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the first Christians in Philippi

Acts 16:13
"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither."

We are studying Lydia this week, she is not mentioned in the verses until tomorrow. The writer of Acts is the Gospel writer, Luke, who loves to add geographic details. Which helps us retrace the path of their journey. In this account, we are following Paul and Timothy, approximately seventeen years after the resurrection. They are heading northwest, bringing the Gospel message into Europe! They are part of GOD’S plan, the Holy Ghost is guiding and inspiring them.

They have arrived in Greece by boat in the port town of Neapolis. From this bay town, they walked across a coastal plain and up a hill to the town of Philippi. A thriving Roman city, with a military outpost, gold mines, and a textile industry specializing in rare and beautiful PURPLE fabrics. It was a place of considerable wealth and fully Greek and Roman culturally. There was only a small Jewish community there. They did not even have a synagogue. Without a building to meet in the Jewish people went out of town to the riverside for worship and prayers. On Saturday, the sabbath day for Jews, Paul and Timothy go and meet the people there. Paul and Timothy were the first Christians to set foot in Philippi, Greece, and Europe! They are doing GREAT things, but they can't do it alone...

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