Acts 16:6-10 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 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. Zephaniah:3:17-"For the Lord your God is living among you. God is a mighty savior. God will take delight in you with gladness. With God’s love, God will calm all your fears. God will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
Sermon Title: Be A Dancer Virginia Sheets
This sermon is from A daily Devotion. The Apostle Paul in the book of Acts and his entourage were on their missionary journey. They were trying to decide where to go next. The above passage makes it seem as if their progress was a lot like a pinball machine. They headed to one region, then hit a wall. So, they bounced on to the next location. Another wall. They bounced on and on until Paul finally had a dream. That's when they finally realized where they needed to go. Imagine how frustrating that would have been! They felt called by God to preach the gospel, but they kept meeting with resistance. That resistance was the Holy Spirit Himself. I know they got discouraged. They were people, just like you and me. They got discouraged, but they still obeyed. When things like this happen to us, we can choose to see it in one of two ways. We can either see God playing games with us like we're in a pinball machine, or we can see God dancing with us. I encourage you to see it like a dance. Good dancing requires a leader and a follower. God is a great leader. How are we at following? If the follower chooses to take control, the dance can easily fall apart. That's when people's toes get stepped on. That's when folks bump into each other. There must be a leader and a follower. And God will not follow. But when the follower chooses to trust the leader, the dance becomes beautiful. It becomes exciting and unpredict-able. There's harmony and beauty. So as you follow God, I encourage you to dance. Don't get discouraged when God takes you in a new direction. He knows the music and He knows where we need to be. Follow Him and He'll take you there. It will be beautiful. The world is a dance floor. God wants to dance with you. Will you let your Christ take the lead? To Do this, there is a Way You need to think differently. The attitude of the dance doesn't just apply to our walk with God. It also applies to the things we create. Great work-work that impacts others—is dynamic. It requires a push and a pull. It can't always be made in neat, straight lines. It needs to adapt to the music-to the world and the lives around us. I encourage you to create like you're dancing. Be willing to adjust at a moment's notice. Don't be afraid to get out of control. Let the world swirl around you and relax. You need to Enjoy it as you experience God Creates your new dance in the dance. As you do it, I want to invite you with our second scripture reading. Let’s read this again altogether, Zephaniah: 3:17-"For the Lord your God is living among you. God is a mighty savior. God will take delight in you with gladness. With God’s love, God will calm all your fears. God will rejoice over you with joyful songs." If you focus on the last sentence” With God’s love, God will calm all your fears. God will rejoice over you with joyful songs."” In the original He-brew, the word rejoice is translated more literally as spinning around under violent emotion. So, look at that last sentence as—God spins around under violent emotion-dancing over you with joyful songs. Through your preferred medium, create something that captures the essence of that passage. If it's dance, what would that verse look like as a dance? If you think, Oh, Virginia, I cannot dance at all, how about other art? If it's paint, what would that scene look like? If it's music, what song would God be dancing to? Let’s dance in God’s spirit.