Break Forth - Into Unanticipated Places
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Greg Waybright
- Acts 16:26-40
- Break Forth
- 38 mins 39 secs
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Pastor's Letter
Into Unanticipated Places - Week 2
In Acts 15, we read about one of the most important meetings in the history of the church, one in which the essentials of a gospel-centered church were clarified so that churches faithful to God's Word might be established among all people groups in the world. I mentioned that some people might be surprised at how deeply godly people who were experiencing guidance and blessing from God would still experience times that the Bible describes as including "sharp dispute and debate" (15:2) and "much discussion" (15:6). The uniting issues that came to the fore as essential were these:
In Acts 15, we read about one of the most important meetings in the history of the church, one in which the essentials of a gospel-centered church were clarified so that churches faithful to God's Word might be established among all people groups in the world. I mentioned that some people might be surprised at how deeply godly people who were experiencing guidance and blessing from God would still experience times that the Bible describes as including "sharp dispute and debate" (15:2) and "much discussion" (15:6). The uniting issues that came to the fore as essential were these:
• Salvation is by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone (15:9, 11).
• Those who trust Jesus share the experience of the indwelling presence of God's Holy Spirit (15:8).
• The Bible is the final authority for both faith and life for God's people (15:14–18).
James, the main leader of the first early church, the Church of Jerusalem, also included two requests for all the churches being formed among the many people groups: 1) to stay away from associations with the worship of other gods and 2) to make a renewed commitment to living sexually moral lives (15:19–20, 29). These two specific calls came about for many reasons, but primary among them were 1) demonstrating that God alone is God, 2) living lives of faithfulness distinctive from the world's ways, and 3) maintaining the unity of the church.
This weekend, we see in a very powerful and practical series of testimonies how this Acts 15 decision made it possible for the good news of Jesus to break forth into the Roman city of Philippi and transform the lives of three extremely different people:
• a wealthy business woman already interested in God but not yet knowing God as her Father (16:11–15).
• a young slave girl who made her owners money through her soothsaying. According to Homer and others, such girls were often very beautiful and were sometimes forced to be involved in prostitution (16:16–21).
• an older jailor who almost certainly was once a soldier (16:22-40). He was probably a blue-collar guy approaching the end of his career.
I doubt that we could imagine three more-different people. But, each of their lives was changed because of Jesus. And, almost certainly, they became a part of the foundation of one of the most generous and effective churches in the first century. My prayer is that we will see the gospel doing similar things in the future in and through LAC. Indeed, I already see it happening.
To God's glory alone,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Study Notes
Into Unanticipated Places - Week 2 - Study Notes
Into unanticipated places
Acts 16:11-40
We have just seen together a dramatic sketch of Acts 16:25-40 recounting the story of a former Roman soldier who, in the latter days of his career, had become a jailor in the Roman city of Philippi. We hear of him coming to faith in Jesus and having his life and his family's lives turned around.
This truly is a beautiful miracle story of God sending an earthquake powerful enough to break prison chains and open prison doors. It's a story of the faithful and joy-filled witness of Paul and Silas who praised God and sang songs to God in the night in the midst of injustice and physical pain. It's the account of men who refused to abandon a cruel crusty jailor to his fate once their chains were gone. Because of it all, a family was saved and a church was launched that included some very, very unlikely people and became one of the most vibrant churches in the world. For centuries now, God's people have told and retold this story.
But, when you think about it, the story by itself raises all sorts of questions. Among them:
• What are these Jewish Christian men doing in Philippi?
• Why were Christians in a Philippian jail?
• In what ways would a religion rooted in Judaism have anything to offer a Roman jailor?
These kinds of questions take us back to what Luke, the author of Acts, has been telling us throughout his book. The Book of Acts is a remarkable story of how God is at work in this world. Mostly, I want you to see today how God's gospel message that was clarified in the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 stays the same at all times and in all places. The gospel of Jesus Christ never changes. But, at the same time, the gospel breaks forth into different lives in amazingly different ways. When it does, people's lives are transformed. We'll look at the three stories of very different kinds of people coming to Jesus in the city of Philippi. As we do so, I pray that you'll consider your own response to the Gospel as well as your privilege to carry God's good news to all people. I'll begin by taking us back to that seminal decision made in Acts 15.
The Divine Butterfly Effect: A Wise Decision Made in One Place May Impact the World.
