Day 1184: Overcoming Satan's strategies - Acts 16 vs 13 - 26

13-14 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. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper 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.

16-18 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. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 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. 19-22 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practise.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods.

23-26 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 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. Acts 16:13-26 English Standard Version.

In Matthew 16 Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We see His words now in action as the gospel came to Philippi. Having arrived in Europe, Paul and his companions preached to those who'd gathered at a place of prayer. Interestingly, it was 'outside the gate of the city'. Even in those days worshippers of God were not popular in the city. And we see that God opened the heart of Lydia. After being baptized, she invited those who'd brought the good news of Christ to stay at her home during their time in Philippi. When Jesus calls His servants to a work, He meets their needs on the way. But it was what happened next that shows how Satan tried to prevent Jesus building His church. Why do you think Paul stopped the slave girl from announcing that they were 'servants of the most high God’, and that they were ‘proclaiming to the people the way of salvation'?

Could it be that he was aware that she was demon possessed, and so any success they had in Philippi would be attributed as much to the demon controlling her, as to Jesus. He would later say to Christians “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15 New Living Bible). So, having failed in his subtle attempt to undermine the gospel, Satan resorted to attacking them directly.

Those who'd lost their source of income when the demon was cast out stirred up the crowd so that Paul and Silas were dragged before magistrates, severely beaten, and thrown into prison with their feet in stocks. Persecution had became painful. But Christ was going to build His church! The dungeon was shaken by an earthquake, the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened! As He had promised, the gates of hell would not stop what He sent His disciples out to do. How we need to keep that in mind as opposition to the gospel grows stronger in the UK, and elsewhere. Like Paul and Silas, let us sing God's praise even in the darkest of circumstances.