Scripture/Sermon of the Day

6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

11 We therefore set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

16 One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a female slave who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men, these Jews, are disturbing our city 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us, being Romans, to adopt or observe.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

I. The Gospel reading for today was a conversation Jesus had with the disciples. He’s told them he has to go away, but will return to them as the Holy Spirit: “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything,” He said, “and will remind you of everything I told you.”

II. In the reading today, Paul is about 46 years old, 17 years after his conversion. In those 17 years, he has traveled thousands of miles, establishing churches in what is today Turkey and Greece, making three and maybe four trips throughout the eastern Mediterranean Sea. (Paul’s last imprisonment was in Rome around 66 AD, he was about 61. The historian Eusebius said Paul was executed during the reign and persecution of Nero, by beheading.)

III. The reading for today from Acts 16 was probably chosen by the lectionary because it is an example of Jesus’ promise to teach us and guide us being fulfilled in Paul’s life. In his travels, Paul would say things like, “The Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me go to Asia,” or “The Spirit of Jesus told me not to go to Bithinia (northern Turkey). Jesus said after he died, he would guide us through the Holy Spirit.

IV. Last Wednesday in Bible Study, we wondered how do we know when the Holy Spirit — or the Spirit of Jesus — talks to us? Do we hear words — like the ones I’m saying now? Do we hear a voice in our head? Isn’t that called schizophrenia? Isn’t that a disease of the mind? When I worked in mental health, I encountered people who heard voices — and many people said it was God or Jesus talking to them. Often gave messages inconsistent with the God or Jesus of the Bible, like “You’re not a good person. You should jump off a bridge.” Still, the person might insist, “But I know it was Jesus!”

V. Sometimes Paul had a vision — like the reading today where a man in Macedonia told him to “come and help us.” And Paul followed that vision. He explained, “we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.” Once there, Paul doesn’t say whether he saw the man from his vision or not — but he met a woman, Lydia, who converted and asked Paul to baptize her and her household.

Then he had an incident with a fortune-telling slave who bothered him and Silas for days so finally Paul cast the spirit of divination out of her. But now she couldn’t make her owners any money fortune-telling. So her owners made up a false story about Paul and Silas so they were imprisoned and whipped with rods. Then, in an earthquake, Paul and Silas’ chains came off, the doors of their cells opened — the guard was about to commit suicide because he’d be responsible for the prisoner’s escape. But Paul and Silas said, “Don’t! We’re not going anywhere! We’re happy right here in prison! Don’t kill yourself!” The guard was so impressed he asked to be baptized and his whole family was too.

The whole Book of Acts is like this. Jesus and God talking to Paul and Peter and the other disciples and their journeys and exploits and adventures — the Gospel spreading like this and growing throughout the Mediterranean world. Acts shows how God talks to us. Jesus said, “I will send the Holy Spirit to you — my spirit of love — and it will guide you — will teach you everything and everything I taught you.” Like now — right now. Today.

God wanted you to hear this message of how God and Jesus talk to us and teach us everything. So each of you heard a “voice” this morning — to come to church or zoom — and you listened.

And now what do we do? KEEP LISTENING. The Holy Spirit will teach us everything we need to know today — and will remind us of everything Jesus taught. Mainly — love — love one another — love everyone.