A Worshiper of God

Acts 16:6-16:15

Once again we are at the end of the month, and so we will have a shorter message today followed by communion and a sharing time.

I want to start back a bit, at the beginning of Acts 16 today. Recall that Paul and Barnabas had split up on this second missionary journey. Barnabas had taken Mark and gone back to the island of Cyprus, while Paul had taken Silas and gone back through Syria and Cilicia.

He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. – Acts 16:1-5


I mentioned last week I would talk a bit about Paul’s decision to circumcise Timothy. On the surface, it appears hard to understand. Here is Paul going around to these churches, sharing the letter from the church in Jerusalem that says that Gentile believers do not have to be circumcised, and yet, Paul had Timothy circumcised. What is going on?

I think the way to understand this is that the reason for circumcising Timothy was entirely different than the reason men wanted all Gentiles to be circumcised. Recall that those men said it was necessary to be a believer; indeed, that salvation hinged on it! But this was rightly rejected by the council in Jerusalem, for the three reasons we talked about last week. What were those reasons? (1) The work God had done among Gentiles in contact with Peter, (2) the work God had done among Gentiles in contact with Paul, and (3) the predictions of Gentiles becoming saved as Gentiles in the Old Testament.

We can say with certainty that this is not the reason Timothy was circumcised. Otherwise the Bible doesn’t make any sense at all. So what other possible reasons were there? Well, the passage says it was done “because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.” What does this have to do with anything? Well, I think it means that there were many Jewish believers in these towns as well as Gentile believers. The Jewish believers had varying degrees of understanding of the place of Gentile believers, and varying degrees of maturity in the faith. In addition, Paul was almost certainly reaching out again to Jewish unbelievers. In both cases, Timothy, as a Gentile, would be forbidden contact or fellowship. By becoming circumcised, Timothy would now be accepted into their homes, could eat with them, and so on, opening the doors for the gospel. Paul himself explains this type of thinking and this way of living in I Cor. 9.

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. – I Cor. 9:19-22

How far are you willing to go for the sake of the gospel? If you are someone who does not consume alcohol for reasons of personal conviction, would you be willing to have a beer for the sake of the gospel? Would you be willing to have plastic surgery for the sake of the gospel? How about a nose ring, or a tongue piercing? How about a tattoo, or having a tattoo removed? I don’t think any of these compare to Timothy. This was a young man absolutely committed to “getting in the game” and sharing the gospel!

When I think about this, I think about some of the campus pastors in our association of churches, as well as some of our missionaries. They do much more than just wear the right clothes or have the right hairstyle. In fact, just going for the outward things comes across as fake and can be seen a mile away. Paul talks about “becoming like” Jews, or Gentiles. The Greek word for “like” is almost always translated “as” in the KJV. It never implies a shallow type of imitation but is a comparison in real essence.

Unless you be converted and become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3

For He (Jesus) taught them like one having authority, and not as the scribes. - Matthew 7:29

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as (like) it is in heaven. - Matthew 6:10

Become “like” the one you are trying to reach. Don’t be fake. But get to really know them, to really love them with the love of Christ. Most of all, ask questions. Get to know the things someone loves. Become interested in them. Do it because you desperately want to connect with them so that they can come to love what you love above all other things: The God and Creator of the Universe, and Christ His glorious Son.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of 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, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. – Acts 16:6-10

Although visions like this are not “standard operating procedure” with God, they do still happen from time to time today. I believe it is appropriate to pray for “divine appointments.” There were unmistakably divine appointments when the student teams were here over spring break. What is the other way God directed them? We don’t have details, but it is by the closing of doors. Somehow, the Spirit did not allow them to go to Phrygia, Galatia, and Bithynia. This may have been by simply an armed guard sending them away. We have probably all been directed by closed doors in the past.

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. – Acts 16:11-12

Do you notice something different about this passage? It actually started back in verse 10. There is a change of pronoun! It says “we.” Who is “we”? The most logical explanation is that Luke joined them on this part of the missionary journey. Another possibility is that Luke included verbatim here a log of one of the travelers.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us. – Acts 16:13-15

As I wrap up here before we partake of the bread and cup in remembrance of our Lord, I would ask you to look at Lydia. Even before she heard the gospel, she was called a worshiper of God. How do we reconcile this with verses like John 14:6, where Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”? The answer is that Lydia was outwardly a worshiper of God. She was religious. She knew about God. But what happened when Paul shared the gospel? The Lord opened her heart. She became saved.

