Sunday, October 19, 2008: Generous Faith

Generous Faith
Acts 16: 6 – 15.


I. Introduction.

There is a real crisis taking place in our nation right now. It is very difficult to watch any news programming without hearing the bad news about our slumping economy. Housing values are falling. Unemployment is rising. The price of gas and milk is up. And the stock market is up sometimes but down within an hour—it is like a roller coaster ride.

Working families are struggling. Retired people are anxiously watching their retirement savings. The federal government has committed $700 Billion to bailout our credit and lending system. But none of us really know who they bailed out. Did they bail out “Wall Street?” “Main Street?” Or the street we live on?

This crisis goes beyond Wall Street and Main Street to affect Church Street. Of course, you know our church depends on your voluntary, charitable gifts to operate. And, Yes, we have experienced our own type of “economic downturn” in our church’s budget. But there is an even greater crisis on Church Street.

While not many people will stand up and admit this in public, money is the national god of the United States of America. We worship our salaries, earning potential, saving accounts, credit cards and 401 (k) retirement accounts. After all, the terrorists who attacked our country in 2001 had religious motives. They attacked our culture, but they also attacked our religion—the Pentagon (military power) and the World Trade Center (economic power).

I do not mean to suggest that our current economic woes are the result of the 2001 terrorist attacks. No. We did this to ourselves. But we feel helpless as we watch our national gods crumble before our eyes. How will Americans respond now that it is apparent that money cannot save us? How will you and I respond? How will we break away from our idolatrous culture? How will we live in a committed relationship with the One True God who can save us—the God who sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus, to live, die and rise again?

Idolatry affects all of us. However, men and women think differently about money. Both men and women are susceptible to an idolatrous dependence on money. But we do it for different reasons. Men tend to idolize money because of the power and prestige money brings us. Men look up to and admire other men who have more money. Women tend to idolize money for the safety and security money brings.

In 2006, The Washington Times published a survey of 2,000 women and their views on money. 90 percent of the women who participated in the survey indicated that they were fearful of becoming destitute by the end of their lives. Surprisingly, this was also true of women who had annual incomes over $100,000.[1]

The story we read today from the Book of Acts is about a financially successful woman named Lydia. Perhaps Lydia struggled with her own fears of one day being destitute. We don’t really know if she did or not. But we do find in Lydia a model for wealthy people to break free from an idolatrous view of money. Lydia worked hard for the security of a high salary and large savings account. Yet, Lydia did not worship her money.

Read Acts 16: 6 – 15.

The story does not begin by introducing us to Lydia. Rather, the story begins with Paul and his traveling companions.

At the end of Acts 15, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they go on their second missionary journey together. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. Paul was adamantly opposed to this idea. After a sharp disagreement, these two missionaries decided to go there separate ways. Barnabas took John Mark and traveled West to Cyprus. Paul took a man named Silas and traveled North to Syria.

Paul and Silas began their mission by visiting the same cities where Paul had first preached the Gospel with Barnabas. The first mission had been very difficult, but they had found some success. In the first mission, Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogues for Sabbath worship and preached about Jesus as the fulfillment of all the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah. Typically, the Jews heard the Gospel with mixed responses. Some of the Jews believed in Jesus. Most of the Jews were angered and threatened to kill Paul and Barnabas. These threats caused Paul and Barnabas to turn their attention to the Gentiles. Many of the Gentiles accepted the message of salvation. Then, Paul and Barnabas helped these new believers organize themselves into Christian churches. The second missionary journey began as an encouragement to the new Christians and to check on how the new churches were doing.

In the city of Lystra, Paul and Silas met a young man named Timothy. Timothy was from a mixed backgrouns. His father was a Greek, but his mother was a Jew. Timothy was a fine Christian young man. He had a great reputation among the people of Lystra. More than likely, Timothy had become a Christian as a result of Paul’s preaching in Lystra. Either Timothy had become a believer during Paul’s first visit there. Or, Timothy had become a Christian through the church Paul helped establish. Which ever was the case, Paul was so impressed with Timothy that he invited Timothy to join them in the mission. The mission team grew from two to three.

Paul was a man with a plan. Now that he had checked on the churches, he wanted to go into a new region. Specifically, Paul wanted to go into the province of Asia. But, sometimes even godly men like Paul have to change their plans. Paul wanted to go to Asia, but the HOLY SPIRIT prevented him. We don’t know if this was a physical problem—like an illness—that kept him from his plans or some kind of mystical experience. All that matters is that Paul changed his plans when his plans did not match God’s plans. The mission trip was interrupted by God.

Paul adjusted his plans a second time. This time he planned to take his group into Bithynia. And, once again, Paul’s plans were interrupted by God’s plans.

Timothy was not the only person to join Paul and Silas on the mission. In verse 10, we witness a subtle shift in the narration of the Book of Acts. (Acts 16: 8 – 10…“So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia.”

