When COVID-19 is finally over, I think church should have a party.
A non-socially distant party.
 
A party where everyone who enters gets good, old fashioned, human contact.
 
There’ll be…
High fives!
Hugs
Even European cheek kisses?
 
There’ll be Juicy Juices available in the snack area – with two giant straws for you to share with a complete stranger!
Out back, we’ll have a giant game of twister…
And we’ll end the party by doing one of those things where everyone puts their hands in and then raise them by shouting something encouraging like: “Go Social Near Proximity!”
 
A non-social distance party sounds nice…
 
But…
 
We aren’t there yet.
Not at all.
 
And maybe…
 
Some of you wonder.
When will that party happen?
 
Or maybe…
Will that party EVER happen?
 
Yes.
 
That party will absolutely happen.
In fact, the Bible guarantees such a party.
 
Only this party, it doesn’t happen on earth.
 
Today we hear from God’s Word about the ETERNAL VICTORY PARTY awaiting us in heaven. Before we get into it, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth. Your Word is the truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see; open our ears to hear what you want us to hear; and open our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen.
 
I. A Vision of the Party
 
The lesson comes from the very last book in the Bible. It’s called Revelation. Revelation was written by one of Jesus’ 12 disciples named John. John was very close to Jesus. He had spent three years learning from Jesus, he was at the cross when Jesus died, he saw Jesus risen from the dead, and interacted with his risen Savior on multiple occasions. John was a key part of the early church and spreading the Gospel.
 
Unfortunately, that got John into trouble. He was exiled to an island called Patmos where he finished life by himself.
 
Think of it like his own quarantine.
 
But God didn’t let John’s time go to waste. While on the island of Patmos, God revealed to John some amazing things about the future. God came to John in several vision to reveal truths about the end times. These visions are written down in Revelation.
 
That’s why Revelation is called Apocalyptic Literature. Apocalyptic literature is pretty fantastic. It includes otherworldly creatures, strange metaphors, and complicated similes.
 
It’s like verbal art. Each word is like an artist’s brush stroke. The strokes come together to create a fantastic piece that speaks deep truth about the end times. For us, the challenging part is that the Holy Spirit’s work in Revelation is something like a Picasso – strange, out of place, hard to understand at first glance.
 
That’s important to keep in mind.
 
The temptation might be to take it apart piece by piece. To focus in on singular details.
But the Holy Spirit motivated John to write the vision as one continuous piece.
There’s value in backing up and looking at it in its entirety.
 
So…
 
Let’s dive into the vision.
 
John was having a normal day.
It’s quiet on an exile island.
 
I imagine he woke up at the rays of sunlight.
He went and poured his drip coffee, “Patmos Perk Blend.”
He grabbed his scrolled copy of the first three chapters of Revelation.
Because these were Jesus’ words.
He went outside to use them for his morning devotion.
 
As he’s sitting on his patio, with the waves gently crashing in the background, he warms his hands on his mug and takes a deep breath:
 
“What a beautiful sunrise.
What a beautiful skyline.
Nothing could be more beautiful.”
 
Just then, something happened.
 
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. (v.1)
 
And John did a double take.
It wasn’t as if the clouds parted.
It wasn’t as if the sun was shining more brightly.
 
The physical, earthly atmosphere opened to reveal the hidden, metaphysical realm of heaven
 
Then, a loud sound.
 
A trumpet.
No, a voice.
No, a voice like trumpet.
No, a trumpet like voice.
 
The same voice that had spoken to him as he wrote those letters.
The same powerful voice that had spoken God’s Word.
The voice of Jesus.
 
(Jesus’) Voice…said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” (v.1)
 
No sooner had Jesus’ voice spoken, than John was in the Spirit. (v.2)
 
John was suddenly looking back at his body.
His spirit was entering the spirit realm and he was being led by the Spirit…
Through the air.
Through the sky.
Through the clouds.
Through the Ozone Layer.
Through the metaphysical doorway.
 
