"And Passing By Mysia" Acts 16:8

by R. Hyland, Rhyl, UK | Category: General | Jan 1987

The Lord's declaration at Caesarea Philippi, "I will build MY church" (Mat. 16:19) was a historic moment in the divine plan and was to have far-reaching consequences. The work began at Pentecost when Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached the gospel of the crucified and risen Christ with such conviction that his deeply troubled audience exclaimed "brethren, what shall we do"?

Repentance followed this conviction of guilt and many were immediately baptized and received the Holy Spirit. These "men of Israel" were called by "the Lord our God" that day, and the scope of that call was to embrace "all that are afar off". Praise be to His Name!

Later Philip preached the same glad tidings to the travelling Ethiopian and he believed and was baptized. That was followed by the conversion of Cornelius the devout God4earing Gentile.

When Saul of Tarsus came on the scene, following the heavenly vision, he too preached powerfully in the Holy Spirit and many were saved. At first he preached mainly to his fellow Jews, but also to Gentiles who were attending the synagogues.

A crucial turning point was reached in Acts 13. Having spoken out boldly to his brethren, and seeing their outright rejection of the gospel he now focuses directly on the Gentiles. The LIGHT was about to shine "unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts. 13:47). So Paul came to TROAS, led by the Holy Spirit to pursue the work for which he had been uniquely separated. The Lord's words were being fulfilled: "ye shall be My witnesses"; "ye shall receive power"; and in Paul's case in particular, "a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles" (Acts 9:15).

But he was not to speak further in Asia, hence his arrival in Troas. Europe now beckoned, and in true servant character he would obey the call. Paul was probably a frail, insignificant man, who would pass unnoticed in a crowd, yet within his frame beat a heart of gold. In was surpassed only by the unwearied compassionate heart of his beloved Lord and Master:

Thy foes might hate, despise, revile,

Thy friends unfaithful prove;

Unwearied in forgiveness still,

Thy heart could only love.

Like Him, Paul cared for the lost. The Troas vision had been so compelling, "come over and help us", that he was no longer in two minds; he sailed from Troas at once. Here we picture this most dedicated of the Lord's servants moving into battle at his Master's command; earlier he had not been disobedient to the heavenly vision and he saw no cause for disobedience now.

Troas was a watershed. Previously, as we have already seen, Gentiles had heard and believed the gospel, but they were living largely in Asia, so Paul now readily takes up the mission of his great Commander and begins his work at Philippi. He spoke first to the praying women at the riverside and when God4earing Lydia heard his message her anxious heart was opened by the Lord. Baptism followed immediately for this faithful sister as she and her household followed in the footsteps of those Pentecost disciples: "they then that received His word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). Perhaps among our readers there are some who have not yet taken this step and to such we would earnestly address the question, first posed by the eunuch, "What doth hinder me?"

During those eventful days others too were saved, baptized and added. The work of preaching the gospel was followed by the planting of the first church of God in Europe, made up of saints with the bishops and deacons" (Phil. 1). Jerusalem was the first of many churches planted by the apostles in those halcyon days. The conformity to the pattern, (Acts 2:4142) and the unity of all the churches is developed first in the Acts and confirmed in both

Peter's and Paul's letters. This was the pattern that was followed by Paul at Philippi.

From Philippi he went to Thessalonica, Beroea, Athens, Corinth and Ephesus, always spreading the same glorious message, the Holy Spirit working through him to bring salvation to many. Years later, writing from prison to the saints at Philippi Paul recalled those memorable times "from the first day", and no doubt that joyous night when the jailor and his family were saved and baptized.

He still had them in his heart and brought them constantly before the Throne of God. The years had taken their heavy toll, but the aged apostle had long since learned the secret of true contentment; his life still yielded to the Lord, always abounding in grace and love, and above all "having the desire to depart and be with Christ". But his course was not yet finished.

Reading through his letters we see the same deep concern for all the saints, men and women like ourselves who have come to Christ for pardon and life, so that we may "grow up in all things into Him ... the Head" (Eph. 4:15). Unless there is that inner spiritual growth there is no possibility of any lasting fruitfulness in our lives. One thing that Paul valued above all else was "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus MY Lord" and in pursuit of this aim he pressed on, giving encouragement to us to do the same: "let us therefore ... be thus minded".

We return briefly to Philippi to meditate in awe at Paul's appreciation of the humility (and exaltation) of Christ Jesus so movingly presented in chapter 2 of the epistle. How it must have captivated the hearts of his European brethren as it was read to the assembled church! Although Paul had not shared with the apostles in the washing of the apostle's feet in the Upper Room, by the divine Servant, yet this veteran servant was moved by the Holy Spirit to write so

eloquently of the Lord's stoop from the glory to the cross "who, being in the form of God... emptied Himself... becoming obedient even unto death... THE CROSS" (Phil. 2:5-8). Have this mind, he says to them and to US, and with subdued spirits we confess that all too often we have not the same mind or love. But why?

Oh, give us hearts to love like Thee,

Like thee, 0 Lord, to grieve

Far more for others' sins, than all

The wrongs that we receive.

R. Hyland, Rhyl, UK | Jan 1987
General