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Word from Scotland

    by Sandy Shaw

How the Church of Jesus Christ at Philippi Was Birthed
Date Posted: April 17, 2023

Let’s turn to Paul’s letter the Church at Philippi, but firstly to Acts Chapter 16 , and for a very good reason. Philip, after whom the city was named, was the grandfather of Alexander the Great, the mighty Roman conqueror, who died of syphilis because he was unable to control his own passions.

This area was of strategic important to the Roman military. It lies in a break in a line of hills and is almost impassable. It is a crossroads and a gateway between Asia and Europe. There was gold and silver in the surrounding hills, and the valley was very fertile.

Whoever controlled Philippi controlled Europe and Asia, and there have been many battles to control these two continents. It was the emperor Augustus who made it a Roman Colony, thereby becoming one of the most vital cities outside of Rome itself.

Philippi was a trade centre with a busy seaport, and so had a mixed cosmopolitan community. It was a mini-Rome.

Not only did the Roman Emperor have his eye on this city. God had His eye on Philippi. God wanted a colony of heaven in Philippi, and God knew who could do this job for him and who could colonise Philippi for Him.

At this time Paul was a man on the move. It is easier to direct a man on the move than direct a man who is not moving. It is easier to direct a car, when it is on the move.

The Holy Spirit would not let Paul go where he wanted to go, but Paul did not look at the closed doors – he looked at the open doors.

“Lord, where do you want me to go?” God stops Paul and then re-directs him. Sometimes God has to stop us doing what we are doing to see what He wants us to do. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” – Psalm 37 verse 23 .

The STOPS of a good man are also ordered by the Lord.

God has something very special to do in Philippi and in verse 9 Paul has a dream or a vision that would transform Europe. “Come and help us”. Paul got a glimpse of God’s strategy as a vision is given to advance the work of God, and not just the individual.

Paul obeyed immediately and we see the team of Silas and Timothy and Luke.

He started this phase of his ministry with nothing but a vision. He was in the middle of a rather successful mission, and God moves him on to where there is nothing so that there might be something.

“Where can we find some people to pray with?” Paul looked for Jews. Go for the Jews first. That was God’s strategy, so Paul went for the Jews too. There was no synagogue, which meant there were fewer than ten Jewish men, in Philippi.

Now, Jews have to wash before they pray, so Paul decides to go down to the riverside, and there Paul finds a group of women praying, and God is at work by His Spirit preparing their hearts.

The Christian Faith began in Europe with a group of praying women. Let that encourage you. Keep on praying and leave everything else to God.

Lydia is a business woman. As we read on, we see a group of people come together who have nothing in common before they come together in Christ – a business woman and slaves, and a clairvoyant girl – and a Roman prison officer.

Paul’s ministry is attacked right from the very outset and the devil is at his most dangerous when he is telling the truth. He emerges here as an angel of light. He tries to get inside first and if he cannot get inside, he then attacks from the outside.

It is not always what a person says that is important, it can be the way that he says it and the source from which it is coming. The devil is trying to confuse the darkness and the light. Many suffer from that.

People who have been in the dark have said things that have sounded good, and people who have claimed to be in the kingdom of light have said what has not been good, and confusion has arisen.

Paul saw right through this slave girl, and she was set free in Jesus.

Some people cannot stand or tolerate a decline in their income due to some new fresh Word from God – or outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Within hours they are in jail. This is the Kingdom of God. If what you have does not stand up in time of trouble, it is not real and it is not of much use and it is certainly not from Almighty God.

Do you remember the days when someone just went to a Service when it was nice or when there was no other appointment or nothing else to do? We are not speaking about the same thing.

Paul and Silas are singing and praising. They are not grumbling but praising and worshipping. At midnight, Paul is not in the dark, but in the light. This is spiritual reality. God does not promise to keep you out of trouble, or out of prison, but he does promise to be with you in the trouble, and He does promise to see you through the trouble, if you are willing to get into it. Go and preach and teach and baptise and I will be with you.

Now there is an earth tremor. This is dramatic. If the jailor let a condemned man escape, he would be executed. Here is the first man to come into the new colony, and it is a Roman prison officer. Within hours he and his family are baptised in water

Paul has to leave Philippi but there is a colony of heaven in that city – but first he wants to make sure everything is as all right as it can be. He visits Lydia’s house and then leaves Philippi – but there is a group of believers in Jesus and they are only a few hours old.

“Loving Father, thank You for showing how the Church of Jesus Christ was launched and birthed in Philippi. It may not been how we would start a new fresh work in another continent – teach us the lessons – and keep us moving – on the move – not only physically but spiritually too. We pray in Jesus Name, with thanksgiving. Amen.”

"Point of Reference" from Fred Price

Your Father Knows What You Need Mat. 6:8

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Biography Information:

Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!

Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.

Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

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