Who Are These Philippians

The passage for January is Philippians 1:1-2:

    Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
    To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
    Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Who Are These Philippians?

Before reading this article, it may be helpful to do a quick read through of Acts 16 (here). Starting in Acts 16:9, we are able to witness the birth of the Philippian church. It begins with a vision given to Paul by God of a man asking Paul to bring the Gospel to Macedonia (the region that Philippi is in).

Paul had been trying to continue his church planting mission in Asia, but the Holy Spirit had been hampering his steps all along his planned route. Now, with this vision, Paul, Silas and others set off for Philippi.

SIDE NOTE: The longer you walk with Christ, the more you will discover that His plans do not always match yours. It is always better to walk in step with the Spirit, rather than push against Him with hopes of going in the direction you are comfortable with. 

As one pastor says, "Put your 'yes' on the table, and let God put your 'yes' on the map."

We see four main encounters in the rest of the chapter that give us a hint as to the early Philippian congregation.


LYDIA - Acts 16:13-15: Lydia is believed to be the first convert to the church in Philippi. What we know about her is that she was a "seller of purple goods" and that she had her own home - with no mention of a husband. Most scholars say that this means she was very likely wealthy and independent.  
We are also told she was a "Worshiper of God". Experts have debated whether this means that Lydia was Jewish or if she was what was called a God fearer. Either way, she was seeking to know and worship God.
Lydia was converted in a place of community prayer as the Holy Spirit opened her heart to the words taught to her by Paul.

THE SLAVE GIRL - Acts 16:16-18: The slave girl was said to have a spirit of divination. Likely, this was a demonic spirit that allowed the girl to tell things about people that she herself could not have known on her own. Just like the "psychics and mediums" of today, these spirits distract people from seeking after God for the truth and end up locking people into slavery.
The slave girl was used by her owners to make money, not unlike a prostitute or others in the sex-slave industry are used today.
The demonic spirit also tried to use her to disrupt the missionary efforts of Paul, yet it was no match for the power of Jesus and Paul was able to cast the spirit out of the girl in Christ's name.
Once freed, the slave girl was of no worth to her masters. The Scriptures do not say whether she came to Christ and joined the church, though many pastors - including yours - preach in hope that she did.
It has been the case of many of us that, once freed from the slavery to addiction or other evil forces, we gravitate toward Him who freed us and we become healthy, faithful church members.

THE JAILER (and his household) - Acts 16:23-34: The Jailer was probably what many would think of as a blue-collar worker. Not high in status, but important for the operation of the society - think law enforcement, nursing, utility workers, factory workers, etc.
He knew his job and he did what he was told. He likely had a high degree of trust in the system that he was a part of and the Roman government was where his allegiance was given because they were the ultimate power of which he knew.
That all changed at around midnight as God shook the foundations of the jail and the foundations of the jailer's life, breaking down any walls that stood in the way of freedom.
The freedom that Paul and Silas were given from their chains ultimately led to the Jailer finding freedom in Christ. The beautiful thing about the jailer's story is that he rushed to share the good news with his household, who were also saved.

THE ONLOOKERS - Acts 16:13-40: One overlooked group is that of the onlookers. When Paul went to the river and converted Lydia, there were other women there as well. When Paul cast out the slave girl's demon there were many who witnessed that powerful display. When Paul and Silas were freed and the Jailer came to Christ, there were other prisoners there who witnessed the scene. And when the magistrates freed the Christians and escorted them out of the prison, many people saw the power of God's people triumph over the worldly power structure.

All of these accounts show us the diverse group of people that God brought together to form what turned out to be one of the healthiest churches that we have a record of from the dawn of the church age.

So, what can we learn from this?

When you look around our church, you will see some people who would be considered wealthy compared to some of the community, you will see some who would be described as blue collar and you will see some who have come to Christ after being freed from slavery to addiction. As you get to know our family, you will also meet people who are here because they were simply witnesses to the power of God working in and among us.

We have a diverse mix of believers - much like the church in Philippi. And this diversity is able to live and work together because we are united by Jesus and focused on His mission.

As we continue to strive to be disciples who make disciples and as we continue to keep our eyes open and hearts engaged for who God would have us reach next - do your best to make sure NOT to limit who you think might fit in with us.

All are welcome to come through our door when we gather on Sunday. 

All are in need of the Gospel when we scatter into the community during the week.

As we go and as we gather, let's keep asking God, "Who's next?" and let's celebrate every new person that He answers that question with.