Do you remember when you first clearly understood the gospel? If you were old enough to remember a definite moment when you gave your life to Christ, do you remember how you felt? At that point you become a real worshiper of God. You loved Him, because He first loved You. You may have felt awkward because you felt completely unworthy of His love – which is just as true today as it was then – we are unworthy!

I finished by reading excerpts of a powerful poem by John Piper. The complete poem, which has three parts, can be found here, here, and here. We followed this with a moving time of communion and a wonderful sharing time.

Here is the first excerpt from the poem:

The lantern cast a shadow dim
Across Paul’s face and covered him,
As if just half a man, with light
On his left side. He kept the right
Side of his face turned to the dark
So Eunice and her son could mark
When he would smile. The last time he
Was here he noticed Timothy. […]
Paul felt a kinship with the youth
And asked his mother if the truth
Of Christ had taken root, or made
A difference in the way he prayed
Or talked about his dreams. She said,
“He wants to talk with you. The dread
He felt is almost gone. He told
Me, when you left last time, ‘He’s bold
In spite of how he looks. Do you
Think Paul would meet when he comes through
This way again?’ ‘I think he would,’
I said. If you and Silas could
Come by our house tonight, he’s got
Some painful questions that I’ve not
Been able to resolve. Perhaps
Your story might fill in the gaps
Between my son and God.”

It goes on. Paul meets them, explains to Timothy his upbringing, his learning under Gamaliel, and more, until this:

Then swirled
A storm of controversy in
Jerusalem. There had not been
Such fury since the day we killed
The Lord. And finally it spilled
Beyond what anyone had seen
For years, and filled the court with mean
And raging men, including me,
Though I was but a youth. And we
Were driven to this rage by one
Whose humble face shown like the sun,
And said that Jesus was alive,
And that our Law, and how we strive,
And worship with our feasts,
And sacrifice our flawless beasts
Was coming to an end, and all
That we must do is trust, and call
Upon the mercy of the Lord.
I knew if this was true, a sword
Would pierce the city of my soul
And lay in ruins ev’ry goal
I had, and overthrow my birth,
My pride, and all my vaunted worth.
And so I gathered at my feet
The garments of the most elite
In righteousness as they stoned him
To death. And then, when ev’ry limb
Of Stephen’s body quivered in
The agony of death, the sin
Of all my righteousness appeared
For one brief moment. Killers cleared
Away, and I saw Stephen’s face,
The right side torn away, and grace
Filled all the rest. And with the lips
That he had left he said, ‘Though whips
And stones destroy this flesh, I know
That my redeemer lives. I go.
Behold the Son of Man has stood,
And counts this sinner Stephen good!
However great their sin amount,
Christ, lay it not to their account.’
[My walls were] breached, and though I raged
To keep myself with Law encaged,
The power of his shredded face
Would prove to be triumphant grace.

There is more. Paul invites Timothy to join him, even though he knows Timothy fears he is slow of speech and fearful of sharing the gospel. Then Paul says:

