Welcome from all of us at Albuquerque Reformed Church, a particular congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church located in New Mexico. We thank you for joining us for this week's sermon. For more information about Albuquerque Reformed Church or to contribute to its ministry, visit abqreformed.org. And now, we invite you to open your Bible and listen to the preached Word. Jonathan Edwards' A Narrative of Surprising Conversions is a profound account of the religious revival that occurred in Northampton, Massachusetts during the 1730s. The narrative illustrates the manifestation of saving grace in the lives of many individuals with specific cases highlighted to illustrate the compatibility of fervent gospel proclamation and sovereign grace theology. Faithful gospel proclamation and God's sovereign grace goes hand in hand. One is not divorced from the other. That means we faithfully preach the word of God. We faithfully preach the gospel and God saves. Conversion happens. Luke is doing something similar here in chapter 16. He is giving an account of conversions which took place in Paul's missionary labors along with his teammates. When he went on his first missionary journey, there were conversions. And now he is on his second missionary journey. And again, we are going to see conversions. Paul and his team are on a missionary journey and in this city, there are at least three individuals who will come to Christ. First Lydia, then the servant girl who was possessed with the spirit of divination and then the Philippian jailer. The result is the same in each instance, but the manner in which they are brought to Jesus Christ is different. This shows us that people may have different conversion experiences, different life situations or contexts through which they might have come to Christ. But as long as they come to Christ, everything is good. Everything is commendable. That's what we should be hoping that people would come to know Lord Jesus Christ. And this is a story we have with Lydia and the servant girl here. Last time we saw the apostles at Troas, which was in the coastal part of the north-western part of Asia, which is modern-day Turkey. From there they sailed to Samothrace, which was an island between Macedonia and Troas, and then from there to Neapolis, a coastal town in Macedonia, and from there to Philippi, which was the foremost city of that part of Macedonia. Philippi as a city was initially founded by Greek-speaking Thessians. Afterwards, it was conquered by King Philip II of Macedon, and he renamed the city in his honor. Philip II fortified the city and settled Macedonians there to protect important nearby gold and gem mines. So Philippi was known to have gold and gem mines. So Philip II fortified the city to protect that strategic wealth. And because the city was wealthy, there were people from other regions who had migrated to the city to make a living for themselves. This is what happens when a city prosper, people from other regions flock to that particular city. there were Greek speaking Macedonians, Latin speaking Romans and military veterans who had settled there. And this is where the Holy Spirit brought the missionaries from Troas. They were in Troas, there they saw a vision, a man of Macedonia was inviting them to come to Macedonia and here they are. As a way of application, if you are in this city, if you're part of this church, then it is God the Holy Spirit who brought you this city to this place. It is no accident you are here. It doesn't mean you cannot move elsewhere tomorrow, but if today you are here, then God the Holy Spirit has brought you here to this particular place. God the Holy Spirit had a specific ministry for Paul and his companions and that's why he sent them to this specific part of Macedonia Now we read here that on the Sabbath day Paul has and his companions went out of the city And We read here that They went out of the city to the river side where prayer was customarily made. And we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Last time I mentioned that the reason that the narrator is speaking in the third person plural is because Luke has also joined this missionary team. He's also part of this missionary team and is witnessing all things for himself. There are those who say that the New Testament accounts which we have is not trustworthy. But Luke learned about Jesus and his work from the apostles of Jesus who were living in Luke's time. He most likely he had met Peter face to face and John perhaps and some of the other apostles. And of course Paul because he was one of Paul's travel companion. He personally traveled with Paul and other disciples and saw for himself the work of the ascended Jesus in their midst. In this sense, the account you have in the book of Acts is reliable and trustworthy. You can count on it. You can trust the word which you have in your hand this morning. Now the usual custom of Paul and other missionaries was to go to Jewish synagogues whenever they would go to a new city. But in this case, we did not see them going to a synagogue on the Sabbath. What is the reason or what could be the reason that they did not go to a synagogue on the Sabbath? Scholars say and the historians say that to have a synagogue in a city there had to be at least 10 Jewish males. There had to be at least 10 Jewish males, but apparently there were not even 10 Jewish males in this city and hence there was no synagogue. Even at the prayer meeting you have here there were only women but no males. Now Luke focuses on this woman named Lydia who heard what Paul and his companions were speaking. