THE WAREHOUSE DAYS
I’ll never forget the day in September of 1991 when Grace Community Church began. I was in third grade when my dad, a 36-year-old former youth pastor gave his first sermon in the warehouse. My mom on the keyboard was the entire worship band.
I remember being shocked at how many people showed up that first weekend. It was around 500 or so… to worship in plastic chairs with a forklift in the corner. And then we just kept growing. It didn’t take long before we were completely out of space.
Nobody in that founding generation of leaders at Grace had any idea what they were doing (they would tell you that to this day!), but they did had a shared commitment that changed everything.
And it was this: Rather than asking God to bless what they wanted to do, they instead asked where the Holy Spirit was moving, and jumped in to join him. Just a few examples.
In 1993, after the iron curtain fell, the leaders of Grace felt the Spirit calling them to send missionaries over to Russia. They didn’t know anything about being missionaries in Russia, but over 100 people from Grace got on a plane and went, some for years.
In 1998 Grace felt the Spirit was moving through the arts, so we performed our first theatrical production. A church doing plays? What’s that? Now we do huge musical almost every year.
In the early 2000s we felt the Spirit calling the Church to a greater focus on compassion for the poor and marginalized, to racial justice, to Creation care… An expanding theology of what God was doing in the world.
The Holy Spirit was moving, so we jumped in to join him. That’s why we still care so much about healing the broken places of our world.
This same commitment to join the Spirit is why we started our disability ministry around 2003. It’s why we opened our Care Center in 2012. Why we’ve become a church that’s known as a safe place for doubters and skeptics to ask the hard questions.
I could go on and on with other examples, but the bottom line is this: Saying “yes” to the Spirit’s call has shaped this church family in ways we never could have imagined back in that warehouse.
I am so grateful for the boldness of the founding generation of Grace, and I speak for the leaders of Grace in this new generation when I say that our dedication is to follow in their footsteps and hold that same commitment: to leap when the Spirit calls.
Which is exactly what I believe is happening with the Reimagine Initiative. How exciting that we all get to be a part of it!
SERIES RECAP
Ok. Today we’re talking about origin stories. Our story as a church, but also the origin of the church in Philippi.
This is week 2 of “Reimagine,” our sermon series exploring Paul’s letter to the Philippians where he passes the baton to the next generation of that church community. “Here’s what I want you to remember when I’m gone.”
As we’ll see, many of Paul’s encouragements to them continue to resonate as encouragements to us today.
Last week we learned that Paul wrote this letter from prison after the church in Philippi sent him a generous care package. It’s obvious that there is a lot of love going back and forth, and you can see Paul’s joy at this church just leaping off the page. He begins his letter like this:
Philippians 1:3-6
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
“God, who began the good work within you.” As I said last week Paul’s primary message to the Philippians is to “continue that work” when he’s gone. But what work, exactly, is he talking about?
Well, that is what we’re going to look at today as we go back to the beginning and see how God’s work in Philippi began.
So, grab a Bible and turn with me to Acts 16:6, Page ______. While you’re turning there I’ll pray for us.
MAN FROM MACEDONIA
Our story begins in what is today western Turkey. Paul and his fellow apostle Silas are trying to follow the Spirit’s lead about where to go next.
Acts 16:6-10
Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
I find this passage so interesting. Verse 6. “The Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching in the province of Asia.” Verse 7. “The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there…”
Now, we don’t get any more details than that (how were they prevented?), but this whole situation sounds to me a lot like what we were just talking about. It would have made so much sense for them to go to the province of Asia next. That’s where Ephesus was. It was a massively important port city at the time.
That is the next right strategic move. It would have made total sense for them to say, “No, God. We’re going to Ephesus. Bless our plans!”
But that’s not what they did. What did they do? They looked for where the Holy Spirit was moving and decided to jump in and join him. In this case, Macedonia. So, Paul and Silas get on a boat and sail to the continent of Europe for the first time.
LYDIA
That’s how they arrive in the Roman colony of Philippi. In the next few weeks, we’ll talk more about what made Philippi unique, but for now it’s enough to know that it was right on an important trade route called the via egnatia.
It’s also helpful to know that Paul and his traveling companions don’t really have a plan. They usually just show up and wait to see what the Spirit does.
Acts 16:13
On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
Ok. We don’t know a ton about her, but I think Lydia is awesome. She’s a gentile convert to Judaism who is a purple cloth merchant, which was a very lucrative industry back then. Check out my fun facts in the Grace app if you want more details about that.
Based on some of the clues in the text, it seems that she’s probably a widow, and possibly quite wealthy.
Also, her name probably isn’t actually Lydia. That’s where she’s from. Thyatira was a city in the province of Lydia. It’d be like calling someone today “Tex” because they’re from Texas. Anyway, Lydia and her whole household are baptized.
My favorite part about her is that when it comes to offering hospitality to Paul and his companions, she will not take no for an answer.
Look at verse 15. “She asked us to be her guests…” But then, “she urged us until we agreed.” The word “urged” there is the Greek word parabiazomai - to force, prevail upon, press with urgent entreaties
They were not going to sleep in a tent if Lydia had anything to do with it. And so the church in Philippi was born in her home.
Here we get just a glimpse of the incredible generosity of the church in Philippi, and one of the reasons why Paul thinks of them with so much joy. He sure didn’t get that kind of hospitality elsewhere.
