BULLETIN ARTICLE – 19 August 2018
Intentional When Apostle Paul, Silas, and others set out on the “second missionary journey,”they intentionally targeted Philippi. It was a lead city in the district and a Roman colony making it a strategic missionary choice.
On a Sabbath day, Lydia, from Thyatira, was listening intently to Paul at “a place of prayer”. Lydia was a business woman, “a dealer in purple cloth”, a household head, and a community leader. These aspects of the incident in Philippi teach us that we can be intentional about the people with whom we plan to share the spiritual road with.
Unintentional “Going to the place of prayer” one day, they met a spirit possessed slave girl. She followed them announcing loudly that they were “servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Quite in contrast with the pre-planned meeting with Lydia, this slave-girl represents the unintentional sojourners on the road with us. Paul, being annoyed, turns on her and commands the spirit to depart. Such is the nature of having to live, not by our own choice, but by the choice of others. Paul chose to find Lydia, but God, allowed the slave-girl to find Paul. This is a helpful perspective to take with our unintentional fellow travellers.
Happenstance Sometimes life lands us where we would never choose. When Paul cast out the possessive spirit, it hits the profits of the slave-girl’s owners. They dragged Paul and Silas, to the “market place” where they are accused, punished, and thrown into prison. The gospel of Jesus may announce a new day, but each new day begins in the darkness of night. Paul and Silas, find themselves “at midnight” in prison, praying and singing hymns. By happenstance, other prisoners are with them and the jailer charged with guarding them. When life leads us to our darkest moments, we aren’t alone. There are others whom life has led us to share that same darkness with. They are there, as we are, sharing the road by happenstance.
The Key to Meaning Whether we share our road intentionally, unintentionally or by happenstance, there is meaning to be found. And finding the meaning behind it all requires trust.
The missionaries depended not on emotionally moving illustrations, superb intellectual arguments, colourful dazzling technology, but on “God, opening Lydia’s heart in response.” Looking back, they realised that if not for the slave-girl’s encounter, they would not have shared the gospel with the prisoners, jailers, authorities, magistrates, in the strategically positioned lead city and Roman colony of Philippi.
Our spiritual journeys have meaning because God has surrounded us with opportunities to share about Jesus. Whether we seek them out as in Lydia’s case, or they walk into our lives like the slave-girl did, or they witness our trials like the prisoners and the jailer, all of us are called and positioned perfectly by God to share his love as he leads us on.