Into heaven.
 
Once John got his bearings. He looked around.
And there before (him) was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. (v2b)
 
It was hard to make out who that someone was.
Because this Being.
And this Throne.
Were shining.
They were gleaming.
They were glowing with an otherworldly glow.
 
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby.
 
Jasper is a beautiful, clear, diamond-like rock.
Ruby is a gorgeous, dark red gemstone.
 
John had seen them before as tiny stones worn by the religious leaders back on earth. The high priests wore the stones on his breastplate. They served as a beautiful reminder of the God’s grace and sovereignty.
 
Thus far in John’s life he had only seen these stones worn by someone.
Never as someone.
 
Above the One seated on the throne was an emerald-colored shape. (v.3)
 
It encircled the throne.
It encircled the jasper & ruby like being.
It encircled them like a rainbow.
 
In the Old Testament, the rainbow was given by God as reminder of God’s grace and mercy.
Unfortunately, all the rainbows that John had seen…faded.
 
Not this one.
This rainbow – endured.
Where God’s grace – stayed.
 
It took a couple of minutes. But John noticed that there were others in the room.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. (v.4)
 
They looked like princes.
All in uniform.
All in a holy, divine uniform.
 
John was about to compliment the nearest elder on his golden head gear, when…
 
BOOM!
 
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. (v.5)
 
It was louder than any storm John had ever heard before.
Probably because he was closer to the source of a storm than John had ever been before.
 
This was the throne room of heaven.
This is the place where God controlled the weather.
This is the place where God told tornadoes where to go…
 
…and hurricanes to develop into category 4s.
…and earthquakes to rumble.
…and volcanoes to erupt.
…and wildfires to burn.
 
Speaking of burning…
In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. (v5b)
 
They didn’t seem to be going out.
Not at all.
They weren’t fading.
But burning.
Eternally.
 
Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. (v.6)
 
In fact, that water was unlike any water John had ever seen before.
Most of the water he had seen was murky.
This greenish, brown from algae and mud.
Even the shores of the Mediterranean Sea on his island, which were clearer than lake water, weren’t as clear as this divine deluge.
 
This sea and how it got that way?
Was surpassing all John’s understanding.
 
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures. (v.7)
 
And you’ll have to forgive John for the description. Because these creatures were unlike any creatures he had ever seen on earth.
For starters, they were covered with eyeballs all down their front and all down their backs. It would be enough to give anyone jitters.
 
But not John.
Not beside that peaceful water.
Not in the protection of the One on the throne.
 
The first living creature was like a lion, powerful and wild.
The second was like an ox, domestic and loyal.
The third had a face like a man, wise and beloved.
Th fourth was like a flying eagle, soaring and free.
 
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. (v8)
 
John couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
This was incredible.
It was awesome.
It was worth giving a shout.
 
The living creatures beat him to it:
 
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” (v.8b)
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
“ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
 
It was a beautiful symphony.
 
But it wasn’t over.
 
Suddenly, the elders got down from their thrones.
They turned to face the Seated One.
They fell to the ground.
They took off their crowns.
And joined in the worship of the Seated One.
 
They cried, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (v.8)
 
John smiled.
He didn’t need to be afraid.
He didn’t need to be worried.
He didn’t need to be anything anymore…
 
Other than joyful.
 
He was with God.
 
II. Truths about the Eternal Victory Party
 
This revelation paints a beautiful picture for us of that eternal victory party. There’s a lot to talk about. But I’m going to limit myself to five things that will have value for our lives right now.
 
TRUTH 1:
GOD is at the CENTER of the Victory Party.
 
The first things John sees is the One seated on the Throne. (v.2) His eyes are naturally drawn to him.
 
Then, there are these concentric circles going out and around the throne.
 
Verse 3 says the rainbow encircled the throne.
Verse 4 says the 24 elders were surrounding the throne.
Verse 6 says the 4 living creatures were around the throne.
Verse 9 says the elders bow down and praise the One on the throne.
In fact, if we read a bit farther in chapter 5:11, it says that 10,000 times 10,000 angels encircled the throne to praise God.
 
