In our study of Acts chapter sixteen, we look at Paul's second missionary journey and the spread of the gospel to Europe. Through this journey, we see how Paul walks according to the Spirit and not in his own will. Because he was obedient to the prompting of the Spirit, God blessed the journey.
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Sha'ul came down to Derbe and went on to Lystra, where there lived a talmid named Timothy. He was the son of a Jewish woman who had come to trust, and a Greek father. All the brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy. Sha'ul wanted Timothy to accompany him; so he took him and did a b'rit-milah, because of the Jews living in those areas; for they all knew that his father had been a Greek.
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 15). 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.
As they went on through the towns, they delivered to the people the decisions reached by the emissaries and the elders in Yerushalayim for them to observe. Accordingly, the congregations were strengthened in the faith and increased in number day by day.
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.
They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been prevented by the Ruach HaKodesh from speaking the message in the province of Asia.
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.
When they came to the frontier of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit of Yeshua would not let them. So, after passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. There a vision appeared to Sha'ul at night. A man from Macedonia was standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us!" As soon as he had seen the vision, we lost no time getting ready to leave for Macedonia; for we concluded that God had called us to proclaim the Good News to them.
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.
Sailing from Troas, we made a straight run to Samothrace; the next day we went to Neapolis; and from there, we went on to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that part of Macedonia. We spent a few days in this city;
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.
then on Shabbat, we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we understood a minyan met. We sat down and began speaking to the women who had gathered there.
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.
One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in fine purple cloth. She was already a "God-fearer," and the Lord opened up her heart to respond to what Sha'ul was saying.
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.
After she and the members of her household had been immersed, she gave us this invitation: "If you consider me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay in my house." And she insisted till we went.
This verse affirms 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.
Once, when we were going to the place where the minyan gathered, we were met by a slave girl who had in her a snake-spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She earned a lot of money for her owners by telling fortunes.
So, one day as they were heading to the river to meet the other worshipers, they were met by a woman that we would call a "psychic" today. As we see, this woman was a slave to the spirit as well as being used by others for their own profit.
This girl followed behind Sha'ul and the rest of us and kept screaming, "These men are servants of God Ha'Elyon! They're telling you how to be saved!" She kept this up day after day, until Sha'ul, greatly disturbed, turned and said to the spirit, "In the name of Yeshua the Messiah, I order you to come out of her!" And the spirit did come out, at that very moment.
This might strike us as strange that Paul would drive the spirit out as it was saying what appeared to be good things. Nevertheless, Paul recognized the fact that the spirit was demonic and he cast it out of her. Today, we have become accustomed to seeing these "psychics" and we forget the fact that they are actually filled with a demonic spirit.
But when her owners saw that what had come out was any further prospect of profit for them, they seized Sha'ul and Sila and dragged them to the market square to face the authorities. Bringing them to the judges, they said, "These men are causing a lot of trouble in our city, since they are Jews. What they are doing is advocating customs that are against the law for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans."
The owners of the slave girl were not happy when they lost their little money maker so they grabbed Paul and Silas and hauled them off to court. We notice that their charges had nothing to do with driving the demon out of the girl but instead had to do with the fact that they were sharing the gospel. That is a reminder to us that, if we are about the Lord's business, there will be opposition and that opposition will lie and deceive people.
The mob joined in the attack against them, and the judges tore their clothes off them and ordered that they be flogged. After giving them a severe beating, they threw them in prison, charging the jailer to guard them securely. Upon receiving such an order, he threw them into the inner cell and clamped their feet securely between heavy blocks of wood.
This passage reminds us that we cannot count on the courts or any governing body to do the right thing. As with any politician, they simply did what the mob wanted and Paul and Silas were thrown in prison. They were not only put in a cell but their feet were restrained so that they had no hope of escape.
Around midnight, Sha'ul and Sila were praying and singing hymns to God, while the other prisoners listened attentively.
So, after being wrongly beaten and put in prison, Paul and Silas are singing to the Lord. That, my friends, is only possible through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Even in these circumstances, Paul and Silas were being used for God's purposes as the other prisoners were listening. We might winder why we are facing tough times but, as we see here, everything that we face is an opportunity to show others the power of God in our lives.
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake which shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose. The jailer awoke, and when he saw the doors open he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, for he assumed that the prisoners had escaped.
I must say that the events described in this chapter would get my attention. God caused an earthquake which would explain the doors coming open but that would not explain the chains coming undone. We see that the jailer was going to kill himself because, if the prisoners had escaped, he would be killed anyway.
But Sha'ul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We're all here!" Calling for lights, the jailer ran in, began to tremble and fell down in front of Sha'ul and Sila. Then, leading them outside, he said, "Men, what must I do to be saved?" They said, "Trust in the Lord Yeshua, and you will be saved - you and your household!" Whereupon they told him and everyone in his household the message about the Lord.
Now, we see that all of what Paul and Silas went through had a "kingdom purpose" which was to bring the jailer and his family to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. The next time you face a difficult situation, stop and look for the people that God is using your situation to reach for the kingdom.
Then, even at that late hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed off their wounds; and without delay, he and all his people were immersed. After that, he brought them up to his house and set food in front of them; and he and his entire household celebrated their having come to trust in God.
Once again, we see the pattern of a new believer immediately being baptized and also demonstrating hospitality. We also see that this is a result of the joy that he has from his faith and not as a means to be saved. It is a reminder that real faith is followed by real action and an attitude of service.
The next morning, the judges sent police officers with the order, "Release those men." The jailer told Sha'ul, "The judges have sent word to release both of you. So come out, and go on your way in peace."
In the light of day, the politicians simply wanted the problem to go away and so they gave the order to release Paul and Silas.
But Sha'ul said to the officers, "After flogging us in public when we hadn't been convicted of any crime and are Roman citizens, they threw us in prison. Now they want to get rid of us secretly? Oh, no! Let them come and escort us out themselves!" The officers reported these words to the judges, who became frightened when they heard that Sha'ul and Sila were Roman citizens. They came and apologized to them; then, after escorting them out, requested them to leave the city.
We might wonder why Paul didn't simply keep his mouth shut and leave. I believe the simple reason is that Paul wanted the people to see the magistrates personally releasing them. His reason? It demonstrated that God is in control and not a mob or a bunch of politicians.
From the prison they went to Lydia's house, and after seeing and encouraging the brothers they departed.
Once again, we see that Paul used what happened to him to strengthen the local believers. He went and shared the story (testimony) with the believers at Lydia's house. They would have been encouraged by the fact that the situation that looked so hopeless just a day before was used to bring a family to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
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