True Joy Cannot Be Chained And Imprisoned

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Acts 16:6-40

The Macedonian Call
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.
13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.
15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;
21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”
22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Saved
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly
35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”
36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”
37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”
38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans.
39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city.
40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

During his second missionary journey, Paul had a vision in Troas, a city very near to Philippi. That vision brought about the beginning of the church in Philippi. The missionary team comprised Paul, Silas, Timothy and also Luke. Throughout all their journeys, these missionaries were led by the Holy Spirit!

After they had traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they wanted to preach the message in the province of Asia. But the Holy Spirit did not permit them.

When they reached the border of Mysia, they tried to go into the province of Bithynia. But the Holy Spirit did not allow them. So they traveled right on through Mysia, and went to Troas.

That night, Paul had a vision. He saw a Macedonian man standing, and pleading to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” As soon as Paul had this vision, the team got ready to leave for Macedonia. They knew that God had called them to preach the Good News to the people there.

They left by ship from Troas, and sailed straight across to Samothrace. The next day, they sailed to Neapolis. From there, they went inland to Philippi, a city of the first district of Macedonia. Philippi was a Roman colony.

They spent several days there. On the Sabbath, they went out of the city to the riverside. They thought it would be a good place to go and share the gospel as it would be where the Jews would gather for prayer.

While at the riverside, they sat down and talked to the women who had gathered there. One of the few people who heard Paul was Lydia from Thyatira. She was a business woman selling purple cloth.

Lydia was a true worshipper of God. And the Lord opened her heart to pay close attention to what Paul was sharing. She and her household believed, and received Christ as their Lord and Saviour. After their baptism, Lydia invited and persuaded the missionary team to come and stay in her house. Lydia and her household were the first converts in Philippi. They were the pioneers of the church in Philippi.

One day, as they were going to the place of prayer, a young servant woman met them. But she had an evil spirit that enabled her to predict the future. As she was able to tell fortunes for others, she earned a lot of money for her owners. And she followed Paul and his team, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God! They will announce to you how you can be saved!”

She continued to repeat the same sayings for many days until Paul became greatly upset. Paul then turned around, and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her!” And the evil spirit went out of her that very moment.

When her owners realized that their only means of making good money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them to the governing authorities in the public square.

They brought them before the Roman officials and said, “These men are Jews but they are causing trouble in our city. They are teaching customs that are against our laws. We are Roman citizens, and we cannot accept these customs or practice them.” And the crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas.

Then the officials tore the clothes of Paul and Silas off, and ordered them to be whipped. After some severe beatings, they were thrown into jail. And the jailer was assigned and ordered to lock them up securely. The jailer threw them into the inner cell, and fastened their feet between heavy blocks of wood.

About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. And the other prisoners heard their prayers and praises. Suddenly, there was a violent earthquake that shook the prison to its foundations. Immediately all the prison doors were opened, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. The heartfelt prayers and praises of Paul and Silas had moved heaven, and touched earth!

The jailer woke up. When he saw all of the prison doors were open, he thought that all the prisoners had escaped, and he would solely and surely be blamed for this! So he pulled out his sword, and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted at the top of his voice, “Don't harm yourself, we are all here!”

The jailer asked for a light, and rushed in. He was awed, and fell trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. Then he led them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your family.” Then they preached the Word of the Lord to him and to all the others in the house. The jailor and his household were living within the prison compound.

At that very hour of the night, the jailer took them, and washed their wounds. The jailor and all his family members believed in Christ, and were baptized at once. Then he brought Paul and Silas into his house, and gave them some food to eat. He and his family were filled with joy, because they now believed in God.

The next morning, the Roman authorities sent police officers with the order, “Let those men go.”

So the jailer told Paul, “The officials have sent an order for you and Silas to be released. You may leave now. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the police officers, “We were not found guilty of any crime, yet they whipped us in public. We too are Roman citizens! But they had thrown us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? Not at all! The Roman officials themselves must come here and let us out.”

The police officers reported these words to the Roman officials. When they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid. They thought they were just Jews without any Roman citizenship. So they went and apologized to them. Then they led them out of the prison, and asked them to leave the city.

Paul and Silas left the prison, and went to Lydia's house. There they met the believers, spoke words of encouragement to them, and left Philippi.

Many years later, the apostle Paul was again under house arrest in another place. He was imprisoned for a few years in Rome for his faith in Christ! But out of the prison cell, he wrote the Prison Epistles, namely Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. They were addressed to the special needs of a specific church, or in the case of Philemon, an individual.