With rage and murder in my heart
Against God’s grace and ev’ry part
Of Stephen’s claim, I set my face
Against the fools who say that grace
Had made a pile of rubbish out
Of all my deeds. I took the route
Up to Damascus, there to break
The back of Jesus’ Way, and make
A great display of my own zeal.
As we approached the town, the seal
Of heaven broke. And suddenly
A blazing light, more bright than we
Had ever seen or dreamed could be,
Shone like a hundred suns on me
And struck me to the ground with so
Much force I did not even know
That I had fallen, when it seemed
As if a thousand rivers streamed
Together at the cataracts
Above my head and fell with facts
As heavy as an ocean filled
With truth. A voice from heaven spilled
It’s thund’ring falls into the sea:
‘Why are you persecuting me?’
I cried, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And what
I heard him say forever shut
My mouth against the Way. He said,
‘My name is Jesus. I was dead,
And am alive for evermore.
These fools you aim to kill mean more
To me than all the galaxies.
You cannot win or silence these.
The way you wield your priestly sword
You strike against the risen Lord.
Go to the city now and you,
My slave, will hear what you must do.’
For three long days I could not see,
Nor did I eat or drink. One plea
Was on my lips: ‘O God, let there
Be mercy on my head and spare
Me all the wrath that I have earned
Because I killed your sheep and spurned
The Shepherd of your flock, and tread
With scorn upon your grace. I dread,
O God, what I deserve. My face
Is covered, now, with shame. My place
Is with the worst of sinners in
The lake of fire, where all my sin
Will make you just, while I repay
My debt with an eternal stay.
O God, O Christ whom I have killed,
O Lamb of God whose blood I spilled,
All covered now with vile disgrace,
O Lord, have mercy on my face.’
And as I prayed, a man appeared
Sent from the Lord. At first he feared
To come, but when he learned what Christ
Had planned for me, he sacrificed
His fear and came. He said, ‘Receive
Your sight, my brother, Saul, and leave
The blindness of your soul behind
And come, the light of Truth has shined
On you. Your sins are covered by
The blood of Christ. And when you die
Each day, and then at last, it will
Not be a punishment, but fill
What’s lacking in the Savior’s pain:
The readiness to make it plain
By suffering yourself. God chose
You from the womb to bear the blows
That bring the blood of Jesus to
The world, and made your face the true
Divide between the lovers of
The Gospel grace and those who love
The praise of man. To these you are
A stumbling block, to those a star
To guide them safely home to God.
The comeliness of your façade
Means little if they’ve gone astray.
What counts is that you know the Way.
Henceforth the Lord lifts up your face
Your pain is now the path of grace.’”
Paul looked at Timothy to see
If he had understood. “To be
A member of your team would cost
A man his life.” He paused. “You’ve lost
A lot to follow Christ.” But Paul
Replied, “If I could lose it all,
It would be gain. There’s one last part
You haven’t heard. It might impart
The final piece and help you see
How loss is gain.

One more excerpt. It tells of one of the times Paul went to a synagogue to preach the gospel:

And there I found
The synagogue. “May I expound
The Law and prophets here,” I asked.
The ruler said, “If you were masked.
What claim have you to teach the Law
Of God?” “I think you hold in awe
My teacher in Jerusalem,
Gamaliel.” “You touched the hem
Of great Gamaliel? You sat
At his beloved feet?” “And that
From when I was a child [you see]
Till I became a Pharisee.”
“We will be glad to hear you speak,
And we will overlook your weak
Appearance.” “There’s one question, sir.
Would I be right, or would I err,
If I assume the master of
The school will come?” “For love
Of fame—a Pharisee, from old
Gamaliel—he’ll come. His gold
Is everything that shines. It’s good
The master’s almost blind. He should
Give you a hearing.” “One more thing,
Sir, as you go, could you please bring
To my attention when he takes
His seat this Sabbath day?” “He shakes.
His hands. His head. You’ll know him when
He comes.”
I watched for him. And then
He came, and took the foremost seat,
And sat directly at my feet.
I preached the gospel unashamed.
They listened calmly, till I named
The great Messiah, Jesus, Lord
Of heav’n and earth, who died and poured
His blood out on a Roman stake,
And came back from the dead to take
His seat at God’s right hand. Before
They left in rage, I spoke one more
Brief word: ‘God sent his son,’ I cried,
From glory down to shame. He died
That every dad who did the same
Might be forgiven, and the blame
Be carried by the Christ defiled,
And sons and fathers reconciled!’
They all stormed out, except for one.
And there, the father and the son,
Alone, with Christ, stood face to face
Beneath the cataracts of grace.
“Do you see Timothy? The years
The pain, the loneliness, the jeers
From children all my life—all this,
My friend, to bring my father bliss
Forever with his son before
The risen King whom I adore?
I ask again, dear Timothy,
Will you now come and die with me?”
[As you sit,] the answer waits,
While ev’ry person contemplates
And ponders in the quiet light
Of your [presence] how true and right
Are all the promises of Christ
And how for these he sacrificed.
Do I believe with all my heart
The canvass of my life is art?
That ev’ry crimson thread is laced
Through dark or silver fibers placed
So perfectly it will be plain
That none was woven there in vain?
Do I believe my faulty face
Will prove to be a work of grace?
And will I banish fear and shame
And lift my head to speak the Name?
I now by ev’ry promise I possess,
With Timothy, do answer, yes.

And I, now by every promise I possess,
(and I hope you too)
With Timothy, do answer, yes.