Summary: Every morning and every evening the head of a Jewish household would pray, giving thanks that God had not created him “a Gentile, a woman or a slave.” It hardly seems coincidental that the first three conversions which take place at Philippi, come from those three despised categories.

“Three Portraits of Salvation In Philippi”

Acts 16:11-40

Every morning and every evening the head of a Jewish household would pray, giving thanks that God had not created him “a Gentile, a woman or a slave.” It hardly seems coincidental that the first three conversions which take place at Philippi, come from those three despised categories. Paul himself, writing under divine inspiration, would later write, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Immediately following the “Macedonian vision” of verse nine, this band of missionaries sailed directly to the Island of Samothrace, and then on to Neapolis, the port city of Philippi, which was some ten miles inland. Verse eleven says, “Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, (12) and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.”

It seems that God favored their expedition for the journey the phrase they “sailed straight for –Samothrace” was a nautical term that meant the wind was at their backs. The winds were so favorable that they sailed the 156 miles in two days, it took five days on the return trip (20:6). [R. Kent Hughes. Acts: The Church Afire. (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1996.) p. 211]

Philippi was considered a colony of Rome, some-what in the same way that Hawaii and Alaska are considered states of the U.S.A. Although separated geographically from the mainland people who live there live under the same laws and have the same privileges and are considered citizens of the U.S. So it was with Philippi it inhabitants were considered citizens of Rome with all the same rights and privileges.

First, The Salvation of a Business Woman. (16:13-15)

“And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the river-side, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.”

When Paul and his companion arrived in Philippi, they discovered that there was no synagogue. Accord-ing to Jewish tradition ten male heads of households were necessary before a synagogue could be formed. If those requirements could not be met the faithful were to meet under the open sky near a river or the sea. So Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke went to the riverside on the Sabbath there they discovered a small group, all women.

Paul in his vision saw a man of Macedonia calling for help. But when he got there he found a small group of women gathered by the river, and one of these become his first convert.

Verse fourteen begins, “Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. (15) And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.”

One of the women listening to Paul was named Lydia, a rich God-fearing Gentile woman from the city of Thyatira in Asia. Here was a woman who was holding on every word Paul had to share about Jesus. Scripture says “the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (v. 14).

Lydia the Gentile woman became the first believer in Europe. The opening of Lydia’s heart resulted in the opening of her home. Her profession of faith resulting in her baptism and her provision of hospitality were outward evidence of the reality of her new found faith in God.

Second, The Salvation Of A Slave Girl. (16:16-28)

•Her Demonization. (vv. 16-18a)

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. (17) This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” (18) And this she did for many days…..”

The next convert is a slave girl that Luke says has “a spirit of divination”– commonly referred to as “demon-possessed.” Perhaps a word of explanation is warranted here because there is still a lot of confusion about “demon possession” within the ranks of Bible believing Christians. Some maintain that even Chris-tians can be possessed by a Demon. Let me try to explain why this cannot be true! Charles Ryrie defines the problem by saying “Demon possession means a demon residing in a person, exerting direct control and influence over that person, with certain derangement of mind and body. Demon possession is to be distinguished from demon influence and demon activity in relation to a person. The work of the demon in the latter is from the outside in demon possession it is from within. By this, a Christian cannot be possessed by a demon since he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. However, a Christian can be the target of demonic activity to such an extent that he may give the appearance of demon possession.” [as quoted by Ron R. Ritchie. Do You Believe in the Devil. Unpublished data file. Palo Alto, Calif.: Discovery Publishing. - www. pbc.org/dp/Ritchie/4319.html). p.3. ]

In the gospel of Matthew (8:28) Jesus describes two men at Gadara which he says were “demon possess-ed” but it is literally “demonized,” that is “under the influence of one or more evil spirits.” In reality when-ever you see the phrase (diamonizomai) it should be translated “demonized.” It means that a person is under the influence of a demon, like a drunk person is under the influence of alcohol. But you never say an inebriated person is alcohol-possessed…. So it is more technically correct to say that people are demonized rather than demon possessed.