In Acts 15, we saw the early church, made up of almost all Jewish Christians, engaged in a challenging conflict about what was at the heart of the Christian faith. Do you remember it? As people began following Jesus from all people groups, they had to lay the foundation of the essential things that all believers everywhere would have to embrace. I pointed out several essential things in my message from this text:
• That people are saved not by works but by the grace of God received by faith alone in Christ alone. I hope you remember the point that the Apostle Peter made, i.e., "We Jewish people have never been able to earn our way to God by keeping the law. Why should we put that yoke on Gentiles now that God has declared he cleanses us and receives us all by faith?"
• That all people receive the indwelling presence of God's Spirit when they place their faith in Jesus. Peter, Paul and Barnabas all gave testimonies about how God was doing this among Jewish believers, Samaritan believers, and Gentile believers. The point was that if God himself chooses to dwell within people, on what basis could we deny that they are in his family.
My point today is that this decision was made in a gathering of all Jewish men, men who were a minority in their own society because they were Christians, and men who were meeting in one city that was far away from the big cultural centers of the ancient world – like Rome and Alexandria. However, the faithfulness of this group to seek the Lord together and follow God's leading would soon be used in ways they surely never could have imagined. It's like that old movie Butterfly Effect that was based on a tenet in chaos theory that says that material or sense dependency of things in the universe on one another makes it so that a small change at one place can result in large differences in a later place. http://dubemmenakaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/butterfly_effect__by_systemize_erick-d313xnn.jpg
The Bible takes the idea of a "butterfly effect" out of the realm of random material cause and effect and teaches that God is personally involved in the world in such a way that he will use your faithfulness in small things to do more than you could ever ask or imagine. God's call upon your life is to seek to obey him in the small things – even when you cannot fathom how he will bring blessing out of your faithfulness.
Now we will see three very different kinds of people in Philippi who were affected by this decision.
#1: Lydia's Story: God's Gospel Fulfills (16:11-15)
In 16:1-10, we see how God used a vision to send Paul to a place Paul had not wanted to go to. Instead of going to Asia as he had planned, he ended up going to a relatively new city in what is now Greece claimed by the Caesar Augustus less than a century before Paul went there and used as a Roman outpost. The emperor had populated the city with Roman citizens, largely former Roman soldiers and their families. http://holylandarchive.com/section_images/329_PhilippiMap041117.jpg
This brings us to a very unanticipated encounter reported in 16:11-15. I imagine Paul and his companion Silas walking through the city and wondering, "Here we are. This is where God has led us. But we don't know anyone. We have few resources. What do we do now?" What would you have done?
Paul began with one thing that was natural for him but then had to do something that went against his human inclinations. The thing that Paul did that was fully consistent with his life before meeting Jesus was that he looked for a Jewish synagogue. That's where other Jewish people would have been. Paul almost always started ministry by going to a synagogue. But, there was no synagogue in Philippi. He somehow got a tip telling him that what was called a "place of prayer" outside the city and alongside the river. This location reveals what a marginalized group the Jewish people were in that Roman city. In addition, to have an official synagogue required having ten men. Obviously, there were not enough Jewish men in the city committed enough to Jehovah to form a synagogue. In that situation, the gathering of Jehovah worshippers was called a "place of prayer". So, Paul and Silas went to look for it.
That brings us to the faith-filled decision that Paul made. He offered the gospel to women. When Paul got to the place of prayer, he discovered there were no men there at all. Remember that Paul had been a Pharisee. Before meeting Jesus, he would have been taught that women could not be educated. No credible rabbi would ever teach a woman. So, think about it: God had sent Paul to this city. But, the only connections Paul could find were people so marginalized they had to meet outside at a river – and there were only women there! We see how meeting Jesus changes people when we read what Luke records in v. 13: "We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there."
I doubt that these Jewish Christians could ever have imagined what God would do through their faithful obedience. Could you have? One of the women at the place of prayer was a remarkable woman named Lydia. She's called "a worshiper of God". This was a term used for a person who once was a polytheist but now thought there was only one God. She was probably seeking to learn about him. Matt Barnes calls her a sojourner, i.e., one who is looking to know God in her life's journey. As I read this story, I see immediately that Lydia was enormously successful in her career. She is also a natural and gifted leader. But, it's also clear that something is missing in her life. She knows there is one God – but she doesn't know God. Like all of us, Lydia is a human being made to have God in her life – but she was still seeking.
