Gtcotr/092726
It was about the year AD50, almost 20 years after Jesus had been crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven. The Church in Antioch had sent the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey with the primary goal of checking on the Churches that had previously been started and delivering the decisions of the Jerusalem Council to them concerning the conversion requirements for Gentiles (Acts 15:19ff).
Paul and the leaders of the Church at Antioch had a plan to revisit and strengthen yesterday’s evangelistic efforts while the Holy Spirit had a goal to begin new works in new places to carry on the spread of the Gospel for generations to come. God’s plan is often much larger than our initial thoughts.
At this point Paul was about 45 years old and had been saved for about 15 years. He had encountered his share of opposition but had continued to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Jews and Gentiles everywhere he traveled. Paul valued being sent and covered by the Church at Antioch where he was a member. The Church in Jerusalem, considered to be the mother Church at that time, also approved of Paul’s ministry which continues to be a very important part of New Testament theology.
It is much better to be working with God than to imagine it is enough to just do something for Him. Not everyone who is doing something for God is necessarily doing something with God. God makes clear distinctions throughout the Bible. Some great examples of this principle comes from the accounts of Abram and Hagar, David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem on a cart, much of Samson’s life and work, Peter cutting off the ear of the soldier in the Garden of Gethsemane, and even Barnabas choosing John Mark, separating from Paul and striking out to check on the Churches absent the evident blessings of the Church elders (Acts 15:39).
As I said, it was about the year AD50 when Paul and his missionary team arrived in Philippi. This was an unplanned extension orchestrated by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ across Europe. Philippi was an important Roman city and God wanted to plant a Church there. Let’s follow along in the account from:
Acts 16 NKJV
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A
man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia
and help us.”
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately
we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach
the gospel to them.
11 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.
13 And on the
Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was
customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
14 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.
16 ¶ 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. 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.
19 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.”
22 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.
25 ¶ 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.
27 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.
30 And the jailer 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.
35 ¶ 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.”
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.
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.
1. It’s not always easy to do the will of God.
2. Even after the jailer and his household were saved and baptized, Paul and Silas were still in jail.
3. What
you do in your midnight hour will determine the success of your mission.
·
For the prisoners
·
For the jailer
· For you and those with you
