Wildflowers: Lydia the AsterSample

Sailing to Philippi

Some flowers are worth the journey. Hundreds of thousands of people travel each year to the foot of Mount Fuji for the Fuji Shibazakura Festival to admire a carpet of 800,000 pink phlox moss flowers that span miles along the basin. It's a long way to go, but tourists from all over the world say these rolling fields of pink are worth it. If Paul could have flown from Cyprus to Philippi by airplane, the trip would be 640 miles. We know that his journey was largely by boat and by foot, taking months for him to hopscotch his way to the foremost city of Macedonia. I'm confident that the apostle thought the journey to meet Lydia the aster far exceeded his expectation because of the beauty and grace she spread throughout the land. In fact, one day, he would make that journey again.

Besides the arduous elements of this journey, there was an urgency as the men immediately left for Macedonia. They didn't linger in Troas, a beautiful port city on the Aegean Sea, situated in Greece near the tip of Turkey. Instead, they "ran a straight course to Samothrace" (Acts 16:11). The next day they arrived in Neapolis but kept going until they reached Philippi.

Philippi received its name from Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, in 356 BC. It was abandoned however, in the fourteenth century after the Ottoman conquest, and it lies in ruins to this day. But it enjoyed a storied history. The Macedonians conquered it to control the neighboring gold mines. Eventually, it was included in the great royal trade route known as the Via Egnatia that ran east-west between Macedonia and Rome. Although a small city, the Roman empire built important fortifications including, a "forum the size of a football field, an open-air theater, two large temples, public buildings, a library, and Roman baths" (Thomas Nelson, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary [Thomas Nelson, 1995], 984). The likes of Mark Antony and Octavian, the heirs of Caesar, fought battles there. Paul gave his inaugural sermon to the European continent in Philippi, and it became one of the oldest congregations in Europe.

Read the verses below and answer the following questions:

"Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days" (Acts 16:10-12).

Practical Observation

1. Describe how Paul and his travel companions responded to his vision.

Immediately means instantly or at once. If you look up the word in your Bible concordance, you discover that when Jesus performed a miracle, the cure often came immediately. Whether leprosy, demon possession, or the bleeding woman, the commands of Jesus were fulfilled in the blink of an eye.

2. Explain how you think they came to their conclusion.

Called is a biblical term that carries three facets: First, God calls us to salvation, to come out of the darkness and into the light. Second, He calls us to consecration, a fancy way to say godly living—to be holy as He is holy. Finally, He calls us to serve others. Whether you're a handyman or a hair stylist, God calls you to Himself with everything you are, do, or have.

3. List the cities they traveled to and their final destination.

4. Where in Macedonia was the city of Philippi located? Describe the effort it might take to journey there.

5. What was the length of their stay in Philippi, and why do you think this was the case?

Personal Application

a. Describe a time God spoke to you with a sense of urgency. How did you respond?

b. List some ways you share the gospel with others. Write a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to give you a sense of urgency.

Sharing the gospel is not just the job of professionals but a job for all Christians of all times. In fact, Jesus called sharing it the Great Commission. He said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved" (Mark 16:15-16, NIV). Going into the world may be going next door, to school, or to the gym.

c. Is there someplace where or someone with whom you think God is calling you to share the gospel? Write down practical ways to fulfill this vision.

Uttermost means to the outermost region with the utmost capacity. Paul and his team were willing to go as far and as hard as the Holy Spirit led them. Jesus, too, longs to reach those both near and far. "He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).