When Circumstances Hurt

Philippians 1:1–2

¹Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we begin a study of the book of Philippians. Before we dive into the text of this letter from Paul it  will be helpful to know a few things about this city and Paul’s ministry there. Philippi in Macedonia, the first church founded by Paul in Europe.

Philippi was a Roman “colony,” that is, a settlement of Roman soldiers enjoying Roman citizenship, settled at a strategic point in the system of Roman roads for the security of the empire. Apparently not many Jews were there; neither a regular synagogue, only a “place of prayer”, probably in the open air, at a riverside. It was there that Paul had begun his work. The Lord opened the ear of a proselyte named Lydia to his words, and we may suppose that the house of this wealthy and generous woman became the meeting place of the church. Paul knew “conflict” and suffering in Philippi; he had been beaten and imprisoned without the due process of law to which his Roman citizenship entitled him.

Roehrs, W. H., & Franzmann, M. H. (1998). Concordia Self-Study Commentary (p.192). St. Louis, MO: CPH.

What we know of Philippi we learn in Acts 16.

Acts 16:11–40

¹¹ So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. ¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. ¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰ And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. ²¹ They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. ²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. ²⁴ Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. ²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and 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 bonds were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And 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 wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. ³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

From this account, we know that Paul struggled against Rome in Philippi but also established close and person friendship there. And that is what strikes me today. Even in the midst of difficulty there is always joy because we are in the Lord. We do not have to find joy because of the struggle but joy in the presence of the Lord. Paul knew pain in Philippi but was able to rejoice in the people who surrounded him there. And we can be focused on the same – the people around us. Within the community of God resides His Spirit and there is always joy in His presence, despite the circumstances around us. Now I realize that this is an easy statement for me to make as I am not sitting in prison like Paul was at the time. But I also believe that preparing my mind while things are good for the times when there is struggle is a positive activity.