Acts 16:19-40 “Imprisoned in Philippi”
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Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City! Please turn in your Bibles to Acts 16. Acts 16:19-40 today… finishing the chapter.
As a recap, in Asia Minor, Paul, Silas, and Timothy were restricted by the Holy Spirit from traveling North or South… so they head west.
We don’t know how the Holy Spirit caused them to pause, but some think it was by Paul getting sick.
Illness may have brought Paul and Dr. Luke together… who joins their party at or near Troas.
I remember a time when I was restricted by the Holy Spirit. I was supposed to share a message at a Pastor’s & Worker Conference in the Philippines, but got hospitalized instead.
At the hospital is where I heard some words from another patient that stirred my heart that it was our time to depart the Philippines.
God moves in mysterious ways.
And, during the wait in Troas, God gives Paul a vision… the Macedonian Call. So, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke answered this call.
We left off where our missionaries had made it to the chief city… Philippi (today in Northern Greece).
There they encountered Lydia, a seller of the purple die for royal fabrics. God opened her heart and she and her household were saved, baptized, and she opens her home to the missionaries.
On several other days, while going to pray, Paul and his crew were followed by a demon possessed girl who screamed, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Even though the statement was true… coming from a demon possessed girl… it didn’t serve to herald their arrival in a positive light.
Having a demon as your forerunner is bad company. A repellent. And, this annoyed Paul… would the people of Philippi think they were associated?… that they were in leagues together?
So, after several days of this, we read in V18 “But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
Immediately, she was free of this spiritual enslavement by a demon.
A victory, but as she passes off the scene… there is no indication of salvation… even though for days the demon through her shouted that Paul ‘proclaimed the way of salvation.’ How ironic?
A truth we’re not sure she heeded. The Gospel is dangerous for anyone to ignore… but, especially for one formerly demon possessed… according to Matt 12:45.
As we come to V19, we observe… her earthly masters do not take kindly to Paul freeing her.
Which leads to Paul and Silas’ imprisonment.
Which is the premise of our sermon title today, “Imprisoned in Philippi.”
Let’s Pray!
Acts 16:19-21 “But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
Last week I shared some examples of how Satan dilutes truth with omission… making it a lie.
People of the world often do the same when it comes to accusations against Christians.
Just as we see in the accusations these slave masters present.
The truth is they had NO complaints against Paul until he freed their golden goose. V16 states she “brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.”
But now, since Paul cast the demon out of her, and she lost the ability to divinate… V19 states, “… her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone…”
Hope is a powerful word, appearing in the Bible 154x in 145 verses. By def. it means “expectation.”
What was their hope? Financial profit… even through enslaving a girl.
They were cruel masters. Terrible men who hoped for earthly treasures.
And, when hope is placed in earthly treasures, disappointment follows.
In Matt 6:19-21, Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Earthly treasures fade away… literally or by ceasing to fulfill.
Keeping earthly treasures is like trying to hold sand in you hand… it slips through your fingers.
There’s another kind of hope. Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” Eternal hope does not dissipate.
Paul wrote about hope in Rom 8:24-25 describes hope this way… “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
If your hope is placed in the things you can see… the things of this world… that’s not hope.
True hope is not of this world… and we should wait for that hope eagerly and with patience.
If you don’t have hope of the future right now… read the Bible… and specifically what the Bible says about hope… there are many great promises that we hope for and can be confident in.
The men in Acts who enslaved this girl and took advantage of her being possessed… they didn’t have an eternal hope… and as Paul exorcised the demon… he also exorcised their profits.
Their hope. Their idol. Their god.
Paul taught Timothy, in 1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Money is a cruel master, but in and of itself… money is not the root of evil. It’s when one loves money more than God, then it’s an issue. When one lives for, and stores up wealth instead of being openhanded… then it’s sin.
In Acts 16, wealthy people are contrasted. Lydia was wealthy and blessed the church. These men just wanted money for themselves.
If God has blessed you with wealth… praise God. How will you use it for His glory?
These slavers had no concept of using money for eternal gain. And, now that their finances were disrupted… they seek to disrupt the lives of Paul and Silas.
V19 says, “… they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.”
They physically lay hold of Paul and Silas…
Just those two… Timothy and Luke are sparred probably because Timothy was 1/2 Greek and Luke all Gentile, so they looked more Roman… where Paul and Silas looked Jewish.
Paul and Silas are grabbed and dragged down the street… to face false legal accusations.