Notice this: The decision made back at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 opened the door to Paul and Silas to bring the gospel to her. At that gathering, they had clarified that that Jew and Gentile, men and women, rich and poor need only receive Jesus by faith to be born again, made alive to God. And Lydia did receive Jesus. I love how Luke wrote about it in v. 14: "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." This may have seemed like a chance encounter. But, no, it was a divine appointment. Who could have known? There had been a longing in her heart and the gospel of Jesus filled that longing.
Lydia was baptized. And her whole family was baptized. Then she opened her home to Paul, Silas and Luke. Lydia must have been quite a woman. Read v.15. I don't think she would have been easy to say "no" to. She was a businesswoman and leader. Lydia was either widowed or divorced but she was not in despair. She had her business, her home and headed her family. I envision her as being the owner of a successful boutique in Beverly Hills who had come to Pasadena because the Chamber of Commerce wanted her to open up a shop down at Old Pasadena too.
What we see is that Lydia had the same natural gifts and resources as a believer as she had possessed beforehand. But now, she dedicated all she was and all she had for God! She used her home to be the center for a new church that was about to be formed (cf., 16:40). She used her leadership gifts to bring people together. I imagine we all know people like Lydia. You may even be like Lydia. Maybe you go to church knowing that there is a God – but you do not know him personally. You've come because you are ready to meet him. Let me tell you: God is ready to meet you to. He asks you to turn from whatever sin is in your life and place your faith in Jesus. Is God "opening your heart" to him even now? Then believe – believe now.
And for the rest of us, when you leave today, never think that the person you meet in the coming week is a random or unimportant encounter. It may be a divine appointment. God simply asks you to stop and give witness to his reality. Meet people with respect – even people very different from yourself. Sit down and share with them about Jesus. You may never be able to imagine what God will do.
#2: The Slave Girl's Story: God's Gospel Sets Free (16:16-21)
Paul, Silas and Luke kept going out to the "place of prayer" to tell about Jesus and to teach the new believers in 16:16-21. This brought about another unanticipated "divine appointment". Read vv.16-18a.
Note this: If Paul had not chosen to go to Philippi in keeping with God's leading (16:1-10), and then to go and give witness to these marginalized women by the river (16:11-15), and then to keep going out to teach and give witness 16:16a), what we read about in these verses would never have happened.
Let me tell you about this girl: A "slave girl" like this usually got herself into slavery because of a financial debt either she or her family had. She had to work off that debt by serving those she was indebted to as a slave. In Homer and other Greek and Roman writing, this kind of person was never was able to gain freedom and often ended up in prostitution. Of course, this girl had a paranormal gift to be able to tell the future. The word Luke used for the spirit in her was a "pythonic spirit", a word used for powers coming not from God but from the occult. So, the girl was very different from Lydia. Lydia was in control but this girl contained nothing. Like Lydia, she earned money but the money belonged to someone else.
Like the demons who encountered Jesus in Mark 1, the spirit in her knew something about the "Most High God" and rightly knew that these men offered God's way to salvation. However, the way the girl made these things known only drove people away from the gospel. For many days, she kept yelling the same thing over and over and over! Finally, Paul could handle it no longer. The Bible tells us be became "annoyed" in v.18b. This word "annoyed" is never used positively in the ancient world. It means agitated or worked up. Remember that Paul is still human and in his frustration, he casts the spirit out of the girl in the name of Jesus. This seems to have been weak moment for Paul. Still, the girl is set free from demonic oppression.
The Bible tells us nothing more about the girl. It doesn't tell us whether she became a Christian or joined the church. It doesn't tell us whether her owners set her free. It doesn't tell us any of the things we wonder about her. But, as you might imagine, later traditions fill in the story. What later Christians say about her is that she became a Christian that day and that she became an active part of the church. They say that Lydia took her into her home, paid off her debt and set her free from slavery. And, I think that rings true to many, many lives of people who have met Jesus over the centuries.
Here was a young woman made in God's image who was only valued for the money she could make others. As such, she is like countless people in every part of the world including our own. I have heard the stories so often of people who work for decades in a firm to help the company to be profitable. But, when their salary seems too high or they seem no longer to be useful, they are cast off. I know people whose own self-worth is dependent on continuing to be the moneymaker in the family, the productive one at work, or even the CEO that everyone depends on for their livelihood. When that job is gone, they feel worthless. Of course, we still have many, like this woman, who are trapped in trafficking industries with no apparent ways out. We all need an identity in Christ that can never be taken away.
