Two weeks ago, we surveyed all the events that led up to the Apostle Paul and his crew receiving the call to minister in Macedonia or modern-day Europe (15:36 – 16:10). Those events were nothing short of disorienting, discouraging, and downright brutal. Discerning and following God’s call on your life is typically a process that is not for the faint of heart (I imagine this is why so many so-called believers in the Western church cannot explain what their ministry is).
Those events that led to Paul’s crew deciding to head over to Macedonia to continue in gospel ministry, those events were nothing short of disorienting, discouraging, and downright brutal as they navigated the pain of relational division (when Paul and Barnabas separated), the pressure of ministry preparation (as Timothy endured adult circumcision), and the fogginess of one closed door after another (as the Spirit closed doors to places this crew wanted to go minister).
The call to ministry is not for the faint of heart. But the call of ministry on every believer’s life is the one place where you will experience God drawing straight lines with crooked instruments and accomplishing heart surgery with broken tools. While ministry is not for the faint of heart, it is also the place where you will witness God doing the impossible.
As I said two weeks ago, God has a plan for your ministry (it may not look like what you think it should) and despite your attempts to take control of things, God is in full control and in the midst of the closed doors, the painful experiences, and the foggy roads, God will give you glimpses of clarity that will lead to you witnessing some of the most miraculous works of God in people’s lives.
If Paul and his crew had given up or had decided that the cost of ministry was too much to bear or that they had too busy of a schedule to follow God obediently in ministry, then the events we are studying today would have never taken place and who knows who God would have chosen to use to plant the church in the city of Philippi.
Let this be a challenge to you if you are sitting on the sidelines, giving just enough of yourself to God or his church to squeeze by; showing up just enough for people to maybe know your name and recognize your face; giving just enough of your time, talent, and treasure to pat yourself on the back with your halfhearted investment.
If this is you today, I pray that what we are about study would challenge you to repent from your halfhearted service to God and jump into the ocean of ministry with your entire heart, soul, and mind so that you may experience the overwhelming presence of God as he meets you in the desperate moments of pursuing obedience in the call to ministry.
So many within the western church settle for petty arguments over the color of the carpet, the administration of the music ministry, finding the right strategic plans, or majoring in minor doctrines because they have long since lost the experience of being desperate enough for God to show up and do something miraculous.
If you want more than a mundane routine relationship with God; if you want to experience the beauty of God meeting you in your desperation, then maybe it is time to lay aside your excuses and your human reasoning long enough to lay it all on the line for the one who laid his life on the line for you. I would submit that this is exactly what Paul and his crew are doing in the text today.2
11So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
16As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18And this she kept doing for many days. Paul having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23And when they had afflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
35But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
#1: A SPEEDY TRIP TO PHILIPPI (VV. 11 – 12)
These first few verses are easy to throw away as mere introductory commentary. But the reality is that a trip from Troas to Samothrace was typically a minimum five-day trip. The text tells us they made the trip in less than two days and immediately went into the city of Philippi which was known to be the capitol city of Macedonia as well as a cush retirement community for Roman military veterans.3 God is literally using Paul and his crew to plant the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ in the heart of the enemy’s retirement community.
Can you imagine looking back years later while writing a letter to the church in Philippi as you await your death in prison because of your ministry? Sadly, most believers in the West will never experience something so humbling or humiliating. Most believers in the West will be comfortable and happy tallying their financial donations to the church at the end of the tax season (if they even give more than a few cents per year) while relishing in their consumeristic participation in church gatherings a few times per month as though the church is a mere social club. Most will never experience the desperation one must feel when boarding a boat headed into unknown enemy territory armed only with the gospel.
#2: A PRAYER MEETING DOWN BY THE RIVER (VV. 13 – 15)
The fact that Philippi was the capitol city of a Roman state full of retired military personnel who paid no taxes as a perk of being ex Roman military, tells us a little bit about the culture. The majority of the people living in Philippi had no real responsibilities anymore because they were retired, and they were fairly wealthy since they paid no taxes, and they enjoyed their entertainment in the final years of their lives (as can be observed by the insertion of the fortune telling circus girl in the next section of the text). I imagine Philippi to be like a retirement village in Vegas, California, or Florida; full of self-funded retirees looking to live out their last days in relative comfort and ease.
