20240505 Acts 16:11-40 Witness in Philippi

 A rabbi in the second century taught men to recite three blessings daily. One of them went like this, “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, ruler of the universe who has not created me a woman, a gentile, or a slave.” Acts 16 teaches that God has a very different posture towards women, slaves, and gentiles than that of this Rabbi.

In the context of the book of Acts, the Apostles are bearing witness to the resurrected Christ. They are announcing the forgiveness of sins in Christ to all people. In the first missionary journey in Acts 13-14 it was in Asia Minor. Acts 16 is part of the second missionary journey which occurs in Europe. Between the first and second missionary journeys was Acts 15. It was the Jerusalem council. This council concluded that Gentiles did not have to become Jews to be saved and belong to the church. Now Acts 16 illustrates Acts 15 and shows Jesus is for all people!

Acts 16:11-40 is about the witness in Philippi. These verses offer three drastically different encounters with the gospel. We will study the accounts of Lydia (Ac 16:11-15), the slave girl (Ac 16:16-24), and the Philippian Jailor (Ac 16:25-40). We will look at the different ways they encountered Jesus. We will see how the gospel speaks to their particular situations. We will draw broader applications for ourselves.

First, we look at Lydia’s conversion in Acts 16:11-15

These are 3 facts about Lydia according to Acts 16:13-14.

First, she was a God-fearer. This means she was a Gentile or non-Jew who sympathized with the Jewish faith and prayed to Israel’s God. Second, she was from Thyatira in Asia Minor. Third, she sold purple goods (Ac 16:14).

This is how Lydia became a Christian.

Women had gathered on the Sabbath at “the place of prayer.” This refers to a synagogue. Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, the author sat down and spoke to the women. Acts 16:14 states that “The Lord opened [Lydia’s] heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.” Though this conversion is a miraculous work of God, this account is relatively tame. There was a group discussion about the gospel, the Lord opened her heart and she believed.

The gospel is a beautiful message to those who appreciate beauty. As a dealer of purple products, Lydia would have sold garments, blankets, carpets. Due to the nature of this business, the quality of the product was tied to its beauty and desirability. Before his crucifixion, Jesus was clothed in purple. Purple was a royal color.

The Romans clothed Jesus in purple to make fun of him. In the eyes of the world the crucified Messiah was not beautiful. He was bloody and swollen. But there is nothing more beautiful than someone giving their life for others. Lydia was in the beauty business. Here she encountered beautiful news of the forgiveness of her sins. She believed and was baptized.

A first application is that “The Lord opens hearts.”

Some of us come to faith this way. We heard a Christian teaching and went from unbelief to belief. We cannot explain what happened. Something seemed to have “clicked” in our minds. This text gives us words to describe our conversion, “The Lord opened our heart.” Use this in your testimonies. It is a theological declaration.

The Lord opens hearts means we cannot save ourselves nor save others. We do have a responsibility to be kind, gracious, humble, and wise. We also recognize that no human wisdom or love leads people to believe the Christian message. The Christian message is laughable and offensive The message of the death and resurrection of a Jewish Messiah for the forgiveness of sins is folly. It was in the first century and still is today.

And the Lord opened our hearts to believe it. Now, we testify that this good news has changed our lives for good. We are Christians because the Lord opened our hearts.

A second application concerns women in the church.

Paul does not always have the best reputation when it comes to the topic of women. Acts 16 shows that Paul cared for women. The only people present at the synagogue were women. Paul builds the church with women. He did not start by looking for men. After her conversion, Lydia insisted that they stay in her house. Ac 16:15 says, “she prevailed upon us.” Lydia beat Paul, Silas, and Luke in a debate and hosted them. This meant that for their time in Philippi, they would sleep and eat at her house. They used her house as the base for their activities in the city. Acts 16:40 shows that Christians gathered at her house. Many suggest that she hosted the Philippian church plant. The takeaway is that women have an invaluable role in the church. This is still true today.

Second, we turn to our second encounter with a Slave-Girl in Acts 16:16-24

According to Acts 16:16, She was a slave. She was someone’s property. She had an evil spirit which allowed her to speak true oracles. She was enslaved socially but because of her demon, she was also enslaved internally. It was her misery and “gift” of truth-telling that made her valuable to her owners.

This was her encounter with Jesus.

She was following Paul and his co-workers for days, saying, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). We would love to see that Paul was moved by compassion for this poor girl and cast the demon out of her. Ac 16:18 tells us Paul became greatly annoyed. He 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.”

While Lydia needed a rational explanation of the Gospel. The slave-girl needed an encounter with a power greater than her demon. While nothing is said about the slave girl coming to faith, because it is between two conversion stories, it could be assumed.

The talk about demon possessions is foreign to most of us in the West.

Yet we know that people can be enslaved without wearing physical chains. Addictions are a form of enslavement. Depression is a form of enslavement. Narcissism includes having an inflated view of self. It leads one to enter conflicts with everyone. If you are close to a narcissist, it can feel like the person is enslaved. They seem unable to have healthy relationships. In some ways we are all controlled by things. It could be by an out of proportion need for people’s approval, to control our circumstances, to have influence over others, or comfort. We all need to experience the power of the gospel to turn from idolatry and to live for Jesus.

