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Deffinbaugh \line Biblical Studies Press \line 2000\par \pard\b\f1\fs20\page\b0\f0\fs28 To Live Is Christ: \line A Study of the Book of Philippians\fs24\par \pard\sb100\sa100 Contents \par \pard Lesson 1: The Birth of the Church at Philippi (\cf2\ul Act_15:36\cf1\ulnone\endash 16:40)\par Lesson 2: Paul\rquote s Perspective as a Servant (\cf2\ul Php_1:1-2\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 3: Paul\rquote s Perspective as a Prisoner (\cf2\ul Php_1:3-11\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 4: Paul\rquote s Perspective on Pain and Pettiness (\cf2\ul Php_1:12-18\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 5: Paul\rquote s Perspective on Life and Death (\cf2\ul Php_1:18\cf1\ulnone b-26\par Lesson 6: Christian Citizenship: Living Out the Gospel (\cf2\ul Php_1:27\cf1\ulnone\endash 2:2)\par Lesson 7: The Ultimate in Humility\endash Leaving the Comfort Zone (\cf2\ul Php_2:3-11\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 8: Fleshing Out Your Faith (\cf2\ul Php_2:12-18\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 9: A Few Good Men (\cf2\ul Php_2:19-30\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 10: Paul\rquote s Perspective on Profit and Loss (\cf2\ul Php_3:1-11\cf1\ulnone )\par Lesson 11: Paul\rquote s Perspective on Perfectionism (\cf2\ul Php_3:12-21\cf1\ulnone )\par Lessons 12 & 13: Stand Fast, Stand Together (\cf2\ul Php_4:1-9\cf1\ulnone )\par Lessons 14 & 15: Give and Take (\cf2\ul Php_4:10-20\cf1\ulnone )\par \f1\~\par \pard\sb100\sa100\f0\fs20 Robert L. Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. in 1971. Bob is a teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use byLVAL the Foundation. These are edited manuscripts of messages delivered by Robert L. Deffinbaugh, teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel. Anyone is at liberty to use this edited manuscript for educational purposes only, with or without credit. The Chapel believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God\rquote s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Community Bible Chapel. Copyright 2000 by Community Bible Chapel, 210 Abrams Road, Richardson, TX 75081.\par \f1 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from \b\i The NET Bible\b0\i0 . The \i New English Translation\i0 , also known as \i The NET Bible\i0 , is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. It was completed by more than twenty biblical scholars who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. The translation project originally started as an attempt to provide an electronic version of a modern translation for electronic distribution over the Internet and on CD (compact disk). Anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection will be able to use and print out \i The NET Bible\i0 without cost for personal study. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. It is available on the Internet at: \cf0{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK "http://www.bible.org"}}{\fldrslt{\ul\cf3 http://www.bible.org}}}\cf1\f1\fs20 .\par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\b\scaps\f0\fs18\~\b0\scaps0\fs20\par \b\scaps\fs18 Trademark and Copyright Information\b0\scaps0\fs20\par \pard\sb100\sa100\scaps Copyright \'a9 1995 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. and the authors. All rights reserved. For free usage information, please read the BSF Web site Copyright Statement for fair use statements. \scaps0\par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\scaps\fs18 Electronic Access toLVAL this Material\scaps0\fs20\par \scaps This Material is available for use on the internet via an agreement with the Biblical Studies Foundation, a non-Profit Foundation at:\line\cf0\fs18{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK "www.bible.org"}}{\fldrslt{\ul\cf3 www.bible.org}}}\cf1\scaps0\f0\fs20\par \pard\sb100\sa100\scaps Biblical studies copyrighted by individual authors and the Biblical Studies Press are not shareware or public domain and may not be duplicated without permission.\scaps0\par \pard\sb100\sa100\qc\b\scaps\fs18 BSF Website Copyright Statement\b0\scaps0\fs20\par \pard\sb100\sa100\scaps From our website at \cf0{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK "www.bible.org"}}{\fldrslt{\ul\cf3 www.bible.org}}}\cf1\f0\fs20 , you may download the information and print it for yourself and others as long as it is given away and no charge is made for it. In this case, free means free. It cannot be bundled with anything sold, nor can a charge be made for shipping, handling, or anything. It is provided for personal study or for use in preparation of sermons, Sunday school classes, or other non-commercial study. This release does not apply to other media than paper printed distribution.\scaps0 \par \scaps For Free distribution of more than 100 copies, you must obtain written permission and comply with reasonable guidelines of content control and include currently valid BSP copyright and organizational acknowledgments. \scaps0\par \scaps For permission, inquire by e-mail to \ldblquote head@bible.org\rdblquote or call 800-575-2425\par \pard\scaps0\f2\fs22 Formatted for e-Sword by David Cox\par Copyright \'a92008 Biblical Studies Press, reprinted with permission from \cf0{\field{\*\fldinst{HYPERLINK "www.bible.org"}}{\fldrslt{\ul\cf3 www.bible.org}}}\cf1\f2\fs22 for free redistribution.