This is an aggressive citizens arrest.
They drag them to the “the marketplace” by def “a place of assembly”… where they find the “magistrates” or “authorities.”
And it was typical for Roman colonies, which Philippi was, to have two Magistrates.
Paul and Silas stand accused before these men, but the accusation omits a charge against ‘loss of finances’… the charge is a smokescreen to cover their financial motivation… a charge also racially and religiously prejudiced.
Look again at V20, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
First, racial prejudice is expressed… Paul and Silas are Jews… and assumed not Romans (which was wrong and will later bite them)…
Romans held their own racial pride… and were often anti-semitic.
Second, they are called trouble makers… which is a charge against the Pax Romana… the peace of Rome. If you messed with Rome’s peace, Rome messed with you.
Rome was very big on ‘do not disrupt the peace.’
Third, they present the accusation that Paul and Silas are teaching an illicit religion… an unapproved religion in the Roman world.
Tertullian later coined this a “religio illicita.”
And, this accusation had some truth.
When Paul exorcised the demon… we don’t read of a great evangelistic work in Philippi… and a multitude of people getting saved…
On that day, all we read is that Paul, based on the authority of Jesus Christ… commanded a demon to leave a girl.
And, sometimes all is takes to be persecuted is mentioning the name of Jesus Christ and standing up for truth.
And, in Rome, there was one authority… Caesar… whom they deified as they cried out “Caesar is lord.”
So, to speak in Jesus’ name and authority… was to imply Caesar was less than… and this indeed violated a Roman custom.
In these accusations, the businessmen fan the flames of hatred and manipulate the legal authorities and the general public to side with their claim… and it works.
NO legal discussion or trial occurs… the mob rises up and they move straight to sentencing…
Acts 16:22-24 “Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
This was a brutal punishment. Being that Philippi was a Roman Colony and had it’s own independent form of government… they pass sentence quicker than established cities with established proceedings.
First, the magistrates shame and embarrass Paul and Silas by tearing off their clothes… some of this brutality semi-compares to Christ’s passion… His torture.
Jesus predicted persecution to His apostles, “you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” Matt 10:19
Regarding Paul specifically, Jesus said in Acts 9:15-16 “… he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
If ever you are persecuted, be sure it is “for His name’s sake.” Not for your own name… your own cause… or for just being weird.
There are many Christians who do weird things, and then claim they are persecuted. And, possibly they were, but not for His name’s sake. They were persecuted for weirdness’ sake.
Tearing off clothes and making someone naked or almost naked in front of a crowd was psychologically crushing… but it also exposed the skin for maximum punishment.
Next they are beaten with rods. They are struck with sticks. The magistrates removed their clothes, and then commanded others to beat them.
VSS 35 & 38 reference “officers” Gk. rhabdŏuchŏs lit. “rod bearers” or “lictors.”
Mounce defines this word as “a public servant who bore a bundle or rods before the magistrates as insignia of their office, and carried into execution the sentences they pronounced.”
The word “officers” shares a common root word with the word “beaten with rods” in V22.
“Beaten with rods” is one word in Greek… and just the sound of the word, seems like it would draw fear… rhabdizō (hrab-did´-zo).
I can imagine that sentence of rhabdizō leaving the mouth of the magistrates… ‘beat them with rods’ and the accused sinking down.
This word is only used 2x in the Bible. The other time is 2 Cor 11 where Paul recounts how much he suffered for Jesus’ name’s sake.
In 2 Cor 11:25 he references… “Three times I was beaten with rods...” (rhabdizō)
No doubt looking back to Acts 16, probably Acts 21:32 as well, where Paul was beaten again.
Being beaten with rods three time is enough to make most Christians hide in their homes, but not Paul.
He was beaten numerous times… with rods… with whips… imprisoned often. He was stoned, shipwrecked, adrift at sea. He found himself in numerous dangerous situations with enemies. He faced sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, cold, exposure to elements.
Paul experienced exactly what Jesus said. Paul would suffer many things for His name’s sake.
In this lifetime, God’s plan is not 100% peace and prosperity. There are many blessings in the Christian life, but when you step out for His name’s sake… trials and even persecutions may come.
During our 2 1/2 years in the Philippines… our family had 7 hospitalizations… we had multiple difficulties with other believers… and we were targets for financial exploitation.
All of which is nothing compared to what the true persecuted church experiences today.
As we look at this chapter today in Acts… we are given a model on how to respond should we face persecution for Jesus’ name’s sake.