The point? God is at the center of this victory party.
 
Since God’s there? This is a good party.
This is a DIVINELY good party.
 
It’s not like human parties.
Sometimes human parties aren’t very good.
 
The punch isn’t bitter.
The taco dip isn’t overrun with too many refried beans.
The Enya music in the background isn’t ruining the mood.
 
This isn’t like a human party.
This party is good.
 
Sometimes human parties have sin at them. Sin that spoils the party and gives you a bad after taste for days!
 
Like the headache you have because you drank too much.
Or the drunken text message you need to explain because you were mad at someone.
Or the two of your friends who aren’t speaking together anymore because one got together with the other’s boyfriend.
 
This isn’t a human party.
This is a GOD party.
 
It isn’t a sinful party with horrid after-effects.
 
This is a God party.
With amazing forever effects.
 
At this party…
 
There’s no sadness.
There’s no pain.
There’s no fighting.
There’s no backstabbing.
There’s no gossip.
There’s no embarrassment.
There’s no sickness.
There’s no sin.
There’s no COVID-19.
There’s no economic downturn.
There’s no loss of job.
There’s no anxiety.
 
There’s only good.
 
TRUTH 2:
The guest list includes ALL BELIEVERS
 
John describes 24 elders in front of the throne. This seems very likely to be a summation of two very important groups from the Bible. One from the Old Testament before Jesus and another group from the New Testament at the time of Jesus.
 
There were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament. (This nation was chosen by God to preserve the promise of the Savior.)
There were 12 apostles in the New Testament. (These were chosen by the Savior to work closely with him.)
 
Putting those two together seems to symbolize a complete gathering of the Chosen from the Old and New Testament.
 
In other words:
Believers.
 
Do you grasp what this means?
If you are a believer in Jesus as your Savior, you will be at this divine party.
 
That’s what happened when the Gospel was preached to you.
God wrote up one of those little invitations cards and sent it to you.
Of course, he didn’t send it on one of those Pinterest level cuties cards – although if the first way you learned about Jesus was through a Pinterest card with “Jesus Loves You” written on it, I suppose that’s exactly what he did.
 
And if you aren’t a believer, this is your invitation right now!
You are invited to the party.
A party without any pain, shame, or sadness.
 
If you’d like to be in that party, you’ve got to listen to the instructions on the invitation.
 
What are those instructions?
 
Well…
 
Do you remember how John got to the party?
 
He didn’t use GPS.
He didn’t use Google maps.
He didn’t ask Alexa.
 
The voice called to him.
That voice?
It was the voice of Jesus.
 
TRUTH 3:
The ONLY way to the eternal victory party is through JESUS.
 
And that’s good news.
 
Cause while these the most impressive party of all time,
There isn’t an exclusive list.
 
You don’t have to pay your way in.
You don’t have to be invited based on your humanitarian efforts.
You won’t be disqualified because you have that one sin in your past.
 
Jesus is your way to the victory party.
 
It’s only through Jesus that you get into the party.
He lived for you.
He died for you.
He rose for you.
 
It’s as simple as trusting Jesus’ invitation.
And you’ll be at that party.
 
TRUTH 4:
The party is JOYFUL!
 
The living creatures with the eyeballs and the wings. I don’t know exactly what they represent. It seems the safest and easiest choice would be a representation of all living creatures.
The lion represents wild animals.
The ox represents domesticated animals.
The human represents humans.
The eagle represents birds.
 
Don’t ask me why there isn’t a slug with a bunch of eyes on it representing mollusks.
 
But did you notice this?
These living creatures praise God.
So do the angels.
So do the elders – aka – the Redeemed.
 
Everyone and everything are joyfully praising God!
 
No one is stopping to complain.
No one is stopping to argue.
No one is thinking about COVID-19.
No one is worried that they need to get home by 9 so they don’t get charged double by the babysitter.
 
