A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.  – Acts 16:14-15

The journey of life has an interesting way of turning sometimes, whether we call it providence, serendipity, divine intervention, fate, fortune, or something else altogether. It is often in retrospect that we can see the whole picture and recognize God as having been present amid the unpredictable courses we find ourselves on sometimes.

The stories of the three unlikely heroes from the Bible we will engage with on Sunday appear in Acts 16. Paul led a small group of evangelists to Macedonia in response to a God inspired vision he had to go and offer help there. The unfolding of the events that happen with Paul in Philippi gives us a glimpse into the mysteriously connected ways the Holy Spirit can tend to work in the lives of Jesus’ followers that grows the kingdom on earth.

Interactions with Lydia, a slave-girl, and the jailer demonstrate how events in life can be chain reactions of faithful opportunity. Encounters that we could never predict or anticipate lead to a series of God revealing incidents and those involved can be identified as the unlikeliest of heroes.

The Holy Spirit continues to work through us at Sun City Christian Church. It would cover our skin in goosebumps if we were to fully know the ways our actions and faith have demonstrated to others that the living presence of Christ is moving among us. We too are unlikely heroes and even the seemingly small gestures of love we extend can have a lasting effect.

I look forward to worshiping with you in person or through YouTube on Sunday!

Brett