Acts. Acts 16:6-29 Passing Through Philippi

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1 Acts Acts 16:6-29 Passing Through Philippi B ut there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the power of God that is called Great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles hands, he offered them money, saying, Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity. And Simon answered, Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me. (Acts 8:9 24). It s seems we sometimes have a better idea of how Satan works than how the Spirit does. In balance of this chapter, over the next two weeks, we get a chance to observe both. And speaking of Satan, Ray Stedman notes: Someone once sent me a book titled Edgar Cayce s Story of Jesus. Perhaps you know who Edgar Cayce was; he lived earlier in this century (the 20 th ) and was called the sleeping prophet. He would go into a trance and pour out volumes of information supposedly from the spirit world. He has been hailed as a leading prophet of our generation. Because some of his predictions came true, he is regarded, even by some Christians (unfortunately) as an authoritative spokesman. His followers have now published this book, in which he takes the facts of the New Testament and interweaves with them a lot of spiritualistic revelations and clairvoyant readings. It is a mishmash of spiritism and Christianity, all designed to first attract people with the truth and then lead them into error. 1 1 Stedman, Ray C., Growth of the Body, Vision House Publishers, Santa Ana, CA, 1976, p

2 And to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth IV Paul and the Gospel to the Gentiles Chapters 12:25-28:31 A. Paul s Missionary Journeys Chapters 12:25-21:16 3. Second Missionary Journey: Chapters 15:36-18:22 c. The Spirit s Leading Chapter16:6-10 d. Welcome to Philippi Verses i. Lydia Verses ii. The Slave Girl Verses iii. The Consequences Verses iv. The Blessings Verses Introduction: As we saw Paul s second journey didn t start on an auspicious footing. He and Barnabas had a falling out over John Mark. The question, whether to bring with them. Barnabas was for Mark and Paul was opposed because of Mark s previous abandonment. This split actually turned out to be propitious in that both Paul and Barnabas were now traveling separately, covering twice as much area. Luke stayed with Paul. Consequently, he continued to give an account of Paul s work among the Gentiles. Finally, and just in passing as noted last time, the rift between Paul and Barnabas was not only healed but Paul s trust of John Mark was restored and a positive relationship between the two was developed. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). c. The Spirit s Leading: These few verses are interesting in that they are an example of how directly the Holy Spirit can work in the lives of believers. Twice the Holy Spirit told Paul he wasn t to go where he intended, specifically to Asia and Mysia. The intent was to return the same way they came, but for some reason the Holy Spirit had different plans. Specifically the Spirit directed Paul away from Asia. Next He prevented him from going to Mysia. Here we do see an early example of a growing understanding of the Triunity. This is observed in the second reference to the Holy Spirit, here called the Spirit of Jesus. Notice how the Spirit works here. First He prevents Paul from going to Asia and then Mysia. Next He sends Paul a vision where he is instructed to go to Macedonia. Immediately Paul and his group heads out. Oh and by the way, the pronoun changes here from they to us. So apparently it is here Luke rejoins Paul and goes with him on this journey. While we can t actually know why the Spirit changed Paul s direction, Stott points out an interesting possibility. The most notable feature of Paul s second missionary expedition, which Luke narrates in these chapters, is that during it the good seed of the gospel was now for the first time planted in European soil. Of course there was in those days no line of demarcation between Asia and Europe, and the missionaries sailing across the northern part of the Aegean Sea were conscious of travelling only from ) 268 (

