Acts Chapter Sixteen, The First European Christians...

verses 1 - 3

"He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek." NIV translation

Paul went to Lystra where he met Timothy. As Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Gentile father, he would have been considered an outsider. He was a respected believer in the area and Paul wanted to take him along on his journey. Paul circumcised Timothy even though the leaders in Jerusalem had said that it was not necessary (see chapter fifteen). This shows us the kind of faith that Timothy had as he willingly suffered the pain of circumcision so that he would not be a stumbling block to the Jews of that area.

verses 4 & 5

"As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers." NIV translation

So, Paul and Timothy traveled around to the towns and helped to answer the questions of the young believers. This served to strengthen them in their walk as Christians and is what Jesus meant when he said to "go and make disciples". We also see that, as they grew in their faith, the number of believers grew as well. That is because disciples share their faith with those around them.

verse 6

"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia." NIV translation

At first glance, this verse may seem odd and you may ask yourself: Why didn't God want them to go to Asia? and Wouldn't it have been good for them to go and preach in Asia? But, here we see that, instead of doing what Paul wanted, they followed the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God has his purpose and plan for us in all things and, though we may not understand at the time, his ways are perfect and we should follow.

verses 7 - 10

"When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us.' After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them" NIV translation

This is a great example of how God has plans for each of us and that, if we are listening, God will speak to us and guide us. Paul and the group had in their own mind what they wanted to do to serve God but the Spirit stopped them. When Paul saw the vision, he rightly stopped and turned his attention to what God was saying and they immediately followed. The key is that we must learn to listen to God and trust him to lead us.

verses 11 & 12

"From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days." NIV translation

The group traveled to Philippi, in Macedonia, which was named after King Philip of Macedonia. There was only a small number of Jews in the city at this time and no synagogue.

verse 13

"On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there." NIV translation

At first glance, this verse is sort of puzzling. Why would they expect to find a place of prayer at the river and not have a synagogue? The simple answer is that a minyan was required to establish a synagogue and to do certain Jewish prayers. A minyan is ten Jewish men and evidently there were not that many Jewish men in Philippi at that time.

verse 14

"One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message." NIV translation

This too can be a somewhat puzzling verse to read as we are told that Lydia was a "worshiper of God" but then we are told that "the Lord opened her heart". You see, many people want to worship God but that does not change the fact that, to have a right relationship with God, we must accept his Son, Jesus, as the payment for our sins.

verse 15

"When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. 'If you consider me a believer in the Lord,' she said, 'come and stay at my house.' And she persuaded us." NIV translation

This verse reaffirms a pattern that occurs throughout the entire Bible. That is the pattern of people being baptized when they come to Christ. When Lydia accepted the message of Jesus Christ, we see that her entire household was baptized. Likewise, we see the pattern of hospitality in that, as a Christian, she offered her home to Paul and his companions.