So one day as Paul and Silas were on their way to prayer meeting a slave -girl began to follow them. When it says she was “possessed with a spirit of divination,” - today we would say that she was a medium or a psychic, but she was possessed by a demon that used her as a channel to convey clairvoyant messages, interpreting the events of the day and predicting the future for people. She would follow the missionary team shouting, “these men are the servants of the most high god who proclaim the way of salvation.” What she said was true as far as it went. She was saying that they were declaring “the way of salvation.” But in the original language there is no definite article here. She was saying that they were declaring “a” way not “the” way. Even today there are many who are willing to call the gospel “a” way of salvation, but are unwilling to concede that it is “the” way – the “only” way of salvation!

•Her Deliverance. (vv. 18b-24)

Finally Paul had enough, “….. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.” It is not because she was wrong that she was silenced. It is almost as if Paul finally says, “Oh for goodness sakes, this girl is driving me to distraction. I am going to put a stop to this once and for all.” She was immediately delivered. She was restored to her right mind and we presume, received Christ.

At the end of verse eighteen Luke tells us that the spirit “came out of her” and at the beginning of verse nineteen he adds that her master’s hope of making money from her “was gone.” It is the same Greek word (exelthen) the spirit abandoned her and their hope of making a profit abandoned them. But was without a doubt a tremendous blessing to her was not so to her employer, because she no longer had the ability to predict the future.

Beginning in verse nineteen we have the reaction of her masters. “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.”

The owners of the slave girl are angry at the loss of their source of revenue, but when they get to the authorities they appeal to racism and seek to arouse the prejudice of the people against these “Jewish troublemakers” (v. 20).

Apparently with little or no investigation into the matter, we are told in verse twenty-two, “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.”

Paul and Silas, were beaten with wooden rods and thrown into prison. Try to imagine what it must have been like to be falsely accused of a crime, and without a trial beaten and thrown into prison.

What happens when something terrible happens in your life? You’re going along doing your best to live right when all of a sudden out of the blue you are bowled over by some terrible situation. Here were Paul and Silas, all they are guilty of is preaching the Gospel, but not everyone liked what they were doing. The masters of the slave girl got hit in the pocket book and they did not like it at all. This girl’s masters cared little or nothing about her, it was her powers that brought them profit.

Paul and Silas dragged before the magistrates on trumped up charges and were summarily sentenced and beaten. The officials who administered this beating are called lictors in Latin. This is where we get the expression “getting your licks” from.

Not only were they beaten they were thrown into “the inner prison” (v. 24) and they were fastened by their feet in the stocks. Their rights had been violated and they could have easily been consumed with asking the question, “Why?” Instead we are told that they focused on prayer. It is interesting to consider that when we are treated unfairly, it may be that we are being given an important opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Third, The Salvation Of A Prison Guard. (16: 25-40)

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

I don’t know about you but if this had happened to me I would not have been in a good mood. So you have to admire Paul and Silas they are not murmuring or complaining they are praying and singing praises. Why were they singing, because they knew they were in the center of God’s Will. In the original language the words “singing” and “praying” are continuous action, they were continually praying and singing. While we do not know if any of the prisoners were saved because of Paul and Silas, we do know that they were listening with great interest. It seems that the way Paul and Silas have responded to their cruel treatment has not gone unnoticed by the other prisoners (v. 25).

•A Startling Earthquake. (vv. 26-29)

Suddenly the singing and praying was interrupt-ed, verse twenty-six says, “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.”

When the earthquake came the jailer rushed to check on the prisoners. The door was open and no one was around. The jailer quickly came to the conclusion that all the prisoners had escaped. Because the law would demand his life for the lives of his prisoners the jailer prepared to kill himself. Can you imagine the jailer standing outside the prison, thinking that all was lost, that all the prisoners were gone, then hearing a voice from inside the prison telling him not to harm himself. It is no wonder that he rushed into the room and fell at the feet of Paul and Silas. Verse twenty-seven reveals, “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.” (29) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.”

