Opening: When was the last time (or
maybe the most important time) you needed to make a significant decision? There
was no middle decision, either go left or go right. How did you make the
decision?
Scripture: Read Acts 16:6-15.
Insights:
- We don’t know how the Holy Spirit told Paul that he and his companions should not go into Asia. It may have been through a prophet, a vision, an inner conviction, or some other circumstance. However the Spirit communicated His intentions, Paul was obedient, though it may be been a little frustrating for him, because he wanted get the message of Jesus to as many people as he could. Fortunately, by following the lead of the Holy Spirit, Paul did just that.
- Here is the famous “Macedonian Man” vision. The vision was of a man from Macedonia; that is, the northern part of Greece. Within this area are the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, where churches would be established, and later, letters would be written to by Paul. (See your Bible’s map or go to http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/paulsec.htm.)
- There is a very subtle, yet important clue in today’s passage. Note the pronoun in verse 8, then in verse 10? See the difference? Who is it? (Be sure to note future pronouns; they will change again.)
- In Philippi, Paul leads Lydia to Christ. Being a merchant of purple cloth, which was very valuable, expensive, and purchased by nobility or royalty, she was probably wealthy.
- Acts16:15 is one of the New Testament verses that seems to support infant baptism. The text indicates that Lydia and her household were baptized. Since she was wealthy, there would be many people connected with her household: family, servants, and friends she helped. The assumption is that there must have been babies who were baptized as well. What do you think?
Life Questions:
- To know God’s will does not mean we must hear his voice. He leads in different ways. When you are seeking God’s will:
1.
Make
sure your plan is in harmony with God’s Word. This requires continual,
methodical, and prayerful study.
2.
Ask
mature Christians for their advice. Just as you would ask advice from an expert
in auto mechanics or finance or health services, you can go to mature believers
who have walked the Christian life in such a way and for such a time that they
have learned the principles of the faith and have the sensitivity to the
presence and leading of the Holy Spirit.
3.
Check
your own motives to see if you are seeking to do what you want or what you
think God wants. This may be the hardest one to do. Plenty of decisions in
history have been made that at the time were attributed to God, but were really
the desires of the individuals involved.
4.
Pray
for God to open and close the doors as He desires. If God wants you to do
something, the door will open. If it doesn’t, certainly don’t try to force it
open!
- Lydia’s household was baptized after she responded in faith to the Good News. Baptism was a public sign of identification with Christ and the Christian community. She has now indicated that her home is a Christian home. How is your home identified as a home of Christ-followers?
- Lydia was a woman of hospitality. Later, when Paul described the Christian character, he wrote that the Christian should be “eager to practice hospitality” (see Romans 12:13). Likewise, when Peter urges Christian duty, he writes, “Be hospitable to one another without complaining.”[1]
Prayer Focus: That our lives, our homes,
and our hospitality would be led by the Holy Spirit.
