From November 11, 2017 house church lesson at the Bookers’ home (leaders of the Capital Rivers Church, formerly Montgomery County Church) after returning from Turkey/Greece and the Steps of Paul tour.
In October of 2017, Mary and I were excited to be part of the Steps of Paul tour, a trip to many of the places Paul visited on his missionary journeys through what is now Turkey and Greece. While the tour was originally scheduled to start with several sites in western Turkey, a brief disagreement between the governments of Turkey and the U.S. resulted in visas being revoked for the U.S. members of the tour. The tour company revised the plan to have us start our visit in Thessalonika, but our first biblical site was Philippi. Like Paul then, we were prevented from visiting the churches/sites in western Turkey, and also like Paul, it led us to visiting Philippi.
Since the Hampton Roads Church is starting a new Sunday worship lesson series on the book of Philippians, I thought I’d share a Sunday house church lesson I presented after returning from the Steps of Paul tour. It’s the story of how far God will go to reach just one soul, and how He sets the times and places to reach as many as possible.
26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.
Acts 17:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
Paul’s travel to Philippi during his second missionary journey included obstacles and re-routing that changed his course and situations that God prepared in advance to guide and protect him on his way. Below are ten things that needed to happen for Paul to reach the city and to complete his mission: to preach the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.
Argument and Parting of Ways
The journey begins in an unexpected way: with an argument among close brothers. After a successful first journey together preaching and starting churches in Cyprus and the region of Galatia, Paul and his companion Barnabas returned to Antioch where they joined others in preaching and teaching the gospel message. Incidentally, it was Barnabas who earlier had brought Paul before the apostles in Jerusalem and stood up for him when they questioned whether the former persecutor was a disciple (Acts 9:26-27). Paul owed Barnabas a debt of gratitude and they had undoubtedly become very close as they worked together preaching to the Gentiles and teaching in their home church in Antioch.
After issues arose about the Gentile believers, the Antioch church appointed and sent Barnabas and Paul to go to Jerusalem to meet with the church leaders and resolve differences (Acts 15:1-4). The Council in Jerusalem was a great time of new-found unity in the church (Acts 15:5-29), and Barnabas and Paul returned to Antioch with the good news and shared it with the church (Acts 15:30-35). Paul then proposed a new missionary journey to Barnabas: they would go back to the churches they started on their first journey and encourage them (Acts 15:36).
Barnabas wanted to bring his cousin John Mark with them, as they had on their first journey. Paul disagreed: John Mark had left them for an unexplained reason during the first journey, and Paul felt that since he abandoned them before that it was unwise to bring him on this journey (Acts 15:36-38). The dispute was so sharp that they decided to part ways. Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus where the first journey had started, and Paul took Silas and, commended by the church, went through Syria and Cilicia, which is where Paul’s hometown of Tarsus is located (Acts 15:39-41).
While unresolved disagreement and division among brothers isn’t a great way to begin any good work for the Lord, it had an impact on how the journey started for Paul. It was the first of many ways God used situations and circumstances to influence Paul’s direction toward accomplishing His will.
Timothy Added to the Team
Paul and Silas made their way to Derbe and Lystra, towns Paul had visited on his earlier journey after being expelled from Pisidian Antioch in Galatia (Acts 16:1-5). in Lystra, they meet Timothy, a young man who was raised in the faith by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s father was a Greek, which presented a problem for Paul: Timothy would be questioned by the Jews and not allowed in the synagogue, where Paul often went upon entering a new town. Paul circumcised Timothy, which was certainly a painful sacrifice for Timothy but important as they continued their missionary journey. Ensuring that Timothy could travel with them became very important as they made their way on a journey that would ultimately take them to Greece.
Prevented from Entering Asia and Bythinia, but Provided a Vision for Macedonia
Paul and his companions continued on their journey and wanted to go into the western part of what was then considered Asia but they were “kept by the Holy Spirit” from preaching there. Next, they decided to go north into Bythinia, but again the “Spirit of Jesus would not allow them” to enter, so they traveled west to Troas.
While in Troas Paul had a vision of a man standing before him and begging him to “come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:6-9). So far, Paul had not been to Macedonia, which is in Greece across the Aegean Sea from Troas. Who was this man? What kind of help did he need? After having the Spirit tell him twice where not to go, Paul made sure they got “ready at once” and made their way toward where the Spirit was leading them to preach the gospel, in Macedonia (Acts 16:10).