What we see is that it is Jesus who sets free. Lydia needed God to bring her good news that her longing for him could be fulfilled. He was ready to come in and fill her life. This girl needed to know that she had value more than just being the moneymaker for her slave-owners. It was the same Jesus and the same gospel. But, each of these women had different needs. And the answer to those needs both started with Jesus.
#3: The Jailor's Story: The Gospel Rescues (16:22-40)
The most detailed part of Luke's testimony is recorded in 16:19-40 and happens in, of all places, a Philippian prison: https://unbound.biola.edu/acts/images/prison.gif When the girl is set free from the spirit in the name of Jesus, this sets off a chain reaction. The slave owners lose their moneymaker and seize Paul and Silas. They unjustly accuse them before the magistrates. To appease the crowd the authorities have them stripped, brutally flogged, and thrown into prison. The prison guard, a retired Roman military man, was even more brutal as he placed them in the worst part of the prison and fastened their feet in stocks, which were a part of Roman torture because it stretched them in ways causing incredible pain.
Here's what I want you to notice: Paul and Silas would never have been in this place:
• had they not obeyed God's call to go to Europe rather than Asia,
• had they not valued women as being made in God's image and spoken to women in an obscure place,
• had they not sacrificed to go back day after day to teach new believers at the place of prayer,
• had they not set a young girl free from oppression in the name of Jesus.
Being in this prison was a divine appointment. It was due to God's leading. In that place that they never would have chosen, God sent to them a man they could never have imagined would be open to the gospel. God asked them only to be faithful in that difficult place – and they were. They were praying out loud and singing songs in the night in v.25. Everyone had to listen to them. And, in the midst of their pain and bleeding and torture, God sent an earthquake strong enough to open prison doors and break prison chains.
And God gave them compassion for the prison guard who tortured them. If a jailor lost his prisoners, he would have been killed. Paul and Silas knew this. So they did not abandon the one who had been so cruel to them. This decision required the power of the Spirit, don't you think? And God gave them favor to somehow keep the other prisoners from running away too. So this hardened military man, so different in every way from Lydia and the slave girls, was in trouble. And, he knew he needed to be saved.
This man was would probably be played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a movie. He was strong and independent. But, God opened his heart in ways very different from the others. The jailor had heard the singing and praying and the message of salvation. Paul told him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." And he believed. And his family believed. And his life was changed. See vv. 32-34. No longer a brutal torturer, he took care of their wounds and brought them into his house. And they went and they ate together. Jewish men in a Roman soldier's home having table fellowship. It's a miracle! The gospel changes the lives of wealthy business people, of those who feel trapped and worthless, and who feel strong and independent. It's the same gospel and it saves and transforms all who receive it.
What might God be saying to you from his Word today? Let me leave you with a few thoughts:
• God is at work throughout his world – and that includes your life. When you end up being in a place you never would have chosen or in a situation you never would want, you can know that God is still ready to do a work in that place and situation both in you and through you.
• Each person you meet has a need to meet God. All human beings have been made to have God at the center of their lives. God loves people and is ready to enter in and set them free no matter what their background may be. And, his work begins when people trust Jesus.
• The gospel is sufficient for each need. But the same good news that is centered in the person of Jesus spoke into each life in such different ways. The gospel of Jesus is sufficient for you today – and everyone you meet this week.
• Your calling is to be a witness to Jesus in word and action. You might want to live in one place and then find yourself in another. You might want to have one profession and find it's not open to you. You might want to go to Thailand as a missionary and find yourself still in Pasadena. Would Paul have chosen any of this that happened in Philippi? (The answer is no.) But look what God did.
The Rest of the Story: From this unlikely group of characters, God build one of his most effective churches. Can you imagine a small group with these three people in it? They represent what our Father's church is like. No human being is beyond the saving reach of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Have your received Jesus as savior? If yes, then go and notice the people God brings into your life. Stop and talk with people for a while. Ask God to lead your words and actions. And never forget: Every encounter in life might be a divine appointment. And every appointment is an opportunity to bring glory to God.
