the shoulders of those who are weighed down.
After a journey of 150 miles by sea, and an inland hike of ten miles, Paul and his party arrived at the cosmopolitan city of Philippi, situated in continental Europe.
Europe became the first Christian continent sending out missionaries to the rest of the World for many years.
v13. ‘A number of women made a practice of joining together for worship and prayer at the riverside. Paul and Silas joined them. No doubt the arrival of Paul and Silas was a direct answer to the faithful prayers of these women. Having seen invited to speak, Paul shared with them the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thus a
Christian Church was birthed in continental Europe. Don’t despise the day of small things. After all the drought in Israel was broken after 42 months when Elijah’s servant saw a cloud in the sky, the size of a man’s hand! 1Kings 18.44.
v14. ‘A certain woman named Lydia.’ She was a business woman, who specialized in marketing cloth treated with and expensive purple dye. She lived a comfortable lifestyle, owned her own house and employed servants.
v14 tells us that Lydia worshipped God, she was a religious person. But religion alone does not qualify a person a place in Heaven. Ephesians 2. 8-9. ‘Because of God’s kindness you have been saved through trusting Christ, and even trusting is not of yourselves, it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it.’
Lydia – the woman with an open ear, and open heart, and an open home. AN OPEN EAR. Acts 16. 14. ‘Lydia heard what Paul had to say.’ Don’t become a hostage to distractions. Be focused, pay undivided attention to what Christ has to say in  His Word. The risen Christ signed off each letter to the seven churches in Turkey with this appeal: ‘He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’ Revelation 2. 7.
Hymnwriter: O give me Samuel’s ear, the open ear O Lord, alive a quick to hear each whisper of Your Word. Quote: ‘Blessed are they that listen for they shall learn.’ THE OPEN HEART. Acts 16. 14. ‘The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to pay attention to what was aid by Paul.’ Here, God shows Himself to be sovereign over the human heart. Lydia’s heart opened to the Good News of Jesus Christ as a flower opens itself to the sun. v15 ‘Lydia was baptised and her household.’ At conversion Lydia became a witness to the people around her. Are we sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with our neighbour? BAPTISM – an outward confession of an inward change. Our old selfish sinful lifestyle is buried in the waters of baptism. We come up out of the water to begin a new resurrection experience of eternal life. Baptism play a vital part in a real, genuine conversion. Acts 2. 38. Peter climaxed his first apostolic message with this appeal to the crowd: ‘Repent (or change direction) and be baptised every one of you for the forgiveness of sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
THE OPEN HOUSE. Acts 16. 15. ‘Come, stay at my house. And Lydia urged Paul and Silas until they did.’ Self interest was replaced by an act of generosity and hospitality. Read Hebrews 13. 2. Jewish proverb: ‘To welcome a fellow man is to welcome the Divine presence.’
CLIMAX: The Church in the city of Philippi was probably birthed in Lydia’s house. Some twelve years later, the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the believers at Philippi. Writing from a Roman prison cell he was able to say, “Rejoice always, and again I say, rejoice.” He had overcome his unpleasent circumstances!
As a result of receiving a vision from God, Paul pioneered the Gospel in mainland Europe. May God give each one of us vision that will motivate us to break new ground for the Kingdom of God in the community where we live!