In a world filled with questions and divisions, step back in time to when Apostle Paul received a vision that led to the preaching of the gospel in Philippi. This episode unravels the story of how the church was established amidst ancient ruins and prison walls, showcasing the power of faith and dedication. Explore historical insights, from the riverside meeting with Lydia to the salvation of the Philippian jailer, providing a glimpse into the foundational truths of Christianity.
SPEAKER 01 :
Be followers of me as I am of Christ. Beautiful words spoken by the Apostle Paul. So today, why don’t we follow Paul to Philippi? Pack your bags, friends. Our tour with the International Gospel Hour to Philippi begins in just a moment.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, thank you to our J-Web always. We appreciate his good words and greetings to all of you. We are honored when we see numbers and people call in and people that listen to us in a variety of ways. We’re honored you have chosen our broadcast and we hope it will be profitable to you. A little bit about us. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 118 Fayetteville, Tennessee 37334. That’s P.O. Box 118, Fayetteville, Tennessee, 37334. The International Gospel Hour is under the oversight of the elders of the West Fayetteville Church of Christ in Fayetteville, Tennessee. Our website is internationalgospelhour.com. That’s internationalgospelhour.com. Feel free to peruse our website, see everything that we offer, and feel free to send us an email and let us know that you heard us right here on this station. Our toll-free number is 855-444-6988. That’s 855-444-6988. You will hear that number again because we have a couple of free offers coming up. So hold on. You may use it at the end. But if anything, give us a call and let us know where you’re listening to our broadcast from, what station, platform, whatever it might be. Thank you again for tuning in with us here on the International Gospel Hour radio broadcast. You know, some time back, my beloved wife, or as I still call her, my beloved bride, we joined a number of fellow Christians on a trip where we visited cities where the Apostle Paul walked, as he taught others of Jesus Christ, and the salvation that is only in Christ, and the church of Christ that Jesus promised to build, Matthew 16, verse 18, and he purchased with his shed blood, Acts 20, verse 28. It is amazing to walk the steps of Paul and to see the scriptures that guide us. We arrived at the ancient city of Philippi, and friends, what a visit. As a matter of fact, I would return and spend more time there looking at that city, noting different things. And so for our broadcast today, I want you to join me on that journey to Philippi. Now, pictures of our journey today are located at our Facebook social media page. And if you just look for International Gospel Hour on Facebook, you can follow along. If you go to Instagram, it’ll come to me in a moment, and look for International Gospel Hour, you can also follow us there. And on X, formerly known as Twitter, now it’s a little different, it’s H-O-U-R underscore gospel. H-O-U-R underscore gospel. And you can follow us at Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. And you can see these pictures. But they will definitely be at the Facebook social media page. So friends, let’s get checked in for our journey to Philippi via International Gospel Hour Radio Travel. And we’re going to be leaving in a moment. But first, here is a free booklet we’d love to send your way.
SPEAKER 03 :
In a world of division and even confusion in the religious world, friends, please know this. The Bible is always right. The free booklet, Something is Wrong, But the Bible is Right, is available from International Gospel Hour. Please call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, your address, and just say, Bible Tract. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contacts tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Bible Tract in the message box. We will get it to you right away.
SPEAKER 01 :
Well, friends, as we prepare for our journey to Philippi, let’s read Acts 16, 9-12. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore sailing from Troas we ran a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony, and we were staying in that city for some days. After the Holy Spirit forbid Paul and Silas to preach the word in Asia and Bithynia, as we note earlier in Acts 16, 6 and 7, and might I add, friends, we don’t know why, but the gospel was preached there later. But are we not thankful for the Lord speaking through the man from Macedonia, and Paul knowing the Lord called them to preach the gospel in Philippi? Indeed we are, for from this journey the Lord’s church was established, and some years later, through inspiration, Paul penned what many consider that wonderful book of joy, the letter to the Philippians. Let’s arrive at the river that is there, referred to as the Gangites River. It’s pronounced in different ways, but that’ll kind of get you there. And it’s believed to be the river where Paul and Silas met Lydia as we continue reading in Acts 16 verses 13 through 15. And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside where prayer was customarily made and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart. I’m sorry, let me start again. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira who worshipped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul, and when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. So she persuaded us. Oh, friends, Lydia… and her household baptized at that river. Now, here’s something interesting on our journey. There is a small tributary that’s been cut off of that river, and it actually has a baptistry built in. And when you look at that baptistry, it’s made to where the person baptizing would be in the center, and you’d have inserts to where the baptizer could step back in order to immerse properly. But when you look at it even closer, it is in the shape of the cross. Listen to these words. Romans 6 and verse 3. Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? How about Galatians 2 and verse 20 when Paul said, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. When we saw how that baptistry was constructed and the thought of the individual, and yes, friends, when one is baptized into Christ, we’re baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. And we are also raised to walk in a newness of life, not before. And he that believes and is baptized shall be saved, not before. Mark 16, 16. We saw the importance of baptism and its necessity. Now, friends, I’m going to pause here for a moment because we want people to know what the Bible teaches concerning the salvation of man. We’ve got a very special Bible study by mail that has picked up a lot of popularity. A lot of people are interested in this study. Here is our J-Web to tell you how you can receive God and Man.
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An additional Bible study by mail is now available from International Gospel Hour. It’s titled, God and Man, How to Be Saved from Sin. This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man. And friends, like all materials, it’s free. Call us toll free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address and just say God and man. Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type God and Man in the message box. Another Bible study that is free from IGH. And our friends at godandman.com. That’s god-and-man.com. And, you know, since you can’t see it, let me just spell that out for you. We’d love to hear from you.
SPEAKER 01 :
And now, friends, we enter the city of Philippi, and we see the ruins of the prison where it was believed Paul and Silas were kept. We see that in Acts, the 16th chapter, verses 23 through 25. And at midnight, verse 25, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. You know, eventually the salvation of the Philippian jailer and his household, we note from Acts 16, 30-34. And when they said to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and spoke the word of the Lord to him and all that were in his house, the same hour of the night they were baptized just like Lydia. and the jailer also rejoiced, he and his family. Yes, friends, we see the necessity of salvation on this trip, how people heard the gospel and believed it. They repented of their sins and confessed to Christ as Jesus commanded them to do, and they were baptized into Christ in order to be saved. Beautiful, beautiful account in this wonderful city. And then as we depart from the city and we come now to the end of our journey, we see a section of road called the Via Ignatia. It’s the Roman road which ran from Rome to Byzantium. The road was used by the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey as he traveled from Philippi to Thessalonica, there in Acts 16 and chapter 17. Of course, a lot of that road is still used today, but you can see a section, believe, where the Apostle Paul actually traveled. And friends, what we see in the Bible is affirmed once again by our journey. It is true. It is the Word of God. And what we read, we can go and we can see. Well, friends, we’ve finally returned from our trip. And I look forward to other broadcasts as well when we will take some journeys with the Apostle Paul. A special thanks to John and Carla Moore and their work at BiblePassages.net. Check out their future trips at BiblePassages.net. And we’ll continue our studies together at another time. Check out our pictures on the Facebook page. And thank you for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour broadcast. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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God be with you till we meet again.
SPEAKER 03 :
Thank you for listening to our broadcast today and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com God be with you till we meet again.
