Talk

How it Started / How it’s Going

Earl McClellan
June 4, 2023

Earl McClellan encourages listeners around the story of Paul and Silas’ missionary journey to Philippi and speaks to all kinds of important truths, from the dynamic nature of God’s will and the importance of the ‘marketplace’ in ministry to the authority given to us and the opportunity to witness in the midst of suffering.

Key Takeaway

Trust God's will for your life, even if it's difficult or painful. You can be in the dead-center of His will and still face hardship because He can bring good from any circumstance.

Discussion Questions

  1. What’s a barrier or wall that showed up in your life that you later realized wasn’t “bad” and from the Enemy but actually from God?
  2. What is the significance of this ancient understanding; that ‘days’ actually began at night?
  3. What field or industry in your city can you think of that might be a part of God’s strategy to impact the world?
  4. How do you discern if someone is saying the right things with the wrong intent? To what extent is it your responsibility to evaluate someone’s motive?
  5. Why might God’s vision or dream for your life involve suffering? How can He still be loving if He allows pain? Try to answer in your own words.
  6. Can you think of any other people like Paul and Silas from Scripture - people who have as many battle scars in their stories as they have victories?
  7. What can we learn from Paul and Silas about how we should react in moments of suffering?
  8. What is significant about the fact that the other prisoners were “listening” to Paul and Silas?
  9. With all the craziness at Philippi, who was it that ended up receiving salvation? What made this possible?
  10. Of all the things Pastor Earl touched on, what reminder do you want to ensure sticks with you?

Scripture References

6Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.
12From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
14One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
17She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”
18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
19When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
20They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar
21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.
23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
24When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
28But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
32Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
33At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.
Earl McClellan
Earl McClellan
Earl McClellan is the founder and lead pastor of Shoreline City Church, based in the Dallas area with campuses in Texas and in Guatemala. Get your Spirit Back: Break Free of Negative Self-Talk and Step Fully Into Your Calling is his first book. He is regular speaker at influential events both in the States and overseas. Earl and Oneka have three children and live in Dallas. For more information, visit him @earlmcclellan.