POWER AT PHILIPPI

The Acts of the Apostles, Part 17

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

Acts 16:10-40

RAN A STRAIGHT COURSE  (V.11)

THE CITY OF PHILIPPI IS NAMED FOR KING PHILLIP II, THE FATHER OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT.   IT WAS A “MELTING POT” OF A CITY, WITH MANY CULTURES AND BELIEFS.

ALTHOUGH THERE WERE SOME JEWS, ON THE SABBATH THEY HAD TO GO DOWN TO THE RIVER TO WORSHIP, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SYNAGOGUE (IT TOOK 10 GODLY MEN TO FORM A SYNAGOGUE!  THIS TELLS YOU THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION AT THE TIME!)

LYDIA, A MAKER OF BEAUTIFUL CLOTH, WAS A WORSHIPPER OF GOD, BUT DIDN’T KNOW JESUS.  THROUGH PAUL, GOD OPENED LYDIA’S HEART AND SHE WAS SAVED.   LYDIA AND HER ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD WERE BAPTIZED!  WHEN GOD TRANSFORMS YOUR LIFE THROUGH CHRIST, YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY IS GOING TO FEEL THE EFFECTS!

(V.16)

THE SLAVE GIRL HAS BEEN POSSESSED BY THE “PYTHON” SPIRIT, OR THE SPIRIT OF DIVINATION.  SHE COULD TELL FORTUNES.

THE PHRASE “THE MOST HIGH GOD” WOULD’VE MEANT DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT LISTENERS:  TO JEWS, IT MEANS “YAHWEH;” TO THE GREEKS, “ZEUS.”

THE FACT THAT PAUL THEN COMMANDS HER TO BE FREED IN THE NAME OF JESUS IMMEDIATELY TELLS THE CROWD THAT NOW THIS “JESUS” IS THE MOST HIGH GOD!

THE GIRL’S MASTER THEN HAD PAUL AND SILAS ARRESTED.  IT’S INTERESTING THAT PAUL AND SILAS, WHO ARE JEWS, AND NOT LUKE AND TIMOTHY, WHO WERE GENTILES, WERE SEIZED. 

PAUL AND SILAS WERE STRIPPED, BEATEN AND ABUSED.  AS ROMANS, THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN GIVEN THIS TREATMENT.  THE JAILER THEN NOT ONLY PUT THEM IN PRISON, BUT LOCKED THEM IN STOCKS INSIDE THE INNER PRISON.  

 (V.25)

THEN IN PRAISE AND WORSHIP, PAUL AND SILAS UNLEASH GREAT POWER WHICH SHAKES THE PLACE, AND FREES THEM. IT’S ALSO INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT NOT ONLY PAUL AND SILAS’S CHAINS WERE LOOSED, BUT EVERYONE AROUND THEM WERE LOOSED!

 PAUL THEN DEMANDED HIS RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW, AND DIDN’T DEPART UNTIL HE RECEIVED THEM.

 YOU AND I HAVE THE SAME POWER:  TO DEMAND OUR RIGHTS UNDER GOD’S LAW, AS JOINT HEIRS WITH JESUS!