\par \pard\sb100\sa100\kerning28\f3\par }  *X ` / i :  15 ConclusionVd4, 14-15 Give and Take 4:10-20 A4H< 12-13 Stand Fast, Stand Together 4:1-9M4^R 11 Paul's Perspective on Perfectionism 3:12-216@4nb 10 Paul's Perspective on Profit and Loss 3:1-114pd 09 A few good men 2:19-30r4D8 08 Fleshing out your Faith 2:12-18=4VJ07 Ultimate in Humility 2:3-11j4NB06 Christian Citizenship: Living Out the Gospel a4rf05 Paul's Perspective on Life and Death 1:18-26|x4pd04 Pauls Perspective on Pain and Pettiness 1:12-18r]4vj03 Paul's Perspective as Prisoner 1:3-11K4bV02 Paul's Perspective as Servant 1:1-2-4^R01 Birth of the Church at Philippi Act 15:36-16:40|4vj00 A Study Book of Philippians8.4NBLVAL4{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0{\fonttbl{\f0\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Arial;}{\f1\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f2\fnil\fcharset0 Georgia;}} {\colortbl ;\red51\green102\blue102;\red0\green128\blue0;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue255;} {\*\generator Riched20 5.40.11.2210;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\sb100\sa100\cf1\lang1033\kerning36\f0\fs36 Lesson 1: The Birth of the Church at Philippi \line (\cf2\ul Act_15:36\cf1\ulnone\endash\cf2\ul Act_16:40\cf1\ulnone )\fs48\par \kerning0\fs36 Introduction\par \cf3\fs24 When I was growing up, I had an English teacher named Clyde Riddell. Mr. Riddell had served in the army during World War II and had some very fascinating stories to tell about his part in that war. He also spoke some German. To be honest, I\rquote m not sure how much, but he certainly had some expressions he used frequently. Incidentally, years later, while I was a student at Dallas Seminary, my summer job was teaching high school classes in a Washington State Penitentiary, which was located in my home town. Mr. Riddell was teaching there as well, so I was able to relate to him as a colleague, as well as a teacher.\par One thing sticks out in my mind when I think of Clyde Riddell, something that contributed to his great skill as a teacher. Mr. Riddell could virtually change his personality in a split second. Usually, Mr. Riddell was a very jovial fellow, making jokes and taking a very lighthearted approach to teaching. But there were times when my classmates and I would get unruly, requiring Mr. Riddell to bring the class back under control. When such times occurred, Mr. Riddell\rquote s face would suddenly darken into a frown, and that look was enough to stop bad behavior in its tracks. No one wanted to take on this \ldblquote Mr. Riddell,\rdblquote not even me. But when things were once again under control in the classroom, the old \ldblquote Mr. Riddell\rdblquote emerged, much to our relief.\par I have always thought of the Apostle Paul in similar terms, except that Paul has severalLVAL \ldblquote faces\rdblquote which are evident in his epistles. For example, there is \ldblquote Paul, the theologian.\rdblquote You can see Paul\rquote s very logical reasoning in the Book of Romans, as he meticulously works his way through the doctrine of salvation. In 1 Corinthians, for example, we see \ldblquote Paul, the troubleshooter.\rdblquote As Paul writes to the Corinthians, he deals with questions they have asked him, and with the problems he has discerned through his communication with others. In 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, we see a very \ldblquote fatherly Paul.\rdblquote Here, Paul is a mentor, giving wise counsel to younger men in ministry. In Galatians, we find a very different Paul. Let\rquote s call him \ldblquote Paul, the warrior.\rdblquote Here, Paul reminds me a great deal of Clyde Riddell in his \ldblquote mad mode.\rdblquote As we read Galatians, we see a very animated and even angry apostle, incensed by the fact that some are turning from the true gospel of salvation by grace alone and embracing another \b\ldblquote gospel,\rdblquote\b0 a gospel of works. This \ldblquote other gospel\rdblquote does not save, but condemns. Here is a Paul that we really don\rquote t want to face.\par How different is the Paul of Philippians! He is just the opposite of \ldblquote Paul, the warrior\rdblquote in Galatians. Let\rquote s call him \ldblquote Paul, the optimist.\rdblquote Paul is never more upbeat, never more joyful and triumphant than he is in the Book of Philippians. This is not because of any great success or due to the lack of difficulties in his life. Indeed, many things are quite the opposite of pleasant. Paul is not writing from the penthouse of a fancy hotel; he is writing from a prison cell. Some disagree over where this prison is located, but it seems clear that Paul is waiting for his trial, and his future is uncertain. He may even face execution. Paul is therefore not free to go about preaching the gospel and establishing churches as he once did. Some are using hiLVALs imprisonment as an opportunity to gain a following at his expense, as we shall see in chapter 1. There is also some kind of disagreement between two women, as we find in chapter 4. At the time of his writing, Paul has only one person whom he can trust to send to Philippi\emdash Timothy\emdash who will seek the Philippians\rquote best interests, rather than his own (\cf2\ul Php_2:20-21\cf3\ulnone ). In spite of these circumstances, Paul is jubilant, joyful, optimistic. \par Many of us need a good dose of whatever it is that inspires such joy in the Apostle Paul. I don\rquote t know why, but there are all too many saints in the church with long faces and sour spirits. There is a book, written by an unbelieving psychiatrist, entitled, \i Whatever Happened to Sin?