They’re just…
Joyful.
 
Do you remember the last time you were just joyful?
…
…Me neither.
 
You will be.
 
When you join the eternal victory party, you will be joyful!
 
But here’s where it gets interesting. Look closely at verse 9 again:
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four…worship the one who lives forever and ever…saying: You are worthy, Lord our God! (v.9-10)
 
Did you catch that?
It isn’t a one-time occurrence.
It isn’t a thing in the future.
 
It’s a “whenever” occurrence.
 
As in, this praise for our God is going on right now.
 
TRUTH 5:
You don’t need to WAIT to join the party.
 
Whenever you see a beautiful sunrise and you are amazing at God’s artistry? Praise God!
Whenever you see a majestic wild animal on one of those National Geographic shows and you are amazed at God’s power? Praise God!
Whenever you look through your kids’ books on animals and you see a photo of one of those weird fish with the light on its head and you think: “That’s so creative.” Praise God!
 
Whenever you wake up to the beautiful face of your bride and think, “How blessed am I?” Praise God!
Whenever your family gathers together on the sofa for game night, safe and healthy? Praise God!
Whenever you see the gorgeous smile of your child on the screen saver of your cell phone? Praise God.
 
Whenever you wake up and realize you woke up. Praise God! It’s a day worth partying!
 
Whenever you hear about what your Savior did for you on the cross. Praise God!
Whenever you are reminded that you are redeemed? Praise God!
Whenever you think of the eternal victory party awaiting you? Praise God!
 
Friends, we’ve got all kinds of reasons to celebrate. Join God in the eternal victory party today!
Amen.

Last week we looked at the beginning of the second missionary journey. The purpose of the journey was to:

1. deliver the decision of the Jerusalem Council that “grace meant grace” to neighboring churches.
2. share the Gospel in brand new mission fields.

 
There were plenty of mission fields to choose from! The Gospel had its origins in Judea, a smaller country with a land area of a couple hundred square miles. Since the rest of the world was untouched by the Gospel, there was a lot more of the world that needed to hear about the Savior.
 
As a result, you might expect the mission team to head out to some largely populated area as quickly as possible to share the Gospel with the most amount of people.  
 
That would make the most sense because it would be the easiest way for Paul to “pad his stats.”
 
Have you ever heard that phrase? It’s a sports term. Sometimes you need to “pad your stats” in sports, because stats (or statistics) are key. They have been around since baseball cards started including them on the back of a player’s card. (Think about it: You don’t want to be that one guy with the .067% batting average. They can flip the card, look at your face and forever associate you with “not being that good at baseball.”)
 
Good stats, on the other hand, might increase the value of your card. It could improve your legacy. You might even get a reward. Stats are the reason that players sometimes stay in a game – even when their team is winning by a lot – to get a couple more hits and “pad their stats.”
 
If there was an apostolic version of baseball cards, you might expect Paul to “pad his stats.” He had a good run in his first season as missionary. In his second? It’d be an opportunity to bring his total number of people evangelized to the tens of thousands, to double the number of churches he started, and to better his average of “conversions” to “sermons preached.”
 
In today’s lesson God does the opposite. He guides the missionary team far away from the logical next steps in mission work, far away from what made them comfortable, and far away from what would have “padded Paul’s stats.”
 
Why? We’ll investigate God’s Word for the answer. Before we do, a prayer: O Lord, strengthen us by the truth, your Word is truth. Open our eyes to see what you want us to see, our ears to hear what you want us to hear and our hearts to believe what you would have us believe. Amen.
 
I. The Story
 
Acts 16 says this: “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.” (Acts 16:6-8)
A little bit of geography:
 
Phrygia and Galatia are to the north of Judea. They region starts to curve around the Mediterranean Sea to the east. This is essentially the route of the first missionary journey. In fact, Galatia is the name for the whole region of churches from that first missionary journey. It’s also the reason that Paul’s letter to these churches is called “Galatians.”
 
