The year is circa 55CE, approximately 20 years after Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven. A man named Paul is driving the outward expansion of the Christian church into the Roman Empire. In Acts 16, we read that he arrives in the city of Philippi, which is an archaeological site in modern-day Greece. In Paul’s day, it was a busy city.
We learn in Acts 16 that a wealthy woman Lydia who lived there. She becomes a Christian through Paul’s ministry, and she invites his team to stay at her home. We don’t know how long they were in the city before the trouble started.
We read about the trouble in Acts 16, verses 16–18: “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we 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 us, shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.’ She kept this up for many days. 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.”
Amazing news, right? A woman is freed from demon-possession, people could see the power of God, and Paul and his team could now minister without interruption. Win, win, win! Well…maybe not. Look what happens in verses 19–24,
“When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, ‘These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.’ The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
Imagine that. You’re serving God, you’re going on mission trips, you’re helping people meet Jesus. You’re starting churches. You’re even freeing people from demonic possession. And what does that get you? Arrested, false accusations, a severe flogging, and prison. Maybe you haven’t experienced that severe retribution, but I wonder if you have ever thought to yourself, “Lord, I know I’m not perfect, but I am trying to be faithful to you. Why is life so hard? Why are you allowing me to go through __________.” Fill in the blank with the difficulty in your life.
I’m not saying it is wrong to complain to God. I actually think complaint to God is a good thing, which is why on this blog I have talked about the psalms of lament a number of times over the years. There is a place for holy complaint, and letting all your dark emotions out to God. Do that. He invites you to let him have it. “Cast your cares on him,” Peter writes. Let him have all of your frustrations and anger. When you practice lament, notice that nearly all the psalms of lament eventually wind their way around to rejoicing.
And that brings us to the very next verse 25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
That’s a key moment to remember. The men were in prison, having just been beaten, and they were praising God. This week we’re talking about joy. It can be very difficult to have joy when life feels horrible.
Let me summarize what happens next for Paul. In the middle of their singing, an earthquake hit, flinging their chains loose and prison doors open. The prison keeper thought all was lost, and Paul said “Wait, we’re not going anywhere!” The prison keeper was so shocked that he asked, “What must I do to be saved?” He and his family became Christians and were baptized. The next day the men were free to go. All the magistrates asked is that they leave the city. They returned to Lydia’s house, said their goodbyes to the church, and they left Philippi.
Many years go by, and Paul has numerous other missionary adventures. Fast-forward to Acts 28, verse 16, and we read that Paul is in Rome, on house arrest. House arrest? In chains again? Why? Paul got himself in trouble again for preaching about Jesus. In this new situation, he appealed his case to the Roman Emperor, the Caesar, named Nero, who is famous for being exceedingly unhinged and cruel. Roman law allowed Roman citizens the opportunity to appeal to Caesar. It would similar to Americans having a case go before the Supreme Court. Paul has been on a long journey with this arrest, case and appeal, and finally he makes it to Rome.
We read that, “Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him.” Later in the chapter, in verses 30 and 31 we learn that “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s troubles and chains did not keep him from rejoicing or serving.
He also wrote letters. They are called his Prison Epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. In those letters, it is very interesting to read what Paul has to say, knowing that he is on house arrest, waiting to have the maniac Nero hear his case, which is a very risky proposition.
We studied Ephesians chapter 2 last week, and this week, we’re looking at Philippians chapter 1. Join me tomorrow.
Engaging Scripture 