Ministry in Philippi - The Slave-Girl

The second primary figure in Luke's account of the Philippian mission was a demon-possessed slave-girl. She and Lydia couldn't have been more different: Lydia was a successful and independent businesswoman whereas this girl was a slave who had nothing of her own; Lydia was surrounded by loving family, friends and servants; this girl's "family" consisted of the masters who exploited and abused her. Lydia was a significant person in the community in constrast to the slave-girl who was a nobody, known only as a human commodity through whom people could obtain useful information. Luke punctuated the profound difference between these two women by assigning to Lydia a personal identity and biography while presenting the slave-girl in anonymous and ignominious terms. But as utterly different as they were, the Spirit's concern and grace reached out to them both. God is not a respecter of persons and His power knows no limitations. He was determined to raise up a body of believers in Philippi - a diverse community united only by one faith, one hope, one baptism, one Lord, one Spirit, one God and Father.