It is also likely that there was not a single Synagogue in Philippi; this is proven by the fact that Paul and his crew do not first visit a synagogue as was their custom, but instead went looking down by the river for a prayer gathering (as was the custom of Jewish believers when there were not enough families to formally institute a synagogue). At this prayer meeting down by the reiver is where they meet a young wealthy businesswoman named Lydia who hears the gospel and gets saved along with her entire household. The joy of seeing someone get saved because of God working through your effort is something you need to experience.
I find that most believers settle for minimal investment while expecting great returns on their laziness and disobedience. Rather than doing everything in their power to invest their entire livelihood into sharing the gospel with other believers in the byways of prayer meetings down by the river or outreaches in the parking lot or time spent in a biker clubhouse or praying for waiters at the local bar while eating dinner, most believers count their investment by serving once per month, showing up to Bible studies a few times per month, and giving 2% – 3% of their income (if that) to the church on an annual basis.
This mentality is one that reeks of a fundamental misunderstanding of the saving grace of the cross of Jesus on a personal basis as well as a missional basis. I seriously wonder why only two people from within our church membership (actually one member and one prospective member) shared stories of praying with people at our recent outreach event. What does that say about our membership base and our desire to connect with the lost in our community?
Could it be that we have not fully understood the nature of our own salvation let alone truly wrestled with the call to see others saved? Could it be that we would have never been caught dead or alive for that matter at a prayer meeting full of women down by the river where Lydia got saved and the church in Philippi got planted? It is very possible that if, by and large, a church does not willingly practice the basics of evangelism in a community, then it is very likely that our old enemy, the Serpent, has made his presence known, more than we thought.
#3: THE SERPENT SHOWS HIS UGLY FACE (VV. 16 – 24)
Whenever God begins a new work in a group of people, our old adversary, the serpent, the devil, the Satan, shows up to oppose the work. This time he tries to oppose the advancement of the gospel in Philippi through a demon possessed girl and her slave owners. The demon possessed girl who is referred to as “a slave girl who had the spirit of divination” (v. 16) would have literally been known as “The Pythoness” or the “Snake Girl” who could tell you about your future.4 She was meant to be a distraction from the gospel but God saw that coming and Paul cast the demon out and the girl seems to have joined the church in Philippi. The second member of the church was an ex-demon possessed slave girl who was set free from her pimps!
The serpent’s next tactic was to get Paul and Silas thrown in prison on some trumped-up racial charges after getting beaten within an inch of their life and locked up in solitary confinement with shackles on their legs. Sounds like a discouraging way to the end the day if you ask me. It is always discouraging when the serpent shows his ugly face in the midst of God doing great things.
The hardship of following God obediently in ministry is usually the reason most believers tap out and head back to their comfy church gatherings with little to no expectation of real sacrifice or danger. But the reality is that you do not get to experience earthquakes that rock the difficult circumstances of doing ministry if you only give the bare minimum.
#4: AN EARTHQUAKE ROCKS THE JAIL (VV. 25 – 34)
Paul and Silas are locked up, beaten to within an inch of their lives because of false charges; the two-member church in Philippi seems like it might get crushed before it actually gets off the ground. What do you do in circumstances like these? Most believers just switch churches; find one that seems to fit their needs better. Or just sit around gossiping, complaining, and pointing out everyone else’s shortcomings.
Paul and Silas see their circumstances as an opportunity for prayer and singing songs of praise to God and the text tells us that “the prisoners were listening to them” (v. 25). People are always watching you and they are certainly always listening to you. Your actions and your words tell the story of what you really believe about Jesus. In this case, Paul and Silas had a captive audience and as they proclaimed the gospel in prayer and song amidst their dire circumstances, God shows up in a powerful way through an earthquake that leads to the Philippian jailer getting saved along with his entire household.
So, by my count, the score is Satan at zero and God has four. 1: The trip that should have taken five days minimum was completed in two at the most. 2: The first convert and member of the church in Philippi was a wealthy businesswoman not a stand-up retired man as the culture would have expected. 3: The Snake Girl got saved and became the second member of the church at Philippi. 4: The Philippian jailer become the third member of the church at Philippi after an earthquake interrupts Paul and Silas’ Christian rock concert.
