God Moves in Macedonia

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Acts 16:11-18

 

1 John 4:10

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

(ESV)

 

A world of hatred needs love.  God loved sinful humanity so much that he sent his sinless Son (2 Corinthians 5:21), Jesus Christ who though he knew no sin, become sin for us and died, taking our sin to the cross (Romans 5:8).  As a demonstration of victory over sin, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, sending those professing faith in Jesus as their savior the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33).  Not only is the love of God sacrificial with God sacrificing His only Son and Jesus willingly sacrificing Himself for the sins of humanity, it is also a perfect love that casts out fear (1 John 4:18).  Not only does a world of hate need love, but it is also a panicked world due to Covid19 and needs the perfect love of God to end the hate and cast out the fear.

 

The Apostle Paul and those accompanying him waste no time leaving Troas to begin ministering to those in Macedonia (Acts 16:11-12).  On the Sabbath after his arrival, Paul and those with him go outside the gate of the city to a place they supposed to be a place of prayer but instead praying, Paul speaks with the woman who were there (Acts 16:13).  One of the women there was Lydia who was already a worshipper of God and listens intently to the teaching from Paul (Acts 16:14).  After hearing Paul’s teaching, Lydia and her household are baptized and invite Paul and those with him to her house to stay (Acts 16:15). 

 

On their way to the place of prayer, Paul and those with him encounter a slave girl with a spirit of divination from which her owner profited (Acts 16:16).  The fortune-telling woman follows Paul saying,  “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation (Acts 16:17).”  While this is a statement of truth, it is not a statement of faith but a demonic spirit of divination discerning who Jesus is making the statement a statement of mockery by a demonic spirit and not faith.  After this continues for many days, the Apostle Paul turned and said to the spirit possessing the woman, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And the spirit left the woman (Acts 16:18).  Lydia and her household committing their lives to Christ through baptism and the casting out of a demonic spirit indicate that God is moving in Macedonia. 

 

The term commonly used by Christians that God is moving is interesting for God is present everywhere and does not need to move.  If anyone moves from or towards God, it is us.  Instead of saying that God moved, it might be better to say that God reached out in love through his servant Paul.  God reached out in love to Lydia so she could have a closer and more intimate relationship with God.  God reached out to the woman with the spirit of divination, rescuing her from her slavery to the demonic spirit and possibly her slavery to her owners. 

 

Paul’s immediate obedience to the vision he received from God at Troas is fruitful with Lydia and her household following through on their worship of God through baptism and deciding to provide Paul a place to stay (Acts 16:11-15).  The work is also fruitful with the casting out of a spirit of divination from a slave girl.  However, the casting out of the spirit of divination is a threat to the profitable business of those benefitting from her fortune-telling (Acts 16:16-18). 

 

As the Church continues to pray for revival to spread across the land, it will see God begin reaching out in love to the community.  This revival will bring worshippers of God in the Church drawing closer in their relationship with God as occurred with Lydia.  This movement of revival will also cast out demonic spirits and sinful activities as it did for the slave girl and the spirit of divination.  However, it is also a threat to those benefiting from these activities.  As revival comes, the demand for abortion, the acceptance of gay marriage, and transgenderism will decline, threatening those politically and financially benefitting from them.  As opposition to the Church rises on these issues, the Church has the choice of either backing down or facing the opposition knowing that no weapon formed against the Church will prosper (Isaiah 54:17).  I pray God’s people will remain strong when opposition comes by praying and wearing the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  May God bless everyone reading this post and may revival begin in the Church as God’s people draw closer to God.