However, the majority of the letter is composed of pastoral concerns––encouragement, exhortations, and counsel. Paul has written this letter, in part, to thank the Philippians for the gift they have sent him (4:10ff.). My point is that Paul spent very limited time in Philippi, so he conducted the majority of his pastoral work there through emissaries, such as Epaphroditus and Timothy––and through letters such as this one. Paul and Silas complied with that request, but maintained contact with the Philippian church by reports and letters (Acts 16:11-40). In the morning, the magistrates, learning that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, and thus not subject to the kind of arrest and imprisonment that they had suffered, apologized, but asked Paul and Silas to leave the city. A midnight earthquake freed Paul and Silas, but they remained with their jailer throughout the night. In retaliation, those owners persuaded the civil magistrates that Paul and Silas were advocating unlawful practices, which led the magistrates to imprison Paul and Silas. However, they exorcised a slave girl of her spirit of divination––thus depriving her owners of a source of income. THE BROAD CONTEXT: Paul and Silas founded the church in Philippi.
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