\i0 The church desperately needs another book, which might be called, \i Whatever Happened to Joy?\i0 Actually, that book does exist. It is the Book of Philippians, the book we have chosen as our study for this series of messages. It is a book that, if taken to heart, can radically transform our outlook and sweeten up some sour saints, not to mention pointing others who have not yet met Him to Christ, the source of all true joy. Let us listen well to the words of Paul in Philippians, and seek to learn why \b\ldblquote to live is Christ.\rdblquote\b0\par \cf1\fs36 The Uniqueness of Philippians\par \cf3\fs24 It is my conviction that every book of the Bible has a unique contribution to make to the Bible as a whole\emdash something that no other book accomplishes or contributes. So as we commence our study of Philippians, I would ask this question: \ldblquote What is the unique contribution of Philippians to the Bible as a whole?\rdblquote Allow me to make some preliminary suggestions.\par \i First, the Philippian church is the first church to be planted in Europe.\i0 We shall see in this lesson how God providentially and more directly guided Paul and those with him to Macedonia, and specifically Philippi. Here, a number were brought to faLVALith by the preaching of the gospel. Here, the first church in Europe was planted. \par \i Second, the church at Philippi is the only church I am aware of in the New Testament that is used as a model for other churches to follow.\i0 The Philippian church was used by Paul as an example of generosity, so as to stimulate the Corinthians to follow-through with their commitment to give to the needy saints in Judea (\cf2\ul 2Co_8:1-5\cf3\ulnone ; \cf2\ul 2Co_9:1-5\cf3\ulnone ). Paul indicates in this letter that the Philippians were the only ones to stand behind him financially in his times of need (\cf2\ul Php_4:10-19\cf3\ulnone ). Here is a church committed to support the proclamation of the gospel. Here is a church we would do well to imitate. While Paul is a man we should all seek to imitate individually, the Philippian church is a church we should seek to imitate corporately.\par \i Third, Philippians is an epistle that gives us an entirely different standard for giving and fund-raising.\i0 The Apostle Paul seems to have written this epistle as a \ldblquote thank you\rdblquote letter in response to the gifts\cf0\super\f1\fs20 [1]\cf3\nosupersub\f0\fs24 that were sent to him in his time of need. As Dr. Haddon Robinson once remarked, this epistle does not come with a tear-out contribution card and a self-addressed, stamped envelope, with the hope of getting yet another gift from the Philippians. Elsewhere we see a fair amount of instruction concerning the giving of gifts, but in this great epistle Paul gives us a unique perspective on the receiving of gifts, one that is both rare and refreshing.\par \i Fourth, the Book of Philippians helps us to define biblical fellowship.\b \b0\i0 All too often the term \ldblquote fellowship\rdblquote is used almost synonymously with \ldblquote friendship\rdblquote or some similar term. Some think that standing around at church eating refreshments and making small talk is \ldblquote fellowship.\rdblquote This is not the case for Paul or for the other New TestaLVALment writers. True \ldblquote\i koinonia\rdblquote\i0 or fellowship will be defined in Philippians. \par \i Fifth, Philippians is a book that helps us get a proper perspective on unjust suffering, persecution, and even death.\i0 I have chosen Paul\rquote s words in chapter 1, verse 21, as the title for this series: \b\ldblquote To live is Christ.\rdblquote\b0 When this is our perspective, and we now have the right perspective toward life, we will also have a proper perspective toward adversity and even death. This is why the apostle can add, \b\ldblquote\'85and to die is gain.\rdblquote\b0 The Book of Philippians spells out just how this expression should define our perspective. And if it does, we shall never be grouchy Christians again.\par \cf1\fs36 The Birth of the Church at Philippi \par \fs28 Part I: Divinely Guided to Philippi (\cf2\ul Act_15:36\cf1\ulnone\endash\cf2\ul Act_16:12\cf1\ulnone )\par \cf3\fs24 15:36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, \ldblquote Let\rquote s return and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord to see how they are doing.\rdblquote 37 Barnabas wanted to bring John called Mark along with them too, 38 but Paul insisted that they should not take along this one who had left them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39 They had a sharp disagreement, so that they parted company. Barnabas took along Mark and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and set out, commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers and sisters. 41 He passed through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.