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church
Chinese Translation
Into Unanticipated Places - Week 2 - Study Notes - Chinese Translation
突破：進入未期之地
使徒行傳16:11-40
（介紹保羅、西拉和腓立比獄卒故事的梗概。）
我們剛剛一起看了使徒行傳16:25-40中戲劇性的故事梗概，這個故事描述以前的一個羅馬士兵，在他職業生涯的後半段，他在腓立比的監獄裡當獄卒。我們聽到他信了耶穌，由此他和他家庭的生命發生巨大變化。
這裡有一個神跡，神製造了一次地震，讓囚犯身上的鏈子鬆開，監獄的門也開了。這是一個充滿信心和喜樂的見證，保羅和西拉在半夜裡，因著不公正的待遇和渾身的疼痛而禱告唱詩讚美神。當他們身上的鏈子鬆開後，他們不願放棄一個殘暴而急躁的獄卒。因此，一個家庭得救了，一個教會誕生了，故事裡面包含著一些最不可能的人。這個教會成為了世界上最有活力的教會。多年以後，神的子民還在不斷重述這個故事。
但是，當你思考這個故事的時候，這個故事本身會產生一些問題，例如：
這些猶太基督徒在腓立比做什麼？
這些基督徒為什麼會被關進監獄？
如何把一個根植於猶太教的信仰傳播給一個羅馬獄卒？
這些問題把我們帶回到使徒行傳的作者——路加，究竟他在這卷書裡向我們講什麼？使徒行傳是一卷不同尋常的書，它告訴我們神如何在這個世界上工作。今天，我主要是想讓你看到神的福音信息——就是使徒行傳15章耶路撒冷大會上澄清的信息，無論何時何地都是一樣的。耶穌基督的福音從未改變。但同時，福音卻以各種不同的奇妙方式進入不同的生命。當這種情況發生時，人的生命就被轉變。我們會看到三個故事，在故事裡面，腓立比城市中一些很不相同的人來到耶穌面前。在這當中，我會禱告，希望你們能思考自己對福音的回應，也思考你們在傳福音給萬民這件事上的責任。我們先來回顧一下使徒行傳15章中有重大影響的決定。
神的蝴蝶效應：在一個地方的聰明決定，會影響整個世界。
在使徒行傳15章我們看到，基本上是由猶太人組成的初代教會，遇到一個頗具挑戰性的問題：基督教信仰的核心是什麼。你還記得嗎？當人們開始追隨耶穌，他們要確定一些基本內容，就是各地所有信徒都可以遵守的。我從經文中提出以下幾點：
人得救不是因為人的工作而是因為神在基督裡恩典。我希望你能記得使徒彼得說的話，就是“我們猶太人不能因為行律法而獲得向神的道路。我們現在為什麼要把這軛放在外邦人身上呢？神已經告訴我們，他潔淨並接受我們是通過信心。”
當人信耶穌，他就可以與神的靈同在。彼得、保羅和巴拿巴都做見證，神在猶太信徒、撒瑪利亞信徒和外邦信徒中正在做這事。問題關鍵在於，假如神自己選擇住在人當中，我們憑什麼拒絕那些在神家中的人呢？
我今天的觀點是，這個決定是所有猶太人聚集在一起決定的，這些人是當時社會中的一小群人，因為他們是基督徒，這些人在一個城市裡開會，而這個城市遠離當時的文化中心——羅馬或亞歷山大。然而，這些人一起追求神、跟隨神的引導的信心很快就會以一種他們無法想像的方式體現出來。就像基於混沌理論所拍的老電影《蝴蝶效應》裡面所說，宇宙萬物的組成和感覺彼此依賴，因此一個地方很小的變化會引起後面結果很大的不同。
聖經的“蝴蝶效應”思想超出了隨機的物質因果範疇。聖經教導我們，神親自參與世界的運行，他在小事情上會使用你的忠心，這超出你的想像。神呼召你在小事情上尋求並順服祂——即使你不能理解他如何因著你的忠心而帶給你祝福。
現在我們就來看看在腓立比受這個決定影響的三類人。
#1:呂底亞的故事：神的福音成就了（16：11-15）
在16章1-10節中，我們看到神如何使用異象差派保羅去一個他本不想去的地方。他原來計畫去亞洲，最後卻去了一個相對新的城市，這個城市在保羅去之前不到一百年的時間內歸屬於希臘凱撒奧古斯都名下，成為羅馬的駐防城。皇帝規定羅馬市民在該城市居住，主要由前羅馬士兵和他們的家人組成。
這就把我們帶入在16章11-15節中記錄的一個非常出人意料的場景中。我可以想像保羅和他的同工西拉在這個城市中一邊走路一邊思考，“我們來到這裡了。這就是神差派我們來的地方。但是我們不認識任何人。我們的資源很有限。我們現在該做什麼呢？”如果是你，你會怎麼做呢？
