Philippi - a town with a church ::: Part 3

So when Paul went to set up the church in Philippi he first met some ladies at a place of prayer.  Lydia and her whole family were baptized that day and thus the church began.

In Acts 16:16-40, we find the rest of the account of the church.  They kept meeting at the place of prayer.  There a young woman had an evil spirit on her that kept her shouting, “These men are servants of the most high God.”  Paul got annoyed and cast the spirit out of the girl.  The owner of the slave girl got mad because he charged people to hear her give them their fortunes.  So he took Paul and Silas to the middle of town to be judged by the leaders.  They cast the two of them in jail.  In jail Paul and Silas were singing hymns and there was a violent earthquake.  During the earthquake all the chains came loose.  Paul and Silas did not flee.  The guard came to check on them and not seeing anybody decided to kill himself.  That would be better than the fate ahead of him for losing prisoners.  Paul shouts out for him to stop.  He asks why they stayed there.  The guard immediately asked them how to be saved.  Paul told them to believe in the Lord Jesus.  He and his whole family were saved and baptized that night.  The next day Paul and Silas are released from prison.  They went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them.  Then they left.  (Acts 16:40)

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