The Gospel Change

Introduction

Catch up on where we are in Acts

Paul and Barnabas have split up

they decided to go revisit the churches they started on the first missionary journey

Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, Mark

Paul was set against it

Barnabas and Mark go to Cyprus, where he is from

Paul and Silas go to Lystra and took on Timothy

they began to travel together

they had planned on preaching the gospel in Asia, but was prohibited

Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia and they went there as quickly as they could to preach the gospel

Acts 16:11–40 CSB

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. 16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” 18 She did this for many days. Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household. 35 When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men.” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to send us away secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town. 40 After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.

PRAY!

Tell of process of struggling with a passage

I know the history

give some trial points

do not want to be a rolling commentary

you can read and get a study bible, we want to hear from you, Lord

woke up at 3:30 Saturday morning…

got up and Heather asked what was wrong, “can’t sleep, thinking about my message I have to go write this down.”

I got up wrote the three points and what text they go with and this sentence

The Gospel changes us. It brings us into community, restores us and leads us to compassion.

Luke tells us about three interactions with people in Philippi

we are not to believe that these are the only ones that the team interacted with

I get the sense from Paul that he would be somebody that talked wherever they go

I remember eating at a restaurant with Heather’s parents

I started talking to somebody with Kaitlynn and they asked how we knew them… we did not know them

cashiers are the easiest to talk to… you ask one or two questions and you can get life stories, what time they get off work or when they are on break

three of the interactions are recorded for us, each with a different type of interaction, yet a very similar result.

Saved to Belong

We all have a desire to belong

it may be stronger in some…

they want community, a people that care about them and accept them

this is not just for christians, there are churches that do not worship God, they simply want the fellowship that comes from the belonging to a group

Acts 16:13–15 CSB

13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. 14 A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Retell the story

in Philippi there was not a synagogue (takes 10 jewish men to form a synagogue)

shows the minority of the jewish population in this community

found Lydia when they went to pray

she was a rich woman, believed to be unmarried

she feared God, meaning she believed in a god, but did not know who God is.

this is information that Luke gives us to know her, or lead us to some assumptions

but we are not to get lost in these details

They were doing their normal Sabbath, going to worship and pray

this was a normal practice

if there were a synagogue, they would have gone there

found some ladies, a god fearing woman named Lydia listened

the evangelist shares and doesn’t concern himself with who is listening with spiritual ears and who is not

our job is not to make them listen,

I cannot make you listen to the message I give here

some of you I cannot even keep from going to sleep

the job, the mission is to share, speak the gospel

the lord opened her heart

just as we cannot make them listen, we cannot make them respond

we share, those who will listen will, but God is the one who has to stir their hearts

some of us have written off people that we know because we do not think they will ever believe

meaning, God can never open that heart

If you consider me a believer… come and stay

If I am one of you, stay with me

there is so much to the question

if I am one of you…

I want to know that I am saved, if the very one who explained to me who God is and how I can possibly stand before him counts me as a believer, then I know

if the gospel is really that simple… to believe and confess

if there is really nothing that I have to do to be saved, then count me as one of you

if there is something more that I must do, do not go somewhere else and leave me in this place left without being united to God

hospitality of believers -

understand this is a different culture,

it would be very weird for us to meet somebody at the river and ask them to come and stay at our house

we always knew as kids when it was somebody that was family or

Dad used to tell us to be on our best behavior

he did not say this when we went to visit family

we should have friends that have refrigerator rights in our house

believers are family

family doesn’t stay at hotels, you squeeze in, sleep in different beds

this was not simply spend the night, this was while you are in Philippi

while you are doing ministry here, stay at my house, let me provide food for you

not just Paul but all the people with him, minimum four men

Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke

these were no longer strangers from a distant place

this is not brothers and sisters

we do not come in here and share niceties, sing some songs and move on to the rest of our week

you care for family,

what is happening in their life

Saved and Restored

We have all had that feeling of being used…

somebody has done something for us, so that there is something in return

they only pretend to be on our side because they feel there is an advantage in it for them

too often we take experience and apply it to the Lord

we expect him to save us because he wants something out of it

he saved me so that I could…

he saved me so because I am…

Acts 16:16–18 CSB

16 Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” 18 She did this for many days. Paul was greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away.