保羅開始做的第一件事於他而言是很自然的，但緊接著他就必須要做違背他本能趨向的事情。保羅所做的是與他未遇到主耶穌之前的生活很吻合的事情，那就是他要尋找一間猶太人的教堂。那裡是猶太人聚集的地方。保羅宣教幾乎總是從猶太教堂開始。但是，腓立比並沒有猶太教堂。他似乎獲得啟示，告訴他要去城外河邊一個叫做“禱告之地”的地方。這個位置顯示了猶太人在那個羅馬城市是被邊緣化的一群人。另外，要成立一個正式的猶太會堂，需要有十個人。很顯然，在這個城市裡，沒有足夠多的猶太人委身耶和華來成立一個猶太會堂。在這樣的處境下，敬拜耶和華的聚會就被稱作“禱告之地”。所以，保羅和西拉就去尋找這樣一個地方。
這就把我們帶入了保羅所做的信心充滿的決定。他把福音帶給婦女們。當保羅來到禱告之地，他發現那裡根本沒有男人。請記得保羅曾經是一個法利賽人。在遇到耶穌之前，他也許曾被教導婦女是不能接受教育的。沒有一位忠實的拉比曾經教導過一個女人。所以，請思考一下：神差派保羅來到這座城市，但保羅能夠找到的唯一連絡人是如此一群被邊緣化的人，以至於他們只能找到郊外的一個河邊——並且那裡只有婦女！路加在13節記載：“我們就坐下對那聚會的婦女講道”。我們可以看到，認識耶穌會怎樣的改變人們。
我會懷疑這些猶太基督徒們能否想像神籍著他們忠誠的順服來做什麼。你能想像嗎？在禱告之地有一位婦女，名叫呂底亞，她非常優秀。她被稱作“神的敬拜者”。這個稱號用在一個曾經是多神論者但現在只認一位真神的人身上。她可能正在尋求如何瞭解神。馬特·巴恩斯稱她為寄居者，也就是說，一位正在人生旅途中尋找神的人。當我讀這個故事的時候，我立即認識到呂底亞在她的事業上是非常成功的。她也是一位天生有恩賜的領袖。但是，很明顯的是，她生命中缺少了什麼。她知道有一位元神—但是她不認識神。就像我們所有人一樣，呂底亞是一位被創造在生命中遇見神的人——但是她仍然在尋求。
請注意：在使徒行傳15章耶路撒冷會議上所做的決定為保羅和西拉開路，將福音傳給呂底亞。在那次聚會中，他們澄清了一個事實：無論是猶太人和外邦人，男人和女人，富有的和貧窮的，只要憑著信心接受耶穌，他們就能獲得重生，得見真神。後來呂底亞果真接受了耶穌。我很喜歡路加在14節所寫的：“主就開導她的心，叫她留心聽保羅所講的話。”這也許看起來像一次偶然的相遇，但這是一個神聖的相會。誰能料到呢？在她的心裡一直有一個渴慕，神的福音就填滿了那個渴慕。
呂底亞受洗了。並且她的所有家人都受洗了。然後她打開家門歡迎保羅，西拉與路加。呂底亞真是一個了不起的女人。請閱讀15節。我認為她是很難聽到他們對她說“不”的。她是一位女商人和領袖。呂底亞或者守寡或者離婚了，但是她並不失望。她有她的事業，她的家庭，並且領導她的家族。我想她作為比利市山一家古董店的老闆來到帕薩迪納，因為商會希望她到老帕薩迪納也開一家商店。
正如我們所見，在信主前後呂底亞的才能及資源並沒有改變，但是信主後，她將她的全部自己和她的全部擁有都奉獻給神。她將自己的家當做一個即將興起的教會宣教中心。她使用自己的領導才能使人聚集。我相信我們都認識像呂底亞這樣的領導人物。也許你就像呂底亞：你知道“有一位神”，所以你參加教會的聚會——但是你還沒有與神建立私人關係。你來教會的原因是“你要與神相交”。我告訴你：神也準備與你相交。祂要求你轉離你生命中的罪（無論是什麼樣的罪），並且將信心投向耶穌。是否神現在正在打開你的心……去信——現在就信！
對於我們其他的人，當你離開聚會，不要以為下一周你遇見的人都是隨機出現或者都是不重要的，他們也許就是聖靈安排的。神只要你停下來——見證祂的真實。帶著尊重與人交往——即使那些與你非常不同的人。坐下來與他們一起分享耶穌（有關耶穌的福音）。你永遠不能想像神將行什麼奇跡。
#2：使女的故事：神的福音使她得釋放（16：21）
在16：16-21節，保羅、西拉和路加繼續上路，去“禱告之地”宣講福音並教導那些新信徒。這帶出另一個預料不到的“聖靈之約”。
請注意：如果保羅當時沒有順服神的引導，沒有前往腓立比（16：1-10），也沒有繼續教導和做見證（16：16a），我們今天讀到的故事就不可能發生。
現在讓我來講這個女孩的故事：一個女孩變成了“使女”，其原因往往是其家庭或者她自己負債。於是她不得不給債主當使女來還債。在荷馬史詩及其他的希臘、羅馬著作中我們瞭解到，這樣的“使女”永遠不可能重獲自由，她們往往淪為妓女。不過，這個使女擁有超常的技能——預知未來。在這裡，路加用了一個詞“預知未來的靈”——一種並非來自神的超自然能力。正因如此，這個女孩與呂底亞非常不同：呂底亞能掌控自己及生意，而這個使女一無所有。她像呂底亞一樣能賺錢，但這錢卻不屬於自己。
