Grow! Pray! Study! The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Study Guide for Wednesday, 12 February 2014 "A vision expanded Paul's ministry"

Grow! Pray! Study! The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection Study Guide for Wednesday, 12 February 2014 "A vision expanded Paul's ministry"
Daily Scripture: Acts 16:6 When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him, and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them. 11 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city.
13 On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down, and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay.” So she persuaded us.
Reflection Questions:
Today's reading reports an incident that took place during the Apostle Paul's second missionary journey. On his first journey, he had planted churches in Asia Minor, and now planned to visit them. But God had a different idea. Paul's vision of a man calling "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" changed his direction and expanded the early church's reach by sending him into Greece to preach the gospel in Europe.
Paul went to Philippi following God's directions. The first result was that he baptized a woman named Lydia. Who else was baptized with her? Have you seen cases where one member of a household had their life changed and others in the family followed? How does this "ripple effect" vision help us see the importance of being faithful to God's plans, even when they differ from our own?
After Lydia became a Christian, she offered Paul and his companions the chance to use her house for ministry. What gifts, talents and possessions do you have that God could use for ministry? What might you need to change about your own plans in order to respond to God's plans?
Today's Prayer:
God, help give me an expanded vision for my life, and the life of my church. As I catch your vision, give me the courage to pursue it. Amen.
Insight from Debi Nixon
Debi Nixon serves on the Executive Staff of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection as the Managing Executive Director of Regional Campuses and Catalyst Ministry.
Read and Reflect:
(Head)
In 1990, The Church of the Resurrection began. The dream was to be a church that would do whatever it took to build a Christian community where non-religious and nominally religious people were becoming deeply committed Christians.
Today close to 19,000 people call The Church of the Resurrection their church home. My husband and I are among them. The church’s ministry radically changed our family’s life. We love the church’s commitment to changing lives, transforming communities and renewing the church.
Our scripture tells of God sending Paul on a journey different than he had planned. The Holy Spirit blocked his original route. In a dream, Paul sees a man in a place he didn’t plan to visit calling, “Come and help us.”
When he awoke, he believed this route, which took greater sacrifice, was the one God was calling him to.
If I were Paul I’d want to say, “God, this doesn’t make sense. I have a perfectly good plan; one that works well. You are guiding us to an unknown place. We’re not sure this will work. Are you sure?” But Paul doesn’t say that. He responds immediately to God’s expanded vision.
Why? Paul knew from past experience that God’s plans were always
better than his plans. Paul went to Philippi, where God called him. He prayed with the people there, witnessed to them, invited them to follow Christ—and this changed many lives.
We might say of the vision of the 10,000 Reasons campaign at Resurrection, “We have a perfectly good plan and building. This new plan seems big and daunting.” Might God be giving us an expanded vision, as he did Paul, to change many lives in the future?
If so, this may mean changing our plans. Paul hadn’t planned to go to Philippi, but God brought him there. As my husband and I consider our role in God’s expanded vision for our church, we realize it will take a change of personal plans. Our plans for this season of life included a new home and more travel. But as we pray, we are finding God expanding our vision with new plans different from our own. We’re sacrificing some plans so we can contribute to making this new building, this ministry tool, a reality.
Church of the Resurrection, we stand at the mysterious intersection between God’s work and our response. Keep your eyes and ears open; listen to God, and listen as others in our congregation share their own 10,000 Reasons. God is at work, and invites our cooperation. So let’s pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and wisdom, so that God can indeed work through us. God waits now for our response.
Prayer and Meditation
(Heart)
God, you have given us a bold vision for your church. Your vision may require me to change my plans so that I can participate in your plans. Help give me an expanded vision and the courage to pursue it. In Christ Name, Amen.
Be, Do & Go
(Hands)
Reflect on your own experience of baptism. Make a list of those that were instrumental
in your faith journey. As you write each name, pray for them, giving thanks for their
witness and the role they played in your spiritual walk.
Like Paul, in what ways has God called you to be a part of the journey of faith for
someone whom you don’t know? How did Paul know what he was to do? Where he
was to go?
Sometime today, take 5 minutes and be still. As you reflect, pray, asking to be
prepared to be fully able to know the plans God has for you, and to be ready to
respond faithfully in the same way Paul responded in our scripture passage today.
For Discussion:
Use this section to help prompt discussion with your spouse, children, small group, etc.
1.Reflect on those who have sacrificed and served at The Church of the Resurrection
over the past 24 years. How has their ministry and the ministry of The Church of the
Resurrection made a difference in your life?
2. Paul went to Philippi following God’s directions. The first result was a woman being
baptized. After Lydia was baptized, who else was baptized? Have you seen examples
where one member of a household had their life changed and others in the family
followed? How does this expanded vision help us see the importance of being faithful
to God’s plans and not our own?
3.After Lydia became a Christian, she used her house for ministry. What do you have
that can be used for ministry?
4.What dreams and visions do you have for the church? What plans in your own life
will you need to change to be a part of God’s plan to make these dreams and visions

become a reality?
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