Sovereign Grace Church

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us

(Acts 16:9)

We read in Acts chapter 16 verse 9 how “a vision appeared to Paul in the night; [and] There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Notice what the man of Macedonia besought Paul for—“help!” So what was the response of Paul, this servant, this bond-slave of Christ? Did he go to them to help them sort out their financial ills? Did he go to them to help them sort out their social ills? Did he go to them to help them sort out their health ills? We read the answer to those questions is emphatically no. Rather, we read in the next verse, “And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured [Paul and those with him] to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them” (Acts 16:10).

I’m so thankful for the men God sends, aren’t you? Beloved, God’s ministers are called and sent of the Lord to preach the gospel. So reader, ultimately, your problem is not a money problem, it’s not a relationship problem, it’s not an education problem, rather you have a heart problem! In Acts chapter 16 verse 14 we read how our God sent Paul to help one particular woman named Lydia, who lived in one of the cities of the Roman colony, Philippi, “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul” (Acts 16:14).

Reader, the help you need, the help I need, the help that every sinner needs is Christ. And when He is preached, His blessed person and His finished saving work, our good and ready to forgive God opens the hearts of His people, and makes them to know and confess His Son as their Lord and God. What was the evidence that Lydia’s heart was opened to believe Christ? We read that she confessed Him in the waters of baptism, indeed, “she was baptized” (Acts 16:15). Confessing Christ is not checking off some box on a pamphlet, it’s not repeating after me ‘the sinner’s prayer’ —rather, baptism is the believer’s confession of what the Lord has already done. You see, believers are not baptized to be saved, but rather because they already are! [Read Romans 6:1-14].

Christ makes all who believe to know that they are unworthy dogs, sinners without merit, and that He alone has saved them, loved them, by making them perfect through His precious blood and righteousness [Mark 7:27-28]. I pray that by His Spirit, He will be pleased to help you and show you that what plagues you, is not money problems, not family problems, not health problems but rather, what plagues you is a heart that will forever remain dead to true love, if God doesn’t do something for you and open it. Your only hope, sinner, is for our Sovereign God to send His Spirit to you and quicken you to believe and to confess His Son as your Lord and God. AMEN!