正如馬可福音第一章那個遇見耶穌的魔鬼，這個附于使女的巫鬼也瞭解“至高神”，並且知道這幾個人是來傳福音的——來宣講神的道、使人得救的。然而，使女使用的方式卻把人趕走了。一連多日，她總喊叫同樣的東西，反反復複地喊叫。最後，保羅終於忍不住了。在第18節，聖經描寫“這成了一種煩惱”，表示這使人心中攪動不安。請記住，保羅終究是人（不像耶穌），在煩惱沮喪中，他用耶穌的名命令那巫鬼從使女身上離開。聽起來這像是保羅的軟弱時刻，卻將使女從迫害中釋放出來。
聖經沒有告訴我們更多關於這個女孩的故事。也沒說她是否成為基督徒或加入教會。也沒說她的主人有沒有給她自由。聖經沒有告訴我們任何我們想要知道的關於她的事。但是，正如你所想像的，後來的傳統補充了這個故事。後來的基督徒們這樣說道關於這個女孩的故事，當天她就成為了一個基督徒，並且成為教會裡活躍的一員。他們說呂底亞把她帶回了家，還清了她的債，她獲得了自由。我認為對於幾個世紀以來許許多多遇到過耶穌的基督徒來說，這聽起來是很真實的。
曾經有一個按照神的形象創造的年輕女人，她的價值只是按照她能給別人賺多少錢來衡量。正如世上各地無數的人們，其中也包括我們自己。我經常聽到這樣的故事，人們在一家公司工作數十載，為這家公司帶來利潤。但當他們的薪水過高或者他們不再有用處時，公司就把他們裁掉了。我也認識一些人，他們的自我價值就在於能夠持續為家庭帶來收入。當然，仍然有許多人像這個女人一樣，被困在非法交易產業中，找不到出路。我們都需要一個在基督裡永遠不會被奪走的身份。
我們看到的是耶穌釋放了我們。呂底亞需要神帶給她好消息，從而她對神的渴望可以被滿足。祂已預備好來充滿她的生命。這個小使女需要知道她的價值遠不只是一個為她主人賺錢的工具。同樣的耶穌和同樣的福音，但這兩個女性有不同的需要。但這些需要的答案都以耶穌開始。
#3：那個獄卒的故事：福音拯救（16:22-40）
路加的見證中最詳細的部分記錄在16:19-40，並且發生在一個腓立比的監獄中：當那個女孩被奉耶穌的名從靈裡得釋放，這就啟動了一個連鎖反應。那些奴隸主失去了一個賺錢工具並且抓住了保羅和西拉。他們在官長面前不公地控告他們。為了平息眾人，這些當權者們剝了他們的衣服，兇殘地用棍子打，並把他們下在監裡。看守監獄的獄卒，一個退役的羅馬軍兵，更加殘忍，他把他們關在監獄裡最差的地方，還在他們的腳上上了木狗，那是羅馬的一種刑罰，它拉扯兩腳產生巨大的痛苦。
這是我想讓你注意的，保羅和西拉絕不會有這樣的下場：
假如他們沒有順從神要他們去羅馬而不去亞細亞的呼召。
假如他們沒有視女性為按照神的形象造的，不願意在不起眼的地方和女性說話。
假如他們沒有做出這樣的犧牲，一天又一天地，回到禱告的地方去教導那些新信徒。
假如他們沒有奉耶穌的名從壓迫中釋放那個小使女。
進到監獄裡是神的安排，是神的帶領。在那個他們無論如何也不會選擇去的地方，神將一個他們想不到會接受福音的人帶給他們。神只是讓他們在那樣艱難的環境下忠心——而且他們做到了。在25節，他們在夜裡大聲地禱告並唱詩讚美神，所有人都聽見了。在他們的痛苦中，在流血和折磨中，神興起了大地震，強度大到打開了監門並且震斷了囚犯們的鎖鏈。
神讓他們同情那個折磨他們的獄卒。如果一個獄卒看丟了他的犯人，他自己可能會因此丟掉性命。保羅和西拉知道這個，所以他們沒有丟下這個殘忍對待他們的人。這個決定需要聖靈的力量，你不覺得嗎？並且神也幫他們使得其他犯人沒有逃跑。所以這個殘暴的軍人，以和呂底亞及那個做奴隸的小使女大不一樣的方式，陷入了麻煩。他知道自己需要拯救。
這個男人可以讓阿諾德·施瓦辛格來扮演。他強壯且獨立。但是，神打開了他的心扉，用一種與眾不同的方式。獄卒聽到了唱詩讚美和禱告還有救贖的信息。保羅告訴他，“當信主耶穌基督，你就必得救。”他就相信了。他的家人也相信了。他的生命就改變了（參考32-34節）。他不再是一個兇殘的施刑者，他照看他們的傷情並帶他們回自己的家。他們一起吃飯，猶太男人們在羅馬士兵的家中團契聚餐。這是個神跡！福音可以改變那些富商的生命，那些感到困窘和沒有價值的人生命，那些感到強壯和獨立的人的生命。這是同樣的福音，它拯救並改變所有接受它的人。
神今天和你說了哪些話語？讓我給你一些想法：
神在祂的世界裡做工——其中包括你的生命。當你處在一個你無論如何也不會選擇的地方，或者是一個你絕對不會想要待的地方，你要知道，神依舊在那裡做工，在你身上或是通過你。