Paul and his missionary team went there to deliver the message from the Jerusalem council that “Grace meant grace.”
 
But then, they tried to head to the west to the province of Asia. There’s a lot of people in Asia. Some of the largest populations in the world are in Asia: China, India, Russia, even Bangladesh. While these countries wouldn’t have been as populated back then, there were still plenty of people in Asia who needed to hear about Jesus.
 
This seems like a logical next choice for mission work.
 
But they were kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. (v.6)
 
Now, Scripture doesn’t tell us how this happened.
 
An invisible force field?  
Roads that were shut down?  
A donkey that got sick?
 
Scripture doesn’t say.
But somehow, they concluded that they couldn’t go to Asia at this time.
 
So, they tried to go north. They came to the border of Mysia and tried to enter Bithynia… (v.7a) Bithynia is modern-day Turkey, a gateway into the northern kingdoms of modern-day Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria. Again, there were plenty of people who need to hear about Jesus up there and it was a logical next step: just head north and BAM – you’re there!
 
But The spirit of Jesus would not allow them to… (v.7b)
 
And again, there’s no indication of how this happened:
 
A sinkhole in the road?
Timothy got the flu?
Soldiers force them to turn around?
 
Or maybe the Holy Spirit simply says: “Nope.”
 
So…
They can’t go west.
They can’t go north.
They came from the south.
 
They go east and went down to Troas. (v.8)
 
I imagine Paul was a bit confused:
Isn’t the Gospel for all people?
Aren’t there thousands of people to the West?
Aren’t there thousands of people to the North?
O Lord, why do you keep blocking our route?
 
As they settled down that evening, God gives them an answer:
…Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” (v.9)
 
I don’t know how Paul knew he was Macedonian. (I’m unsure that I’m that familiar with genealogical and racial features enough to pinpoint someone from Macedonia just by viewing them)
So…
Maybe he was waving a Macedonian flag.
Or eating Macedonian food.
Or maybe he had on one of those t-shirts with the outline of Macedonia on it and the phrase: “Home.”
 
However, it happens, Paul immediately shared the news with his friends: “Guys, I know what God wants us to do! I saw a man…a Macedonian man. He asked us to come to Macedonia. He pleaded with us. So…get up! Pack up. He needs our help. They need the Gospel of Jesus now!”
 
The next morning, they do just that.
They head to the local harbor.
They obtain a ride on the boat across the Mediterranean.
It’s a couple days journey until they get to Neapolis.
From there they head to a leading city of Macedonia, Philippi.
 
And Paul might have been thinking:
 
This is great. God must have big plans.
If he had us travel 500 miles from our last stop in Phrygia, there must be a large amount of people he wants us to preach to.
If he had us jump on a ship, risk a shipwreck, and possibly get seasick, there must be crowds awaiting us.
If he is having us enter a Roman colony, with the danger of Roman soldiers and racism against Jews like us, there must be a second Pentecost awaiting us!
 
But…
When they get there…
 
There’s no Jewish synagogue to go preach at.
There’s barely any Jews in the city at all.
The whole atmosphere is foreign, confusing, and difficult.
 
The missionaries are there for a few days without the Bible recording anything of substance.  
 
Finally, they go outside the city gate to the river. (v.13)
 
Away from the population.
Away from the confusion.
Away…for prayer.
 
As they are praying, a group of women comes to the river.  
Most likely, they’re bringing their laundry to the river to do some wash.
And as they are washing their clothes…
 
…Paul can’t help himself.
 
Nice water, huh? Water…It’s important. But I know of something called “Living Water.”
I see you’re cleaning your clothing. But what have you done lately to cleanse your soul?
Look out that you don’t trip on a rock. Speaking of rocks – Jesus is my Rock. Is he yours?
 
And most of the women?
They don’t listen.
Just an annoyed smirk and a “Just let me do my laundry, weird religious dude.”
 