3 one province to another, not from one continent to another, since both shores of the Aegean belonged to the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, I agree with, Campbell Morgan who wrote: That invasion of Europe was not in the mind of Paul, but it was evidently in the mind of the Spirit. 1 With the benefit of hindsight, knowing that Europe became the first Christian continent and was until fairly recently the main base for missionary outreach to the rest of the world, we can see what an epoch-making development this was. It was from Europe that in due course the gospel fanned out to the great continents of Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America and Oceania, and so reached the ends of the earth. 2 Do you think the Holy Spirit can still intervene in the same way today as He did in this section? If not, why not? Have you ever experienced the Spirit s direct involvement in your walk? Of course you have or you wouldn t be saved. So if the Spirit intervened in the life of a dead person, that is you, to bring you to life, can t He also intervene for the Father s glory and your blessing now? Yes, of course! You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Romans 8:9 11, 26-30). d. Welcome to Philippi: Oh sorry, we almost lost Paul going down that rabbit trail. What a minute, he and Luke are over there, getting on a boat heading towards Philippi. And it is going to be an interesting stop, interesting because Paul is going to meet two radically different women. But first, CAESAREA PHILIPPI (CÅe s aå reœ aå Phˆïl ˆïp pˆä) About 1,150 feet above sea level, Caesarea Philippi is located on a triangular plain in the upper Jordan Valley along the southwestern slopes of Mount Hermon. Behind it rise bluffs and rugged mountain peaks. The area is one of the most lush and beautiful in Palestine, with groves of trees and grassy fields abounding. Water is in abundance, for the city is near the spot where the spring Nahr Baniyas, one of the sources of the Jordan, gushes from a cave in the bluffs. The city is also in a strategic location, guarding the plains in the area. The extent of its ruins indicate that it was a city of considerable size. The modern town, which has dwindled drastically, is known as Banyas. 3 2 Stott, John, The Bible Speaks Today NT, The Message of Acts, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, Brand, Chad, gen. ed., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN, ) 269 (

4 Luke records the working of the Holy Spirit. Paul, Luke and their group had been in the city for a few days. It was the Sabbath morning so they went outside the gates to an area where they believed they might find a service. Why didn t they go to the synagogue? The NLT Study Bible notes: The Jewish community at Philippi was too small to have a synagogue, which required ten adult males. Instead, Jews met for prayer in an open space by the Gangites (now called Angista) River that afforded privacy, quiet, and water for Jewish purification rites. 4 It is here Paul meets a wealthy business woman, a proselyte of Judaism. She was a worshiper of God. She was in the business of selling purple goods. This is why we knew she was wealthy because the city was know as a center of expensive purple dyed goods. As Paul was preaching the Holy Spirit was working. Here is another example of someone committed to God more than system because Lydia listened to Paul, to the Spirit s call, and accepted Christ, immediately being baptized. we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Lydia is the first recorded European convert. After she was saved her home because a center of believers in that area. So, apparently she also received the gift of hospitality because she invited Paul and his party to stay in her home. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them (Acts 16:40). ii. The Slave Girl: A basic cause and effect law seems to be; when the Holy Spirit is active Satan is also. Here in Philippi Luke records a perfect example. The Spirit was clearly active and so right on the heals of Lydia s conversion Paul meets up with a new female. As Paul and Silas were leaving the prayer area they were approached by a slave who was a psychic. Keener states: This slave girl (as in 12:13, the Greek implies that she is very young) has literally a spirit of a pythoness the same sort of spirit that stood behind the most famous of all Greek oracles, the Delphic oracle of Apollo whose priestess was called a pythoness (she was named after the Pythian Apollo, slayer of the great Python). Thus Paul and his companions confront a powerful demon here. 5 Apparently this young woman was a regular Miss Cleo, making big bucks for her owners. But unlike Miss Cleo, she was the real thing. Satan is able to give powers to those he intends to use and she was a recipient of them in that she was demon possessed. 4 New Living Translation Study Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, IL, Keener, Craig S., IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Downers Grove, IL, ) 270 (

