Timothy Joins the Team
Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
Acts 16:1-5
A Change of Direction Through a Vision in the Night
Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas. That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Acts 16:6-10
The Conversion of Lydia
We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
Acts 16:11-15
The Encounter with the Demon Possessed Slave Girl
One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
Acts 16:16-22
Paul and Silas In Prison
They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.
Acts 16:23-27
The Jailer Is Saved
But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.”
And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
Acts 16:28-34
Paul and Silas Are Released
The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!”
So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”
When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
Acts 16:35-40
What an interesting forty verses. Suddenly Luke has sped up the pace of the story. Before this he has dwelt long and detailed on sections which didn’t move fast. He has been painstakingly slow to unfold the story for us. Now in this section of the book the pace of the story speeds up considerably, moving at a much faster pace. Didn’t you feel the difference in pace as you read it? Now the story has moved beyond the Jews and Jewish influenced Gentiles into the heart of the Roman world. In the space of a few verses the direction of movement of the spread of the Gospel has gone from seeing the team heading east to Asia Minor, only to do a complete reversal which results in them heading west, towards Europe. What happened to cause this?
In the space of a few verses:
- Timothy has joined the team,
- an influential woman has become a believer,
- there has been a power encounter,
- a slave girl has been freed from satan’s grip,
- her owners got upset,
- Paul and Silas have been put in a Roman prison,
- the jailer and his family are saved,
- Paul and Silas are released and begged to leave and they go and stay with Lydia.
Such action has been carefully chosen and told to capture the movement of the plot. All of the action is under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are told very clearly that Paul and Silas’ direction change was instigated by the Holy Spirit. This quite simply is an event often the Macedonian Call. It is an event which changed the direction of human history – told in five verses.
In the space of forty verses
- groups of believers Paul visited with Barnabas have been strengthened,
- a Jewish/Greek young man who will feature prominently has joined the team,
- the Gospel has been spread into a totally new area,
- a prominent female citizen and a demon possessed girl’s lives have been changed,
- the normal opposition to the Gospel emerges,
- Paul and Silas are jailed,
- the jailer and his family are saved,
- the town leaders ask Paul and Silas to leave in a very peaceful way,
- Paul and Silas go to stay at Lydia’s house,
- then strengthen and encourage the believers,
- then they leave.
Oh how many questions this passage raises! Did you notice one other thing? It is significant too. You will find it begins in verse 10. You could say this chapter marks a pivotal point in the book. Beginning with the next Gem we will start to pull this chapter apart in detail.
Make your CAN larger than your can’t and your dreams bigger than your doubts.
Robin Sharma
If God is your partner, you can make your plans BIG!
D L Moody
Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Mother Teresa
What makes or breaks a man is not what people think of him, but what he thinks of himself.
Jean-Paul Sartre
The quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life.
A.R. Bernard
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle
I don’t care how many times it’s underlined in your bible, if you aren’t doing it you don’t know it.
Joyce Meyer