How God provided for Paul, Silas and Timothy in Philippi by Lydia who became a believer
Acts 16: 6-15.
By Datonye Esther Adjei | June 8 2021
Paul had a dream in the night in the cause of his travelling in Troas. In the dream he saw a man from Macedonia who pleaded with him to come and help them in Macedonia. Paul and his team quickly gathered and believe that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel to the people of Macedonia in the city of Philippi where they preached the Gospel for many days.
On the sabbath day they came through the City gate to the river side as they thought the Jews will be holding prayers there, instead they met a group of women so they sat and discussed with the women
One of the women called Lydia was a sole trader in expensive purple cloth. She was from the town of Thyatira: she listened closely to what they had to say. Lydia was a woman who feared God but did not have a personal relationship which Jesus Christ, she believed what Paul and Silas had to say about the gospel and she and her family became baptised and Lydia offered up her home for Paul and his friends to stay in, how kind of her.
Food for thought
Remember the Lord worked on Lydia's heart and helped her to understand and the message of Paul.
The Macedonian Call
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in [a]Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the [b]Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia Conversion and Baptism at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. NKJV
Provision for Paul and Silas by the Phillippian Jailer
Paul and Silas went to pray and were met by a girl who had a fortune telling spirit. She brought her masters lots of money from her predictions of the future. This girl kept following Paul and his team and shouting by her spirit of divination, "These men are servants of the Most High God and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation”.
She did this for many days until she got on Paul's nerves; he turned towards her and said to the spirit of divination, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ come out of her!" And it came out of her immediately. When her bosses saw that their hope of money making was dashed, they got hold of Paul and Silas brought them to the public square before the magistrates and said, “These men are causing trouble in our city, and they are Jews. they are teaching customs not accepted or practiced by Romans.”The crowd now joined in to attack them. Then magistrate tore off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After giving them thorough beatings, they threw them in prison and demanded that the jailer should keep them under tight security. One would imagine that Paul and Silas would be sad, but they were rather happy for the sufferings they received from serving God, and as a result they were praying and singing hymns to God and other prisoners were listening to them. This is amazing! Even in prison Paul and Silas were still ministering to people about God!
As they were praising God, suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison. All the doors were immediately opened, and everyone's chains were loosed. The jailer woke up from his slumber and saw that the prison doors were wide open. He drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
Then Paul shouted in a loud voice "Don't hurt yourself, for we are all here." The jailer asked for torchlights and rushed inside, shaking before Paul and Silas as he knelt before them. He took them outside and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved." And they spoke these words to everybody in his house.
The same hour of the night, the jailer, having been touched by Paul and Silas' kindness, took them, and washed their wounds. Then he and his household were baptised immediately. He brought Paul and Silus into his house and gave them food to eat. He and his family were excited to believe in God. The next day, the magistrate sent guards to release Paul and Silas.
In conclusion, we have seen that God called Paul and Silas to be missionaries, preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. They obeyed the call, and he kept them from harm even though they were mostly attacked and beaten because the people did not understand the message of the good news that Paul and Silas were delivering to them. God used the jailer to clean up their wounds and provide food for them in his house. The takeaway is that God always provides for his people when they obey Him.
Paul and Silas in jail Acts 16:16-34
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly [d]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. NKJV
The philippian jailer Receives Christ
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. 35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the
officers, saying, “Let those men go.” NKJV
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