How the Gospel came to Europe

Michael Vogelsang

In considering Paul’s letter to the assembly in Philippi it is helpful to look at the circumstances in which the message of salvation came to this city. This will give us an insight into why the apostle had such an intimate relationship with the saints there.

Divine guidance in ministry

We all have to make plans — in our daily lives as well as in the service of the Lord. The apostle also had plans or ideas about what he wanted to do. But we can learn a vital lesson from him: he was always dependant on the guidance of his Lord. He was sensitive to see when the Lord clearly wanted to change his plans and guide him in another direction.

In closing the Epistle to the Romans, he speaks about his plans and about hindrances: ‘Wherefore also I have been often hindered from coming to you. But now, having no longer place in these regions, and having great desire to come to you these many years, whenever I should go to Spain; (for I hope to see you as I go through, and by you to be set forward thither, if first I shall have been in part filled with your company;) but now I go to Jerusalem, ministering to the saints; for Macedonia and Achaia have been well pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor of the saints who are in Jerusalem. They have been well pleased indeed, and they are their debtors; for if the nations have participated in their spiritual things, they ought also in fleshly to minister to them. Having finished this therefore, and having sealed to them this fruit, I will set off by you into Spain. But I know that, coming to you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of Christ’ (15:22–29).

In 1 Corinthians he speaks about his plans as well: ‘But I will come to you when I shall have gone through Macedonia; for I do go through Macedonia. But perhaps I will stay with you, or even winter with you, that ye may set me forward wheresoever I may go. For I will not see you now in passing, for I hope to remain a certain time with you, if the Lord permit. But I remain in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door is opened to me and an effectual one, and the adversaries many’ (16:5–9). Paul mentions the important principle of all biblical planning: ‘if the Lord permit’. In 2 Corinthians, Paul had to explain why he did not come as planned, which had been criticised by some in Corinth: ‘But I call God to witness upon my soul that to spare you I have not yet come to Corinth’ (1:23).

We have a similar situation in Acts 16 where the apostle and his fellow-workers had plans as far as their journey was concerned. But again, the Lord led them differently. The passage uses two different expressions for this. In one case it says, ‘having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia’ (v. 6), and in the other ‘and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them’ (v. 7). The Lord guides His servants in different ways. The word translated ‘forbidden’ in the first phrase could also be translated as ‘prevent’, ‘hinder’ or ‘keep from’. Maybe they were hindered by circumstances, and they understood that this was from the Lord. In the second case it seems that they — in one way or another — got the clear impression that the Spirit was saying ‘no’ to their plans. And they were obedient. The clear guidance where not to go still left them without an answer to the question where they should go. But during the night the Lord used a vision to give the apostle the answer he was looking for. He saw a man from Macedonia who said, ‘Come over and help us.’ Surely that was clear enough we might think. But it is instructive to see how Paul reacted. He did not go to his fellow-workers the next morning and tell them, ‘I had a vision; now I know what to do.’ The text says: ‘And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia’ (v. 10). He, Paul alone, had seen the vision, but they all concluded what they had to do. Paul had obviously counselled with his brothers, and they came to a united agreement. What a blessed picture of working together for the Lord. By the way, in this passage the writer, Luke, changes the pronouns from ‘they’ to ‘we’. So, he has joined the team at this point.

I also like the expression he uses: ‘concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings’. The word ‘concluding’ shows a precious attitude of humility. Some Christians seem to always know ‘exactly’ what the Lord wants them to do without the need to ponder this. But most of us know that often we come to a ‘conclusion’ only after soul exercise. Perhaps the Lord leaves us an element of ‘residual uncertainty’ (if I may so call it) to keep us in dependence. Sometimes He will confirm the decision afterwards. This seems to be the case here — it did not take them long to get there: ‘we went in a straight course to Samothracia, and on the morrow to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi’ (vs. 11–12). From Acts 20:6 we can work out it took them five days to return.

A missionary team arrives in Philippi

So, the team arrives in Philippi, ‘the first city … a colony’ (16:12). Philippi was named after Philip II of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great). It became a Roman colony in 31 BC, so it was an important city that enjoyed certain privileges. It was on the Egnatian Way, a busy Roman trade route (see the map on the inside back cover). The verse goes on to say ‘we were staying in that city certain days’, so it is evident they wanted to get an impression of the city to find out how to reach the people there with the gospel. Entering a new area of service, it may be helpful ‘to look and listen’ before doing anything else. Perhaps Paul was also looking for a synagogue — he usually tried to speak to the Jewish community first. But Philippi seems to have had no significant Jewish population, at least not enough men to form a synagogue. In such cases, a place of prayer under the open sky and near a river or the sea was adopted as somewhere to meet. Paul had seen a man in his vision, but the first people he met were women. He and his companions shared the gospel with them — another indication of the value Christianity puts on women (in contrast to many religions). No Greek philosopher would have ‘wasted’ time speaking with women about their ideas. How different is the good news of Jesus Christ — a message for everyone who wants to hear: women and men, children and adults.

There was one soul that the Lord had prepared. ‘And a certain woman, by name Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God, heard; whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul’ (v. 14). Lydia, the first convert in Europe (as far as we know), was very likely not a Jew but a proselyte, a Gentile woman who worshipped the God of Israel. She came from Thyatira. What a contrast to the other woman from that city mentioned in the Bible: Jezebel (Rev. 2:18, 21)! The Lord opened Lydia’s heart — something only He can do. She seemed to be just waiting for the gospel message and accepted it in simple faith, and not only her but also her household. As she was obviously a wealthy woman this may have included servants as well. Later her house was also the gathering place of the believers.

Opposition and prison

At the same time Satan was already working to hinder the work. First, there was a demon-possessed slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. People were very interested in oracles and prophecies, hence the girl earned income for her owners. She cried out, ‘These men are bondmen of the Most High God, who announce to you the way of salvation’ (v. 17). There was some truth in it, but Paul was greatly disturbed. The gospel could not be furthered by witnesses from the darkness. Presumably, Paul was also irritated at the wild and distracting way the girl carried on. Her manner would repel rather than attract people. 

After Paul freed the girl from the demons, she was no longer useful to her masters as a way to make money, which led to the arrest of Paul and Silas. They were cast into the inner prison, and their feet put in the stocks. What might have gone through their minds! After following the Lord’s guidance and seeing initial success they had landed in prison. Was that the end? We do not know what they were thinking but we know what they did at midnight: ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas, in praying, were praising God with singing, and the prisoners listened to them’ (v. 25). The Lord’s plans for Philippi were not finished yet. He not only rescued His servants from prison but also saved the jailer and his household. This man was of a different calibre to Lydia. Before his heart was opened, he had to experience an earthquake and to come to the brink of committing suicide. 

‘And having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they exhorted them and went away’ (v. 40). When the apostle leaves Philippi he leaves behind the young assembly in Philippi: Lydia and her household; the jailer and his household, (perhaps) the slave girl and other believers. Some of them will be mentioned by name in the epistle. Because Luke, the writer of Acts, changes back from ‘we’ to ‘they’ in his report we can well assume that he stayed in Philippi to help and strengthen the assembly.

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From: Truth and Testimony, 2021