'Ac 16:11-40

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Philippi - first church in Europe (Ac 16:11-40)

The missionaries left Troas with another addition to the party, Luke, the author of the book (note the word ‘we’ in Ac 16:11).

Luke’s home appears to have been in Philippi, the city to which the group was now heading (Ac 16:11-12).

It seems that Philippi had few Jews and no synagogue, but a group of God-fearers met for prayer at the river bank. The missionaries joined with them and made known to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a result a cloth merchant named Lydia became a Christian and, through her, her household also believed (Ac 16:13-15).

Not all the interest that the preachers created in Philippi was favourable. Trouble began when they healed a slave girl who, because of an evil spirit that possessed her, earned much money for her owners by telling fortunes (Ac 16:16-18).

When her owners found she could no longer be used to earn them money, they attacked the missionaries and created a riot. Paul and Silas were arrested, flogged and thrown into prison without trial or questioning (Ac 16:19-24).

Yet even in prison Paul and Silas found the opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ. The outcome was the conversion of the jailer along with his household (Ac 16:25-34).

Next morning Paul and Silas were allowed to go free, but they refused to go until they received an apology from the local officials. Paul claimed that the officials had no right to flog Roman citizens, especially without trial (Ac 16:35-40).