But, that’s in a few verses. We are still in V23. The officers “laid many stripes” on Paul and Silas… meaning they beat them or flogged them severely.
And then threw them in prison and commanded the jailer to keep them securely… or guard them carefully.
Jailer… another position in this colonies legal hierarchy. Magistrates… officers… jailer.
Jailers were often former military… and former military comprised most of the Colony citizens, so an easy position to fill.
“Keep them securely”… This was not a suggestion, but a command. Truly a threat because according to Roman law, if a prisoner escaped, the prison keeper would be punished for neglect of duty. The jailer would suffer the sentence of the prisoner who escaped.
We saw this in Acts 12, when Peter was freed from prison… Herod had the guards examined and put to death for failing to keep Peter imprisoned.
Was this command emphasized because word had spread of other supernatural Christian jailbreaks?
In Acts 5, an angel freed the Apostles from prison.
In Acts 12, an angel freed Peter… remember he struck Peter on the side because Peter was fast asleep in prison chained between two guards, and two more guards at the door?
Or, maybe this command came because the Philippians witnessed Paul exorcise a demon? If he had that power, they needed to keep a close eye on him.
If I were the jailer, I'd be nervous about keeping these guys in prison.
So, as a result of this order, the Philippian Jailer applies increased measures to ensure Paul and Silas don’t escape.
V24 states "…he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
The inner prison was a more secure area of the prison. Deeper into the prison therefore making it more difficult to escape.
In our country, imprisonment IS the punishment… it is a sentence. In Roman Law, prison was not a sentence, but just a holding place for those awaiting sentencing.
Roman prisons were inhumane… crowded, dark, damp, cold… filthy, unsanitary, and foul smelling conditions… we would think it was punishment, but Rome was far more brutal.
Actual Roman sentences… included slavery, physical torture in a multitude of forms, and of the most inhumane death sentences… the cross being the worst.
Back in Philippi, besides being in the inner prison… the jailer also bound Paul and Silas… fastening or securing their feet in stocks.
So, Paul and Silas were bound… and in stocks. One might say they were into ‘stocks and bonds.’
I wouldn’t say that, because I already told my bad joke for the quarter last week, but someone might say that.
Today, when visiting places like Colonial Williamsburg… stocks are a photo opportunity. Here’s a throwback pic of my two oldest youth in stocks at a mini-golf course. Look at how cute they were!
But, stocks truly… were a means of punishment where prisoners were placed in an unnatural position for a prolonged period of time.
Sometimes a persons hands and feet were even stretched apart as a means of torture.
When in public stocks, then you were subject to public ridicule… insults… prisoners were slapped, punched, kicked, tickled, spat on, had rocks or rotten fruit and vegetables thrown at them… it was inhumane.
From this, Shakespeare used the phrase “a laughing stock” echoing the persecution of public mockery one experienced.
Stocks are as ancient as Job, and evident throughout the OT:
Job 13:27 states “You put my feet in the stocks, And watch closely all my paths.”
Pro 7:22 “Immediately he went after her, [speaking of a harlot] as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks...”
Stocks are also referenced in Jer 20 & Jer 29.
So, with these measures, Paul and Silas should have been secure and unable to escape. Should have been…
Acts 16:25-26 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 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 chains were loosed.”
These are some of my favorite verses of this whole account. Not just because of the miracle of Paul and Silas being set free, but also because of their attitude.
We don’t read that Paul and Silas were frustrated and shook their fists at God. “This is what we get for serving you??? This injustice!?” They don’t question God… instead they worship God.
They are innocent and bound in the inner prison… uncomfortably placed in the stocks… their legs are probably falling asleep… the skin of their back is bloodied from being beaten with rods…
And, they pray and sing hymns to God.
There are moments in life… even seasons of life where we feel bound and imprisoned. Life circumstances… conflicts… health issues… financial issues… these press us down.
And, when in such a season or circumstance… do you respond like Paul and Silas? They prayed and sang hymns to God.
There’s a temptation to question God, when trials come our way. We can get ourselves into a place where we ask “Why Lord?” Chuck Smith called this the “Why Lord cesspool.”
Don’t question Him in doubt… but trust Him in faith.
Maybe… just maybe God is using a bad situation for good.
We get a glimpse of this as Paul and Silas are in prison.
Look at the end of V25… as Paul and Silas are praying and singing hymns to God… we read “… and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Paul thought he would be a missionary to the Philippians, and he was, but he didn’t realize he would also be a missionary to the Philippian prisoners.