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worshipped God. Thyatira was a city in Asia and the place from where she had come was well known for its dyers, gills and textiles. And inscriptions show that other Tayathira business agents also sold purple dye in Macedonia, becoming prosperous. So in this sense, she is a businesswoman from Tayathira who was living in Philippi with her household and doing business. Tayathira was a city in Asia Minor, where interestingly, where Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel. But the first person who hears the missionaries and receives the gospel is a woman from Asia. My dear friends, God's ways are amazing and we cannot fully fathom why he does what he does on this side of the shore. If you're trying to figure out everything about God, then just stop doing it because you will not be able to figure it out. Because God's ways are mysterious and we on this side of the shore, we will never be fully able to comprehend. We will never fully able to grasp why God does what he does. Paul and his team would have argued about going all the way to Philippi when there were so many people in Asia who needed to hear the gospel. But God sent all the way to Philippi. God sent the missionaries all the way to Philippi to preach the gospel to this Asian lady first. Yes, God's mercy and God's grace. Now her conversion story is a classic textbook case. She was a God-fearer and she gathered together on a regular basis for prayer with other women. In this sense, can we say that she was a regular church-going woman? We can say that she was a regular church-going woman. A woman who came to believe in the God of the Jews and who was a regular church attendee. But even she needed to hear the gospel preached and saved. And this was the same thing with Cornelius and his household. This was the same thing with the Ethiopian eunuch. They had to hear the gospel preached and saved. One of the applications which comes out of this, this is this, gospel is for the unbelievers as well as for those who are part of the church. We often presume that only the pagans who worship other gods need to hear the gospel. But that is not true. You could be a regular church-going person and still unconverted. Lydia went to the prayer meeting on a regular basis, but she was still unconverted. Even she needed to hear the gospel preach and be saved. That's the first thing. The second thing which we see here is that God is sovereign over salvation. Lydia heard the word of God, but what do we read here? Luke has very specifically mentioned here that the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Lord had to open her heart. In other words, it was God who gives a new heart to people to receive the gospel. You can hear the gospel being proclaimed, but ultimately, God has to open the heart. By nature, we are dead in our sins and trespasses, and all our righteousness is just like a filthy rags. But it is God who makes us alive and willing to receive the gospel. Prophet Ezekiel says concerning the work of God towards his people, he says, then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. That is a reference to regeneration. It is God who regenerates a person by spirit and gives them a new heart and puts a new spirit within them to embrace the gospel preach. God is sovereign over salvation and he chooses whom he chooses. The third thing which we see here is the blessing of God ordinarily comes through the means which He has appointed. Where was Lydia when she heard the gospel preached? She was in the church. She was at a place where prayers were offered. She was in the company of other God-fearers. If you want to receive deliverance, where you should be. If you're someone who is struggling in your life with sin, you're someone who is struggling in life with addiction, where should you be? Where would you be? You should be in the church where the word is preached and sung and prayed. One must be in the company of believers, in the company of believers where God dwells. Can God save a person on a football field? He can save. Can God save a person on a cinema theater? He can. But does He usually save people on football fields or cinema theaters? He usually save people through the ministry of God's word. And where does that happen? That happens in the church. So keep coming to the place of worship where God's word is preached and you will find deliverance and healing for your soul. Bring your friends, bring your relatives, bring your family members because it is a church where the gospel is preached week after week. Fourth, she was baptized with her household. Most likely Lydia was a widow because we do not hear anything about her husband. And we read here Lydia and her household instead of the household of her husband. So most likely she was a widow. But salvation came not only to her this day, but also came to her household. Apparently she invited the missionaries to her house and the missionaries spoke the word and her household was also baptized. Her faith was genuine because she did not delay in submitting to any ordinance appointed by Christ. Baptism as an ordinance is not something which the church invented. It is Jesus who instituted the ordinance of baptism and Lydia and her household promptly submitted to the ordinance of Christ. If you love Jesus, then you will gladly submit to every ordinance of Christ. If you truly love Jesus, then you will not be saying no to this or that. If If there is something which Jesus requires of you, if something is an ordinance which he has instituted, then you would gladly submit to that ordinance. Fifth, the fruit of her