Tuesday, July 28th

The conversion of Lydia is a cool story. First of all, Paul gets the Macedonian call and begins to travel there. He stays in Philippi for some time. He then goes outside the city on the Sabbath because he wanted to preach the gospel to the Jews. Every Sabbath day, the Jews who did not have a temple to go to would meet by a river. Paul arrives at the river and sees several women worshipping and honoring God. Paul clues them in on how Jesus has changed what it means to be a part of God's covenant family. Lydia responds and is baptized in the very river she had been worshipping by every Sabbath. She then implores Paul and his entourage to stay at her house. At this point many people want to find a strategy that Paul did to change the city by finding the person of influence, like the wealthy Lydia. I think Paul was doing what he did every time he stopped in the city: preached to the Jews first and then the Gentiles. He followed the leading of the Holy Spirit, who brought him to Philippi in the first place. I read many books on how to create and lead a missional community that understands the gospel is a mission as much as it is a message. These books often give strategies on how to create an influencial community. I have too much ignored the leading of the Spirit in this endeavor. I don't fast and pray enough for the Spirit's guiding. Instead I strategize.

Lord, help me to follow the Spirit's guiding as opposed to turning your movement into a business model to be carried out step by step.