WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON

An international Sunday school lesson commentary

For Sunday February 28, 2021

 

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CALLED TO SERVE

(Lydia of Philippi believes in JESUS)

(Acts 16:11-15, 40 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-30)

 

   Acts 16:1-15 chronicles the story of the beginning of the Apostle Paul’s second missionary journey, which, for the first time, would lead him into Europe. Along with Silas, and later, Timothy and Luke, Paul travels into the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, which, at that time (around A.D. 50), was a province of the Roman Empire.

    The men had persistently tried to go north, deeper into the peninsula of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), but the SPIRIT OF JESUS, by way of some unexplained methods, had not allowed them to enter. With the issue of the basis of “Gentile inclusion into the Church” officially settled at the Acts 15 council, Paul, now sets out with Silas, (who had replaced Barnabas), on his second missionary journey.

    Paul and Barnabas had parted ways after a disagreement concerning Barnabas’ cousin John Mark. Paul had become disappointed with John Mark, because he abandoned them on their first missionary journey, while at Perga of Pamphylia (Acts 13:13). Barnabas and John Mark had already set sail for Barnabas’ homeland of the island of Cyprus to begin working their mission there.

    Meanwhile, Paul and Silas make their first stop in Derbe, and then, move on to Lystra, the home of Timothy, where Paul had preached on his first missionary journey and was stoned by an angry mob, and left for dead. The people there had thought that he and Barnabas were the Greek gods Hermes and Zeus after they had healed a cripple man. However, some Jews came down later from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against them, causing them to have to flee to Derbe (Acts 14:8-19).

    While in Lystra, Paul and Silas met the young Disciple Timothy, whose mother was a Jewish believer, but whose father was a Greek. Timothy was well respected by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, and so Paul asked him to join them on their mission.

    Out of respect for the opinion of the Jews in that area who knew that Timothy’s father was a Greek, Paul arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left. The three men then traveled from town to town explaining the decision made by the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem, during the Acts 15 council. That decision, of course, stated that “Gentiles did not have to be circumcised before becoming Christians”.

    Next, Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, as the HOLY SPIRIT would not let them go any farther into Asia Minor at that time. They traveled on to Mysia, and again, tried to go north, this time, into Bithynia, however, the SPIRIT OF JESUS compelled them, instead, into the city of Troas. It is here that one of the eventual authors of the New Testament, Luke, joins the journey, and it is here that GOD shows Paul a vision, telling him to go to Macedonia (Europe) and preach the Gospel there.

    So, the men boarded a boat and sailed from Troas to the island of Samothrace. They spent the night there, and, the following day, they landed in the port city of Neapolis. From there they went to the neighboring major city of Philippi, a Roman colony at that time, in the district of Macedonia, and they abided there for three days.

    On the Sabbath, they went down to the riverbank, where some people, who were worshipers of GOD, met to pray. They sat down to talk to some of the women, who had come together there. One of them, Lydia of Thyatira, who was a merchant of expensive purple cloth, and a devout worshiper of GOD, listened intently and opened up her heart to what Paul and his companions were saying about CHRIST.

    She immediately accepted what they were saying and was baptized, along with other members of her family. Lydia then insisted that Paul and his entourage come to her house as her special guests. She and her family had, that day, become the first Europeans in recorded Scripture to accept CHRIST into their lives, and this was truly a cause for celebration.

    And so, we see, at a time when it seemed that all doors were being shut to Paul and his companions, it turns out that GOD, in HIS infinite wisdom, had something much greater in store for those who were willing to work hard according to HIS will. It must have seemed strange to Paul, being blocked from the Roman province of Asia by the HOLY SPIRIT, but no one can ever know and understand the eternal plan of GOD.

    Ironically, as history would have it, Asia Minor would become the place that was to contain all of the recipients of the letters to the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation by the Apostle John.

    Paul and his entourage were then compelled to go the route of Alexander the great, whom GOD had used some 400 years earlier to spread the Greek language and culture all over world. HE had by doing so, set the stage for the writing of the New Testament, of which Paul himself would be its most prolific writer.

    The world had already seen the translation of the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures into what then had become the universal Greek language of the “Septuagint” (Greek version of the Old Testament) at Alexandria over 200 years earlier. And so, here we see GOD putting into motion, the wheels that would help move the teaching and preaching of the Gospel to new heights in generations to come.

    Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy all believed in the sovereignty of GOD over all things. And we can see, quite vividly, throughout the Book of Acts, how that belief impacted their everyday life and travels. And as for the Thyatiran woman, Lydia, and her family, they, in a very special sense, had become immortalized through their faith and belief in CHRIST.

    Lydia and her family will forever be remembered, as the first European family to accept our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. And her first act as a Christian was, ironically, to invite other Christians into her home. It is the kind of human action that CHRIST had, years earlier, commanded us to perform. It is true that, before we can offer our love, charity, and ministry to people in the Church, and, in the world, we must first show, and be able to offer that same love, charity, and ministry to people within our own homes.

    Oftentimes we look at home as a place where we can go to shut the world out; however, equally, our homes should be a place with an open door. The effectiveness of our ministry at church is always predicated upon the life we live at home. The way to a changed home, church, job, and life, has always been, through a changed heart.   

   Over in 1 Corinthians 1 the Apostle Paul says that the words and message of the Christian Bible sounds foolish to those who are on their way to destruction. However, to those who are being saved, it represents, quite literally, the very essence and power of GOD. The Bible promises that GOD will utterly destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas (v.19). For there is no room, especially in the Church, for “human ingenuity”, but rather, there is only room for “obedience”. 

     So where does that leave the world’s philosophers, scholars, and brilliant debaters? Here in verse 20, Paul says that they will be made to look “foolish” (“moros” in the Greek) by GOD, WHO will show their worldly wisdom to be total non-sense. A man will never find GOD through his own human wisdom. In fact, GOD uses the seemingly foolish preaching of HIS servants to save only those who choose to believe in HIM. The very definition of a “foolish” person, “moros”, here in this passage, describes one who looks at reality from a perspective that is distorted, because they fail to take GOD into account.

    GOD’s way always seemed foolish to the anti-CHRIST Jews, as they always wanted a “sign” from Heaven to prove it was true. And so, GOD used many miracles through HIS prophets, that could not be explained by “human reasoning”. And since they still could not wrap their inferior minds around it, they continued on in their unbelieving lifestyles.

    Equally, GOD’s way has always seemed foolish to the Gentile, as they could only allow themselves to believe in what agrees with their own worldly wisdom. When we say things like “JESUS was crucified”, anti-CHRIST Jews are offended and unbelieving Gentiles say, “Go away”, and that, “it is all non-sense”.

    The plans and things of GOD that worldly people call foolishness, is far wiser than the plans and things of men that are devised through “human ingenuity”. In fact, GOD often chooses things that the world considers foolish, in order that HE may shame those who think they are wise. He also sometimes uses powerless people to shame or bring down those who are considered powerful. GOD will sometimes even choose things that are despised by the world, and counted as nothing at all, and then, use those things, to “bring to nothing”, those things that the world considers important.

    And now, it is GOD alone, WHO has made it possible for us to be saved from ourselves, through CHRIST JESUS, of WHOM HE made wisdom personified. JESUS voluntarily gave HIS OWN life for the lives of we who were still embedded deeply in sin. And so, the person, who is proud enough to boast, can only boast about what JESUS has done for us, and not, what we have done for ourselves.

 

A Sunday school lesson by,

Larry D. Alexander

 

 

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