Pax Romana and Roman Roadways Provide Safe Passage
Paul, Silas and Timothy then sailed toward Neapolis, the nearest port city in Macedonia. Neapolis is the modern day city of Kavalla, and Mary and I with the others on the Steps of Paul tour group made our way past that town as we traveled by tour bus to the site of Philippi. Paul and his companions, however, had to make their way to Philippi by foot, in a strange land far from their home in Judea.
They decided upon arriving to make the 14-mile trip to Philippi, because it was the “leading city” of Macedonia (Acts 16:11-12). It was also along the “Egnatian Way” (Via Egnatia), a Roman road in a network of roadways that stretched from the Middle East to Rome. Roman roads were protected by the Roman government and allowed safe passage due to the Pax Romana, or the peace that the Romans had achieved after conquering much of the known world during the peak of their empire. Paul’s group was traveling toward an influential city of Macedonia on a route that God prepared in advance to ensure their safety.
After an argument and the Holy Spirit redirecting Paul’s plans, God led him toward a city in Macedonia along a path He had prepared through a brutal and ungodly empire. So far it doesn’t seem like ideal circumstances for a successful missionary journey. However, another factor in Paul’s decision to go to Philippi was that it was a Roman colony, something it had in common with Paul’s hometown.
A Roman Colony with Connections to Judea
Before we continue on Paul’s journey, let’s look at a little background information on Philippi. This “leading city” of Macedonia became a Roman colony after a great battle nearby in 42 BC that decided the fate of the Roman empire. It was here that the Triumverate with Marc Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius to preserve the Roman empire and Caesar’s rule. After winning the battle, Antony and Octavian invested in building up Philippi as a Roman city in tribute to their victory. By establishing it as a Roman colony, it was essentially a “little Rome”, where its citizens were considered to be full Roman citizens. Tarsus, Paul’s hometown, was also a Roman colony with full Roman rights to its citizens. Paul’s Roman citizenship became important as he continued his mission to find and help the man of Macedonia.
One of the fighting units at the great battle near Philippi was the Legio VI Ferrata, the legendary “Sixth Ironclad Legion” of Roman soldiers. The veterans of this and other fighting legions were released by the Roman emperor to colonize Phillipi. Some of the legions in the battle were reassigned to the province of Judea of all places. By the time Paul made his way to Philippi, it’s likely that some of the Legio VI Ferrata soldiers had served in Judea during the time of Jesus’ ministry and may have even heard Jesus preach in Jerusalem. Some may even have been soldiers that are mentioned in the gospel accounts, both during Jesus’ arrest and trial, but maybe also the soldiers at the cross and those guarding his tomb. As they retired, some may have made their way to the Roman colony of Philippi to retire as their successors did about 80 years before. All speculation aside, the soldiers who retired in Philippi likely had connections to Judea and could have been familiar with the events of Jesus’ life and ministry. As we’ll see, that knowledge may have helped Paul’s ministry, and may have been on the mind of the man of Macedonia.
No Synagogue, but a Place of Prayer
As mentioned earlier, Paul had a pattern when he entered a city: he would find a synagogue and preach the good news to the Jews there, and if they rejected him he moved on to preach to the Gentiles. However, here’s an interesting fact about Phillipi from the excavations of the ruins there: Phillipi did not have a synagogue. This meant that there were fewer than 10 Jewish men in town, the “minyan” amount needed for religious observances. This would not have been a surprise to Paul, Silas and Timothy, since Phillipi was a Roman colony in Greece where few Jews would have settled. However, they waited for the Sabbath and went to the river where they expected to find a place of prayer (Acts 16:13).
Here they found some women and spoke with them. One of them was a woman named Lydia from Thyatira, one of the “seven churches” in Revelation, which also happened to be in Asia where Paul was recently prevented from preaching by the Spirit! She heard the message and was baptized, likely in the river near a place that we visited on our recent Steps of Paul trip. Lydia was probably a widow, skilled in making purple cloth, which represented royalty to Romans and was valuable. As a widow, she would have been legally allowed to run her own business to support her family, which would not have been permitted for most women. She was very insistent and gave the men a place to stay.
So far, Paul and his companions have looked for Jews open to the gospel and have only found a small gathering of women at a place of prayer. Lydia and her household believed, but there is no mention of men being converted. They would need to keep going to find the “man of Macedonia”.