FORTUNE TELLER
Ok, let’s keep reading and meet the next character who might have joined the congregation there.
Acts 16:16-18
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
Now, the text here says this girl had a “Python spirit.” This is a reference to the serpent from Greek mythology that gave the Oracle of Delphi her powers. Again, check out the fun facts if you want to know more.
Now, we don’t know exactly what was going on here, but it’s obvious the girl’s shouting “day after day” (even if it’s the truth) was a distraction to Paul’s ministry, so he casts out the spirit in the name of Jesus…
It doesn’t say this, but I like to imagine that after this the girl joined the church in Philippi as well. Even if she remained a slave, I think Paul’s message would have been deeply freeing to her.
Galatians 3:28
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
It’s beautiful to imagine this young woman, finally free of spiritual oppression, taking communion at Lydia’s table. We don’t know, but we can imagine.
JAILER
Ok, let’s keep moving. There’s one more character to meet.
So, after Paul casts out the spirit from this girl, her owners are furious. Now that this girl can’t tell the future anymore, they just lost their ticket to easy money.
They raise a big stink before the city authorities, and a mob starts to form. Paul and Silas are beaten severely and thrown into jail with open wounds.
That night, Paul and Silas are singing hymns when there’s a massive earthquake. The chains of every prisoner fall off and the doors swing open. This is crazy, though: Rather than gettin’ while the gettin’ is good, Paul and Silas stay put. They don’t leave the jail. I think it’s because the Holy Spirit told them to.
However, when the jailer sees the door open, he thinks the prisoners have escaped, so he pulls out his sword to kill himself.
Acts 16:28-34
But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
It’s easy to fly right through this, but it’s worth stopping to recognize just how profoundly things have turned around for this jailer.
One moment he’s guarding these bleeding, despised troublemakers. The next moment he is bathing their wounds, feeding them, and having his whole household get baptized. I hope Lydia’s dining room is big enough, because a whole new family has just joined the church!
The story ends like this: The city officials beg Paul and Silas to leave Philippi immediately, so they do. Well, almost immediately.
Acts 16:40
When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
So there it is. That is how the church in Philippi began.
OVERFLOWING LOVE
Now, there were undoubtedly a lot more people who made up the early church there. Paul mentions several of them by name in his letter - Eudia, Syntyche, Syzygos, Clement, Epaphroditus…
And he probably stayed there for a couple of months, at least. So there are obviously a lot of details that Luke leaves out. But the ones that he includes tell us a lot about why this church was the one Paul loved so deeply.
First, just look at how much hospitality Paul and his companions received. A jailer bathing their wounds and feeding them, a wealthy widow who practically forces them to stay in her house…
Plus, as I said last week, it’s clear they sent him money and provisions several other times after he left Philippi. They were overflowing in love. And I think because of their spirit of generosity, it was fertile ground for Paul’s gospel message to take root. Which is why Paul writes,
Philippians 1:6-9
I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished… you have a special place in my heart… God knows how much I love you… I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians comes alive when you understand how it all began, doesn’t it?
But this origin story does one other thing which I want us to pay attention to: it gives us a glimpse into the commitment Paul always made which allowed God to work through him so powerfully.
That commitment? It’s the same one I was talking about at the start of this message. The commitment to jump in wherever the Holy Spirit is moving, even if we don’t know what lies on the other side.
We see it as Paul sets aside his plans to go to Ephesus and instead heads to Macedonia. We see it as Paul follows the Spirit’s lead to head down to the stream on the Sabbath where he meets Lydia.
We see Paul obeying the Spirit as he casts the demon out of the slave girl. And we see it in his trusting posture to stay in that jail instead of fleeing the moment the doors are open.
Who would have blamed Paul for going the other direction in any of those circumstances? And yet he chose to trust God and join His Spirit wherever he was moving.
Because of that commitment, the loving, generous, sacrificial church in Philippi was born.
THE SPIRIT’S CALL
So let’s bring all this home. Obviously, I’m going to speak to how this applies to Grace Church in a second, but before I do that, I want to talk about you as an individual.
Because I think in all of this talk about jumping in where the Holy Spirit is moving, there is an invitation for you to consider. An opportunity for reflection.
Let me ask you this. As you think about your own life - your faith - as you consider the journey that you are on, how often do you go looking for where the Holy Spirit is moving? Or, how often do you trust your own judgment on what to do next?
Or to put it another way. When you pray, are you asking God to bless the things you want to do? Or are you asking God what he desires for you, so you can jump in wherever he’s moving?
Like Paul, if you’ve got plans on getting to Ephesus, are you willing to let the Spirit lead you to Philippi?
Regardless of where you are on your journey, my encouragement to you this week is this: Ask God’s Spirit to show you where He’s moving and be bold as you jump in to join Him.
Who knows what kind of life change and transformation lies ahead for you if you do?
REIMAGINE
Finally, I want to bring it back to Grace Church and the Reimagine Initiative.
As I consider the origin story of the church in Philippi I can’t help but think about our own early days as a church. And I am yet again overwhelmed with gratitude that the founding generation of this church family took a posture like the Apostle Paul’s.
Open handed. Receptive to the Spirit’s leading. And willing to leap into the unknown if it meant joining God where he’s moving.
My hope and my prayer is that we at Grace Church will continue that same commitment to trust God’s Spirit well into the next generation.
Why? Because God started his work here in 1991, but he’s not done yet…