Acts 16:11-15 11So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct course to Samothrace, and the next day to Neapolis, 12and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the part of Macedonia and a colony. And we remained in this city for some days. 13And on the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we thought there was a place of prayer, and after sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered.
The trip of Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke to Philippi made excellent timing. Samothrace was a mountainous island with a peak rising 5,000 feet above sea level. It was about halfway to Macedonia from Troas. The team landed at the coastal city of Neapolis. This story gives hints at the team’s strategy. First, the location was important. Luke gives a brief introduction to the significant city of Philippi, which was located about ten miles from Neapolis along the Via Egnatia. This ancient highway was the main east-to-west route across the province of Macedonia. Philippi was an important city to the Romans for several reasons. Nearby were copper and gold mines. In 31 B.C., Octavian made the city a colony, giving it significant Roman influence. By the time of Paul, the city had become a retirement area for Roman soldiers. It had become a leading city of Macedonia by the middle of the first century.
Second, the team spent time in the city for a while. This implies that they got to know their new context and observe the people. Third, they practiced their faith by honoring the Sabbath and using it as a launching point for their ministry. With some of them as Jews, they still honored the Sabbath as a time of prayer and reflection. Along with this, fourth, they went to where people with sincere faith had gathered on the Sabbath.
Fifth, they crossed common social barriers by fellowshipping with women. They joined a prayer group of women who had gathered along the river. Having women as the catalyst and start for the church in Philippi was significant in a culture where they were often relegated to second class. God often accomplishes his purposes through the least and the little. Paul’s practice was to go to the local Jewish synagogue first. There may not have been a synagogue in Philippi. Gangites River was about a mile outside the city. Paul and the team thought this would be a good gathering place. They may have learned of this gathering somehow. When they sat down, they met a group of women, who turned out to be the closest semblance of believers in the one true God in the city. The women were “people of peace,” like Jesus instructed, and were be open to the gospel.