The Same Old Song
The Apostle Paul, in a reminder that ministry cannot be done alone, enlisted the help of Timothy as a travel companion, and together they set off on a missionary journey. Paul has a vision in the middle of the night during their travels.
I do not use “dream” because “dream” underplays what happened to Paul. A few nights ago, I dreamed I was playing third base for the Baltimore Orioles in a playoff, winning this game and heading to the World Series. I know that is a dream and not a vision from the Lord because the Baltimore Orioles would first need to have a winning season before heading to the World Series, I would need to be at least ten to twenty years younger, and perhaps, at an even higher peak of physical fitness.
You will remember from last Sunday that visions from God alter the course of the person’s life on the receiving end of the vision, often taking well-laid plans we make for ourselves and turning them obsolete.
Paul was no stranger to encounters with God. From a few more weeks back, you will also remember that Paul had a life-altering encounter with Jesus along the side of a road near Damascus as he, Paul, was preparing to arrest followers of Jesus.
So, Paul receives a vision “of a man of Macedonia pleading with” him.
The man says, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
Having experienced a course-altering encounter with the divine, Paul sets his site on Macedonia as the next stop on his good news of the gospel preaching tour.
Paul and his companions arrive in Philippi, described as “the main city in that part of Macedonia.” Paul and his companions are not in the backwoods, looking to convert a handful of people. No, Paul and his companions are in the heart of Macedonia.
The city of Philippi was also a Roman colony. The author of Acts, St. Luke, reminds us that Paul has left the friendly confines of the Jewish territories and is now spreading the gospel to Gentiles. Gentiles were the people outside of the Abrahamic covenant held by Israel, and during this time, Jews and Gentiles did not mix.
Paul goes outside the city gates on the Sabbath, i.e., outside the establishment, to pray and worship. Beside a river is where he finds not the man of Macedonia from his vision but instead a group of women. One of the women, Lydia, as having had her heart opened by to Lord. Lydia listened “eagerly to what was said by Paul.”
Lydia listened so eagerly that she and her household were converted, moved to faith, and baptized by Paul. Paul then stays in Philippi, in Lydia’s home at her invitation.
If you are scratching your head thinking this story sounds familiar, that is because it is.
It would not be unreasonable to experience the feeling of déjà vu right now if you attended services in-person or online last week. The Bible is, after all, really the same old song week after week.
In a nearly identical story to that of the conversion of a Roman Officer named Cornelius, the Lord has once again sent his followers to the places and people they should not be interacting with. Peter got in trouble for sharing a meal with Cornelius in the same way that many first and second-century hearers of this story would question whether or not Paul should have done what he did.
Lydia, along with her prayer group, being prompted by the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to the preaching of Paul, further illustrates how God is in the business of breaking down the barriers we build.
What’s more, Peter got in trouble for sharing a meal with Cornelius in the same way that many first and second-century hearers of this story would question whether or not Paul should have done what he did. In both instances, the Apostles were invited, persuaded to receive the hospitality extended to them by “the wrong people.”
It’s not just the Lord opening Lydia’s heart that makes this story important for the church today.
Lydia’s conversion began with her and Paul’s hearts being opened by the Lord. Paul knew too well that faith is not something we can produce on our own. Remember, he had been blinded along the Damascus Road, thrusted into the care of the very people he intended to harm. To the church in Ephesus, he wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”[i]
There is no such thing as a “self-made Christian.” A heart opened to the works of God, along with our conversion or faith, are acts initiated by God. This is why when the church speaks of repentance, we remember that we have been repented, that it is the inward working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to turn toward God.
Jesus’ life and ministry testify to this.
Jesus called his disciples. They did not seek him out. People would come to him only after he began his ministry and word spread.
In situations and places where hope and the presence of God seemed to be surely gone – a possessed man chained up among the tombs or at the grave of Lazarus – Jesus, the Lord, imitates what is needed for us to be open to the good news of new life that can only be found in him.
New life that calls us beyond the city gates. Moving us away from the safety of our comfort and into the lives of the people we least expect.
New life that opens our hearts and minds to receive the good news of the gospel. And in turn, we hear, once again, the good news of our salvation.
New life that breaks through the barriers of race, gender, identity, and more! Remember, Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth, meaning she was a rich woman. While just a few weeks ago, Tabitha or Dorcas was caring for the poor and forgotten. There is no one outside the reach of the movement of God.
So often, in the church, we forget that coming to faith does not begin with the markers we prescribe – attendance in worship or Sunday school, financial giving, or joining a committee. While these actions can be markers of a response to a person’s faith – similar to the hospitality shown by Lydia to Paul – the beginning steps of a faithful witness to the gospel come when the Lord opens our hearts, just enough for us to catch a glimpse of the Holy Spirit, even while we are sound asleep.