A Fortune-telling Slave Girl and Trouble with the Men in Town
Over the following days, Paul continued to go to the place of prayer, and as he and his companions walked there, a female slave girl known to be a fortuneteller would follow them and proclaim them as “servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:16-17). After “many days” of this, Paul got annoyed, maybe because he didn’t want God’s name associated with the spirit world, or maybe because, well, Paul had been called by a man of Macedonia to help, and this just didn’t match with his plan. Maybe he was frustrated that they hadn’t found that man yet. He turned around and told the spirit to come out of her, and at that moment she was freed from it (Acts 16:18).
Think about the contrast so far: they had converted no men, but instead had baptized a wealthy and skilled business-owning woman able to care for a household and had met a slave girl who made money for her owners by fortune-telling. It may have felt to Paul, Silas and Timothy like they were on the wrong path toward meeting and helping the “man of Macedonia”.
Jailed Without a Trial
Casting out the slave girl’s spirit led to Paul getting into trouble (Acts 16:19-21). The men who owned her saw that they would lose a great deal of money that they made from her fortune-telling, so they drag Paul and Silas to the marketplace where they would find the officials of the city. Note that somehow Timothy escaped the crowd, or wasn’t with them at the time, or maybe wasn’t taken because they recognized him as being Greek. As the crowd joined in on attacking them, the magistrates had them stripped and beaten, then flogged and thrown in jail without a trial (Acts 16:22-24).
Paul had been beaten in the past, but as a Roman citizen, he had the right to a trial. So far Paul had not used his rights as a Roman, but this would have been a good place to do so, in a Roman colony. It could have saved him a beating and being jailed. Maybe the crowd caused the magistrates to act quickly to keep the rebellion from rising and getting the attention of the soldiers: they quickly threw Paul and Silas in jail to restore order.
On our Steps of Paul tour, we saw the site believed to be where Paul was imprisoned: a cold stone cellar below where the jailer’s house would have stood. It was here that Paul finally meets the man who needs help in Macedonia, but first another intervention from God was required to make it happen.
An Earthquake and Opened Cells
Paul and Silas were deep in the cellar of the jail with their feet fastened to stocks, in the dark of the night. Near midnight while they were singing and praying, an earthquake freed all the prisoners, and the jailer awoke to find the cells open, meaning that the prisoners could all now escape. According to Roman law, he would then serve their punishment, so he drew his sword to end his life and spare himself and his family that fate (Acts 16:25-27).
Here Paul and Silas finally meet a man in Macedonia, who had heard their songs and prayers and may through them have heard the gospel message, but he had drawn a sword and intended to kill himself. Their missionary journey that turned into a mission to help a man in Macedonia seemed about to end in tragic failure, but they called out to stop him and things turned around quickly.
A Jailer Who Asks For Help
When they saw the jailer draw his sword, Paul and Silas called out and assured him that none of the prisoners had left (Acts 16:28). Instead of asking what he needed to do to secure the prisoners and save his life, he asked an interesting question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:29-30). As he stood there in front of them, Paul may have closed his eyes and again seen the vision, a man of Macedonia saying “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9).
Who was this jailer? Some commentators believe he could have been a retired military veteran appointed to the role of jailer after serving as a distinguished soldier. Is it possible he was retired from service recently in Judea as part of the Legio VI Ferrata? Even if not, he may have heard stories from those who were assigned to Judea and had heard about a prophet who claimed to be the Son of God, whose followers claimed he had been raised from the dead after being crucified on a cross, a shameful way to be punished according to Roman law. He may have heard Paul and Silas in prayer, talking about the crucified man who they also called their Lord and Savior. The jailer was in need of a Savior, the only one who could spare him from punishment others deserved but for which he found himself responsible due to an earthquake – a Savior who rose from the grave after an earthquake and an escape from the prison of a tomb sealed with a stone.
Paul Helps the Man of Macedonia
After being divided, diverted, detoured and detained, Paul finally found and helped the man of Macedonia. He and Silas were able to speak the Word of the Lord to him and to his family, and after the jailer washed their wounds, he and his whole household were baptized (Acts 16:31-34).
Many years later, Paul found himself in a jail again, this time in Rome. He wrote a letter to the church in Philippi and sent it via Ephaphroditus, who he referred to as his “fellow soldier” (Philippians 2:25). He also agreed to soon send to them Timothy, his companion a few years earlier on his visit. Paul had a great affection for the church he planted in Philippi. However, he didn’t get to spend much time there on his first visit and was able to baptize only a few of the residents.