Now particularly concerning demon possession we need to hold a tension. On one hand, we cannot blame demons for our sins and weaknesses. We need to take responsibility for our actions. Also, if blaming demons means we forego psychological or medical help for problems, we can cause real harm to ourselves and others. On the other hand, not everything can be explained by genetics or experience. Some things are so evil, that it seems there is something greater behind them. The take away from this text is that Jesus is greater, even greater than demons.

Jesus offers good news to those who are enslaved.

Though Jesus is more powerful than any earthly or demonic master, and he brings physical, social, psychological, and spiritual healing, he also became a slave and a victim of oppressors.

Servanthood is not foreign to Jesus, he can sympathize with the enslaved. Because he humbled himself and was obedient even unto death, God gave him a name above every name. All those who believe in Christ will experience freedom. Even if we still live with the effects of some enslavement, we have freedom in Christ and we will truly enjoy unhindered freedom forever in the New Heaven and New Earth.

Third we look at the Philippian Jailor in Acts 16:25-40

The masters of the servant-girl seized Paul and Silas and brought them before the rulers (Ac 16:19). Once the demon was out, they could no longer make money off her, so they were mad. Paul and Silas were beaten (Ac 16:22) and thrown in prison (Ac 16:23).

This is the jailor’s encounter with the gospel.

The Philippian jailer saw the transformative power of the gospel in the lives of Paul and Silas. Paul and Silas were beaten. Their wounds had not been washed (Ac 16:33). They were imprisoned and they were praying and singing hymns to God (Ac 16:25). This is strange behavior. Joy in suffering shows their hope is in something unseen.

Then, according to Ac 16:26, there was a great earthquake. It opened all the doors and the prisoners' bonds became loose. When the jailer awoke, he supposed prisoners had escaped. He knew he would be executed for this. Rather than waiting, he was going to take his own life.

At this point, Paul shows him what true freedom is. In Ac 16:28, Paul urged him, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” This jailer had not cared for them or washed their wounds and yet, Paul loved him. Paul showed that they would rather keep their chains if it meant that he, their captor, could live! This self-sacrifice is a powerful picture of the gospel and what Jesus does for us. The jailor responds, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer is “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

Our sins make us liable to judgment. This judgment is the result of God's righteous anger against sin. When Jesus died on the cross, he faced and satisfied God’s anger. Jesus died for the sins of those who would believe in him. Believing in Jesus is trusting in his provision for the forgiveness of sins. It may seem too easy, but it is great news! If it was anything else other than faith, no one would qualify, because we all fall short of God’s standard. The requirement of faith means that it is never too late, and no sin no matter how great can disqualify anyone from enjoying God’s forgiveness. Jesus offers the forgiveness of sins to all who believe.

We see three results of the gospel with the jailor, these are our applications (Acts 16:33-34).

The first result of the gospel is the jailor's work. Though the jailer is saved by faith and not by works, he goes right to work. He is compassionate. He cleans the prisoners’ wounds. This is the first application. Love and compassion are the result of the gospel in our lives. We may be angry at someone right now. If we are Christians, we must turn from being judgmental and be curious about the person we judge. Imagine things from their perspective. Treat them the way you would want to be treated.

The second result of the gospel is that the jailor is committed. He gets his family involved and gets baptized to identify with Christians. Baptism is the sign of being brought into the church and a visible portrayal of the gospel. Baptism portrays the benefits Christians receive by faith. These benefits are the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and new life. If you believe in Jesus and have not been baptized, get baptized and commit to a church through membership.

A third result of the gospel is great joy that the jailor and his family experience. It is the kind of joy that leads you to sing while in prison. It is the fruit of the Spirit. We do not want to be superficially happy, but Christians are a joyful people, even when things get hard.

Conclusion

Some thanked God that they were not women, gentiles, or slaves. We learn in Acts 16 that Jesus is for everyone and the church accepts all people equally. Gal 3:28 summarizes Acts 16 perfectly, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The three accounts of Acts 16 show the universal appeal of the gospel and the unifying power of the gospel. It shows there is no Christian type. It is not about the gospel working for some and not others. If the gospel is true it will work for all and is what we truly need. Lydia was converted at a Bible study. The slave-girl met a stronger power than the demon. The jailer who had the keys of the jail learned about true freedom.

Tim Keller highlights how different these three were from one another. We have a woman, a girl, and a man. They were Asian, Greek, and Roman. They were upper class, lower-class, middle class. Spiritually, they were open, demon-possessed, and indifferent. They were gentle, mental and brutal. The gospel is for everyone, Jesus is who we all need for the forgiveness of our sins.

Acts 16:40 notes that they all met together in Lydia’s home. We read, “They went to Lydia’s to encourage the brothers.” “The brothers” refers to believers, male and female. This seems to imply that this is where the new converts met!

In light of the gospel encounters of this text, we can conclude that the church is not a social club for like-minded individuals. We do not have the same backgrounds, same interests, same levels of education. We are not from the same social classes. The church is made up of all God chooses to bring together for his glory! If a church has no diversity, whether in be in age, education, in social class, or ethnicities, it could be that the gospel is not central. It could be that something else unites the church. We never seek diversity for diversity’s sake. If the gospel is central, the church is united in the gospel and can be diverse in everything else. When this is the case, the visible church is a taste of heaven! God included a business woman, a slave, a jailor, you, and me. Our text teaches that Our God can save anyone!