Previous Lesson -- Next Lesson
4. The Founding of the Church at Philippi (Acts 16:11-34)
ACTS 16:29-34
29 He called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30 and brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34 He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
The keeper of the prison shouted: “Bring me a light!” This request symbolized that he had lived all his military life in darkness, but now he had become, in a sense, enlightened by Paul’s words. He immediately recognized the light of the heavenly Spirit, and fell at the feet of the apostle who had saved his life. He may have thought they were gods, particularly since they had not rescued themselves. They had even loved him exceedingly and preserving his life. The kindness of Christ brings about the greatest spiritual revolution in the world.
Paul did not boast or take advantage of the fear of the officer. Instead, he made clear to him that he, too, was a human being, but had been changed and converted by the grace of Christ. When the disturbed and frightened man heard the apostle’s words, he led him and his companion to the courtyard. He saw their bleeding bodies and became fearful of the wrath of God, for he, too, had participated in tormenting these honorable apostles. He mumbled with terrible fright: “What must I do to be saved, to be rescued from the wrath of the Holy One?” Paul the apostle summarized the gospel to this confused man in one of the great statements of the Holy Bible: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” This statement gave the jailer strong hope. God had not destroyed him, nor had He struck him with a thunderbolt from heaven. Instead, He opened to him the door to grace in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul testified to all the men and women, slaves and prisoners, old and young who crowded to him there, that Christ Jesus is the mighty Lord, who can make earthquakes, forgive sins, and give salvation.
The Lord who raises from the dead is also prepared to fill the repentant with the Holy and Gentle Spirit, who delivers man from the power of his sins. With few words the apostle of the Gentiles laid open the gospel to these frightful hearts. Those who had been prepared for salvation believed at once, recognizing that God himself was standing in the midst of His apostles before them. No one but the Eternal One had ever spoken to them like this, offering them life and reconciliation. The light of the heavenly gospel sprung up in the hearts of the hearers. The officer took the apostles to his house, washed their wounds, dressed them with clean clothes, and asked them to baptize him as a token of his complete submission to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Love.
This retired officer and keeper of the prison wanted to clear out all remaining residues in his life. He opened his house for this new Spirit, and gathered all his family, servants, and employees to be baptized the same night. This officer knew that God’s command was a necessity, and that any delay would be sin. He answered immediately, repenting and completely submitting himself to the living Lord. The Holy Spirit entered into those who were baptized, and they became joyful. Songs of praise filled their hearts, and they realized that God had visited them, even in the midst of a dark and foul prison.
They prepared the upper room in their house, and began to cook food for a great dinner. They rejoiced altogether over Christ, who had washed their consciences from sins and sanctified them freely. Those who had been criminals and sinners were now living in the fullness of the light of God even in the midst of the dark night. What a beautiful picture - a banquet being held at midnight, in the dead of night! Christ had enlightened the believers in the midst of the darkness around them, and filled them with great joy. This was the fruit of suffering, endurance, and faithful obedience in Paul and Silas. Lydia, Luke, and Timothy, for their part, were not yet finished offering prayers for those who had been imprisoned.
ACTS 16:35-40
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!” 38 The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. 40 They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
The keeper of the prison waited in anxiety for the final decision of the magistrates, for he had released the two prisoners and entertained them without their permission. He was so glad to hear that the magistrates had decided to release them that he immediately ran joyfully to Paul to inform him. He asked them to go in peace so that they might not be harmed.
Paul, however, stood up and refused to go, pointing to his legal rights as a Roman citizen, rights that had been flagrantly violated. He complained not only for his own sake, but also for the sake of the newly established church. He and Silas were not thieves, but Roman citizens who had three times suffered wrongfully. They had been beaten, an act contrary to Roman law, for beating was a punishment practiced on slaves only. Roman citizens were immune from such form of punishment. Furthermore, they had been beaten publicly. They had been punished without proper legal procedure, and such injustice was considered a serious mistake in the justly deemed Roman Empire. Gross negligence as had been practiced on the part of the magistrates merited severe punishment from the law. In addition, they had been illegally imprisoned, even while innocent and uncondemned. All this gave Paul the right to bring a lawsuit against the magistrates.
