Consider Me a Believer.
Acts 16:1-15
Think back if you can about your spiritual life in the Lord. Think back to the people you’ve brought to the Lord. Think back to the many Bible studies that you’ve attended, the sermons you’ve heard, the places where you heard them. Think back to your baptism, the baptisms of others that you’ve attended, and the prayers that were said at those glorious events.
All of these events are a crucial part of being a believer. All of these events, and more, help to distinguish believers from non-believers. When you were at these events, did the people consider that you were a believer? Did they know? Did your actions convince them otherwise?
In our verses today, we see Paul and Silas beginning Paul’s second missionary journey. A journey that will begin by taking him through several cities and towns that have believers already there waiting to be taught concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. A journey where Paul meets young Timothy and the physician, Luke.
We see God add to Paul’s traveling companions, but we also see God add to the church and to the Kingdom of God.
What does a journey like this require? What does a Christian journey really need? Of course it needs many logistical things such as money, food, water, but it also needs a dedicated life. A life that constantly relies upon the Spirit of God, and is in tune with the Spirit of God’s direction in Spiritual matters.
How can we get that? How can we, in our Spiritual journey rely on the Spirit like Paul and Silas? How can we, like Lydia, the dealer in purple cloth, be considered a believer?
We have several points in our passage today.
I. Get out there and meet them!
II. Listen to recommendations
III. Become all things, to win all people
IV. Deliver the good news
V. Surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading
VI. Listen to the Spirit
VII. Be prompt in the Spirit
VIII. Expect the Unexpected
IX. A life of Persuasion
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I. Get out there and meet them!
Acts 15:40-41 Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
And, then chapter 16,
16:1 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 last two verses of Acts 15 gives us the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas divide forces. Barnabas takes John Mark, and Paul teams up with Silas.
Paul’s team heads through those places where churches were established earlier by Paul, Barnabas, and others. His purpose? To strengthen the churches. It’s been five years since Paul’s first visit to Lystra, but remember the title of our message, Consider me a Believer.
Can a person be considered a believer when they never get out and meet the people? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19,20:
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
GO, MAKE, TEACH
In order to say, Consider me a believer there must be something noticeable that will say to the next person, I’m a believer! There must be fruit in the life of the believer and the natural desire to evangelize is part of the fruit of the Spirit.
We have to do this! We have to get out there and meet them, we have to GO, MAKE, TEACH!
Matthew 7:20 says,
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
II. Listen to recommendations
2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
The fruit of a believer will speak volumes to the audiences of onlookers in your life. Everywhere you go people are watching you, evaluating you, trying to figure you out. After that, then they make up their minds about you.
When Paul came to Lystra, he watched and observed what was going on. He listened to the recommendations of the brothers and sisters there and they recommended young Timothy to him. Timothy was won to the Lord by Paul. We know this by what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:17,
For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
Do you see what proceeds before you can say consider me a believer? The fruit must be there, but, there must be growth in the Spirit as well. What does growth in the Spirit do for the believer?
o Rewards and blessings from God
o Rewards and blessings from others
Young Timothy received the rewards and blessings from God and those that recommended him to Paul.
What about you? If Paul was to walk in this church and look around, would you have the recommendations of those around you? Would you have the recommendations of the deacons, the deaconesses, the pastor, or the teachers?
In order to Consider Me a believer, I need to
get out there and witness
which in turn will,
lead others to recommend me in the Lord.
III. Become all things, to win all people
3 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.
We all know what was in the last chapter of Acts. James had given Paul and Barnabas a letter stating what was required of the Jews, yet here we see Paul circumcising Timothy. Why not rest on the letter? Why not pull the letter out and wave it under the noses of the townspeople?
First we have to remember what Paul would do upon entering a city. The first thing he would usually do is go straight to the synagogue and preach.
Gentiles were simply not allowed in the synagogue, nor were there any desire on their part to go to the synagogues. So there really wasn’t any reason to circumcise them.
Timothy, on the other hand, was part Jew by birth and would be able to go into the synagogue with Paul. Yet, being uncircumcised would keep him out. So in order to become all things for all people in order to win people to the Lord, Paul circumcised Timothy. To them it was a small conciliatory thing to do this.
Upon the matters of conscience or conviction, stand your ground. When others see your conciliation on behalf of the Lord, indeed, they will Consider You a Believer.
