Liberated Women Series

Liberated Women

Acts 16:11-24

If you were around in the late 60’s and through the 70’s no doubt you remember the Women’s Liberation Movement that was operating in full force during that time period. In the beginning there was not a formal leader or alliance, but rather groups and meetings and protests began popping up all over the country. The apparent goal of the movement was to erase and remove what was seen as societal oppression by men upon women. So women’s liberators would organize things like bra burning demonstrations; they would protest beauty pageants because the protestors felt the pageants promoted a sense of worth in women that revolved solely around physical attraction. The heart of the movement was to erase any societal construct of patriarchy, gender roles, or any perceived inequality. Why? Because only then - it was believed - could women truly experience ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction in their lives.

Well, like all other social movements, however, the women’s liberation movement ultimately fell short of those dreams. Here’s why: no movement that simply rearranges people’s social status while leaving their hearts untransformed is going to be truly liberating. There is only one way to experience genuine liberation and ultimate freedom. It comes from having your heart set free from the bondage of sin and death through the power of the gospel. There’s no amount of demonstrating, or protesting, or political maneuvering that will bring freedom and fulfillment. No human effort can effect true liberation.

The prophet Jeremiah put it this way: Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil. Jeremiah 13:23 The radical transformation from spiritual death to eternal life, from darkness to light, from Satan’s kingdom to the kingdom of the beloved Son comes only to those who are supernaturally born of God, those who are born from above. We are powerless to effect spiritual transformation.

As we continue in our ongoing series through the book of Acts, we come upon an account of two different women who were truly liberated. Not necessarily liberated from the social constructs of their culture, but liberated from the bondage of sin and spiritual slavery.

If you weren't with us last week, let me bring you up to speed in our ongoing chronicle of the early church. Last week we saw the dynamic duo - Barnabas and Paul - had a sharp disagreement. That led them to go their separate ways, but God used it to multiply their missionary efforts.

Paul took Silas with him to travel back through the cities where they had planted churches on the first missionary journey. When they get to Lystra they picked up a young man named Timothy to join them on their journey. They attempted to go toward Asia and they were prevented by the Holy Spirit. Next they tried to go to Bythinia, and the Holy Spirit blocked them there. Paul then has a vision of a man in Macedonia saying, "Come over and help us." And we saw last week in verse 10, immediately they sought to go to Macedonia. Joining their mission team at that point was Luke.

Let's pick up the account this morning in verse 11 of chapter 16: 11So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, That phrase "made a direct voyage" is actually a nautical expression that means they had the wind at their back. So perfect were the winds that they made the 156 mile journey by boat in just 2 days. As a point of context, in chapter 20 when they return it takes them 5 days. So they are cruising quite quickly to their next place of missionary venture. They must be conscious of the fact that the God who controls the forces of nature was propelling them forward with the message of grace.

12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. The city of Philippi was an 8-mile walk inland from the port city of Neapolis. Philippi had great significance in the Roman Empire. The city became a Roman possession in 167 BC. But it's greatest fame came from the fact that it happened to be the place Mark Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in the second Roman Civil War of 42 BC. If you remember reading Shakespeare's "Julias Caesar" in high school, this battle served as the background for much of that story.

It was from the battle of Philippi that the city derived it's status in Paul's day. Luke said it was "a leading city of the district" which again shows Luke's historical accuracy. Philippi was not just a Roman occupation, but it was a Roman colony that answered directly to the Emperor in Rome. The Emperor was unaware, however, that the flag of Christianity was unfurled in the Empire that day as the king of Kings was about to win many to himself in Philippi!