We use cookies to collect general visitor statistics but not personal information. Privacy policy

Paul - Part 3 - Philippi

Paul, Lydia, a fortune teller and a jailer.
Contributed by Lars-Goran Ronnberg
Story also available on our translated websites: Spanish, German
1
Paul continued to travel to many different places and preach about Jesus. About the year 52 AD he came to the city of Philippi in Greece together with a man named Silas. – Slide 1
2
They went outside the city to pray to God and met, among other people, a woman named Lydia. – Slide 2
3
She listened to Paul talk about Jesus and decided to become a Christian. Paul and Silas baptised her and her family in the river outside Philippi. – Slide 3
4
In the Bible, it says that in the city there was a poor, lonely girl. – Slide 4
5
Some devious men had bought the girl as a slave to work for them. She had to cook, clean and do what they wanted. – Slide 5
6
One day the men found out she could tell fortunes. She had an evil spirit in her that allowed her to predict what might happen in the future. This made the men very pleased and they schemed: ‘Now we can make money from her predictions too’! – Slide 6
7
So, they took the girl to the square in Philippi and charged people money to hear the girl tell them their fortune. Many wanted to hear what she had to say. – Slide 7
8
The men quickly got a lot of money for her predictions. ‘This is great,’ the men laughed. ‘She cleans, cooks and now makes us very rich!’ But the girl was very unhappy and disturbed as she was controlled by an evil spirit who gave her this power. – Slide 8
9
One day, the girl met Paul and Silas. She immediately shouted: ‘These men are servants of the Most High God who proclaim the way of salvation for all!’ Paul and Silas were telling people about Jesus. – Slide 9
10
She did this for several days. So, when the girl continued to cry out, Paul and Silas turned to the face the girl. Paul commanded the evil spirit, in the name of Jesus, to leave the girl. Immediately the girl was completely free from the spirit of divination. – Slide 10
11
The girl was so happy and now thanked Jesus for His love and salvation. – Slide 11
12
The men who owned her came and demanded: ‘It’s time to go to the square and tell fortunes!’ – Slide 12
13
But the girl answered. ‘It doesn't work anymore! I don’t have the power to tell fortunes.’ <br/>‘What nonsense are you talking about,’ cried the men. ‘Of course you can tell fortunes! Come on!’ <br/>‘No,’ answered the girl. ‘Paul and Silas ordered the evil spirit inside me to leave.’ They know Jesus, who has the power to set people free. I neither want, nor can I tell, fortunes anymore.’ – Slide 13
14
The men became very angry and shouted: ‘Paul and Silas must be punished severely and put in prison! <br/>‘No, no,’ cried the girl. ‘Those men are good people!’ – Slide 14
15
But the men seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to the city judge. They shouted that Paul and Silas were dangerous men who must be severely punished! Paul and Silas tried to explain what had happened but they would not listen. – Slide 15
16
Without giving them a fair trial, the judges sided with the bad men. They grabbed Paul and Silas, tore their clothes and had them flogged with many hard blows on their backs. – Slide 16
17
Then they dragged Paul and Silas to the prison in Philippi and gave strict orders to the jailer. ‘These two men are dangerous criminals!’ The jailer immediately locked Paul and Silas in the innermost cell of the prison. – Slide 17
18
Paul and Silas had chains fastened to their hands and their feet fastened in stocks. Then to everyone’s amazement, they began singing hymns and praising God! – Slide 18
19
The other prisoners listened with great interest and could hardly believe what they were hearing. – Slide 19
20
Paul and Silas continued sing and praise to God late into the night. – Slide 20
21
Then, around midnight, God sent an earthquake to shake the whole prison. – Slide 21
22
(Display images for 3 seconds). – Slide 22
23
(Display image for 3 seconds and then quickly switch between this image and the previous one). – Slide 23
24
All the doors and chains in the prison came loose. – Slide 24
25
The jailer woke up and thought that all the prisoners had escaped. He knew if the prisoners got away he would be sentenced to death. So, he thought it better to kill himself with his sword. Paul saw what he was planning and shouted from inside the prison: ‘Stop! Don't hurt yourself! We're all still here!’ – Slide 25
26
The jailer quickly fetched an oil lamp, ran in and bowed down trembling before Paul and Silas. ‘What must I do to be saved?’ he begged. Paul and Silas replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.’ – Slide 26
27
The jailer took Paul and Silas back to his residence and washed their wounds. When the jailer's family heard the good news about Jesus, they all wanted to have their sins forgiven. That night they were all baptised. Then they offered Paul and Silas food. Everyone was so happy. – Slide 27
28
Paul and Silas were completely innocent, but in the morning they still went back and sat in the cell. The magistrate gave orders for Paul and Silas to be released. Paul and Silas were completely innocent and knew they had been mistreated. They were also Roman citizens, which meant no-one could sentence them without a trial. If any judge did that, they themselves received severe punishment. – Slide 28
29
Roman citizens had a certificate made of two wooden plates coated with wax on the inside where the text was written. Paul and Silas probably had such certificates which were called ‘diptych’ or ‘testatio’. So, Paul and Silas demanded the judges come and apologise for punishing Roman citizens without a fair trial. – Slide 29
30
The judges who condemned Paul and Silas now found out to their great horror that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They knew they were in trouble. – Slide 30
31
They quickly ran to the cell where Paul and Silas were sitting and asked them to come out of prison. ‘Forgive us,’ they said very nervously. ‘We have done wrong!’ The girl who told fortunes was now free. They had punished Paul and Silas unfairly. The judges had really made a lot of mistakes. – Slide 31
32
Paul and Silas forgave them and travelled on to other cities. The new Christians in Philippi sent them on their way, including Lydia and her family, the jailer and his family, and the slave girl. The church in Philippi continued to grow and Paul later wrote a letter to them. That letter is in the Bible and is called Philippians. – Slide 32
33
Today, the city of Philippi is now in ruins but the place where the prison was located is visited by many tourists. – Slide 33
34
Perhaps it was in this very cell in the prison that Paul and Silas sat that night. It may have been the place shaken by the earthquake and where the jailer and his whole family came to faith in Jesus and were baptised. – Slide 34
35
Slide 35