Philippians: The birth of a church

Paul met the Philippians were they were.

Acts 16:13 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.

If we want to grow the church, you as a church need to rub soldiers with your unsaved loved ones and share the gospel with them. Who is coming to church because you shared the gospel with them. Some of you have asked invited friends and family to church, I am glad that they came, the question is are you asking people to come. Here is our outline Success Adversity Deliverance Victory

Success

A new believer accepts Christ.

Acts 16:14–15 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. 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.

One person accepts Christ, I don’t know what this means to a minister, to a church to see a conversion. We share the gospel we invite people to come to Jesus we pray with people but when they accept Christ, you know how the Bible says the angels of heaven rejoice with the repentance of every sinner saved by grace. We need to not come numb to that. I will tell you what I try. I am a task driven person. I don’t know if you know that about me. I get something done and move on to the next. I have a tendency to do that with someone accepting Christ, but I need to stop and appreciate the child that accepts Christ in Jr church. Think about heaven. HEAVEN!!! Isn’t that the greatest thing to celebrate.

Lydia opens her heart to the gospel.

Romans 10:9–10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Was Paul thinking about Lydia when he wrote Romans 10. Did Lydia end up being the woman that made him understand the difference between head knowledge of God and heart knowledge of God.

Lydia’s family is baptized.

Romans 6:3–4 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

I have known women like this there are women in this church that are like that your faith effects your entire family. don’t take that for granted. Your faith effects them. As I sat and wrote this I easily named a dozen Lydia’s in our church. Were they are the Godly influence to children and grandchildren. Your reward is in heaven. Do what you do keep doing it, it is worth it.

Lydia is faithful.

Ephesians 4:1–2 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Lydia is hospitable.

Romans 12:13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Lydia was completely on board with her relationship with Jesus Christ. She opened her home to missionaries. I know that many of you have opened your home to missionaries. It is good that you do that.

Adversity

Adversity follows success.

Acts 16:16–18 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. 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.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly 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.

The Devil annoyed the prayer warriors.

Revelation 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”

The devil doesn’t want you to be praying. I believe that he will do everything in his power to shut down prayer. I get this almost weekly. Our church has an evening service. Our church has a prayer service. I don’t keep those meetings going to have a badge. We have a prayer service. I believe in the power of prayer, do you believe in the power of prayer? NOW listen closely, I don’t believe that you have to go to every service to be a good Christian. But I hope that you have some time in church that you are coming with the express reason of praying. I know some people come to S Saints to be a prayer meeting because Sunday night and Wednesday night are too late I get that. But I am asking you do you get to gether with other Christians to pray. But let me tell you this, when you do the devil will want to frustrate you.

The devil is just an annoyance.

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

This statement is only for the praying Christian. If you don’t know Christ this doesn’t apply to you. Is the devil real? Yes Is he powerful? Yes! Just ask Job and Moses. Those two men saw the power of the devil on display. He should not be fooled with BUT!!!!! For the believer. Jesus, is right here in your heart and the only thing that he can do is annoy you. And Boy he can be annoying

Can’t you just get what Paul is saying here. He is trying to share the gospel to do the work of the ministry and here is this girl following him around and he is GREATLY ANNOYED! not a little bothered GREATLY ANNOYED! Let me tell you in every ministry I have ever been apart of there are annoyances. People or situations that you just go, WHY? When you serve the LORD you will be annoyed.

There is power in the name of Jesus!

Mark 16:17–18 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

There is power in Jesus name and guess what His name hasn’t lost one ounce of it’s eternal power. I hope that every day when something bad happens you invoke the name of Jesus.

The devil will use money as adversity.

Acts 16:19 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.

Paul just did one of the great miracle of the Bible driving a demon out of a girl. No grand excorcism like you see in the movies. Paul just drives it out by the power of Jesus name that very hour, but look at what happens these guys get mad because their lunch ticket was gone.

You know that when you serve the LORD, money will always be a problem. When you don’t have enough it’s your fault. When there is too much, it’s your fault. When there is just enough it’s your fault. We should not look at it like that. If there is not enough God knows, praise God. If there is abundance God did it Praise God. If there is just enough, Praise God! God will take care of you don’t you think so. That is why Jesus said you can not serve God and money

Paul was beaten for the gospel.

