47. Paul and Silas in Philippi

What the Story Says

1. Who was Paul?

   Saul changed his name to his Roman name, Paul, as he traveled through the Roman Empire (#47-01).

2. Where did Paul and Silas meet Lydia?

   Paul and Silas met Lydia in Philippi when they went to a place by the river outside the city where people gathered to pray (#47-02).

3. What did the demon enable the slave girl to do for her masters?

   The demon enabled her to predict the future for people. They paid her masters a lot of money for that (#47-03).

4. Why was Paul annoyed with the slave girl?

   The demon caused her to keep telling people that Paul and Silas were servants of the Most High God (#47-04).

5. What did the owners of the slave girl do when Paul forced the demon to leave her?

   They became very angry with Paul and Silas, for they realized the girl could no longer tell the future, and people would no longer pay them. So they took Paul and Silas to the authorities, who beat them and put them into jail (#47-06), (#47-07).

6. What happened when the earthquake shook the jail during the night?

   All the prison doors opened wide, and the chains of all the prisoners fell off. As a result, the jailer thought the prisoners had escaped, and planned to kill himself (#47-09), (#47-10).

7. What did the jailer ask Paul and Silas when they stopped him from killing himself?

   The jailer asked them what he must do in order to be saved (#47-11).

8. Why did Paul and Silas baptize the jailer and his whole family?

   Paul and Silas baptized them because they all believed in Jesus (#47-12).

9. What did Paul do after he and Silas were released from jail in Philippi?

   Paul traveled to many cities to preach the good news about Jesus. He also wrote many letters to the teach and encourage the believers in the churches. Some of his letters became books of the Bible (#47-13), (#47-14).

What the Story Means to Us

1. Why did Paul and Silas go to the river in Philippi?

   When Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi, they looked for a place where people would be willing to hear about Jesus. They went to the river because that was the place where people went to pray to God.

2. Why did Lydia need to believe in Jesus if she already loved and worshipped God?

   Lydia perhaps followed the Jewish religion. She knew about God, but she did not know about Jesus. When Paul and Silas told her about Jesus, she believed in him and was baptized. It is not enough for a person to believe in God. They must also believe in Jesus whom God sent in order to be saved from their sins.

3. Why was Paul so annoyed by the demon that was speaking the truth about Paul and Silas?

   Demons are evil, and the enemies of God. Therefore, Paul was not willing to have them speak about God—even if what they said at that time was true. There can be no friendship between demons and the servants of God.

4. What were Paul and Silas doing in the middle of the night while they were in jail?

   Even though the authorities beat Paul and Silas and threw them into jail, they were singing songs of praise to God. They trusted God completely, and were able to praise him in the most difficult situations.

5. Why did Paul stop the jailer from killing himself?

   Paul had mercy on the jailer. The jailer was so ashamed because he thought the prisoners had escaped that he planned to kill himself. But Paul and Silas remained in the prison instead of escaping so that they could tell the jailer about Jesus. As a result, the jailer and his whole family believed.

6. To whom did Paul write the letters that became books of the Bible?

   Paul wrote all of his letters to the believers in the churches of that time. However, the Holy Spirit guided Paul so that some of his books are also written to us today to encourage and teach us. Therefore, each book of the Bible has both an ancient and a modern audience.

Summary

Paul never forgot that God saved him from persecuting the believers and enabled him to proclaim the message about Jesus to people in many different people groups. Because God was so gracious to him, Paul was willing to go anywhere for God, and to praise him even when he was suffering. As a result, God used Paul powerfully to preach to people in many cities throughout the world. In addition, Paul wrote many letters to believers in different cities to teach and encourage them. Many of these letters became books of the Bible and continue to teach and encourage us today. Therefore, Pauls' ministry extended to places he never visited, and continues long after his death, even to today.