by Pastor Rich Carlson

Paul and his traveling companions crossed by sea from Western Turkey into Northern Greece, where they stayed for a while in the city of Philippi. Sometime later, when Paul was in a Roman prison, Paul wrote a letter back to these people. It is included in our Bible as The Epistle to the Philippians. In the story we are considering now, in Acts 16, Paul is getting acquainted with the Philippians for the first time, and sharing the gospel with them. Incidentally, this is the first place on record where the gospel of Jesus was preached in Europe.

Paul was successful in establishing a church in Philippi. He would eventually visit them again on his third missionary journey, but more on that later. Here, Paul is found praying with a group of women out along the river. Apparently there was no church there, and perhaps no synagogue either. Included among the women was Lydia, a textile merchant, whose house would become home base for Paul and other believers after she became a Christian.

It was in Philippi that Paul cast a demon out of a fortune-telling slave girl—an act that angered her owners and got Paul thrown into prison. It was also here that Paul and Silas were singing in prison when an earthquake opened doors, not just to the jail, but to the jailer’s heart as well. And it was here that Paul got a little spunky when the Roman authorities tried to backtrack on their decision to imprison God’s servants. The Romans eventually issued a public apology. Philippi offers quite a story of God’s leading in the lives of Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy.

As I read this story, a number of ideas seemed to connect the lives of these early Christian disciples with my own life:

• I should not let anything keep me from caring for the spiritual needs of others. Paul went out of the city on Sabbath to find a quite place to pray by the river. Instead of finding solitude, he ended up converting a group of women, including Lydia, who later played a significant role in caring for him and the Lord’s work.

• I should not let anyone stand in the way of my mission to share the gospel. God’s power came through again in a miraculous way, in the incident with the slave girl and her owners, when Paul proved who really had the power to predict the future.

• I should not expect that God’s leading will always lead directly to “green pastures.” Money ruled over miracles in Philippi, and the owners of the fortune-telling slave girl were angry that Paul had taken away their source of income. Paul and his associates paid a stiff price for standing for truth.

• I should not let the not-so-green-pastures experiences distract me from my mission. Even in prison, Paul and Silas sang hymns—and the other prisoners and the jailer listened!

• I should not expect always to understand God’s leading. An earthquake was probably not the way Paul and Silas expected to be delivered from prison.

• I should watch for every opportunity to share God’s word. Even the prison guard came under the Holy Spirit’s influence through Paul and Silas. “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” he asked.

• I should not hesitate in offering the answer to the jailer’s question. Scripture says “that night” Paul baptized the jailer and his whole family!

• There are times when it is appropriate to stand up for my rights. When the magistrates tried to let them go, Paul and company forced a public apology. I would think it would have been nicer just to say thank you and leave, but that’s not how the story goes.

• I should pay attention to the needs of those around me. Notice this: Lydia, one of the first converts, was immediately ready to welcome fellow believers into her home and to provide for their needs.

• I should not forget to encourage my fellow believers. It’s possible to get so busy “converting the heathen” that I can forget to care for the already converted.

So goes the story of Paul and his friends in Philippi. It is a story rich in meaning for our lives today.

Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. "God Is Faithful" is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.