Acts 16:13

Acts 16:13 says, And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.  Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi on the Sabbath and went down to the river where prayer was often made.  They talked to a woman who resorted there.  They crossed a cultural barrier by talking to a woman.  Sometimes, we may have to cross cultural barriers to witness to people.  We might even have to talk to an Arabian person.  Verse fourteen adds, And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.  A woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God heard them preach.  The Lord opened her heart, and she believed the gospel.  It is not enough to just worship God.  We may believe many things about Him that make us worship His existence, but until we open our hearts to a personal relationship with Him, we are lost.  The Jews worship God, but they reject the Savior.  Verse fifteen continues, And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.  After Lydia was baptized, and her household, she constrained them to abide with her.  Now, I don't think she tied them up, but she just really wanted to have them as her guests.  How often do we constrain the preacher to abide with us?   Verse sixteen states, And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:  Then, they encountered a damsel with a spirit of divination, who made her masters a lot money by soothsaying.  She was a fortune teller who made money for those who owned her.  There are many people today who make money the same way, and unfortunately some Christians spend money on them.  Verse seventeen adds, The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.  She followed them many days, saying, "These men are servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation." Now, she wasn't doing this to get people to accept what they were saying, but more to mock them.  Verse eighteen continues, And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.  Paul had enough after a few days and commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and he did the same hour.  I do not find any example in the Bible where there was a great battle when a spirit or demon was cast out if it was really done by faith in Jesus Christ.  When Jesus, or those acting in His name commanded the spirit or demon to come out, they had no choice.