Had Paul and Silas not been imprisoned… would these prisoners have witnessed the power of a truly surrendered soul to God? Would they have heard Christian prayers and hymns? Would they have seen miracles?
When you’re hospitalized… you’re a witness if ‘the peace of God… which surpasses all understanding… guards your heart and mind.’
That’s a most appropriate verse considering Paul is in Philippi and wrote that verse to the Philippians.
Did Paul have this moment in mind? This moment when he and Silas were bloodied and ‘imprisoned in Philippi’… yet they prayed and sang hymns to God?
Phil 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
They epitomized this verse in Acts 16:25 as they prayed and sang hymns of thanksgiving.
Then… suddenly… V26… a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison causing the doors to come unhinged and all the chains to be loosed.
It’s obvious what happened here… Paul and Silas were singing hymns… God heard their praise song and got into it… He began to tap His feet… and being the earth is His footstool… He caused an earthquake. Very logical.
Someone said this was the first Christian rock concert… because they brought the house down. I didn’t say that… it’s just what I heard…
Two awful jokes back to back… now you feel imprisoned. I’m just setting the mood.
While all the prisoners were no doubt overjoyed to be set free… the prison guard felt just the opposite…
Acts 16:27-28 “And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Interesting that this jailer was sleeping… was he disinterested in Paul and Silas’ prayers and singing of hymns?
His sleep is disturbed probably by the earthquake… then he realizes all the prison doors are open… and he knows he would now take on the prisoners sentences.
And, being that all the jail doors were opened… how many sentences would he face? He was facing great torture and death… so, he reasoned death by his own hand… seemed like an easier end.
Tough job… no margin for error. Not even a supernatural earthquake.
Fortunately, Paul stops him… shouting “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
Paul doesn’t shout, “yeah… do yourself in… see how it feels to have your life threatened!!”
Paul holds no resentment towards this jailer.
And, isn’t it amazing that ALL the prisoners stayed in the prison? I could see Paul and Silas staying put, but the true criminals? That’s surprising.
And, it makes me wonder… why did they choose to stay and not make a run for it?
I would suggest that as they experienced the supernatural, they didn’t want to run.
They connected the dots between Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns… to the earthquake that loosed all the bonds and set the captives free…
When a person truly encounters the supernatural… when they encounter an authentic experience with God… they don’t run from it. They want to rest in it.
And, these other prisoners are intrigued by what just happened… and probably stick around to see what God will do next.
This very bad situation of Paul and Silas being beaten and unfairly bound in prison… what man meant for bad… God used for good… first for the sake of the prisoners, and next… a victory in the heart of the Philippian jailer…
Acts 16:29-34 “Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.” 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.”
It took an earthquake and near death experience to save this Philippian jailer. Often, when someone comes to a point of desperation… this is the moment they cry out to God.
How much do we really know of all the events and circumstances God fashions in our lives to reach our hearts? Very little.
God loved this jailer and would use an earthquake to save him.
What did God do to shake you up? For me, there was a series of events, and a series of people that God used to reach my heart.
If you are hear today, and you don’t know Jesus… must He shake the earth to shake your heart? Because He just may, but it’s better just to say yes without the dramatic.
If Paul and Silas had to do it all over again… the public beatings… stocks… and being in a dungeon… I’m sure they would for the sake of this man’s soul and souls of his family.
Experiences like this would empower Paul to be able to write with conviction words like…
Rom 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
And, 2 Cor 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory...”
Paul esteemed the eternal over the temporal. If his suffering meant salvation for another… Paul was willing.
When Paul cries out that no prisoners had left, this prison guard is broken… he “called for a light” or “asked for a light”… interesting… who did he ask for a light from? Other prison guards or servants? Who else encountered the Lord this night?
He ran into the jail and fell down trembling… trembling, by def. “terrified.” With this kind of response, Paul does not need to say “Repent and believe”… this man is already repentant… he already turned from the world… and now just needed guidance on WHO to turn to.
He brings them out of the inner prison and asks, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Many people think salvation is a matter of doing something… works.
But, there’s no doing to be saved.
It’s not about climbing up to heaven… knocking on a bunch of doors… or even church membership…
After the feeding of the 5,000, Jews asked Jesus in John 6:28-29 “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Just believe. Paul responded the same to the jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Now… to be clear… if a relative is saved… like your Grandfather, this doesn’t mean you get ‘grandfathered in’ to salvation.
