Odd Beginnings: The Church in Philippi

The book of Philippians contains so many verses that are prominent in Christian culture. You can find them on coffee cups, Instagram profiles, magnets, t-shirts, and more. This book is filled with truths that are powerful, succinct, and timeless for the Christian life. These verses were not written in a vacuum - they were written to a real church at a real point in history to help them learn how to live for Christ. Today, we examine the three converts that we meet in Acts 16 who became the foundation for the Philippian church to which Paul wrote this letter. 

The Missionary Work of God

Christianity began when Christ died on the cross and rose again. His disciples and the early converts clung to the testimony that Christ had risen from the dead - and nothing could stop them from sharing that testimony. J.D. Greear puts it like this: “By 325A.D. Christianity had spread like crazy. Scholars say over half of the Roman Empire had become Christian. And it all started with twelve guys on a hillside with no power, no money, no endowments, no celebrity recognition - they just had an absolute conviction that Jesus had risen from the dead and a strange power poured into them called the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Christianity grew at a rapid pace because of the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of people - but also because of the missionary work of God that Apostles like Paul and Peter joined in. The book of Acts contains many records of Paul’s missionary journeys - including his journey to Philippi. 

Philippi was a Roman colony and the leading City in the district of Macedonia. It would have been considered part of Rome. The people there were Roman citizens. This location was an honored Roman city and military post. It was a significant city for industry, agriculture, education, and military purposes. It was located among the major roads of commerce and was a wise choice for a missionary journey! There were likely many converts during this journey - but we are introduced to three specific converts in Acts 16 who Paul included in this letter for a specific purpose.

A Business Woman Who Comes to Faith

When Paul first arrived at Philippi, he looked first for a synagogue to preach (Acts 16:13), but instead found what amounted to a women’s Bible study. The lack of a synagogue reveals that there was not only a lack of Christians, but a lack of Jewish people. It was such a densely populated Roman city that there were not even enough Jewish males to constitute a place of worship (10 was the minimum). 

So Paul finds himself at a women’s Bible study. We are told that “one of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth” (Acts 16:14). We learn a lot about Lydia from this one sentence. She is a business woman - but not just any business woman. In that time, purple was far more than a color - it was a status symbol. Only the wealthiest and most powerful could afford it. Her trade was prestigious and she was likely incredibly wealthy. She was from Thyatira, which means she was likely Asian. 

Lydia was a God-fearer, which means she rejected paganism and polytheism. She was likely in this “Bible study” listening to the Torah and may have had some concept of the need for atonement. When Paul comes across this group of women, we are told that “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message” (verse 14). Paul engages Lydia’s intellect, and it is through the impartation of his knowledge that she becomes a believer in Christ. This is the first convert we see a record of in Paul’s journey to Philippi!

The Slave Girl Set Free From Her Demons

The second convert in Philippi stands in contrast to Lydia. As Paul is continuing along the journey, we are told that they “were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of [them], shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:16-17).

While Lydia is an empowered, financially secure intellect - this girl is impoverished, enslaved, exploited, and out of control. Lydia is seeking for truth, but this woman is spiritually bound. Paul comes across Lydia in a formal group, but this girl follows Paul around in an obnoxious manner. What’s interesting is that even though this girl has a demonic spirit, she is speaking the truth about Paul’s message against her will. 

The girl keeps following them for days, shouting the same message. “Finally, Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, ‘In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!’ At that moment the spirit left her” (Acts 16:18). Even though the girl was telling the truth about Paul and his message, he could not allow his Gospel proclamation to be linked with demonic activity or the prophecy-for-profit approach that this girl’s owners had. This could damage the message of the Gospel! So Paul rebukes the demon, and the girl is delivered. Paul did not engage this girl in intellectual conversation as he did with Lydia - but rather with spiritual power.

A Blue-Collar Jailer Finds Christ

The third convert we meet in Philippi comes about as a result of the slave girl’s deliverance. See, the owners of this slave girl were upset about what Paul had done. They “realized that their hope of making money was gone,” so “they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities” (Acts 16:18-19). They take advantage of the antisemitism that was rampant in Rome during that time by accusing Paul and Silas of disrupting the city and advocating for un-Roman practices as Jewish men (Acts 16:20-21). 

Being as patriotic of an area as Philippi was, the crowds were outraged and “joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods” (verse 22). Then, they were thrown into prison and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully (verse 23). This is where we meet our third convert - the Roman jailer.

This jailer was likely a highly decorated Roman soldier who was given the privilege of running this prison in his retirement. He was most likely older, hardened, and part of the ruling class. He wasn’t likely to be interested in the banter of intellectuals or the spiritual seeking of the lost. He wanted to do his job well for his country. So he puts Paul and Silas in the lowest part of the building, and fastens them with torturous stocks (verse 24) to keep them secure.

But then something unexpected happens. Paul and Silas begin praying and rejoicing in their cells…and miraculously, an earthquake hits so intensely that the prison foundations shake and the doors open. All the prisoner’s chains come loose. When the jailer woke to see this, “he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped” (Acts 16:26-27). In a spirit-led moment of compassion, Paul does not leave. He stays. He intervenes to keep the jailer from falling on his own sword - and says “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (verse 28). 

Paul chooses to stay bound rather than go free out of compassion for this jailer. While he engaged Lydia through her intellect and the slave girl through spiritual power, he engaged the jailer through a living witness to a miracle - and a compassion beyond reason. The jailer falls to his knees, deeply impacted by all of this, and asks what he must do to be saved. He and his entire family end up being baptized on that day after believing in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:29-34). 

What These Conversions Mean For Us Today

These three conversions are included in the book of Acts for a reason. We can learn something important from them!

1. The Gospel is For Everyone

All three of these converts come from different cultural, socioeconomic, intellectual, and spiritual backgrounds. They are completely strangers who eventually become part of the same church in Philippi. The Gospel cannot be stopped by the boundaries we build as humans! The Gospel defies race, class, status, and aptitude. It is for everyone at all times and in all places.

2. We Can Engage Different People With The Same Gospel

There are different people in our communities who can be reached in unique ways to share the same Gospel message. For the intellectually minded and spiritually interested like Lydia, we might engage them through spiritual conversation and academic Bible study. For the physically and spiritually captive, we might engage them through meeting needs or by spiritual ministry. For the hardened skeptic, we might engage them with our living testimony and extravagant, illogical grace and compassion. No matter who is around us - we must be sensitive to their unique situations as we present the Gospel to our communities!

Conclusion: The Philippian Church is Just Like Ours

At the end of the day, the Philippian church is just like outs. It’s made up of different people from different backgrounds who all came to know the same God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why we can learn so much from the book of Philippians - because it applies to people from every walk of life who are committed to learning to follow Christ. We are eager to continue diving into our Philippian series over the next few weeks!

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Philippians Week 1: June 1st, 2025. Preached by Ben Dieterly

Article Edited by Julia Castro