Paul Leaves In Victory To Strengthen The Church
The rest of Paul’s time in Philippi is short: he declared his Roman citizenship when the magistrates went to release him, and they escorted him out of town. Why did he declare his citizenship now? Maybe it was to make a point that Jesus has the ultimate victory. Paul was able to leave Philippi not as a humiliated troublemaker, but as a full citizen like them, one that obeyed God’s call and established a church that would become a strong influence on the other churches in Macedonia.
Times and Places: What About Yours?
The story of Paul’s visit and how he got there inspires me. It was also inspiring to see the site of the town personally, to walk where Paul walked and see where he was beaten and imprisoned only to leave in triumph. What can we learn from Paul’s first visit to Philippi?
Look at all the ways God moved to reach just one man in Macedonia:
- Paul and Barnabas argued, leading Paul to go in a different direction than intended,
- They picked up Timothy on the way, a Greek who could help them as they made their way to Greece and a disciple who Paul would later send to encourage the church in Phillipi,
- The Spirit guides Paul away from his plan and toward where he was to go,
- He saw a vision of a man of Macedonia when he ends up in Troas,
- God prepared for the Roman roadways, enabling safe travel from Tarsus and further east all the way through Macedonia and Phiippi then on to Rome,
- The establishment of a Roman colony, settled in part by veterans of a unit that went on to Syria and Judea, and may have later sent veterans back who had seen Jesus and his followers,
- Despite Philippi having no synagogue, they found a place of prayer with an influential woman from a city Paul was prevented from entering, and a slave girl that followed him until he had to silence her fortunetelling spirit, getting Paul and Silas brought before the magistrates,
- Paul not being able to use his Roman citizenship and getting beaten and thrown into jail,
- An earthquake that led the jailer to ask them for help, like the vision of the man of Macedonia,
- Paul and Silas stopped the jailer from taking his life when faced with the prospect of severe punishment if the prisoners escaped.
All of this happened to reach just that one man, with others reached along the way. Think about the events God has put into your life to get you to believe the gospel message and to bring you here today.
For me, God also did many things I didn’t understand at the time to get me to a place where I would hear his gospel message and find salvation:
- Raised in a denominational church but lived sinfully in my college years,
- The Spirit prompted me to read the Bible toward the end of my undergraduate days,
- Met my wife Mary in college, which led me to take a job in Connecticut to be closer to her, rather than better job offers in Texas and California,
- Assigned a work mentor at my job who was reading Bible at lunch one day, and invited me to his church, which led me to study the Bible,
- Met a brother at that church who was home on summer break from Boston University, who followed up and persisted until I attended church in Boston after moving there for graduate school,
- Getting married and then struggling in our marriage, but having great couples intercede and help me to become a better husband,
- Attended a midweek class as a young disciple that inspired me to want to be an elder,
- Had a job change and family issues that led to moving to the DC area, and later being appointed an elder in the Montgomery County church,
- Our situation changed, leading to a move to Virginia to get more training and to serve in new ways,
- Being appointed again to serve as an elder in the Hampton Roads church.
I am filled with gratitude that God allowed all the twists and turns in my life leading me to where I am now. And I know there’s more to come, and look forward to where God will lead me next.
Later in Paul’s journey, he ends up alone in Athens and observes the many gods in the marketplace. Even though he was waiting for his companions to join him, he felt compelled to go and preach about Jesus when he saw all of the gods they worshiped without knowing the one true God. Again he ends up in trouble with the local authorities and is taken to the Areopagus, the leaders of Athens, to explain why he was advocating a “foreign god”. He explains it to them with a speech in part quoted above from Acts 17.
As we traveled from Philippi on our trip, making our way through Thessalonika and Berea, we ended up in Athens as Paul did. One of the teachers on our tour, recited Paul’s speech before the Areopagus at the site where Paul delivered it, as our tour group looked out over the Agora marketplace in Athens. As he spoke, I thought back through my life, and how God had determined all of my “times and places” so that I would reach out and find him.
What about you? Look at your life…what has God done to get you here today, right now? What decisions will you make to reach out and find him?
God love us so much that He will commit to doing anything to show His love so that we’ll find Him. He demonstrated this by giving His best, by being willing to sacrifice His one and only Son to show us that love. How will you respond to a God that will do so much to help one person find him? How will you respond now that you know that person is you?
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18 New International Version (NIV)