Paul
had decided to go into Asia Minor, but said he was forbidden to
go by the Spirit. So Paul and Silas went over into Macedonia,
and thus the first time the Gospel was preached on the European
continent was in Philippi. This is what happened:
ACTS 16:13,14
13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a
river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we
sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted
thither.
14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of
purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped
God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she
attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Lydia was converted to Christianity and invited Paul and
Silas to stay in her home. While in that city, Paul would often go
into the synagogue and discuss the Scriptures.
On the streets of Philippi, a little maiden with a spirit of
divination, or fortune-telling, would follow along behind Paul
and Silas and say, "These men are servants of the most high
God, which shew unto us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).
She
knew who they were because the evil spirit in her knew. (But
who wants the devil testifying for him?)
Finally, one day Paul turned around on the street and cast the
devil out of her—making it impossible for her to tell fortunes
any more. Her masters became angry and had Paul and Silas
arrested. They were stripped, beaten, and thrown in jail. At
midnight they prayed and sang praises to God, as we studied
earlier.
This Church at Philippi was born in persecution, yet Paul
says, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (Phil.
Paul at Prayer 35
1:3). When you have the right perspective, you can thank God
for every test. I always thank God for them. I thank God when I
am in the midst of them, and I thank God when they're over; not
because they are over, but because I had the privilege of proving
Him faithful.
Believers should be full of joy and love, like a sponge is full
of water. Then when the devil puts pressure on you, all that
oozes out is joy and love instead of griping and complaining!
".. .Making request with joy, For your fellowship in the
gospel from the first day until now " (Phil. 1:4,5).
When Paul and
Silas were in jail at Philippi, they prayed and sang praises to
God. Anyone can sing praises to God after he has been
delivered; it doesn't take faith to do that. But Paul and Silas sang
praises to God at midnight while they were in the midst of
trouble. That's the way it should be!
...To be continued
FFT: Faith; Joyful in Jail! thankful in testing times!
ACTION POINT: Rejoice in the Lord always!
INTERACTIVE SESSION: Is it possible to be joyful in jail and thankful in times of test? (share your comment below)
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