R1540 Witnessing Where Freedom Reigns

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based breaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on willing servant hood.

It is so good to invite you in this time of Bible study Dr. Don Wilton well-known author evangelist and pastor and today as we study God's word together he would want me to remind you that you're not on that side of the radio and were on the side note though that might be physically true. Now we together in the body of Christ, and we love to be part of your support team praying with you and for you to connect with us on our website keyboard to keyboard@theencouragingword.org we really are here to encourage you and even on the phone. It 866-899-WORD sometimes it's good just to talk and have someone pray for you. 866-899-9673 or online@theencouragingword.o are now Dr. Don Wilton subject today is entitled willing servant hood willing servant hood. I want you to just think about that. I'm looking upon so many servants of the Lord's servant is someone who serves serves the one Hussein's them does everything for the person for whom they work under whose employee they operate. God calls us to serve him. And Jesus was the servant of all was me he was the servant of all. So here is the apostle Paul and God speaks to him and to those that were with him and we find him.) This town. The city: Croats right there by the way, to orient you Troy, the ancient city of Troy was not to fall. The reason those docs all day is that Troy is a town as a city is a place no longer exists. That's way for some of you are familiar with that some of the great battles that took place but they did get Troy in the province of Mysia and of course we remember that pole and Barnabas decided that they wanted to godparent by finny and the Holy Spirit said no I don't want you to go and they they they sold vision from Macedonia. This is the province here in Greece saying come over here God was speaking to them and this is the point at which servant would become such a reality because God said to these people.

We want you I want you to come to Macedonia and they said yes Lord will go and serve. So here they are right on the edge of the Aegean Sea and they get on a ship and then journey from Truax as to Minneapolis is a very arduous part of the journey we going to discover on his third missionary journey when they were coming back will see that some weeks later that that journey took them five days coming back on this trip. When they left Truax as they pulled in to this place your cold salmon see Sambo thrice Sambo thrice arrived in the Greek it's just got a payday. Looks like Sambo Frak. That's all you really pronounce it Sambo Frak but I'm going to say it in American Sambo thrice arrived there. It is right there and that there is a little island what you need to know about Samothrace, only about 8 miles long. Really, if you wanted to put a circumference round you'd cover about 60 miles total, extremely mountainous, very mountainous and Sambo thrice was on the Macedonian rule. They own that island is important to understand the Romans were in control and really had to ports on one on either side of Sambo thrice said was a very logical place was used a lot by the Romans.

Just as a place very mountainous but it was also the home of the ancient gods effect back in about if I remember about 119 BCE. That's before Christ. They even corrected a statue of the God Mikey right. The Romans were very much into athletics and the God Mikey was established right that just try to make the connection and they the ones that brought all the big checks for the athletes that will comes from rocket done believe a word I'm saying right now.

Okay I just wanted so they leave Croats.

They go to Sambo thrice, which is on the Macedonian rule. Then I get on the ship and they land here at the port city of meet S not a lot about Minneapolis. It really was the port city to the gateway to Macedonian that part of modern day Greece golden turkey in this area here in Minneapolis over the decades and centuries got wrecked by one wall offer another anybody who ever won any wall wanted to control Minneapolis because it was very strategic on the upper Peninsula of Macedonia yet leading into greater Asia so they land here in Minneapolis and they take about 10 mile journey 8 to 10 mile journey to the town of Philippi. I we know a lot about Philippi, for example, we know that who wrote not only the gospel of Luke, but the book of acts.

Philippi was his home town and Luke was with pole.

We know that the next chapter 16 we find the little Royal we. We went from here to there today. This is Luke writing and Luke includes himself. So when you see the subjective. We he's including himself as the author of the writer. So we know that blue care was going back to Philippi.

Philippi was an interesting place for a lot of reasons. It was named off to a gentleman by the name of Philip the second and Philip the second was the father of Alexander the great became very famous. Later on, out of Greece, so this was named for Philip the second, and Philippi was a very interesting place.

It was a Roman city. It was controlled by the Romans. It always was so God with a small G worship was very prominent in the town. The city of Philippi. They were not a lot of Jews that lived there very small number of Jews which is going to help us to understand something in just a little while and they believe primarily in Emperor worship, Emperor worship, literally mean that Caesar, the Emperor was the Savior of the world. He's the one who gives life. He's the one who takes life. This town Philippi. Eventually came to mean so much to the apostle Paul. He wrote he's later to the church at the letter to the Philippians very positive, wonderful, encouraging many people even believe that the people get the Christians at Philippi supported pole financially and in many other ways. As time developed and Paul developed from members love and affection for the people for the home church at Philippi that now was in the process of developing just one more thing that I want to tell you about Philippi that I think is very important for us to note mostly Roman people, the Jews were in the minority, but out of the general population. There was a very small group of very very powerful Roman man who controlled the city I controlled business people, so we had a reading just a moment how one young lady started to how pole and these people started to get in the way and Paul rebuked her and the people of the city didn't like it and the reason they didn't like it was because she was serving the business interests, read it to you in a medical all of a sudden start making common sense and ultimately Paul got thrown in prison for what he did and Herod Philippi. There were so few Jews that they didn't have enough of them to form a synagogue.

