The Beginning of The Church at Philippi

Nick Minerva • Aug 31, 2021

Over the next several months I am going to be teaching through the book of Philippians. In this post, I want to look at Acts 16 to see how this church started.

Plans Redirected

In Acts 16 Paul and Silas begin what is now known as their second missionary journey. The plan was to encourage the churches they started on their first journey. As they begin retracing their steps a young man named Timothy joins the team in a city called Lystra. Paul’s plan was to travel through the region of Galatia up to Asia but the Holy Spirit stopped them. The Holy Spirit also prevented them from going into Bithynia so they go to the city of Troas. It was in this city that Paul has a vision of a Macedonian man pleading for help. 

So in Acts 16:10 Paul and his team begin their journey and eventually land in the city of Philippi. While Philippi was not the capital of Macedonia but it was a leading city in the region. In many ways was considered a miniature version of Rome. After being in the city several days the team joins a ladies’ prayer meeting and Paul leads them to Lord. One of these ladies was a businesswoman named Lydia. She then opens her home to them and her home became the meeting place for the Philippian Church. 

A Difficult Start

Then they meet a slave girl who was possessed by a demon that would predict the future. This slave girl made a large fortune for her owners. However when Paul meets her he cast the demon out of her, she places her faith in Christ. This infuriates her owners because they just lost their source of income. So they have Paul and Silas beaten and thrown in jail. But notice how Paul and Silas respond. 

Acts 16:25-30   About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, 

One of the things I love about the book of Philippians is the very backdrop and beginning of this church is joy-filled confidence, despite circumstances, because of the work of God. Paul and Silas are literally singing while their feet are in stocks. A very early and prolific Christian author was a man named Tertullian. He was born in 160 AD and he lived in Carthage, a Roman Province in Africa. He said about this passage  “The legs feel nothing in the stocks when the heart is in heaven.”  – Tertullian 1

Joy-filled confidence is not based on our circumstances, but on God. Back to Acts 16, God sends an earthquake that immediately frees everyone. The jailer realizing what has happened gets ready to kill himself, but Paul stops him saying that they are all still in their cells. At this point, the jailer and his entire family get saved. 

The Spirit At Work

Well, the next morning Paul tells the city officials, “we’re Roman citizens and you guys just beat us and threw us in jail without a trial. You can’t do that under Roman law.” So in order to appease Paul and Silas they come and escort them out of jail and urge them to leave town. But before they do, Paul and Silas head back over to Lydia’s home to encourage this brand new church. Verse 40 indicates that there are now more people who have placed their faith in Christ through this entire ordeal because it says Paul encouraged the brothers and sisters before he departed. 

This is not the way you want to start a church. Persecution and oppression. Beaten and thrown into prison. But what I find amazing about this story is the way the Spirit of God worked mightily through it all. A group of ladies trusting in Christ, demons being cast out, joy in the middle of persecution, earthquakes, chains literally being broken, and a church begins. Every difficult and hard season is an opportunity for the Spirit of God to move.

The Need For Joy

Fast forward about 10 years. Paul is back in prison, awaiting trial to determine if he will live or die. Epaphroditus, a faithful, Spirit-filled man in the church at Philippi, nearly dies while bringing an offering from the Philippians to Paul. And now Paul sends this letter back with Epaphroditus to arguably his favorite church. He writes the book of Philippians to encourage the hearts of believers and urges them (AND US) to rejoice in the Lord. 2 Joy is a spiritual grace that we all need to experience. 

If we are not careful we will allow seasons of stress, anxiety, hurt, betrayal, anger, to steal the joy of God from our hearts. We need an abundant, overflowing joy to fill our souls. As we work through the book of Philippians the Spirit of God is going to point us to that joy. 

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  1. To The Martyrs, 2
  2. Philippians 2:18, 3:1, 4:4

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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