Come Help Us

 Paul was a zealous follower of Jesus. Bold. Driven. Passionate. His mission was to make Jesus known. He succeeded in doing that. The proof is in the epistles he left for churches he started in the New Testament. Paul took the gospel to the Jews and Gentiles alike. He was fearless and relentless in His evangelistic work. 

Paul lived surrendered to the will of God. Reading passages like Acts 20:24, Romans 12;1, II Coe 5:14-15, and Galatians 2:20 give us a little insight into the depth of Paul's submission to God. He especially wanted to take the name of Jesus to places where people had never heard of Him before. 

That makes the story the I write about today all the more interesting. For some reason the Holy Spirit forbid Paul to speak the word in Asia. [Acts 16:6]. It really did not make any sense. Logically people in Asia were lost. They needed to hear gospel good news. It seemed perfectly reasonable to journey there to continue his mission. Only God shut the door. 

I wonder if the closed door confused Paul and his companions like we get confused when God closes a door. Next, they tried to go to Bithynia, but once again the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them to go there either. [Acts 16:7]. Two closed doors and no explanation as to why the doors were closed. So, they travelled down to Troas where they spent the night unsure of where their next assignment would be. 

This would be no ordinary night in Paul's life. For years he would go back and remember how everything changed that night in Troas. One ordinary routine night on the road proved pivotal not only for Paul, but also even for us today. 

I will let you read what happened that night for yourself. 

Acts 16:8-10 (NASB)
⁸  and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
⁹  A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
¹⁰  When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

A vision appeared to Paul in the night. The word vision means a dream, a revelation, or an oracle. In our day people do not put much stock in dreams and visions. Talk about those things openly in the context of God revealing His will and people will raise eyebrow and look at you like you are wacky. Paul had a different reaction to the vision. 

What did he see in the vision? Simply put a man from Macedonia begging for Paul to come and help. Macedonia was a region in Greece. Some mysterious Macedonian man asking for help. The man in the vision is never identified. 

When I contemplate this story, it amazes me that God went to these unusual measures to reveal His new assignment to Paul. God could have just revealed it by the Holy Spirit.  He often communicated His will through the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. God revealed his will in similar fashion as He did with Cornelius and Peter in Acts chapter 10. This time He chose to communicate through a dream. 

This story has fascinated me for a long time. In similar fashion, God spoke to me through a series of dreams about a small west Texas town called Kermit eight years ago. Ultimately, I ended up setting up a tent revival in that town the summer of 2017 in response to those dreams. It was not well attended. 

This same passage has shown up in my Bible readings and prayer life several times in recent weeks. There has been no further revelation. Just the passage about God speaking to Paul through a vision of a man appealing for help. Is there some person or persons who is prayerfully pleading for God to send help? Is God calling me and or Spring Creek to come and help?

Yesterday morning I picked up Dallas Willard's book Hearing God to read a little before going to work. I could not believe my eyes when that [Acts 16:9-10] passage was in the pages I read. I have not had a vision. Just the same verses showing up on multiple occasions. I have learned from past experience when God wants to speak to me He always does so through His word and certain verses showing up repeatedly. 

It reminds me of an experience I had over two decades ago. I attended a conference and heard a man preaching on this topic. I contemplated this [Acts 16:9-10] passage. I prayed an [Isaiah 6:8] prayer for God to send me. A prayer I often repeated over the years. Then my mind was opened to the fact that somewhere in the world, in some country, in some city or town, some person or group of persons was praying that God would send them help. It dawned on me in that moment that God is able to connect the prayers on both ends. He hears the prayers of those appealing for help as well as the prayers of those willing to be sent. 

We could very well be the answer to someone's prayer for help. This might be an individual God strategically puts in our path. It might be with a group of people in another town or another country needing help. That is what God did for my friend Julie when she travelled to Athens, Greece on a summer mission trip. She fell in love with Muslim refugees and a converted Muslim Iranian refugee turned gospel evangelist. She ended up leaving her career as a teacher and marrying Javad and relocating to Athens to labor to see other refugees come to faith in Jesus. 

When I think back to that encounter with God at that mission conference, I am reminded that God wants us always to live available to Him. Each of us might receive our own Macedonian call. God may connect the prayers of someone pleading for Him to send help and your willingness to be sent. I think of a precious lady in our church who keeps bags of groceries in her car in case she runs across someone who needs help. She gives a gospel witness along with passing on the food. 

It really comes down to living on mission for God. To be available to Him to help others in need. For one senior adult couple in our church that meant going to a local skate park armed with Jesus, pizza, water, and hearts full of love. Several have been saved. They have faithfully gone to park through frigid winter days as well as blistering summer evenings for three years. What started as a ministry to a few skaters has now touched the lives of hundreds of people. The skaters needed help and God sent it to them. 

Who is pleading for God to send help? Who is begging God to send someone to their life, family, town, country, or church for assistance? If you choose to live a surrendered life available to God, don't be surprised if God chooses to use you to be an answer to someone's prayer for help.