Above are the ruins of ancient Philippi. Besides baptizing Lydia, Paul also cast out a demon of a slave girl, who had made her owners a lot of money because of her ability to predict the future, thanks to the demon.
This loss of revenue angered the girl's owners and they had Paul brought to court, near the area above. Our guide Alexandra told us that when a trial was going on if it wasn't a good case, the crowd would rush the bench!
But in Paul's case, he and his companions were flogged and thrown into jail. And then this happened:
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, "Do no harm to yourself; we are all here." He asked for a light, and rushed in, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved." So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once. He brought them up into his house and provided a meal and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
Acts 16:25-34
We don't know exactly where all the above events transpired, but it wasn't far from this area.
Ruins of ancient churches and other buildings in Philippi.
The arches.
The different layers of the wall.
The crosses.
The flooring.
The auditorium.
The stairs.
And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception to discern what is of value. so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1: 9-11
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