IV. Deliver the good news
4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
So, here we have Paul and his band of brothers carrying the decisions of the Jerusalem church in that same letter we just mentioned in the previous point. They took that news and the Gospel to the church and to the surrounding communities around those churches. And what happened?
What did it do? Did it tear down, or build up? Did it break up or solidify the church?
Do you deliver the good news of Jesus Christ or do you shirk from the responsibility? Do you deliver the letter of the law or the letter of liberty in Christ?
How you answer those questions, will determine whether or not those people that are watching you will consider you a believer.
V. Surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading
6 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.
These believers traveled throughout the region strengthening believers and winning people to the Lord. These 1st century Christians surrendered to the direction and leadership of the Holy Spirit.
We can be exactly like those 1st century Christians. By surrendering to the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that we take the right steps at the right times.
If we are not surrendering to the Spirit, then we are not tapping into the power of the Spirit. Remember our the title of our message, Consider me a believer. How can we even ask others to consider us believers when we are not surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s leading?
VI. Listen to the Spirit
7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
By surrendering to the Holy Spirit we are brought to that point of the relationship that will allow us to listen to the Spirit. How do we keep in tune with the Spirit? By yielding to His leading, by reading the word, prayer, and meditation on the Word. The Bible tells us in Psalm 119, verse 11:
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
The Spirit desires to lead your life. Not because He wants to turn you into a robot, but because He knows what’s best for you.
Paul and his band of brothers were surrendered to the Spirit and were thus put into the position of listening to the Spirit. The concept of ‘Hearing the Word and putting the Word into practice,’ can be applied here as well. Listening to the Spirit is first, then we need to HEED what the Spirit says. We need to follow His direction.
VII. Be prompt in the Spirit
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
10 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.
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
Paul didn’t waste any time. When the Spirit prompted him to go somewhere, he went. When the Spirit told him to stay put, he stayed put. Just reading these lines leads us to Consider Paul a believer.
We want others to consider us as believers, so we surrender or yield to the Spirit. Then we take the next step and get in tune with the Spirit. However, though we want to heed the Spirit, we don’t act on the Spirit’s leading with promptness. Whether it’s a lack of faith, a lack of assurance, or whatever, we hesitate, we delay, we hang back, we waver, we vacillate, we pause. And, those that are watching us see us pause and their consideration of us as a believer wavers also.
We must act with promptness on the Spirit’s leading in our lives, in our families, in our church. Without promptness in the Spirit, we demonstrate a lack of faith, not only to others, but to God. We must act with promptness on the Spirit’s leading.
VIII. Expect the Unexpected
13 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.
14 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.
There was no synagogue in this city, as you need at least 10 Jewish men to have a synagogue, so we can assume that there were less than that here. What we find is Paul and his group going outside the city gate to have a quiet moment of prayer and worship together.
When they arrived there, they met a group of women, probably washing clothes, or perhaps this had become a gathering spot for some of the women of this village. At any rate, Lydia heard the message of Christ from Paul. Lydia believed in the Living God, and the Living God opened up her heart to hear and respond to the message of Christ through Paul.
Paul and his brothers were expecting to only sit quietly and pray and worship the Lord. But, the Lord had a totally different idea about what they needed to be doing. Instead, the Lord chose to use them to lead these women, especially Lydia, to Christ.
As believers, or, if we want others to consider us believers, we, too, must expect the unexpected. We must:
Surrender to the Spirit
Listen to the Spirit
React with promptness to the Spirit’s leading.
Expect the unexpected.
Paul did not hesitate to heed the leading of the Spirit, and he definitely did not hesitate in sharing the Gospel with the women at the river. And, we should not hesitate when we are given the opportunity to serve God in any capacity.
All of these things
Get out there and meet them!
Listen to recommendations
Become all things, to win all people
Deliver the good news
Surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading
Listen to the Spirit
Be prompt in the Spirit
Expect the Unexpected
Will lead to a life of persuasion…
IX. A life of Persuasion
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.
Lydia considered Paul, Luke, Timothy and Silas to be believers, and now, based upon her life and her surrender to the leading of the Spirit, she now asks that Paul and his brothers consider her a believer.
Her life, recommendations from friends and relatives, her manners, her traits, her speech, her faith, her purity, all of these persuaded the brothers to consider her as a believer.
What about your life? What about what other people say about your conversion experience. What do others say about how you lead your life before others at work, at church, or at home? Is the way you behave at church different than the way you behave at work. Do you lead a life of persuasion that constantly tells others that you are a Christian?