conversion. We see here that she invited the missionaries to her own house to stay with her family. We know at least there are four missionaries who are part of this team. It is Paul and Silas and Timothy and Luke. Most likely these missionaries might have stayed at a below average accommodation in Philippi. I don't think that they were traveling with a lot of cash in their pockets. But Lydia saw their need and offered them a place to stay. I don't think that hospitality is ever easy. We look at people, those who open their house for meals and for hospitality or to host people, we think that it is easy. It is never, never easy. It is never easy. If you invite someone to stay at your place for a couple of days, you will need to at least give them a clean bed and meals three times a day. And there were at least four men who were part of this team. But Lydia was willing to go an extra mile for the sake of serving these missionaries. She was sacrificial. She was willing to sacrifice a portion of her income. She was willing to sacrifice a portion of her time. The Lord was generous to her and to her family. In return, she showed generosity to the servants of the Lord. I don't know who this Lydia was, whether she was white or black, blonde or brunette, tall or short. overweight or petty but one thing we know about her that God opened her heart on that day and in return she showed generosity to the servants of the Lord. God mightily used her. Because if you look at the end of Acts chapter 16, 40, we read here that once Paul and Silas returned from the prison, they went back to the house of Lydia. They entered there and greeted other brethren, other people there, and then they finally departed. So her house actually became kind of a hub. Yeah, her house became a hub for the missionaries to stay and from there they did ministry there. So look at this lady, how God worked in her life and how she opened her heart and her house for the work of the Lord. And eventually a church came from that place. So our first focus was on Lydia in this text. The second work we see in this city is going to be in the heart of a slave girl who was possessed by a demonic spirit. Now we read in verse 16 that as they went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with the spirit of divination met them who brought her masters must profit by fortune telling. I don't think that by prayer here means only the act of praying. It is more likely a prayer meeting which consists of exposition of the word of God and prayer. Most likely the missionaries had begun teaching the word of God to these women and others might have joined. Some of them might have invited their husbands and their children. So now because of their missionary efforts a small church was beginning to take shape in Philippi. Later we see in the epistle to the Philippians Paul and Timothy would write to the saints in Philippi addressing them, saints in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. So eventually there would be a full-fledged church in Philippi with bishops and deacons. But it all began with the missionaries going to a prayer meeting and then a conversion of Lydia and her household. And then eventually a church came in this particular place. Now, as they were going to the prayer meeting, they met this slave girl who was possessed with a spirit of divination. She brought her masters much profit by fortune telling. If you read in English, you will not get it, but literally the word for divination in Greek here is python, python. Luke is saying she had a spirit of pythoness. or perhaps, yes, spirit of Pythonus. She had a spirit of Pythonus. In Greek mythology, the Pythian serpent or dragon that dwelt in the region of Pytho at the foot of Parnassus in Phocis was said to have guarded the Oracle of Delphi and was slain by Greek God Apollo. It is also possible that perhaps that she was possessed by the spirit of the Greek God Apollo himself. Whatever the case, she brought much profit to her owners by fortune telling. She was able to predict the future with the help of this demonic spirit which possessed her. Now this girl followed Paul and his companions and cried out saying, these men are the servants of the most high God who proclaim to us the way of salvation. And this she did for many days. I think initially Paul and his companions ignored her for many days, even though she did this for many days. Most likely, they might have thought that this girl is going to be a trouble. And the moment they cast out this demon, her owners will come after them and they will impede their church planting effort at Philippi. It is possible, that's how they might have argued. Or initially they might not have recognized that she had a demonic spirit. It's possible that they might not have recognized, they might have just ignored her. They might have thought to themselves that what this girl is saying is true and they are getting free publicity. And free publicity was good for their work in Philippi. They wanted everyone to know that they were servants of the Most High God and not the servants of some small Greek God. We don't know what was exactly the reason, but Paul and his companions tolerated her for some days. We also do not know exactly why this girl kept on telling the crowd that they were servants of the Most High God. Because she was possessed by a demon and demons try to avoid Jesus. They hate God. So we don't know exactly why she was crying that these are the servants of the Most High God. But this is very similar to what happened during the ministry of Jesus. Demons often cried out saying to Jesus that you are the son