But…
One of those listening was a woman named Lydia….
The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. (v.14)
 
The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about Lydia.
The Greek text of the Bible literally says that she was a purple dealer. A purple dealer wasn’t someone who passed out Crayola crayons. Her job was to dye clothing the color purple. It was a fine business to be in, because purple clothing was quite expensive. In fact, wearing purple was a sign of being rich. It was a status symbol (like wearing a Gucci dress with a Coach handbag or dressing in an Armani Suit with a pair of Air Jordan’s on your feet).
 
We don’t know much else about Lydia.
But…
She was a person.
A sinful person.
And just like any sinful person, she had reason for a Savior.
 
Maybe she’d gotten a good portion of her wealth in less than upright ways.
Maybe she’d spent so much time pursuing riches that her life felt void and empty.
Maybe she’d gone through a recent divorce with her husband; kept the money…and a lot of shame.
Maybe her visit to Philippi left her on the fringes of society, a refugee, alone.
Maybe she knew that the purple clothing she sold was only a façade; that could not cover the guilt upon her soul.
 
But when she heard about Jesus.
 
She heard about forgiveness for all her less than upright ways.
She heard about how Jesus brings eternal riches that will never leave you void or empty.
She heard about how Jesus’ death repaired her relationship with God and removed all her guilt and shame.
She heard about how Jesus rose from the dead and promised to be with his disciples so that they are never alone.
She heard about how Jesus’ gives us a robe, even more gorgeous than a robe of purple.
About how Jesus gave a robe of righteousness to completely cover her sins!
 
Lydia heard all of this.
And believed.

II. Notes about the Eternal Importance of One

That’s the point of this whole story.
It’s the point of the 500-some mile journey.
It’s the point of the trip on the ship.
It’s the point of the foreign Roman colony.
It’s the point of the trip to the river.
 
The point was getting the Gospel message to Lydia.
 
And this wasn’t Paul’s plan.
It was God’s.
 
Think about how God goes out of his way to save Lydia:
 
He came out of heaven…for Lydia.
He lived on earth…for Lydia
He died on the cross…for Lydia.
He rose from the dead…for Lydia.
 
Then, God guided Paul.
Blocked some paths.
Opened others.
Got him to Philippi.
Got her to Philippi.
So that there is a seemingly chance encounter at the river which leads to the eternal salvation of her soul.
 
Amazing!  
God did this because God placed eternal importance on one person, Lydia.
 
And…God has also placed eternal importance on YOU.
 
(1) See the Eternal Importance of You
 
Have you ever received a canned email from a company about how special you are?
 
I got one of those from Netflix recently.
I quit the subscription and they sent me a message that said they “loved having me as a customer” and they “hated to see me, Philip Kiecker, go.”
So…I signed up again.
Because they cared about me so deeply.
 
A while later, I was having trouble connecting, so I used the help app for Netflix to try and connect with a customer service representative and the representative texted me:
 
“Hi! How can I help?”
“I can’t get my Netflix connection to work.”
“Happy to help. Please provide your full name.”
 
I thought: “That’s odd. I thought they loved me as a customer and hated to see me go, but…”
I gave them my name.
Then, they said: “I’m sorry. There’s an outage. There’s nothing we can do to help, Fred.”  
 
Fred?
I thought they cared!
 
Maybe you feel that way about God.
Maybe you’ve been tempted to believe that God doesn’t care.
That you aren’t important.
That you are forgotten.
 
Not true.
 
God went out of his way to save YOU.
He came out of heaven…for YOU.
He lived on earth…for YOU
He died on the cross…for YOU.
He rose from the dead…for YOU.
 
And God arranged events in your life to bring you to saving faith.
 
Maybe he had your mom bring you along, kicking and screaming to church, since you’ve been 4 years old.
Maybe he had a friend invite you to worship, invite you again, invite you, invite you, invite you and invite you some more.
Maybe you had a chance encounter with a stranger at our modern-day version of the Philippian River –the local laundromat.
 
