Of pictures and prejudices...

In recent days, I've been reading in the book of Acts, picking up where I left off reading earlier in the year. The book is often known as the "Acts of the Apostles," but someone once said that it could be more accurately known as the "Acts of the Holy Spirit," as His presence and involvement are so obvious throughout the book. I've been reflecting on the way God invites us into partnership with Him, and how so much of the fruitful ministry of these early Christians was dependent on the combination of the Holy Spirit's power and human beings' obedience.

The whole topic of hearing God's voice is an interesting one, as we see different people throughout the book of Acts being led and guided by the Lord. Sometimes we're not told exactly how they heard His leading (was it a thought, a feeling, a strong impression?) while at other times we're specifically told that God spoke to them through a prayer picture, a dream or a vision. These early disciples had to learn how to discern the voice of God, and had to be careful that their own culture or religion didn't get in the way of what He was saying to them.

So, for example, in Acts chapter 10, just before lunch time, Peter is praying on the roof of the house when he sees a picture of all kinds of animals, clean and unclean, being lowered in a sheet. "Kill and eat," says a voice, and Peter is shocked that God seems to be prompting him to violate the Jewish food laws that he has observed for his whole life. It was God's way of preparing Peter to overcome his deep seated prejudices and to understand that non Jews were also able to accept the gospel and be saved by Jesus. The next day he went to share his faith at the home of a Gentile called Cornelius.

In a later episode, in Acts chapter 16, Paul also receives a picture from the Lord. For some time, the missionary team has been trying unsuccessfully to travel into the regions that make up modern day Turkey, but the Holy Spirit has "prevented" them every time. We're not told how they knew this - but the team seemed to agree on what God was saying to them. Then, one night, Paul sees a vision of a man from Macedonia, calling them to come over and help. The very next day, the missionaries set sail for Greece.

Eventually they arrive in a town called Philippi and, on the Sabbath day, they head down to the river bank, expecting that this might be a place where believers would gather for prayer. Sure enough, they do find a small group gathered there, but it is a group of women. If you've read the end of the story, you'll know that a woman called Lydia became the first recorded Christian in Europe; she and her household were baptised, and her home became a missions base for Paul, Silas and the rest of the team. It was the beginning of an exciting chapter in church and missions history, and yet it could so easily have turned out differently. What if Paul had held back from preaching to the women and had said, "No, in the vision I saw it was a man from Macedonia who was calling for help." ?  What if he had allowed prejudice to get in the way, believing that it would be important for the first Philippian believers to be a group of men?

Learning to hear God's voice is one of the most important things that any Christian can learn. But, if we are to avoid pride, legalism and prejudice, we need to grow not only in hearing His voice, but also in knowing His ways. Peter had to be willing to obey God, even when it appeared to go against all that he had previously believed. Paul had to be willing to share the gospel with these women, even if that seemed to be a little different from what his prayer picture had led him to expect. It's all about partnership - hearing God, trusting God, and moving step by step at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.