You cannot save your family, alive or dead, by means of your personal belief or by performing some ordinance for dead family members… as Mormons falsely teach.
God is a personal God, and Salvation is a personal matter. Salvation only occurs when you personally believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord.
This is portrayed here in Acts if you read the next verse… V32 “Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.” And at the end of V34 “...having believed in God with all his household.”
So, the jailer’s family was not saved because of his salvation. But, as he took a step of faith… his family followed him in faith.
But, Mrs. Jailer… and all the little Jailers… they all had to come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
V31 is one of those verses that confuses people, but if you just read on… the word clarifies itself.
After the Jailer and his family are saved, now there is an outflow of good works. Good works not to be saved, but because they are saved.
In V33, they care for Paul and Silas and wash their physical wounds.
In turn, Paul and Silas wash them spiritually through baptism… which is an outward manifestation of an inward transformation.
Then in V34, they break bread and rejoice.
Only God can turn a situation like this around.
Fellowship between prisoners and the prison guard.
A Jailer who was trembling and about to kill himself… now rejoicing in salvation. Beautiful scene.
Sometime after dinner, it’s assumed Paul and Silas return to the prison, and V35 picks up the next day...
Acts 16:35-37 “And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
The magistrates of Philippi, after a nights sleep… wake up and feel merciful towards Paul and Silas.
The magistrates send word through their officers, and the Jailer tells Paul ‘you are free, go in peace,’
BUT Paul and Silas won’t leave jail. Most people are quite happy to leave prison, but Paul stays to call out an injustice which is viewed in V37.
Paul and Silas were uncondemned Romans. Uncondemned means “without trial”, yet they received a sentence… a punishment… beatings by rods and imprisonment.
And, now… they want to sweep this under the rug? They want Paul and Silas to leave quietly?
What the magistrates failed to realize was Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So, now Paul plays this trump card.
You see… it was illegal to sentence Roman citizens as they did. The magistrates broke Roman law, and now they could be sentenced.
Cicero, in his ‘Oration against Verres’, wrote “It is a transgression of the law to bind a Roman citizen; it is wickedness to scourge him. Unheard, no man can be condemned.”
And, this raises questions:
“Why did Paul and Silas allow themselves to be beaten… when they could have exercised their rights as Roman citizens to not be beaten?”
And, “Why do they now take a stand against this injustice?”
It may have been, during the mob frenzy of accusations and shouting, that their voices were drowned out.
And, this very well may be the case because later in Acts 22, Paul will face examination by scourging, and he asks the Roman Centurion, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” And, immediately they ceased.
But, maybe… here in Acts 16… they don’t mention Roman citizenship to serve as a model for any Philippians who were NOT Roman citizens on how to be persecuted and still press on boldly for Christ.
Plus, had Paul exercised this right, he likely would have avoided jail, and the jailer would not have been saved… so God’s mysterious ways prevail.
Possibly, Paul and Silas in taking this beating… and now taking a stand in V37… may cause the Magistrates of this colony to actually follow legal proceedings in the future… and to think twice before getting caught up in the emotion of the mob.
Paul and Silas may have sparred some of the Philippians from future beatings and injustice.
So, for whatever reason, they took the beatings, but now they make it known that their Roman rights were violated… and the Magistrates are now afraid for themselves.
Wrapping up…
Acts 16:38-40 “And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.”
The magistrates now realize they are in hot water… and apologize to Paul and Silas… and ask them to leave town.
This reminds me of when Jesus exorcised the demon Legion in Gadara, and they too asked him to leave town.
Some people, sadly, are more comfortable being in the presence of demons… then they are in the presence of God.
This official restoration… this vindication for Paul and Silas… I don’t believe this was for their sakes… this was not a matter of pride, but to protect the church and the work of Christ in Philippi.
Paul and Silas now released… before they leave Philippi… they make one final visit to the house of Lydia… the seller of purple, and the believers of their household.
And, they encouraged them… you may be persecuted, but look at how God will move in mysterious ways.
He freed us with an earthquake… and shook the very heart of the Philippian jailer who is now saved.
What a great testimony… a great encouragement indeed to the saints at Philippi… and for us today.
Let’s pray!
Next week our missionaries reach Thessalonica… the Thessalonians. And, then encounter the Bereans.
So, read ahead and ‘be a Berean’ by ‘searching the Scriptures daily.’
If you need prayer for anything, please let us know how we can pray for you.
The LORD bless you and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’