Of the four Prison Epistles, Paul probably wrote Philippians last, during his Roman imprisonment in AD 61 or 62.

Unlike in Galatians and Colossians, Paul did not write Philippians in response to some church problems or concerns. He wrote to express his deepest appreciation and affection for the believers in Philippi.

Unlike other churches, the only church that assisted Paul in material and financial support for his ministry was the one in Philippi! The Philippian believers were the only ones who sent the necessities and provisions to Paul.

Philippians 4:15-18
15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.
18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

The apostle Paul had fond memories of the believers in Philippi. He asked them to remember the times when he first preached the Good News there. He remembered Lydia and the jailor, and their households! When Paul left Macedonia, they were the only church that helped him by their giving. Several times they sent Paul things that he needed when he was in Thessalonica.

Paul told them that it was not because he wanted to receive gifts from them. He sincerely desired that they would receive the blessings that came from their giving. They were blessed because they gave! And now Paul had everything, and more. He had all that he needed! He had received their gift. Their gift was like a sweet-smelling sacrifice offered to God. And their gift was acceptable and pleasing to God.

Paul's affection for the people in Philippi was clearly shown throughout his letter as he encouraged them to live out their faith in love, joy, peace and unity. And he shared with them what he was currently going through inside the prison!

Philippians 1:12-14
Christ Is Preached
12 But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,
13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;
14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul wrote this as he knew the believers in Philippi were concerned about him. He desired the believers not to worry about him in prison. In fact, what had happened to him had helped to spread the Good News. He was in prison not because of any crimes or wrongdoings. He was imprisoned because he was a believer in Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else knew this. Because he was in prison, the believers were bolder and braver to share the Good News about Christ.

The apostle had been imprisoned here and there because he preached the Word of God! But by the time he wrote to the Philippians, his freedom was more restricted, and his future was very uncertain. He might be on the death row. And he might be executed!

The Philippians got the news, and knew the severity of the charges against Paul. They were very concerned. They worried about the well-being and health of Paul, how he was being treated, and whether he would be miraculously released! They were concerned whether he had enough to eat, enough to drink, and enough to wear and keep warm through the cold weather. They were also worried about the spread of the gospel. Would the work of God be stalled? Would the Good News of Christ come to a halt?

Paul warmly reassured them that he was doing well. He also told them that his imprisonment had not hindered the spread of the gospel. In fact, the opposite was true. The gospel had expanded even further.

While the believers might be praying for a miracle that the chains of Paul would be broken, and that he would shortly be set free, Paul was telling them not to worry for the prison walls and chains could not keep the gospel from reaching out to the people!

The Philippian Christians might be longing to have again the precious moments of praying, praising and worshipping together with the apostle. They remembered how the apostle praised and worshipped the Lord. Even without any proper sound systems, microphones and musical accompaniments, the heartfelt hymns of praise and worship could reach heaven, and touch hearts!

While in prison, Paul was chained 24/7 but he was still able to do freely the work that God had called him to do! Physically, he might be chained and imprisoned, but mentally and spiritually, he was not! He preached to the royal guards when they came to watch over him! As a result, the whole palace guard and many others came to hear the gospel. They witnessed a living epistle in the prison cell. A good and wonderful life testimony for Christ!

The believers in Philippi rejoiced to know that Paul had great joy and peace, fully contented in serving the Lord even behind prison doors! By focusing their lives in Christ, they too could experience true joy, and live for Jesus. No prison doors can shut the Good News from spreading to others! And even in their own trials and tribulations, they could do the work of God with thanksgiving, joy and hope!

Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again I will say, rejoice!

We can learn a lot from these Christians in Philippi. When the pressures, pains and problems of life begin to squeeze the joys and hopes out of us, we do not need to be chained and imprisoned! We do not need to bow our heads in desperation and despair! We do not need to acquire more possessions, properties, prizes and products to fill the vacuums inside our hearts!

True joy comes from having a true relationship with Christ, and believing that He is with us always till the end! True joy cannot be chained and imprisoned. Even in troubling times, we can rejoice in the Lord, and be a living testimony for Christ, sharing faithfully the gospel of our faith and the power of His love! We can rejoice in the Lord always! Yesterday, today and forever!

Therefore, wherever we are, let us be willing to share the Good News joyfully and peacefully without any fear.

Written on 25 November 2021