Conversion Of A Sinner Series

Introduction

William Ashley Sunday (1862 - 1935) was a professional baseball player who played in the National League for eight seasons.

On a Sunday afternoon in Chicago, during either the 1886 or 1887 baseball season, Billy Sunday and several of his teammates were out on the town on their day off.

At one street corner, they stopped to listen to a gospel preaching team from the Pacific Garden Mission.

Attracted by the hymns he had heard his mother sing, Sunday began attending services at the Pacific Garden Mission.

The word of God was proclaimed, and Billy Sunday heard the good news of the gospel.

After some time, Billy Sunday’s heart was opened, and he was converted to Jesus Christ.

He began attending the Jefferson Park Presbyterian Church, close to the ballpark and his rented room.

After his professional baseball career, Billy Sunday became a well-known evangelist, sharing the gospel with tens of thousands.

The conversion of Billy Sunday happened when he heard people on a street corner sharing the gospel.

Today, we will examine the story of a woman who was converted when she heard some people share the gospel while she and her friends were near a river.

Lydia was a sinner in Philippi who was converted through the ministry of Paul on his second missionary journey.

Let’s read about the conversion of a sinner in Acts 16:11-15.

Scripture

Let’s read Acts 16:11-15:

11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

Lesson

Acts 16:11-15 teaches us that God is sovereign in the conversion of sinners.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. We Must Discern God’s Guidance (16:11-12)

2. We Must Share God’s Word (16:13-14a)

3. We Must Affirm God’s Work (16:14b)

4. We Must Detect God’s Transformation (16:15)

I. We Must Discern God’s Guidance (16:11-12)

First, because God is sovereign in salvation, we must discern God’s guidance.

The apostle Paul’s home church was in Antioch in Syria.

Paul and Barnabas were sent out on Paul’s first missionary journey from the Antioch Church (see Acts 13:1-4).

Paul’s second missionary journey also started from the Antioch Church.

Paul began his second missionary journey with Silas (see Acts 15:40).

Early in his second missionary journey, Paul added Timothy to the missionary team (see Acts 16:1-5).

Paul wanted to proclaim the gospel in the cities of Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade Paul from speaking the word in Asia (see Acts 16:6).

Paul pressed forward, seeking to discern God’s guidance.

When Paul, Silas, and Timothy were in Troas, a town on the coast of the Aegean Sea, he had a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9).

Finally! God directed the missionary team, which now consisted of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, to Macedonia, which was located on the continent of Europe.

Luke writes in verse 11, “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis.”

Samothrace is an island in the Aegean Sea. The missionary team spent the night there and sailed to Neapolis the next day.

Neapolis was a coastal town in the colony of Macedonia.

Luke writes in verse 12a, “…and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.”

From Neapolis to Philippi, they traveled about eight miles inland on foot, which probably took them two to three hours.

Luke notes in verse 12b, “We remained in this city some days.”

One commentator notes that “some days” could be several weeks.

However, I want to stress that Paul and his team were discerning and following God’s guidance.

They were not permitted to proclaim the gospel in Asia because God wanted Paul to proclaim it in Europe.

As Paul pressed forward, God eventually provided guidance through the vision of the man from Macedonia.

Rich Mullins was a Christian musician. He was sometimes asked how to discern God’s guidance.