\par 16:1 He also came to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 As they went through the towns, they passLVALed on the decrees that had been decided on by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the Gentile believers to obey. 5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in number every day.\par 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia. 7 When they came to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to, 8 so they passed through Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul during the night: a Macedonian man was standing there urging him, \ldblquote Come over to Macedonia and help us!\rdblquote 10 After Paul saw the vision, we attempted immediately to go over to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11 We put out to sea from Troas and sailed a straight course to Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of that district of Macedonia, a Roman colony. We stayed in this city for some days. \par God seldom does things the way we would expect. Amazing as it may seem, the church at Philippi began as the result of two heated arguments. The \i first\i0 debate\emdash that of Paul and Barnabas with the Judaisers\emdash was over the gospel itself. On this issue, Paul and Barnabas stood together against those who sought to require Gentile converts to Christ to become Jewish proselytes. They insisted that Gentiles must become Christians by also becoming Jews. They demanded that Gentile converts undergo circumcision, and by this symbolic act, to place themselves under the Old Testament law. \cf2\ul Act_15:1-35\cf3\ulnone describes the way the apostles and the elders of the church in Jerusalem handled this debate. They concluded that Gentile converts were not to be subjected to Judaism and laid down only minimal requirements of these converts.\par The \i second \i0 was a debate between Paul and Barnabas over their next missionary journey (\cf2\ul Act_15:36-LVAL41\cf3\ulnone ). They had completed their first missionary journey some time before, and Paul felt strongly that they should now make a return visit to the churches that they had established. Barnabas agreed, but wanted to take John Mark along with them. The problem was that Mark had deserted them on their first missionary journey (\cf2\ul Act_13:13\cf3\ulnone ). Paul was not willing to risk yet another failure, and so he refused to take Mark along with them. Barnabas wanted to salvage this young man and his ministry and insisted on taking him along. They strongly disagreed, and the result was that Barnabas took Mark along with him and went to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and set out from Syria and Cilicia.\par I have dealt with this matter in my exposition of the Book of Acts,\cf0\super\f1\fs20 [2]\cf3\nosupersub\f0\fs24 so I will not deal with it in detail here. I will say that I believe both Paul and Barnabas were right. Barnabas was acting consistently with his gift of encouragement (see \cf2\ul Act_4:36\cf3\ulnone ), while Paul was right in refusing to take Mark along on a mission in which he was likely to fail again. While these two men strongly disagreed, their friendship endured, and the result was that there were now two missionary teams, rather than one. Barnabas had done his work well with Paul, and it was time for the two to venture out on their own. So often today, men \ldblquote split\rdblquote ministries in a way that creates animosity and division. I do not believe this happened with Barnabas and Paul, and later history bears this out.\par What is very interesting to me is the way God providentially used the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas to prepare the way for a new and unexpected thrust of missionary activity. From what we read in \cf2\ul Act_15:36-41\cf3\ulnone , neither Paul nor Barnabas anticipated a new missionary thrust into Europe. At most, they expected merely to return to those churches they had established on their first journey. But God had much bigger things LVALin mind. The second missionary journey of Paul would be even more dangerous than the first, and therefore taking John Mark along would be ill advised. On the other hand, because Barnabas took Mark with him to Cyprus, Paul did not need to concern himself with returning there, even though it was a part of his first missionary journey. This division of labor worked out well for everyone and paved the way for a new penetration of the gospel, beyond what anyone might ask or think.\par Acts 16 begins with the arrival of Paul and Silas at Derbe and Lystra in southern Galatia. It is in Lystra that Paul first encounters Timothy. This young man had a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. Paul had him circumcised so that his ministry would be more broadly accepted. It is apparent that no one was demanding that he be circumcised, as was the case with Titus (\cf2\ul Gal_2:3-5\cf3\ulnone ), or Paul would never have circumcised him. Luke makes it very clear to the reader that Timothy was already a combat-proven disciple. If Paul would not take John Mark along because of the dangers they would face, he surely would not have taken an unproven Timothy along, either. But \cf2\ul Act_16:2\cf3\ulnone indicates that Timothy was already one who had proven his faithfulness in ministry.