By the way, how how did you form a synagogue.

What was the number one requirement. You have to have 10 Jewish senior men in order to form a synagogue. They didn't have a synagogue they didn't have 10 Jewish senior man. So when Paul arrived during Philippi because he had grown up at the feet of Gamma legal Jerusalem.

He knew that if he wanted to get an audience. He needed to get among the Jewish people he needed to go to the synagogue. He couldn't find a synagogue sorry have to go outside the city to the river which flowed out of Philippi to the Aegean Sea and they found a group of Jewish people led by women.

Why, led by women because they weren't enough men to lead and remember one thing about Paul. Paul had a profound respect and honor for the role in the place of women in ministry.

A profound respect member. He came out of the Jewish tradition with the Orthodox Jewish tradition, rarely relegated woman to a subservient role. In fact, the Pharisees often prayed prayers that went like this. I thank God that I'm not a Gentile, and I thank God that I'm not a slave. And I certainly thank God that I'm not a woman that's how they prayed, Paul rejected that because pulled believe that there is not a juvenile Greek. Neither bond nor free, not available female because we are all one in and through the Lord Jesus Christ and so what happens Herod, Philippi is very critical on this trip. Benny read. I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me to ask chapter 16. Ask chapter 16 going to begin reading at verse 11. I just follow along because it's going to make a little more sense to you. Now that I've taken you on a little bit of a journey. So saving sale from Croats. We, there's the we made a direct voyage to Sambo thrice and the following day to Minneapolis and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remain day in the city some days on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the Riverside where we suppose there was a place of prayer and we sat down and spoke to the woman who had come together one who hurt us, was a woman named Lydia, she came from fire Tyra Revelation bikers of purple.

The church at fire Tyra seller of purple goods was also a worshiper of God, the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by pole and after she was baptized in the household as well.

She urged us saying if you judge me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay, and she prevailed upon us as we were going to the place of prayer. We will all submit by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much but gained by fortune telling, she was a fortuneteller which is contradictory to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don't get involved in 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 come upon you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of and it came out that very but when her owners so that they hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas drag them into the marketplace before the rumors when they brought them to the magistrates, they said, these men are Jews and they are disturbing our city, but advocate customs that are not lawful for us Romans to accept the practice. The crowd joined in attacking them. The magistrates told the garments of and gave them over to be beaten with rods when they'd 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 prison and Fossen their feet in the stocks about but not Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were open, and everyone's bombs were on Fossen when the jailer awoke and sold the prison doors were open, he drew he sold was about to kill himself. Supposing that the prisoners had escaped the pole, cried with a loud voice do not harm yourself will all hear the jailer called for lights resting and trembling with fear. He fell down before Paul and Silas, and he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved, they said, believe in the Lord Jesus, you will be saved you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house and he took them the same hour of the not wash the wounds and was baptized at once. He and all his family. Then he brought them into the house seafood before them, and he rejoiced along with these entire household that he believed in God.

But when it was day, the magistrates think the police site and let those men go. The jailer reported these words to pull saying the magistrates of sin to let you go therefore come out now and go in peace. But Paul said to them and beaten us publicly condemned men who are Roman citizens and thrown us into prison. They now throw us out secretly not let them come out themselves and take us out.

The police report these words to the magistrates and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came Allah draws to them and they took them out in Austin to leave the city. So when they went out of the prison they went back to visit Lydia and when they'd seen all the church folks the brothers and the sisters they encouraged them and they went on their way by the Lord brought this word on our hearts. What a journey. Take a look at this map have a Croats they hear God telling them. Are you willing to be my servants there already. Remember they taken this long trip.

All the way from Antioch by stopping Sambo thrice they go to the port city of Minneapolis. Now they ring Philippi and extraordinary things happen couple of fortune about the willingness number one it seems to me they were willing to move on, or to stay long.

They willing servant hearts open before the Lord is replete with one not stops, seven-day stops two years stops. That's what servants.

Servants never tell God where or how long they were blessed. I love that passage took place here in verse 13 and following is just a beautiful it's just a beautiful picture there running into Lydia what happened and how she followed Jesus in believers baptism and how others were affected by this also came to know Christ.

What took place, they were willing the servants they were willing to move on to study law. They were willing to find the right place to pray but said they were willing to encounter opposition. You know that's a a remarkably complex and difficult kind of thing talk about really, what can you say about opposition. You know, it's very possible with this someone listening to me right now that is in opposition to the gospel. Do you know that there are people that walk the same streets that you do that can even masquerade can look like, but they actually not. That's what happened here when you serve the Lord expect opposition to falling.

