Seeing Gospel Opportunities

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. - Acts 16:9-10

If you suddenly saw a man begging you to come and help him and his people, what would you assume he meant?

We're surrounded by requests for help every day:

“Spare some change?”

“Do you have a minute to talk about children with cancer?”

“Like and subscribe to help grow my channel”

“Refugees need your aid”

Usually, it's obvious what kind of help is being requested, and we decide quickly whether to respond. But I wonder whether that familiarity causes us to miss something.

Paul's vision is surprisingly vague. The Macedonian man simply pleads, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Help with what? Paul could easily have dismissed it as an ordinary dream with too little detail to be a message from God.

Instead, Paul and his companions immediately conclude that God is calling them to preach the gospel there. Why? Because that was already the mission shaping their lives. After providentially being prevented from preaching elsewhere, they recognised this as God's direction. Whatever the Macedonians believed they needed, their greatest need was forgiveness of sin and eternal life through Christ.

Most of us won't receive a vision like Paul's. But we don't need a divine neon sign to recognise that the people God places in our path are opportunities to share Christ. When our lives are centred on his kingdom, we'll begin to see everyday encounters through gospel-shaped eyes.

Blessings,

Geoff