5 What is interesting here is the girl announces who Paul is and whom he serves. She states Paul preaches a way of salvation. And she kept this up for a number of days. The result was that Paul was fed up. Actually the word translated annoyed is an interesting one. diapone w diaponeoœ; to toil through, i.e. (passively) be worried: be grieved. 6 Why was all this going on? It reminds me of when Simon the magician tried to buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Clearly Satan was trying to link himself to the local church. As this girl appeared to be tied to Paul, the benefit would be a possible new source of income. But more importantly this was an opportunity to draw off individuals, causing them to follow something other than Christ. The Preacher s Outline makes an interesting point here. a. The testimony of the evil spirit was a true testimony. Paul and the others were the servants of the Most High God. b. The testimony of the evil spirit was also a false testimony. This is seen in the Greek which reads, a way of salvation, not the way. The word the (the definite article) is not in the Greek. The evil spirit is proclaiming that Paul preaches only one of many ways to reach God. 7 The principle played out here is found throughout the history of the church. The enemy often tries to align with the body as a way of corrupting it. Here the girl pretends to support Paul s teaching, almost as if she is a herald along the lines of a John the Baptizer. If only those in the church today were as easy to protect as this young girl. Paul cast out the demon who was possessing her. She accordingly lost her powers of divination. And there went the bank roll. This poor child was being exploited by both the Satanic kingdom, being possessed by the demon and by greedy men who owned her and used her suffering as a basis for their making money. iii. The Consequences: The slave s owners were not happy to say the least. They grabbed Paul and Silas and took them to court. It seems they believed it would be a bad idea to charge them with casting out a demon. So instead they accused them with being Jews and disrupting the community. They said Paul and Silas were teaching things against local custom. When the magistrates tore off Paul and Silas clothes the mob, being what it was, participated in beating them. Then the two men were cast in prison and put in stocks. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition (1 Thessalonians 2:2). So, as we draw the curtain closed we leave Paul and Silas sitting within the prison in stocks, praying, singing, and preaching to the other prisoners. As the last bit of the curtain closes I think I hear a faint rumbling Conclusion: The events of these few verses serve as a basis for both praise and warning. The praise is the Spirit is as active today as He was during the events recorded here. We need to 6 Bennett, Rick, Key Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, OakTree Software, Preacher s Outline & Sermon Bible, The, Acts-Volume 6, Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Chattanooga, TN, 1998, p ) 271 (

6 live with an expectation that He is working in us and through us. He directs our walk and He uses us to advance the Kingdom. Nothing has changed in that sense since the days of the early church. But, there is also a warning. When the Spirit is active, when we are walking in obedience, we are a target for spiritual attack. This is as true today as it was two thousand years ago. But, we are not to focus on the enemy. We only need to focus on God. Because of the reality of attack, we need to live in the reality of who we are in Christ, dependent on the Spirit of Jesus. How we walk impacts how we are attacked. There is spiritual warfare and there is materialistic warfare. In the end Paul and Silas were attacked by those who interfered with their economic wellbeing. Today when believers and people of moral values stand up against the slaughter of the innocent, they are attacked. The most current example is Planned Parenthood who is fighting back with lies against any who want to see them defunded for their preying of women and the preborn. The message found here is, we are not to be concerned with the consequences of walking the walk, we are simply to walk it in dependency on the Spirit. He fills us, empowers us, and so we are available to be used according to the will of the Father. Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me. Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me Spirit of the living God fall fresh on me. 8 8 Iverson, Daniel, Maranatha! Music Praise Chorus Book, Spirit of the Living God, Maranatha! Music, Laguna Hills, CA, #277. ) 272 (

7 Acts Acts 16:6-29 Passing Through Philippi And to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth IV Paul and the Gospel to the Gentiles Chapters 12:25-28:31 A. Paul s Missionary Journeys Chapters 12:25-21:16 3. Second Missionary Journey: Chapters 15:36-18:22 c. The Spirit s Leading Chapter16:6-10 d. Welcome to Philippi Verses i. Lydia Verses ii. The Slave Girl Verses iii. The Consequences Verses iv. The Blessings Verses Introduction: (Acts 8:9 24; 2 Timothy 4:11) c. The Spirit s Leading: (Romans 8:9 11, 26-30) d. Welcome to Philippi: (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Acts 16:40)

8 ii. The Slave Girl: iii. The Consequences: (1 Thessalonians 2:2) Conclusion: Personal Application: I think we sometimes lose sight of the larger world around us. While Satan has lost the battle between his kingdom and the Spirit s continues. But as we walk in obedience we fight and continue to win the battles. Praise God the war was won before creation. Prayer for the Week: Lord, may I always keep my eyes on the victor, not the enemy. In Christ s name, amen.