It happens it will follow you to your home, and I want to encourage you today because I believe that they are some of you that are carrying a an uncommon load of spiritual opposition, you may be a wife and you really do love your husband but he doesn't love the Lord's tough living like that you may be running your business in a way that really honors the Lord Jesus. It's amazing how it just seems like opposition modern he follows you bloodhounds you you might be a schoolteacher and you you very careful because we have to be careful, but you will you run apology. Your coach and and you get justice, fired up his is any coach and and you you burst blood vessels like any coach, but you not going to go down the road of four letter words you not to do that you not trying to step over the line and start spewing out stuff and opposition is not any falling you been hounding this willing servant hood is you know when you talk about being a servant of the Lord is not just this beautiful little package where you say you not serve the Lord in Jesus comes along and wraps you up with a ribbon around and since we just have a lovely time. It's it's jolly hard work. But greater is he that is in you than the one that's in the world. So what about these men.

They they were willing to move on to stay long. They were willing to find the right place to pray. Look at the blessings God gave to them through Lydia always and to boot. By the way they they got invited into a home. I can only imagine the cup of tea, the scones, the clotted cream and the strawberry jam.

I mean, they must've had a there in Greece about why this is that this a beautiful place where we haven't even yet we got so much still read this Athens down there. By the way, this this Peninsula here is just magnificent. We could talk about that peninsular their rugged, this coastline is magnificent. This Boss the island of Patmos where the book of Revelation. The vision was given to John later on a bit not get stuck taking on another journey here. I'm unconvinced unconvinced when Lydia said, no, she made those boys a jolly good cup of tea for golf, fluffy Greek scones with pasta and cream imported from England with a blob of strawberry jam and they just love that they loved it so much. They went back there again. Did you notice that that's why men go back and back. What about these servants. They were willing to stand their ground. You know they were willing to stand their ground. When you get in verse 19. These these men realize what it happened.

They didn't capitulate.

They stood firm. They stood up for the Lord Jesus, and they never bolted it. There is several things about their willingness to stand their ground in the light of this opposition. Consider what happened they would mean you say how would they demean will verse 22 says that they got the whole community to come out there and join the slave girl and bemoan the fact that the industry had been threatened. I mean they were demeaned in the public all look at these Christians that will flow. It's a nice how do you do Bible says they were taken they were beaten severely and ultimately they were imprisoned, thrown into prison is think about that but they stood their ground.

They were willing to stand the ground, but they were willing to be God's servants. They will willing to be God's servants. How do we know they were God's servants.

Well, they prayed and they sang, you know, one of the greatest things that we can do is to pray and to sing hymns and choruses together that worship Jesus.

That's what they did. Roger, in verse 25 they prayed and sang, but they took it further that they watched and they waited. I think there was an incredible anticipation that God was on his throne, not just get this. This person was not a nice little place with the television set with 53 channels on.

I think I had air conditioning. I'm not even sure they had any lights.

This was a really tough place.

The Bible says they they will willing the servants to be God's servants. They prayed they say they watch. They waited they witnessed they preached a menu this is the whole deal and they went back and encouraged. They witnessed they preached and God moved in they would say free by yet another miracle of the miracle is something that only God could do, and having done that they went back to the people that mean so much and everyone was encouraged as a result.

This is like an epic package deal of what it looks like to be a willing servant of the Lord. It's what we should pray for you know I think life is a great teacher, don't you think when we look back in her rearview mirror. So you know I could've done a little more of this little list of that as we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ God affirms things and I want you to be affirmed in your heart is a servant of the Lord, but I want to skew this. Do you know Jesus can't do this without Jesus living in your heart that's a question I have to skew because it's about Jesus. Paul, you know this this incredible mission re-statesman was the one who wrote I saved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

He put it in these terms, he said for me to live is Christ and the guys game. Everything about pole same to the Jesus. This is why he was a willing servant. This is why he was willing to stand. This is why he was willing to preach and to testify. This is why was full with so much love.

This is why he was willing to walk outside the city to find a place to pray. This is why he was just a willing servant's about Jesus.

That's amazing thing serving the Lord serving the Lord is the greatest joy in the world.

Yep, he found himself in Philippi for the pie was known as the deer ignite tray the way to the world. It was the gateway to Asia.

It was the road from which everything came in and everything went out there. They were people, business people, Jewish people, Gentile people, Christian people. He wanted them to know something that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. I pray that you would know that we would love to walk with you in this journey of knowing and loving and serving God discerning his will for our life. He has a specific will for your life and we love to pray with you about that. It 866-899-WORD that's 866-899-9673 love to pray with you about a number of things but most of all, we love to let you totally were available for you. You do not have to move through the very next moment for the very next day feeling your alone is not a coincidence but it is a coincidence. He is the Lord God deals is involved in the fact that this right God want us to connect with you to go beyond just this moment broadcast connection. Okay, you can call me anytime at 86899673 weight routes to one of us will get to us alive person just begin at 868967 that number and so much more ways to connect to our website@deencouragingword.org the next time take