The Church in Philippi ~ 20230430 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org
04/30 Philippians; The Church in Philippi (Acts 15-16); Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20230430_philippians-church.mp3
Unquenchable Joy
Last week we began to look at the background and context of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. We saw that it was written from prison, but it was written out of an overflow of joy to a church that brought Paul much joy. Paul’s joy was not contingent on his circumstances. He recognized that he was not primarily a prisoner of the Roman empire; he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and that brought him joy. He saw that his imprisonment provided him unique opportunities and served to advance the gospel, and this brought him joy. The prospect of release or execution he viewed as a win/win alternative, and this brought him unquenchable joy. His reflection on this church and their partnership with him in the gospel caused him to overflow with thankfulness to God, and he prayed for them with joy.
Philippian Jailer
Last week we met one of the believers in the church in Philippi, a jailer, who had imprisoned Paul and Silas. After an earthquake opened the doors and broke the bonds of those in prison, assuming his prisoners had all escaped, the jailer was about to end his own life, when Paul intervened, shouting ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here’ (Acts.16:28). Self-sacrificial love of the victim for his persecutor softened the heart of this jailer, and he longed for the freedom this prisoner was enjoying.
Acts 16:30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And 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 wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then 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.
The Philippian jailer and his family were some of the people who made up the church in Philippi.
Today I want to back up in the story and look at how the gospel came to Philippi, and introduce you to some of the other members of this church family, as well as some of Paul’s co-workers who brought the gospel to Philippi. Acts 16 is the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey.
1st Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14; c. AD. 46-49)
On his first journey, he was accompanied by Barnabas, a prophet and teacher from the church in Antioch, and John Mark, who later wrote the gospel of Mark. They sailed to the island of Cyprus, and then on to Asia Minor, where John Mark jumped ship and returned to Jerusalem. Barnabas and Paul continued from Perga north to Pisidian Antioch, and then east into the regions of Galatia, to the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. It was in Lystra that Paul was stoned and left for dead by the Jews. But he got up, went back into town. After preaching the gospel in Derbe, they retraced their steps, encouraging the disciples and appointing elders in every church, and then returned to Antioch in Syria and reported to the church what God had done through them among the Gentiles.
Jerusalem Council (Acts 15)
Acts 15 describes the first church council, that addressed the issue of salvation by grace through faith, apart from works of the law. Some from the Pharisees were insisting that the Gentile believers be circumcised and be required to keep the law of Moses. Peter testified that when the Gentiles heard the word of the gospel and believed, God made no distinction, giving them the Holy Spirit, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Peter argued:
Acts 15:10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The Jerusalem church wrote to the Gentile churches that they were not obligated to keep the law of Moses, but that they ought to abstain from idolatry, and from blood, from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality, so as not to give unnecessary offense to the Jews in their regions. They sent this letter by Paul and Barnabas, Judas and Silas.
Silas only shows up here in Acts 15-18. He along with Judas Barsabbas, Jewish believers from Jerusalem, are called ‘leading men among the brothers’ (Acts.15:22), and ‘prophets’ who ‘encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words’ (Acts.15:32).
2nd Missionary Journey (Acts 16-20; AD 49-51)
After a sharp disagreement between Barnabas and Paul in Antioch over allowing John Mark to accompany them again after deserting them, (yes, even apostles have sharp disagreements) Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas and traveled north through Syria and Silicia, strengthening the churches that had been established on the first journey.
Timothy
When they came to Lystra, the city where they stoned Paul on his first visit, he reconnected with a young believer Timothy, likely one who responded to the gospel Paul proclaimed on his first visit, as Paul calls him ‘my true child in the faith’ (1Tim.1:2).
Timothy was ‘well spoken of by the brothers’ (Acts.16:2), both in his hometown of Lystra, and in the nearby city of Iconium. Paul wanted this young Lycaonian man to accompany him on the rest of his journey, so he had him circumcised. Not because keeping the law had anything to do with his salvation; the letter he was delivering from the Apostolic council made that clear. But because his mother was Jewish, and his father was Greek, and this would have created an unnecessary obstacle to the gospel among the Jews in that region. So Timothy joined the missionary team.
Acts 16:4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
The Spirit’s Guidance for Missions (Acts 16)
Acts 16:6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
How did the Holy Spirit forbid them to speak the word in Asia? How did the Spirit of Jesus prevent them from entering Bithynia? Was it a lack of opportunity? Was it genuine attempts that were thwarted by circumstances? Was it some kind of internal sense that they had? Was it a clear word from the Lord to them? Paul was eager to preach the gospel to everyone everywhere, no matter the cost. What we do know is God is able to sovereignly direct the steps of his ambassadors.
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
So they end up traveling a seemingly fruitless and possibly frustrating 350 miles and end up in Troas on the Aegean Sea.
Acts 16:9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Macedonia, now northern Greece, across the Aegean from Turkey. One interesting thing to note about this verse; did you happen to notice the change in personal pronouns? Pronouns matter! Verse 8 and prior uses the second person plural, but for the first time in Acts, verse 10 switches to the first person plural. ‘They, they, them’ changes to ‘we, us’. Luke wrote the gospel that bears his name, and the book of Acts, and for the first time, Luke subtly is including himself in the narrative. Luke is only mentioned by name 3 times in the entire New Testament, but it seems Luke, the beloved physician (Col.4:14) joined the team in Troas. Acts 17 reverts to the second person ‘they’, so it seems that while Paul, Silas and Timothy left Philippi and traveled on, Luke may have remained in Philippi to serve the new church there. The ‘we’ resumes in Acts 20, when ‘we sailed from Philippi to Troas’.