Somehow God brought saving faith to you.
Because you were eternally important to him.
 
And if you aren’t a believer yet, understand this:
God has arranged events in your life to bring you to this message right here.
 
Jesus loves you.
Jesus died for you.
Jesus rose for you.
Jesus is your Savior.
Believe.
 
(2) See the Eternal Importance of Others
 
Because Lydia didn’t stop with herself. Look at what happens next: She and the members of her household were baptized. (v.15a)
 
It isn’t likely that all her household was already down at that river doing laundry.
And yet – the baptism appears to have happened in the river, because it takes place before “She invited [the missionaries] to her home.” (v.15b)
 
That means Lydia must have went back home:
Told her family about Jesus.
Told her kids.
Her spouse.
Her mom.
Her uncle.
Any servants that might have been working at her purple factory!
 
Then, she led them all back to Paul.
Paul told them about Jesus.
And they were all baptized into his name.
 
Why did Lydia do this?
Because she saw the eternal value of her family.
She saw them as eternal souls in need of a Savior.
 
Just as God did. 
Just as God wants us to do.
 
Mr. Rogers used to have a song that he sung on occasion: “Who are the people in your neighborhood?” The song goes on to identify common 1980s neighbors – the mailman, the police officer, and the fire fighter.
 
That was in the eighties. It might be fun to hear an update:
Who are the people in your 2019 neighborhood?
 
The Whole Foods clerk.
The Starbucks barista.
The Uber driver.
The Amazon Delivery woman.
Even…the Google fiber installation crew. (They’re in everybody’s neighborhood…all the time.)
 
But these are more than just people in your neighborhood.
They are eternal souls in need of their Savior.
 
The mailman? An eternal soul in need of the Savior.
The police officer? An eternal soul in need of the Savior.
The fire fighter? An eternal soul in need of the Savior.
The Whole Foods clerk? An eternal soul in need of the Savior.
The Starbucks barista? An eternal soul in need of the Savior.
The Uber drive, the Amazon Delivery woman and the Google fiber installation crew…. Eternal souls in need of the Savior.
 
Pay attention.
That’s what they are.
And you, as a believer in Jesus, have what they need.
 
See the eternal importance of others.
Share Jesus. 
 
(3) See the Eternal Importance of Your Part in Kingdom Work
 
After Lydia’s household is baptized into Christ’s family, she doesn’t just bid adieu to the missionaries and go back to who everyday life.
 
Nope.
 
She invited the missionaries to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” (v.16)
She realized that God’s work wasn’t done in Philippi.
She figured that they would need a place to stay as they shared the Gospel in Philippi.
She might not have been an eloquent speaker like them, but she wanted to partake in the ministry in whatever way she could.
 
She saw the eternal importance of her part in kingdom work and she served…
…Happily.
 
The same is true here.
We have a big mission: To Plant the Message of Jesus in the Heart of North Raleigh (and Beyond).
That’s a lot of people.
In the triangle, that’s close to 2 million people.
 
We can’t do it alone.
So, we do it together.
Together with Jesus.

Let me tell you the story of Priscilla.
Priscilla had a child in need of childcare.
Priscilla searched online for a Childcare Center.
Priscilla found an ad that some of you developed.
Priscilla found an ad that your offerings helped support.
Priscilla visited Precious Lambs where some of you spend all kinds of time planning for, decorating, and building.
Priscilla enrolled her child in Precious Lambs where some of you taught her child about Jesus.
Priscilla brought her child for worship where some of you greeted her, made friends with her, high fived her.
 
Priscilla now knows about her Savior.
Priscilla now knows about his love for her.
Priscilla now knows about his love for her – because God works through all of you to make that happen.
 
That’s the eternal importance of one.
May God guide us to see our eternal importance as we are motivated to see the eternal importance of others. Amen.

Tragic.

I don't know any other word. This past week in Chapel hill three young Muslim students were killed over a parking spot. 

