This is Why God is in Charge of Church Plants

It is one of the greatest church plant stories ever. An amazing story. A story that only God could write. One that humans did not imagine or dream: 

The church in Philippi.

It started with failed plans. Paul and Silas were going to plant a church in Bithynia. It did not get off the ground. Then the plan was to go to Troas. That did not work either. In retrospect, they came to realize it was the Holy Spirit blocking them because God had something greater in mind. Then Paul had the dream of a man from Macedonia asking for their help. They then concluded that God must want them to do Kingdom work in that area. The Holy Spirit blocked plans. God gave them a literal wake-up call.

That is how they ended up in Philippi. And what a church that must have been.

Lydia. The first convert. She worshipped God and she listened when Paul and his team talked about Jesus. Her whole house came to believe, and they were baptized. She provided early support for this church plant.

The church might very well have had a slave girl that lost her spirit of prophecy. She had been healed by Paul. The Bible doesn’t really say what happened to her after the riot, but it is clear she was aware of the message they were preaching. It would not be at all surprising to find out that she joined Lydia and her house as part of the Philippian church, which soon included the chief warden of the prison. 

You can read all these stories in Acts 16. The jailer wanted to know what to do to be saved. Believe in Jesus. After hearing the word of the Lord from Paul and Silas (his prisoners), he and his household were baptized and had a celebration breakfast because they had believed.  

Lydia’s group, a slave girl, and a jailer’s family. What a church.

And that doesn’t include the prisoners that heard Paul and Silas singing and praying. The prisoners that did not escape during the earthquake. Did they hear Paul’s message? Did they witness the baptisms? Did Paul and Silas baptize some of them? Maybe the jailer baptized some of his own prisoners. 

Only God could plant a church like that.

And if He could do it then, He can certainly do it now.

Listen to God. Talk about Jesus to everyone. Baptize all of them. Plant a church full of people that have only one thing in common.

Jesus.