Acts 16:12-40 THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE Luke's introduction into the work of the Lord in spreading the Gospel must have left a great impact on him as he recalls in writing - guided by the Holy Spirit, the events around the introduction of the Gospel into Macedonia. The assurance of Paul as to where to go and when, would have taught him the importance of receiving guidance from God. The scriptures are plain but have to be applied. "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel." Early Christians like Paul had visions that were obviously used by God. "God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night..." Circumstances surrounding daily activities are also ways the Holy Spirit guides us. He closes some doors and opens another to bring us where He wants us. Luke, Silas and Timothy were guided by the initiative of Paul who as a mature believer and an experienced worker in the Gospel, knew by experience how God directs His people. There were times when God spoke inwardly to His servants in subjective ways and they knew from the witness of the Spirit and their own spirit this was the right thing to do.
The team of evangelists passed by the island of Samothracia and the seaport town of Neapolis to reach Philippi, an important center that would suit Paul's previous mode of evangelization. From large centers there were those who would take the Gospel to surrounding towns and villages. God was guiding in this extra eight-mile walk to Philippi because He had previously led a discontented Gentile woman from Thyatira who had been awakened by divine intervention, to leave idolatry and to worship God. Another woman in Thyatira, Jezebel, was the opposite kind of person. Lydia was a sensitive, intellectually astute person who could run an important business enterprise but who had already learned life is not composed of the abundance of things one possesses. There were very few Jewish men in Philippi (10 men were needed for a synagogue), so this lady with others who were conscious of God, did the same as the exiles in Babylon in earlier days - went down by the river and prayed, not sang.
To open the door of the Gospel to Europe, the Lord opened the heart of Lydia first. "Man, looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart." Luke would have seen the impact of the word of God spoken by Paul and would have quickly learned that salvation is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit saith the Lord." One person who had been previously dealt with by the Spirit of God, was the key to the whole new work of God in that city. We need to be alert today to any evidence of God working in people for that is often the person God will bring to faith in Christ when the Gospel is preached.
Evidence of the reality of professed faith in a person, is the willingness to obey God, and also to see others saved by grace. Lydia's household who also believed on the Lord Jesus Christ were baptized, thus identifying themselves as Christians in Philippi. It is not easy on those who step out on "the first day" in faith to follow Christ. This gentle lady and her family were not intimidated by wondering what those around would say. She had the authority, interest, willingness and grace to invite four itinerate evangelists to stay in her home and long as they were in Philippi. There are many evidences of genuine faith in new believers. One is love for the brethren. Showing hospitality to the Lord's people, is closely linked as a sign of appreciation for what God has done for us. It probably was in the house of Lydia the new assembly in Philippi met when they gathered together in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The riverside might have been the place the four evangelists went to pray on a regular basis at the beginning of the work in Macedonia. One demon-possessed girl who followed them day after day to this place loudly proclaiming the truth of the message they preached. This tactic of Satan is still being used today to undermine the power of the Gospel. The enemy of souls seeks to form alliances with the people of God so the watered-down message appeals to more people. One of the major hindrances to the work of the Lord today is the desire on the part of many so-called preachers of the Gospel to declare a "seeker friendly" message that does not offend people. Whenever this kind of message is preached, we know behind it is the work of satanic powers. Contrast that with the work of the Holy Spirit that brings conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. The words this demon-possessed damsel loudly called out were right. The power and motivation behind them were wrong.
The instantaneous change that came over this young woman was such that there was no question she had been under the control of the powers of darkness. The name of Jesus Christ had such authority, there was no question as to who had the greatest power when the demon immediately left her. The pattern of satanic opposition to the Gospel is the same today as it was in the early days of the work in Philippi. Satan tried to get an alliance going so he could still have control of the people in that city. But there can be no fellowship in any way between "light and darkness, Christ and Belial, or he that believeth with an infidel." When the separation between what is of God and what is of Satan is obvious, Satan will resort to antagonism and open opposition against those who preach the Gospel scripturally. We dare not water down the truth to suit people. It is not right to align the work of God with the work of the world, the flesh and the devil. There were only a few believers in Philippi, but now added to the number was no doubt a young woman who was delivered from the chains of evil bondage and was now free in Christ.
The masters, the multitude and the magistrates were now shown to be controlled by the power of Satan who has a large arsenal of tactics to use against the truth of God. Sometimes he uses subtlety as an angel of light, and other times he goes about as a roaring lion. It is always important that believers, new and old, remember that "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." The beating, suffering and imprisonment with chains in the inner prison was not easy in any way to endure. We cannot always avoid the cost and consequences faithfulness to God might bring to us. Our faith is in Him who we trust, and we know He is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Even in the darkness of the inner prison, and in excruciating pain, these two men, Paul and Silas, expressed their confidence in God by audible prayer and praise. Maybe they sang loudly the first Psalm and the 23rd Psalm along with some new hymns from their own warm souls. Timothy and Luke were probably with the new believers who would have been concerned for the welfare of these two servants of the Lord.
It is a great testimony to God's grace when we can take control of any adverse situation because we know God is really in control of the whole event. Our response to difficulties in such times as opposition brings, is often the most powerful testimony to our message. In those times when we are unable to do a thing, we need to remember "God can do anything but fail." A great earthquake in the middle of the night would have awakened the whole city to the fact that there was something happening in that place over which not even the magistrates had control. "Man's extremity is God's opportunity" one has said. A suicide was avoided that night because of divine intervention through the loud praying and singing of Paul and Silas. Even further God used that incident to bring a whole new group of people under the sound of the Gospel. They even responded to the teaching given and all went out in the night to be baptized and identified with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. When they came back into the jailer's house after the baptism there was joy and fellowship where hours earlier there had been antagonism and suffering. How remarkable it is when God is working in a place to bring "life and immortality to light through the Gospel."
We may never understand why or how God works His will because we do not know the minds and hearts of people. With God there are no limits to the way He expresses the blessings of His grace. In the case of Lydia, God had been working for a period of time to prepare her heart to receive the Gospel when she heard it for the first time. For the young woman under demonic control, God waited many days to bring about the confrontation between darkness and light. In her case the whole city knew about her conversion in contrast to Lydia who was quietly and gently brought to faith in Christ. As far as the jailer and his household, the sleeping city was awakened by the great earthquake as God worked His will in the lives of a large household of servants and family. "All that were in his house" would have probably included guards and Romans who were stationed there. Even the magistrates had a change of opinion about Paul and Silas that was probably brought about by the great earthquake. God knows what is needed and we are blessed to participate in such a great life-changing work with Him.
It is not wrong to claim legitimate privileges as citizens of a community or a country. These men were probably seeking to keep the new converts from the kind of treatment they received when they refused to leave the prison unofficially as if nothing had ever happened. The laws of the land do protect us and it is not out of order to claim their privileges as well as obey the laws. Luke, on this first venture into the work of the Lord, would have wisely taken account of everything that had happened and learned a whole lot of lessons about what is involved in serving the Lord. He certainly gave a clear account of the variety of people God reached by His grace in Philippi. All of the fundamental truths associated with the Gospel are written in this chapter. A beautiful comment is made at the end when at the house of Lydia, the freed men met with "the brethren" - the assembly of saints, and calmed their fears, eased their concern and spoke words of comfort to the new believers before they left for other parts. And Luke stayed there. What a remarkable humble man he must have been to not identify himself by name. He gracefully only identified his fellowship with those great men by the little word "we." May we learn the value of gracious acceptance of who we are and what we are called to do. Maybe then we too can be called, "beloved."