每個你遇到的人都可以滿足神的需要。所有人類被造都需要讓神成為他們生命的中心。神愛世人並且已預備進入他們的生命並釋放他們，不論他們的背景是什麼。並且，當人們相信耶穌時祂就會開始做工。
福音足夠滿足每一個需要。但是，在跟隨耶穌的人身上同樣的好消息在每個人的生活中卻是以不同方式傳講。耶穌的福音今天可以滿足你的需要——滿足你這個星期遇到的所有人的需要。
你的使命是在話語和行為上為耶穌做見證。你或許想要住在一個地方，但結果住在了另一個地方。你或許想從事某種專業，後來發現卻做不成。你或許想去泰國宣教，結果卻一直呆在帕薩迪納。是保羅在選擇腓立比所發生的這些事情嗎？（答案是No。）我們來看看神的作為。
故事的尾聲：從這一群不可能的角色中，神建立了頗具影響力的教會之一。你能想像一小群人裡有這樣三個人在裡面嗎？他們代表我們天父的教會的樣子。沒有人能夠在耶穌基督的福音的拯救範圍以外。你接受耶穌做救主了嗎？如果已經接受了，就去關注那些神帶到你生活中的人，和這些人說說話。請神帶領你的話語和行動。不要忘記：每個你在生活遇到的人，可能是神的一個安排。每個安排都是一個榮耀神的機會。
榮耀歸於神，
葛列格博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2014, Lake Avenue Church
Study Guide
Into Unanticipated Places - Week 2 - Study Guide
Into Unanticipated Places
Acts 16:11-40
- Read through this entire text, pausing after v.15 (the story of Lydia), again after v.21 (the story of the young slave woman), and finally after v.40 (the story of the jailor) to ask, "How would I describe this person? If I met this person on the street, would I think she or he might be open to the gospel?"
- Which people in 21st-century Southern California would each of these three people be most like? Which one would you be most drawn to? Most resistant toward?
- In what ways would the gospel of Jesus Christ connect with needs or longings each might have had? How might the gospel have seemed relevant in distinctive ways to their lives?
- What would a small group fellowship including three people like this have been like?
- The church in Philippi that these people probably were charter members of became one of the Apostle Paul's most loved and most supportive churches. Are you surprised at how they must have developed and grown? Why or why not?
- In what ways do these three "Living Letters" have application to people at LAC?
- What is the main lesson you hope to apply to your life from this passage?
2014 Study Series • Copyright © 2014, Lake Avenue Church