Acts 16:20–23 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

I don’t think that we talk about this enough in the church. The church was built with a whip! It thrived during adversity. It grows soft with a silver spoon. Do you ever consider if your faith is convenient or would you be beaten for the name of Jesus Christ. Most of you I would never want to face the whip. I can’t imagine a senior citizen in the church being whipped for the sake of the gospel. But I think many of them would. What about us young Christians?

Blessed in adversity.

Matthew 5:11–13 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.“

Deliverance

Praying and singing in the face of adversity.

Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Could you do that. I remember one of the greatest ministries in my life was the year that I went to prison each and every week with a group of Bob Jones students. We sang the entire way there. I believe that is the reason that I am a pastor today and a good old Irish preacher dr ian paisley that is the reason I decided to go into the ministry at Practical Bible College. It was a difficult decision for me. I loved math, so much and I loved servicing the Lord praise God he has allowed me to do the things that I loved to do. God will bless you as you serve him. Notice I didn’t say things will be easy I said you will see his blessings.

Singing praises to the LORD in jail.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

God breaks the chains of adversity.

Acts 16:26 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.

Things go well in the church when God is doing the work. I am not saying we sit on our hands and do nothing. I am saying things go best when we let God do the work. It’s not about you it’s not about me it’s him. We should pray that God shakes the doors off the prisons and let’s the prisoners free. Free from sin free from the adversity of the world free from the entrapment of money. We are free in Christ.

The grace of Jesus Christ will save your life.

Acts 16:27–30 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. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Everyone thought Paul and Silas were the prisoners but that wasn’t the case was it. The prisoners were the freest people in the prison that day. The prison guard was the real prisoner that day. He was a slave to his job. He was willing to take his own life with the news that he recieved. I don’t know what you are going through today but there may be a person today who on the brink of suicide let me tell you God’s grace can save you, it can deliver you

Jesus Christ will save your soul.

Acts 16:31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

It’s that simple, Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved. The ABC of the gospel message Admit that you are a sinner, believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead and confess that He is LORD.

It is more than a repeated prayer, It is an acknowledgement to God that Jesus is your God!

Do you want to trust in Jesus as your Savior, you don’t have to wait until the end of the service surrender to Jesus right now.

A family was delivered.

Acts 16:32–34 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 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.

This Philippians Jailer’s conversion didn’t just effect him his entire house came to Christ, just like Lydia. You want your family changed. Embrace Christ both feet. Man there have been a lot of people that I wish would do that. They flirt with God. Don’t do that, just jump in both feet and trust in Jesus it will change your famiy.

Victory

The enemy realized that they were defeated.

Acts 16:35–36 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.” So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.

When the enemy is defeated you realize that they can’t win they will try to retreat back into the shadows where they belong. When you have defeated a sin, the devil, prison, family problems, all those enemies have to retreat and they may try to save face on the way out, but when grace wins the enemy runs.

With the adversary defeated, Grace had the upper hand.

Acts 16:37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

Paul and Silas wanted the enemy brought to light. As we see grace win in this world the enemy is being defeated and they want to run but they can’t run far they will answer for their transgressions against God’s law, for the terrible things that they have done against God’s people.

Victory encouraged the church.

Acts 16:38–40 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

I have heard gloom and doom in this world, for years. I have heard about the ten commandments being taken out of school, I have heard about abortion gaining getting victory after victory, hearing that people can go live sexually immoral lives without any sort of admonishment. The last few years I have seen a lot of victories. Those things encourage me when the enemy falls flat on its agenda I am encouraged. I was so encouraged when the Supreme Court abolished abortion, when the ten commandments were put back up in school’s in LA and when we heard that the law of the land would be that there are only to two genders. It is encouraing. But you want to know what is more encouraging the family restored to peace, the sinner who was saved. So now it is time for a call to salvation.

Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose three days later. Jesus won the victory with His blood.

Are you a searcher looking for the Savior like Lydia

Are you person who has been living with evil in your heart like this demon possesed girl

Are you a sinner in chains by the sin which is ruining your life do you feel like a prisoner to sin. Like Paul and Silas were prisoners in a Philippian jail

Are you someone who feels like your life is over like the Philippian Jailer and have lost your will to live.

BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND YOU WILL BE SAVED

He can rock your world with a great earthquake and cause your chains to fall away. He has the power to save. Jump in with both feet and accept Jesus as your personal Savior today.