Thus Paul insisted that the magistrates now come personally to apologize to them in prison. Equally, they should accompany them as honored guests in the midst of the streets of their city. Paul´s aim was not aim to take revenge, for as a true believer he had forgiven the magistrates all their faults. He took this position to justify the small Christian community in Philippi, where they had laid the foundation of a flourishing church. He wanted this church to be seen as an honest movement, which had no need to hide itself in caves and vaults.
As a result the magistrates fearfully hurried to him. They spoke imploringly and gently to the apostle of the Gentiles, begging him to depart peaceably and quietly out of their city. They wanted to avoid any potential problems that might be raised by the masters of the fortuneteller, who had in the mean time been dispossessed of their money-making asset by the working of grace.
Paul did not take much interest in their words. He went back to the house of Lydia, the seller of purple, where the church members met for prayer. She was surrounded by believing brothers in her house, which indicates there had been a long period between the conversion of the first European and the salvation of the keeper of the prison. During this time the apostle had preached to the Philippians and a living church had been planted. When they later met in Lydia’s house, those who had suffered comforted their brothers, and confirmed to them Christ´s presence with them during all their troubles. Following this Paul and Silas departed, and Timothy accompanied them, leaving Luke the Physician in Philippi to minister in the church there. This explains why Luke now spoke of them in the third person, implying he was not with them.
PRAYER: O Lord, we thank You, for Your word saves and converts. We believe that You desire to save our household completely. Purify our hearts from all sin by Your precious blood, and cleanse our minds completely with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Help that all our relatives and neighbors may see Your love for us, and long for Your undisturbed peace.
QUESTION:
- Why is verse 31 of chapter 16 the most important statement in the Holy Bible?
QUIZ - 5
Dear reader,
Now that you have read our comments on the Acts of the Apostles in this booklet you are able to answer the following questions. If you answer 90% of the questions stated below correctly, we will send you the next part of this series, which we have designed for your edification. Please do not forget to write your full name and address clearly on the answer sheet.
- What is the impetus and aim in the history of God with men?
- What did Paul preach about Jesus’ resurrection? What was the good news that he based on His resurrection?
- How did Paul testify of his right to preach to the Gentiles? How was his faith realized in the idolaters?
- Why did Paul and Barnabas flee from one city to another?
- Why did Paul call all the gods vanities?
- How did Paul and Barnabas minister in the new churches when they returned to visit them?
- What was the new realization the two apostles experienced as a result of their preaching during their first missionary journey?
- Why did the church at Antioch not decide to solve its problem by itself, but asked the apostles at Jerusalem to find a final solution for it?
- What was Peter’s statement, which became the subject of his sermon? Why did the Christian church regard it as the foundation of salvation?
- What is the difference between keeping some things for the sake of love, and keeping the law for salvation?
- What were the chief considerations in the decision taken by the Apostolic Council at Jerusalem?
- What was the principle design and reason for Paul’s second missionary journey?
- Was Timothy’s circumcision necessary or not? Why?
- What was the meaning of the Holy Spirit’s prohibiting the believers from pursuing their intended ministry, and what was the meaning of His calling them to new service?
- What was the miracle in Lydia’s life? Why did Paul baptize all her household?
- What was the lie in the words of the demon-possessed fortuneteller? What was the truth that Paul spoke?
- Why were the tortured prisoners singing hymns at midnight?
- Why is verse 31 of chapter 16 the most important statement in the Holy Bible?
We encourage you to complete the test examination for the Acts of the Apostles. In so doing you will receive an everlasting treasure. We are awaiting your answers and praying for you. Our address is:
Waters of Life
P.O.Box 600 513
70305 Stuttgart
Germany
Internet: www.waters-of-life.net
Internet: www.waters-of-life.org
e-mail: info@waters-of-life.net