This morning in Sunday School we began a study of Philippians by looking at the story of thee founding of the church in Philippi in Acts 16. The part of the story that caught my attention was that Acts 16 is really the account of three conversions. As the story begins, we learn that Paul hadn't intended on working in this particular city. He had plans elsewhere that God frustrated, boxing him in till he landed where God wanted him. When he finally got there, God was waiting for him in the form of three very different people. Paul didn't have to wander around wondering what God might possibly want to do in Philippi. Once he figured out this was where he was supposed to be, he lost no time getting down to business.
The first conversion was Lydia, a wealthy woman described as a fashionista. She dealt in purple cloth, which was extremely expensive. It was the kind of stuff only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford. She likely moved in high society, and was part of a Bible study being held down by the river. She was the kind of convert every preacher likes to have; a person who knows people, and one who can bankroll the ministry.
Then there was the slave girl who made a good living for her owners by her fortune-telling. Quite in contrast to Lydia, here was someone who instead of calling the shots as one of the movers and shakers, was beholden in the most degrading ways to those who literally owned her, body and soul. She made a lot of noise, was able to work a crowd, but instead of being the sort of person anyone would seek out, was more the kind you'd try to avoid, if possible.
Finally, there was the jailer, the public servant who had spent the last few hours making sure Paul and Silas weren't going to escape. It says that after they were beaten with rods, the jailer "threw them into jail, fastening their feet into the stocks. Whatever the details, the words used indicate that there was no effort to ease their discomfort. Being a jailer is a thankless job working with the dregs of society. It predisposed one to cynicism at best, and cruelty at worst.
But it was with these three who formed the foundation for the church in Philippi: rich and respected Lydia, a nameless, psychotic slave girl who couldn't even claim her own personality, and a weary, careworn, cynical public servant, not exactly the ideal mix of personnel for an enterprise designed to transform the world. But it was exactly what God needed and used to establish the only New Testament church that left no record of any major problem or issue that needed to be dealt with. Tonight, I am grateful that what God starts with is no indication of what he can do. He can take the unlikeliest of people and situations and work a miracle. He isn't stumped by our stupidity, puzzled by our problems, or frustrated by our failures. He takes the mess we give him and turns it into a message of forgiveness, hope, and new life in Christ. I am grateful that no matter what we give him, he gives back better than we could ever imagine. That's the God we love and worship!
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