Two things happened in these verses. First, Paul had to change his plans AGAIN, for the third time. This time, we know it was the result of a mystical experience. Paul saw a vision from God. Second, Paul picked up another traveling companion. Since we believe the Book of Acts was written by a man named Luke, and here the narration shifts from third person to first person, we can assume Luke joined the mission team. Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke traveled into Macedonia to preach the Gospel in a new area.


II. Paul Was Surprised by God.

The call to go to Macedonia was filled with surprises. This was not Paul’s first choice of where he wanted to go. Paul’s first choice was to go to Asia. Macedonia was not Paul’s second choice. Bithynia was Paul’s second choice. Macedonia was Paul’s third choice. But Macedonia was God’s first choice for Paul.

The mission trip was interrupted by God. The mission team was surprised by God. Can you relate to what Paul was experiencing here? We know that the call to Macedonia came through a mystical experience. But we don’t know how God told Paul not to go into Asia or Bithynia. It could have been a legal reason, a physical reason, or dare I say a financial reason. Some of us might be in the midst of a financial change of plans right now. Retirement might not look like we thought it would look. Leisure time might not look like we had always dreamed. But God might be using these change of plans to put new people in our lives.

In addition to the change of plans, God had another surprise in store for Paul. In the mystical vision, Paul saw a Macedonian MAN calling and begging him to come to Macedonia. Yet, when Paul arrived in Macedonia, he encountered a WOMAN. Actually, he encountered a group of women.


III. Lydia: The Macedonian Woman.

Paul followed his typical pattern when he arrived in the region of Macedonia. First, he identified the major city of the area. In Macedonia, this major city was Philippi. Next, he identified the Jewish synagogue.

In Philippi, there does not seem to be a Jewish synagogue. In fact, not every city in the Roman Empire had a Jewish synagogue. In the First Century, it was commonly known that Jews who lived in cities without a synagogue would hold Sabbath worship services near a body of water. In Philippi, that body of water was the river.

The Jewish faith was full of various laws and regulations. Many of those laws appear in our Old Testament. Even more laws appear in the oral and written traditions of the Pharisees. One of those laws, which we don’t find in the Old Testament, is a law about how many people are required to form a synagogue. The law required ten Jewish men—not including the women—in order to form a synagogue. For some reason, Philippi did not have enough Jewish men to form a synagogue. It appears that the only Jews in Philippi were a group of women who prayed together by the river on the Sabbath.

One of those women was a wealthy woman named Lydia. We know she was wealthy for a couple of reasons. First, she is identified as a business owner. She owned and operated a clothing boutique. She made purple clothing. Second, we know she was wealthy, because of the type of clothing she sold—purple clothing. Purple was the most expensive dye in the ancient world. It was worn exclusively by the wealthy and by the royal families. Third, we know that Lydia was wealthy, because she owned her own house—notice the Bible does not refer to this house as Lydia’s husband’s house. More than likely, this was a large house. At least it was large enough that Lydia could host four overnight guests—Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke. Lydia had the means to extend hospitality to the entire mission team.

Lydia was a secure woman. She had a career; she operated a successful business; she owned a large house; but Lydia did not have everything. When she heard the Gospel for the first time, she recognized that she was missing the eternal security that comes with a relationship with Jesus as Lord of her life.

When Lydia believed the Gospel, she became a generous person. In verse 15, we read about the two things Lydia shared generously with others. First, she shared her faith with every member of her household. Second, she shared her resources with the mission team. This is a pattern that continued for the rest of Lydia’s life.


IV. The Church at Philippi.

As a Jewish women, Lydia was very limited in what she could do. She could own and operate a business. She could own her own house. BUT, Lydia could not be a founding member of a Jewish synagogue.

When Lydia became a Christian, she continued to operate her business and maintain her household. AND, she became the first founding member of the church at Philippi. This was a very special church to Paul throughout the rest of his ministry. It was so special to him, that he wrote them a letter that is included in our New Testament.

Read Philippians 4: 14 – 20.

Lydia’s generous faith was a significant characteristic of the church at Philippi. These people who became a part of the church at Philippi modeled generosity in ways none of Paul’s other churches demonstrated. They gave away their faith. They gave away their financial resources. They supported Paul financially, even when no other church supported him. AND, they continued to give to Paul’s missions.


V. Conclusion.

The church at Philippi did not worship the false god of material wealth. We know this, because they gave away their resources to something bigger and more important than money. They gave financially to the work of ministry and the spread of the Gospel. And they learned a lesson we need to learn…

When we break away from the idolatrous hold money has on our lives, we will discover what the church at Philippi discovered… “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”


[1] Jenifer Harper. “Nearly Half of Women Fear Life as a Bag Lady.” The Washington Times. August 23, 2006.