of God. Maybe Satan thought that in this way he would continue to have a foothold in the community even if some people would become Christians. If one thing which demons hated most was being cast out. In Mark 5, we see a demonic position where demons requested Jesus to go into pigs if they cannot remain on the person whom they were tormenting. So most likely the demon thought that if he did the publicity, Paul would just ignore the demon. Well, that's not what happened here. We read here that Paul greatly annoyed turned and said, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. Whatever demon it was, whether it was a Greek God Apollo or some serpent spirit, it left the girl immediately. This girl was in bondage to this demon who knows for how many years and was exploited by her masters for money, but she was set free immediately. This is the power of the name of Christ. Whether a person is in Jerusalem or in Philippi or even here in Albuquerque, Jesus is able to vanquish every power of the enemy. There is power in the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is above every other name and there is no other name by which men could be saved and delivered from the power of Satan. Jesus saves, he delivers people from the oppression of sin and Satan. Now obviously there is a cost to Paul and Silas. There is a cost. We see that the authorities, we see that the crowd seized Paul and Silas and brought them before the authorities. The people who owned her lost their income. They just lost their paycheck. all their income was coming from exploitation, exploiting her. They did not care whether she was possessed or not or what would happen to her soul. All they cared about was making money out of her. But now their hope of making profit was gone and they were furious. We do not see Timothy and Luke this time with Paul and Silas. Either they were at some other place or the crowd left them knowing they were Gentiles and not Jews. It is very much possible that this city had a prejudice against the Jews. Because in their charge against Paul and Silas, they accused them of being Jews and teaching customs which were contrary to Romans to receive or observe. And also the fact that this city did not have any synagogues. 10 Jewish males were required to have a synagogue. And most likely there weren't even 10 Jews in this city. Whatever the case, the magistrates were infuriated. They tore the clothes of Paul and Silas. In the ancient world, it is a form of humiliation. So even before they were ordered to be beaten with rods, they were publicly humiliated. Then they were beaten with rods and consigned to the prison. so much so for preaching the gospel and showing the way of salvation to those who were perishing. Jesus said to his disciples that they would be persecuted and brought before the magistrates. Paul exhorted the churches he visited during his first missionary journey, saying, we must, through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. My dear friends, if you are a Christian, if you are a believer, you are going to be persecuted. You are going to be hated. There's a good chance that people at your workplace or in your neighborhood may just hate you because just because you are a Christian. That's what Jesus suffered. He suffered for the sake of the gospel. Paul and his companions suffered for the sake of the gospel. We may also suffered for the sake of the gospel. Their missionary journey was full of trouble and tribulations, but their labor was not in vain. Their labor was not in vain. Luke is demonstrating here that the gospel is a divine power through which God brings about salvation. The Lord opened Lydia's heart and she was saved. Then the same Lord destroyed the power of Satan from the life of the slave girl who was being exploited. Paul and Silas are in prison, but this is not going to be the end of their ministry. Their going into prison will open another avenue of ministry for them. The ascended Jesus will continue to save as we go through the book of Acts. What does this mean to us this morning? Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He saved then, He saves now. He vanquished the power of Satan then, and He vanquishes the power of Satan now. He's able to free His people from every bondage. I don't know what bondage you are in this morning, but Jesus is able to free you from every bondage. There is no power on earth which can withstand him. There is no demon which can challenge him. His cross is victorious over all his enemies. He is the author and finisher of our faith. If you come to him, then not only he will give you freedom from bondage, but he will also offer you forgiveness of sins. Receive him and he will make you one of his choices vessels as we pray. Our most gracious holy father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for showing us from your word that there is power in the name of Jesus, no matter no matter what tribulations or trials are before you, we know one thing for sure from your word, that the gospel is a part of God and to salvation to the end. So Lord, we thank you for your work in our own midst and for showing us that you are the same God yesterday, today, and forever, and that you would continue to save your people from sin and from the power of Satan. Lord, we also pray that you would use us mightily as you use Lydia in that city. We pray that you would also use us and our lives for your kingdom, that through our lives, many would be brought into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we pray that you would use us. We ask this prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.