Acts 16:16-34

Paul and Silas are in Philippi. A small group of believers has formed and Paul is teaching them the way of Christ. Powers are being stirred.

A female slave with a power of divination that is strong and has great influence in the Greek world has been sent to harass Paul and Silas. Her owners made money off the spirit of divination in the young girl because it could tell the future. This is not a small power being sent after Paul and Silas.

When we encounter barriers in the world around us, or barriers in our own lives, we need to be aware. There is “the thing” in front of us. There is the obstacle. But, we need to pause.

Is there something else.

Paul knew there was something else and after several days of harassment he had to confront it.

There was the individual… the slave girl.

There was something else… the system. The demonic system that enslaved her and caused her to be enslaved by men because she could make money for them. When the system broke down… meaning, the owners were losing their income stream… the system lashed out.

When we face trouble in life, we may want to walk with a broader awareness. There may be more going on. We may have a “problem” in front of us, but it may be there is a problem behind that problem.

Paul understood that, and when it was time, he took it on. He knew it was more than setting a girl free from a power. He knew when that power was defeated, the powers behind that would come looking for the issue. Paul was now the problem.

When systems of manipulation lose their power, they strike back. They won’t ever give the reason (i.e., “We’re losing money”). They will use pious excuses like, “These men are attacking our beliefs!”

We do a lot of things for what we shade as “moral” reasons, but as soon as the money dries up, we change the reasons or the causes.

Paul has struck at the heart of the matter: money, greed, power…

Power strikes back. It tries to humiliate Paul and Silas by having them stripped and beaten publicly, then tossed in prison. Paul and Silas have nothing. They have been humiliated.

What strikes me here is that Paul could have used his Roman citizenship at any point to avoid humiliation and pain. But his reliance wasn’t on just the Roman system. There was a power beyond that and he was to demonstrate it through humiliation. Just as Christ took on humiliation to bring victory, Paul and Silas absorbed a tremendous amount of pain and humiliation to then show the power above all powers.

The enslaved girl had served a power. She had served a demonic power and a systemic power that enslaved her physically.

The jailer had served a power in Rome that gave him authority to hold prisoners.

Both needed deliverance, but the deliverance was something that no earthly power could give them.

The enslaved girl was set free.

The jailer was set free.

Paul and Silas, already free, were set “free” as well.

This is what we need to understand when we deal with problems and obstacles in our lives. We may see problems in individuals. We may see problems in systems. We need to understand there may be something more.

In this passage, power met power, and the Kingdom of God delivered.

Paul didn’t overcome because of his earthly right as a Roman. He took on humiliation so the glory and power of the Kingdom of God was evident.

We are to set people free. Systems manipulate.

Set people free.

Systems build on greed.

Set people free.

There are times we will take on systems. There are times we will take on powers behind those systems.

Always be aware. Always be full of the Spirit.

And set people free.