\par As Paul, Silas and Timothy made their way to the churches that had been previously founded, they delivered the decree of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, which greatly encouraged the saints. Had Paul and Barnabas not separated, they would likely have retraced the steps of their first missionary journey. But that would have taken them to Cyprus. Barnabas is already there with Mark, and so Paul must now decide where to go from Galatia. They could either turn south and head back to Antioch, or he could go north to Bithynia or Asia. The Holy Spirit would not allow Paul and those with him to preach either in Asia or Bithynia. They had traveled as far to the northwest as they could, to the seaport city of Troas. Where were they to go from LVALhere? It was at this point that God guided this small missionary band by means of a vision\emdash the so-called Macedonian vision. \par The vision was given to Paul in the middle of the night. A Macedonian man appealed to Paul to \b\ldblquote come over to Macedonia and help them\rdblquote\b0 (16:9). Paul immediately told the others about it. It is interesting to note the change in our text from \b\ldblquote they\rdblquote\b0 (\cf2\ul Act_16:6\cf3\ulnone ; \cf2\ul Act_16:7\cf3\ulnone ) to \b\ldblquote we\rdblquote\b0 (\cf2\ul Act_16:10\cf3\ulnone ). From this, we conclude that Luke joined Paul and the others in Troas, and then remained on in Philippi when the others left (see \cf2\ul Act_16:40\cf3\ulnone f., where we find \b\ldblquote they\rdblquote\b0 once again). The missionary party now turns northwest, taking the gospel into Europe. They sail from Troas some 60 miles or so to the island of Samothrace, and then they sail the rest of the way across the Aegean Sea to the port city of Neapolis. It is yet another ten-mile trek from Neapolis to Philippi, where the first church in Europe is soon to be founded.\par \cf1\fs28 Part II: Two Women and a Warden (\cf2\ul Act_16:13-40\cf1\ulnone )\par \cf3\fs24 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate to the side of the river, where we thought there would be a place of prayer, and we sat down and began to speak to the women who had assembled there. 14 A woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, a God-fearing woman, listened to us. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, \ldblquote If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.\rdblquote And she persuaded us. 16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. 17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept cryLVALing out, \ldblquote These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.\rdblquote 18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, \ldblquote I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!\rdblquote And it came out of her at once. 19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, \ldblquote These men are throwing our city into confusion. They are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans.\rdblquote 22 The crowd joined the attack against them, and the magistrates tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had beaten them severely, they threw them into prison and commanded the jailer to guard them securely. 24 Receiving such orders, he threw them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. \par 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly, \ldblquote Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!\rdblquote 29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and asked, \ldblquote Sirs, what must I do to be saved?\rdblquote 31 They replied, \ldblquote Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.\rdblquote\cf0\super\f1\fs20 [3]\cf3\nosupersub\f0\fs24 32 LVAL Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. 33 At that hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized right away. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set food before them; and he rejoiced greatly that he had come to believe in God, together with his entire household. 35 At daybreak the magistrates sent their police officers, saying, \ldblquote Release those men.\rdblquote 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, \ldblquote The magistrates have sent orders to release you. So come out now and go in peace.\rdblquote 37 But Paul said to the police officers, \ldblquote They had us beaten in public without a proper trial\emdash even though we are Roman citizens\emdash and they threw us in prison. And now they want to send us away secretly? No way! They themselves must come and escort us out!\rdblquote 38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, 39 and came and apologized to them. After they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly to leave the city. 40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia\rquote s house; and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then departed.\par We know from \cf2\ul Act_16:18\cf3\ulnone that Paul and those with him went about preaching for \ldblquote many days.\rdblquote We also know that when Paul and Silas left Philippi there were a number of \ldblquote brethren\rdblquote (16:40). It is safe to assume, then, that the three people whom Luke has chosen to include in his account in chapter 16 are but a sampling of the converts who came to faith due to Paul\rquote s preaching. And a rather unlikely bunch they are. If you or I were to hand pick those whom we w