•A Sincere Question. (v. 30)

Because of what he had seen in Paul and Silas their jailer asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” (v. 30). Some think that the jailer asked this question because he was afraid for his life, and that he was asking, “What must I do to be safe?” I don’t believe that is what he was asking at all for two reasons. First, the same Greek word is used when the demon possessed woman was declaring, “These men …are telling you the way of salvation” (v. 17) And secondly, Paul’s answer lets us know that he regarded it as a request for know-ledge about eternal salvation. Others say that the question “What must I do to be saved? implies that this man thought that salvation was based on self effort.

•A Saving Faith. (vv. 31-34)

Paul in his reply answers the question of how the Roman jailer could be saved? In verse thirty-one he says “….Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” – salvation then was attained by placing his faith in Jesus as his Savior. If salvation is based on believing in Christ, how do you know you have truly believed? What is true saving faith in Jesus Christ? The answer is still the same today as it was in that Philippian prison two thousand years ago.

As I stated in the message a couple of weeks ago, true Biblical faith involves three dimensions: under-standing, belief, and commitment. We must understand that Jesus gave His life as a payment for our sin. We must know that He rose from the dead and opened the door of eternity to all who would believe. If a person does not understand this they may have faith but it is misplaced faith.

Second, we must believe. It is one thing to know something it is another to believe it. The second group of people tell you that belief alone can save you. Unfortunately, James tells us that even the demons believe. Faith is something deeper than knowledge and agree-ment or belief. True faith involves surrender and commitment to the truth you say you believe.

In the book of Revelation 3:20 we find the image of Christ standing at the door knocking. Which is a wonderful picture of how Christ comes to each of us and in it we can see the three elements of faith made clear.

I hear the knock – that’s knowledge.

I go to the door – that’s belief.

I open the door – that’s commitment.

It is obvious from what happens now that this calloused soldier was a new man. (vv. 32-36) “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.”

The man, who had at least played a part in inflecting the wounds on these men, now cleaned and dressed their wounds. The man who had been responsible for pushing these men into the inner-most prison now took them into his own house. The man, who given them prison-fare to eat now set before them the best that he had.

The next morning after the earthquake the city officials came to the prison to release the missionaries. But they did not get the response that they expected. Verse thirty-five says, “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, uncondemn-ed 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.” (38) 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.

They had expected Paul to gratefully accept his release and quietly leave town. Instead they found Paul refusing to leave his cell until he received and apology from those who had been responsible for his illegal treatment. It seems that in the heat of the moment no one had bothered to ask Paul and Silas if they were Roman citizens. One of the rights that they had was that they could not be beaten.

Now in verse forty we learn, “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.”

It seems that after they are released from the prison that the missionaries go Lydia’s house to encourage the brethren, we might think that it would be the other way around. I would have loved to been present at the fellowship at Lydia’s house after they were released. I believe that there was more praying and singing. There were undoubtedly tears and perhaps laughter as Paul recounted how the city officials had come hat-in-hand and begged them to leave the city.

Conclusion

I find it very interesting that the Lord picked three completely different kinds of people to form the nucleus of the new church in Philippi. Lydia did not start a church for the young up and coming business people in Philippi. The slave girl did not join a church made up of former cult members. The jailor did not join at military chapel with other Roman military men. They all had to learn to accept and love each other in the same church in Philippi.

“The Story Of Salvation In Philippi”

Acts 16:11-40

First, The Salvation Of A Business Woman. (16:13-15)

Second, The Salvation Of A Slave Girl. (16:16-28)

•Her Demonization. (vv. 16-18a)

•Her Deliverance. (vv. 18b-24)

Third, The Salvation Of A Prison Guard. (16: 25-40)

•A Startling Earthquake. (vv. 26-29)

•A Sincere Question. (v. 30)

•A Saving Faith. (vv. 31-34)