When the World Pushes Back

God was at work in Philippi.

We saw last week in the book of Acts where Paul and his band of missionaries baptized a woman named Lydia and her entire household.

These and others undoubtedly became the core of the new church in this great city.

But anytime God is at work, you can rest assured that Satan will get busy and active himself.

Satan already had a stronghold in Philippi and these pagan cities. He was not going to stand for these missionaries taking back souls for God.

Satan is real. But not everyone believes that.

It is hard for the church today to defeat Satan when many in the church do not believe he exists.

A George Barna survey revealed what many “Christians” believe about Satan and evil spirits.

Four out of Ten Christians (40%) strongly agree that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.”

An additional two out of ten (19%) said they “agree somewhat with that perspective.

A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat.

The remaining 6% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.

Those American “Christians” who do not believe that Satan exists are being deceived by the one that they do not believe exists.

Anytime we get moving for God we will probably experience some push back.

Just like in our lives today, standing up for God often brings opposition. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas experienced this firsthand.

Philippi was proud of its Roman status, and anything that threatened their way of life was met with resistance.

Sounds a lot like modern times as well, doesn’t it?

Let’s read Acts 16:16-18.

Expect Opposition When You Challenge the Status Quo (16-18)

In these verses, we see Paul and Silas encountering a slave girl who had a spirit of divination. She made a lot of money for her owners by fortune-telling.

Vs. 16 - “divination” pythōnos

The python, a mythical serpent of the Greeks, guarded the temple of Apollo. By a.d. 50, they used the word python to describe a possessed person through whom the python gave prophecy. Pagan generals would commonly consult people with a “pythian spirit” before marching off to war; so, owning such a python-possessed slave girl would be a gold mine for her master.

She was, in fact, demon possessed.

Vs. 17. - This girl repeatedly shouted after them, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show us the way of salvation!” The term Most High God would be understood by pagan Greeks to refer to Zeus, but the phrase could also acknowledge the Hebrew Yahweh. This demon knew who God was.

Since she told the truth, why not appreciate such valuable public relations? Probably because the shouting of the possessed slave girl attracted more attention than the gospel itself. Paul was afraid his audience would lose track of their priorities.

After all, Satan may speak the truth one minute and the next minute tell a lie; and the unsaved would not know the difference.

What was Paul’s response?

Vs. 18. - “Grieved” - Carries with it the idea of “exasperated” or “annoyed.”

The demon’s words were getting more attention than the sharing of the gospel.

Paul got fed up with this yelling day after day after day.

So Paul practiced a basic NT exorcism in familiar words.

The devil is no match for Jesus.

On Christ Tomlin’s album “If our God is for us …” there is a song entitled “The Name of Jesus.”

The name of Jesus is a Refuge; a Shelter from the Storm; a help to those who call;

The name of Jesus is a Fortress; a Saving place to run; a hope unshakeable

When we fall you are the Savior; when we call you are the answer; there is power in Your name; there is power in Your name

In the name of Jesus there is life and healing; chains our broken in Your name.

When Paul cast out the spirit, he disrupted a system that exploited this girl for profit. In doing so, he brought hope to her but angered those who benefitted from her oppression.

Action Point 1 - Don’t be surprised when doing the right thing costs you something.

In our lives today, standing up for justice, truth, or simply doing the right thing might cost us—whether it’s financially, socially, or professionally. The world doesn’t always appreciate when we challenge what’s wrong or unjust.

Next…

Stand Firm Even When the World Misunderstands You (19-21)

Like the owners whose pigs Jesus sent over the cliff (Mark 5:16–17), the slave girl’s masters became angered at this loss of income.

The owners of the slave girl are furious because they’ve lost their source of income. So, they drag Paul and Silas to the authorities, but notice how they twist the story.

They accuse Paul and Silas of disturbing the city and promoting customs that are unlawful for Romans. They’re painted as troublemakers, even though all they did was something good.

The opening line is —These men are Jews. That may very well account for the jailing of Paul and Silas but not Luke and Timothy.

Action Point 2: “Be prepared for your motives and actions to be misunderstood.”

The world often misinterprets the actions of those who follow Christ. Paul and Silas were accused of things they didn’t do because their accusers wanted to discredit them.

Today, when we stand up for our faith or Godly values, we might be labeled as intolerant, old-fashioned, or even dangerous. People might misunderstand why we do what we do. But we must remember that this isn’t new—it happened to Paul and Silas, and it can happen to us.

We won’t be introduced to Paul and Silas’ response in today’s text. But we’ll see that next week. W`````e need to…

Persevere Though Persecution with Faith (22-24)

After being falsely accused, Paul and Silas are beaten and thrown into prison. They are treated like dangerous criminals, even though they had done nothing wrong.

Notice their response—they don’t fight back or complain. Instead, they endure their suffering with faith.

Action Point 3: “When you face trials, respond with faith, not fear.”

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Paul and Silas are excellent examples of how to respond when life gets hard because of our faith. They didn’t let fear dictate their actions; instead, they trusted God through their trials.

Application:

In our lives, when we face hardships—whether it’s persecution for our beliefs, difficult circumstances, or any kind of trial—we have a choice. We can respond in fear, or we can trust God and lean into our faith. Our response can become a powerful witness to others.

The world may push back when you live out your faith, but just like Paul and Silas, we’re called to stand firm, even when misunderstood, and persevere through trials with faith.

Final Challenge:

Consider this. Identify one area in your life where you are hesitant to stand firm in your faith because of fear of opposition.

Take a step of faith this week, trusting God to support you, just as He did for Paul and Silas.