Acts 16:11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and 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.
To the Jew First
To understand what happens next, we need to see Paul’s standard operating procedure. In Acts 1, Jesus commissioned his followers to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Paul made it his practice throughout Acts to find a Jewish synagogue and start his evangelism there. In Antioch in Pisidia, they started by proclaiming Jesus in the synagogue. On the next Sabbath, seeing the crowds, the jealous Jewish leaders began to contradict them.
Acts 13:46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.
In Romans he makes it explicit that the gospel is to the Jew first and also to the Greek (1:16). Now back to Acts 16;
Acts 16:13 And 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.
Apparently there wasn’t a large enough Jewish population to have a synagogue (tradition states that a minimum of 10 Jewish men was required), so the Jews in Philippi would meet by the riverside on the Sabbath to pray.
Lydia
Acts 16:14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
Lydia was a business woman from Thyatira. Purple was a prized commodity, and very valuable, so she was likely quite well off.
Thyatira was in Asia, where they had been ‘forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia’ (Acts.16:6). We are told Lydia was a worshiper of God, literally a God-fearer, which meant that she was a Gentile who was interested in learning about and following the God of the Jews. We might say she was a seeker, religious, desiring to know the one true God. When Paul and his co-workers ‘spoke to the women who had come together’, ‘the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said’. Have you had that experience? Sometimes it is difficult to pay attention. Some people’s hearts are closed to the gospel. That’s a spiritual problem with a spiritual remedy. It is not the persuasiveness or passion of the preacher; it is the Lord who opens hearts to the gospel.
Lydia was religious, she was what we might call a ‘good person’, but she didn’t know Jesus. She had a spiritual problem that required supernatural intervention.
Acts 16:15 And 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.
Jesus himself opened this woman’s heart wide to receive the gospel, and she and her household were baptized (remember, they were meeting by the river). Her heart was opened, and her home was also opened. A new believer extended Christian hospitality to the missionaries. It is quite possible that her house became the home of the new church in Philippi.
The Girl Twice Owned
Acts 16:16 As 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. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.”
Next we meet a girl twice owned. She was a slave, property of men who used her for their own profit. And she had a spirit of divination; or this unclean spirit had her. It is interesting to note that what she said was the truth. Demons were the first in Jesus’ ministry to recognize him for who he truly is, and he silenced them. This girl is not a seeker, she was being used and controlled. She is spiritual, but allied with the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph.6:12). There is no indication that she wanted to be delivered.
Acts 16:18 And 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.
This wore on Paul and grieved him for several days, until he finally turned and commanded the demon to leave her. This was a completely different kind of evangelism from Lydia; this was a power encounter with the enemy, demonstrating that ‘he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1Jn.4:4).
We assume that being now set free from the enemy, no longer of any use to her human masters, she believed in the Jesus who set her free and belonged to his church.
This is what got Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in prison. Why only Paul and Silas, and not Timothy or Luke? Probably because they were the only ones obviously Jewish, and the accusation is that ‘these men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city.’
The Heartless Jailer
This is when they are given opportunity to be a light in a literally dark place, singing and praying in prison. They may have hoped that the other prisoners would believe, because they were listening.
The jailer wasn’t listening. He didn’t seem to care about anything but himself. Paul and Silas were beaten and bloody, they were in need of medical attention, medical attention that Luke the physician could have offered, but the jailer put them in the stocks and then went to bed. He didn’t care if they lived or died. He only cared that they didn’t escape, for to let a prisoner escape was to forfeit your own life. And rather suffer public humiliation and formal execution, he chose to end his own life. He wasn’t seeking anything. He was just doing his job, and seeking to preserve his own honor. Paul had to yell to prevent him from doing himself in.
This was evangelism through self-sacrificial suffering. This man had done them no favors. They could have escaped, but they knew that their freedom would cost the jailer his life. So they willingly endured suffering so that he could live, just like their Lord had suffered so that they could live. Jesus said:
Luke 6:27 “...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also...
It was their self-sacrificial love for their enemy that got this hard Roman jailer’s attention, that showed him a need he didn’t know he had, ‘and he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.’
The Church in Philippi
A wealthy religious businesswoman, a demon possessed slave girl, a hardened Roman jailer. This was the birth of the church in Philippi; radically different people who met Jesus in radically different ways, all transformed by the gospel, all united by the gospel into one body, the church.
2023.04.30 Sermon Notes
The Church in Philippi; Acts 15-16
Paul’s first missionary journey (c. AD 46-49)
Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark
Acts 13-14
The Jerusalem Council
delivered by Paul and Barnabas, Judas and Silas
Acts 15
Paul’s second missionary journey (AD. 49-51)
Paul and Silas
Acts 16-20
Timothy
1 Timothy 1:2; Acts 16:2
The Spirit’s guidance for missions
Acts 16:6-10; Proverbs 19:21
Luke the beloved physician
Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24
Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-8, 13-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16
To the Jew first
Acts 1:8; 13:46; 16:13; Romans 1:16
The church in Philippi:
Lydia; wealthy religious businesswoman (Acts 16:14-15)
Demonized slave girl (Acts 16:16-18; 1 John 4:4)
Heartless Roman jailer (Acts 16:22-27)
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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org