The problem with the western church, the problem with us, is that we often place more of our faith in a certain demographic of people to start churches than placing our faith in the God who is the one who starts and sustains churches. God has always chosen the least of these to do his work in and through. This usually means that God chooses people from very different backgrounds and walks of life to start and sustain his church so that the gospel can be proclaimed to every tribe, tongue, and nation.
How many people do you come into contact with on a daily basis? How many of those people have you prayed for? How many of those people have you shared the gospel with? How many of those people are following Jesus today because of your obedience to the Great Commission? How often have you allowed your circumstances to be the excuse for tapping out of your obedience to God?
If you allow the pain and hardship of ministry to become the excuse for your disobedience then it is highly likely that you will never experience the joy of salvation and the wonder of our crucified, risen, and returning Savior making those very circumstances the means for someone else’s salvation; not to mention the wonder and the awe of coming through the danger and hardship in one piece.
#5: PAUL AND SILAS GET RELEASED FROM PRISON (VV. 35 – 40)
In the final portion of our text the city officials have a change of heart once they realize that Paul and Silas are Roman citizens and that the charges were false charges to begin with. So, they attempt to let them go privately but Paul holds them accountable publicly, the city officials apologize, and our missionaries are set free to visit the little church in Philippi before leaving town.
Can you imagine the conversations Paul and Silas had with the rest of the church that day? Do you think anyone in that little church was worried about the petty issues we so often worry about? Do you think anyone left there not thinking about sharing their faith with someone or praying for everyone they met?
The wealthy businesswoman got saved and gave generously to support the ministry, the Snake Girl was now the saved girl, maybe some ex-cons got saved in that Philippian jail, the Philippian jailer got saved, the bad guys just got shamed publicly and Paul and Silas encouraged the new church to hold onto their crucified, risen, and returning Christ.
CONCLUSION…
In conclusion, this story that begins with Paul and his crew setting sail for Macedonia and ends with Paul and Silas being released from prison, is about so much more than merely being released from a Roman jail. I believe this passage is a tangible vision of the freedom we gain in Christ whenever we come to him for salvation and then follow him in evangelistic obedience.
A wealthy woman gets saved, an ex-demoniac gets saved, a Philippian jailer gets saved, and the church in Philippi gets planted all because of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke being obedient to the call of God on their lives to be about the ministry of the gospel on hell’s doorstep.
Disobedience results in prison. Obedience results in freedom. The church in Philippi was being planted on the bedrock of freedom to obey in Christ in the capitol city within enemy territory. You will not experience this kind of freedom in a comfy seat 2 – 3 Sunday mornings out of the month while giving 2 – 3% of your time talent and treasure to the church (if you even give that).
These are pitiful investments in light of the horror of the cross of Christ that promises salvation. They are pitiful investments in light of the power of the empty tomb that we say we find victory in. And they are pitiful investments in light of the promised return of Christ that we say we find hope in.
This is the final thing I want to say: Freedom to obey Jesus rests on whether or not we truly trust the promise of the cross to set us free. Freedom to obey Jesus rests on whether or not we truly find victory in the empty tomb. Freedom to obey Jesus rests on whether or not we truly find our ultimate hope in the promise of Christ’s return.
A church that gives little, evangelizes little, loves her comfort, argues over petty things, and cares nothing for the person across the room from them, has not fully trusted in the cross of Christ, nor found victory in the empty tomb, nor bases her hope in the promise of Christ’s return.
The church that was planted in Philippi could boast that she was planted through the radical salvations of three very unexpected and very diverse people and they could also boast that the core of her identity was a newfound freedom in Christ to not only be saved but to also become the church that surpassed their biggest dreams in seeing others being saved. The question we are left with is this: “Will this be our identity in the years to come?”
1 Unless otherwise specified, all Bible references in this paper are to the English Standard Version Bible, The New Classic Reference Edition (ESV) (Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, 2001).
2 Kent, Hughes, Acts: The Church Afire, (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 1996) 211 – 220. (Much of this sermon was based upon my study of this material).
3 Ibid., 211 – 212.
4 Ibid., 214 – 215.