This was tragic for so many people and so many reasons. 

Tragic for those students. They had so much promise and a full life ahead of them.
Tragic for their families. Their hearts will be broken and struggling to heal for years.
Tragic for our community. Fear, racism, and anger continue to divide us.
Tragic for our country. Politicians and the media will use this death to confuse issues, meet agendas, and make campaigns successful. 

But you know who this was most tragic for?  

God.  

Wait. What?  


Take a look at the following Bible passage:
 

Do you see what God did? God loved these three so much that he came to earth to live perfectly for them when they couldn’t. He died innocently for them the death they deserved. He rose triumphantly for them to proclaim that heaven is theirs as his gift. He has been calling out for them to believe that his Son did this!

They were Muslims. Their faith didn't believe this. 

And someone ripped them away from this world before they could.  

That’s an eternal tragedy. 

But there is more at stake than that.  

Our world was already filled with enough hatred, misunderstanding, racism, and mistrust. This tragedy will only heighten all of that ugliness. It will segregate, dissect, and separate our society even farther. Conversations will be harder. Dialogue will be tougher. Sharing the message of Jesus will be all that much more difficult. 

As God’s spokespeople – as Christians – we might be tempted to give up:

“It’s too dangerous out there.” 
“No one will trust me.” 
“I’m angry.”
“I’m confused.”
“I’m scared.” 
"I can't."

Our world is very dark right now. Bu do not hide in the darkness.

As God’s spokespeople – as Christians – we might be tempted to give in: 

“I’m angry.”
“I’m not responsible.” 
“I’m being blamed?”
“Who cares then!”
"I won't."

Our world is very dark right now. But do not become a part of the darkness. 

Jesus said this. I think it's as important now as it was when he spoke it: 

 “You are the light of the world…People do not light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:14-16)

As God's spokespeople --as Christians -- we might be tempted to give up or give in, but we must do neither. We must give out. 

The Bible records another dark time. 

It was evening. Jesus was in a lonely garden.  A band of men came to arrest him. Torches, swords, and anger surrounded him. He was handcuffed, slapped and arrested. 

Then it was night. He went to a dimly lit courtroom. Still dark. He was blindfolded. Even darker. He was punched. “Who hit you!?!” He was hated. 

Then it was morning. It was bright for a moment. Then, he was whipped. Then scourged. The pain from his back beckoned for him to black out. 

Then it was noon. He was nailed to a cross. The cross was jammed into the ground. The sky turned to darkness. Jesus’ eyelids grew heavy. The light was slipping.  

Then it was afternoon. He shouted. He sighed. Then….he was silent. 

The light was gone.  

But three days later, the light returned. Jesus burst forth from the tomb. He had conquered the darkness of death. He had defeated the darkness of sin. He had destroyed the sad darkness of this gloomy earth. 

He had a new message. A message centered in the light of forgiveness. A message surrounded in the love of God. A message promising the eternal light of God’s presence to all who believe!

Then he left.

But before he left he made this command and promise. “Go and make disciples of all nations…and surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” (Mt. 28) 

The point? The light never left. The light is in you. The light is with you. Let HIM shine!

Be kinder than you’ve ever been.
Care more than you've ever cared. 
Prayer more vigorously than you've ever prayed. 
Tell others about the hope you have in Jesus more confidently, more lovingly, and more often than you ever have before. 

Let your light shine brighter than ever!

*Over the past couple of months, we've seen some creative hash-tags used to draw attention to different struggles:

#BlackLivesMatter
#PoliceLivesMatter
#MuslimLivesMatter

God doesn't have a Twitter account. But if he did, I think he’d have his own spin on this: 

#EternalLivesMatter

May this heart of God be our heart as well. 

Join me in saying prayers for the families of all involved with this tragedy. 
Join me in staying calm and patient in the midst of heated anger. 
Join me in bringing love to every person we encounter in the Triangle. 
Join me in shining brightly in the darkest of times.