Tell story

Paul was annoyed… why, isn’t she telling the truth

this was a girl that was possessed and used for the occult

Satan is okay with the truth if it is guiding people away from that truth

if this girl is allowed to follow them, if people believe that this girl who tells the future and is a part of the occult,

then so is Paul and Silas

then so is the gospel that they proclaim

Paul cast the demon out of her, not under his power, but by Jesus

I command, in the name of Jesus

instantly the demon comes out and the girl

and the owners had no use for her

Slave girl not for profit anymore

now when she proclaims the truth, it will be out of a love for him, not the control of darkness

she no longer will be doing the bidding of the devil

does Luke tell us of her change, no

but like we see in other stories of the NT it is figured that she has the same change

I think of the man possessed by a legion of demons

also angering the people near by with a economic issue

this man was clothed and in his right mind talking to Jesus after his healing

now free to live for the glory of God, not the gratification of men

Acts 16:19–24 CSB

19 When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

The world prefers you to be enslaved and abused for profit

the owners were mad

they were losing money on this deal

money and their enrichment is far more important than the wellbeing of this girl

the people formed a mob

the government were more than happy to put Paul in prison than celebrate the freed slave

yet we run to the world over and over looking for acceptance

The world is more than happy to use you for profit

that is what we are to so many online, you are the product

that is why things are free like social media, you are being sold to the advertisers to

if you can get rid of the ads then it will no longer be free

But it is different with the Lord

This young girl was not rescued to be able to profit God

we cannot profit him, he owns the cattle on a thousand hills

instead, he rescues and restores us out of love,

we are enriched when he comes to save us

we have a new heart, a new home, a new father

Saved to Compassion

Acts 16:25–34 CSB

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.

Not saved, not knowing the prisoners, he tortures

this is his job,

he is good at it, if he wasn’t the romans would have killed him off a long time ago

the magistrates have the prisoners brought to this man, he places them in stocks

explain what that means

wood stocks, hold for your legs, multiple holes so that you can spread their legs farther and farther

they are then laying on their backs… the backs they just had beaten with rods

fresh flesh torn open, beaten bloody laying in a dungeon

Now most people jump to the singing a praying

it is a great testimony of the faith these men had

we want the prison walls to shake, but we do not want to go through the trials that grew their faith to this point

truth is we are more like the jailer, more than happy to simply to do our job even if that means hurting some people and just work through the day

I do not want to have to worry about much

Once saved he treats wounds and gives them a meal

treated the wounds from the rods they were beaten with

then put feet in stocks and would have to lay on their backs that were just beaten

not just brought them food, but brought them into his home

imagine having that conversation with you wife…

who are these men? just some of the prisoners we had in the dungeon. you make the best biscuits and gravy can you whip up some of those for them.

close by talking how God is in control…

Paul and Silas being Roman has suddenly put things in a different like

Discussion Questions

What were the circumstances that led to Paul and Silas being imprisoned in Philippi?

How does Lydia's response to Paul's message illustrate the concept of belonging in the Christian faith?

What significance does the story of the slave girl hold in terms of spiritual oppression and freedom?

How did Paul and Silas demonstrate their faith while imprisoned, and what was the outcome of their actions?

What can we learn from the way Paul interacted with the jailer after the earthquake?

What was the role of prayer in the events that occurred while Paul and Silas were in prison?

In what ways did the conversion of the jailer and his household reflect the broader theme of salvation in Acts?

How does the story of Lydia challenge our understanding of how God reaches out to different people?

What does this passage teach us about the difference between worldly acceptance and the acceptance found in Christ?

Why do you think Paul refused to leave the prison quietly and insisted on being escorted out by the magistrates?