ACTS CHAPTER : 16
PAUL FOUND TIMOTHY
∗ Paul and Silas came to Derbe and Lystra, where they met a disciple named Thimotheus who was the son of a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek.
∗ Paul and Silas were discussing the news of the decision of the Jerusalem Council – the believing Gentiles need to be circumcised before joining the church.
∗ So Thimotheus was circumcised.
THE BACKGROUND OF THIMOTHEUS
∗ We know little about Timothy’s early life except that his God-fearing mother and grandmother faithfully instructed him in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15).
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
∗ Because of this, he might be called a “good” sinner. Yet God used him as an effective leader in the early church
” and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
∗ Their lives and testimonies can be just as effective as those of the worst sinners.
∗ First, Timothy chose to follow God as a young man. His father was not a believer, and his mother Eunice was a believer. At some point prior to meeting Paul, Timotheus had already decided that he would embrace the faith of his mother, and his reputation among the believers testified to his commitment.
∗ Second, Timotheus demonstrated his faith through his obedience. To remove any distraction from their ministry, Paul circumcised his son in the faith, and Timotheus complied. He left his home in Lystra to accompany Paul and Silas, and God blessed their work with new believers coming to Christ daily.
∗ Finally, as Paul neared the end of his life, he wrote letters to Timotheus to encourage and exhort him to remain faithful as a minister of the gospel. He described Timotheus’ “sincere faith,” and noted that Timotheus was blessed with a mother and a grandmother who had this faith. The previous generations had poured themselves into Timotheus, and in light of their faithfulness and Timotheus’ calling, Paul urged him to “fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Tim. 1:6).
CIRCUMCISION OF THIMOTHEUS
* Yet Paul had Timotheus circumcised before taking along.
* It’s likely that he had not already been circumcised in deference to his father’s Gentile culture.
* But in working with Jewish believers, it would appear callous and sacrilegious for the son of a Jewish mother to be uncircumcised.
* So for the good of the ministry – not as a matter of legalism – Timotheus was circumcised.
* Paul, Silas and Timotheus soon found themselves in new territory, as they set out across Galatia (modern Turkey), heading west word the Aegean Sea.
THE LEADING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
* Paul, Silas and Timotheus were told by the Holy Spirit not to enter Asia.
∗ The Spirit of Jesus waited to be to you,…….
“O pilgrim, what He was to Paul. Only be careful to obey his least prohibitions; and where, after believing prayer, there are no apparent hindrances, believe that you are on the way everlasting, and go forward with enlarged heart. “Teach me to do thy will, for Thou art my God: thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness.” Do not be surprised if the answer comes in closed doors. But when doors are shut right and left, an open road is sure to lead to Troas. There Luke awaits, and visions will point the way, where vast opportunities stand open, and faithful friends are waiting.”
BACKGROUND OF PAUL
Paul grew up in one of the finest centres of learning, Tarsus, where philosophers and teachers were present in abundance; but he also studied under Gamaliel, one of the great teachers of the law. He knew the Scriptures as well as anyone on earth; but he knew the western thinking and philosophy better than any of the apostles. Clearly, God was at work in preparing the right man, for the right task; and so it is no surprise that God chose to lead him to the West in a significant way.
The apostle Paul ever lived in such dependence on the Holy Spirit for guidance, and for the unfolding of the Divine purpose, that from some apparently trivial circumstance he would “gather” the movements of the pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night. And interval there was none between his apprehension of the Divine purpose and his endeavor to strike his tent and follow wherever it might lead.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit[a]did not permit them.. (Acts 16:6–7).
* When they considered going north through Bithynia, they were also prohibited.
* So they were themselves in Troas, a seaport on the Aegean Sea.
* Here the writing shifted from third person to first person, indicating that Luke joined the group.
* Yet, he didn’t join the party as a mere observer; he felt called by God to preach the Gospel with the others as well.
* Luke did not mention a synagogue in Phlippi, so the Jewish community must have been very small.
* But on the Sabbath, when Paul and his companions looked for a place, they found a group of women by the river and started a conversation with them.
THE BLESSED RESULTS (v. 13-15).
∗ It might have been a spot by the river-side, set apart as a public oratory, because of its natural adaptations.
∗ In this roofless “house of prayer” Paul and Silas sat and spake the wonderful words of life to the women which resorted thither.
∗ The interest centred in a “certain woman named Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened.” She had been a worshipper of God, but now the door of her heart was opened to receive the message of the Gospel, sent to her by the Lord, through His servants.
∗ Take note that the “Word of Salvation” sent from God to man is not so much for the head as for the heart.
∗ With the heart’ man believed unto righteousness. The open heart would always be “attentive unto the things” spoken by the servant of God, and God is sure to open hearts for the reception of the message that He had sent.
∗ Another evidence of the open heart is a willingness to confess Christ and a love for the fellowship of the people of God (v. 15).
∗ We could never work out our own salvation until God had worked it in us. Some hearts are opened as with the gentle kiss of light (2 Cor. 4:6), others have been broken open as with a rod of iron.
∗ To open the heart to the Lord is to give Him the control of all the springs of the life. Son, give Me thine heart.
* Lydia sold purple cloth something only the wealthy could afford to buy.
* She worshipped God to the extent that she understood Him, but her understanding greatly increased as Paul speaks and God opens her heart.
A SLAVE GIRL WHO HAD THE SPIRIT OF DIVINATION
One day, as they were going to the place of prayer, they met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.
While she followed Paul and the apostles, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.”
She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
And it came out that very hour.
But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.” The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely.
Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
* Rather than being glad that the girl was no longer troubled by the the spirit, her owners only saw their source of easy income had gone.
* Instead of admitting it was a money issue, they accused Paul and Silas of promoting Jewish customs that weren’t acceptable for Romans.
* In response to the false allegations, the surrounding crowd joined the attack as Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten and securely imprisoned.
CHOOSE TO REJOICE
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.—Acts 16:25
∗Your joy as a Christian should not depend on your circumstances.
∗Joy comes from God, and therefore it cannot be affected by what is outside of you. Don’t be fooled into letting the actions of others determine your joy.
∗True joy comes from knowing that God Himself lives within you and has fellowship with you, regardless of your environment.
∗Real joy lies in the knowledge that holy God has completely forgiven you of every sin, and even now, He has a home prepared in heaven where you can spend eternity with Him (John 14:3).
∗The circumstances of your life cannot change these truths!
Paul and Silas faced some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. They were falsely accused, arrested, and imprisoned. They were beaten and shackled in the darkest, coldest section of the prison. But they refused to allow their horrific situation to dampen their joy! They did not blame God for allowing these things to happen to them. Instead, they praised Him for His goodness! In the darkness of the night, they prayed and they sang. God brought a miracle that released them from their chains, but perhaps the greater miracle was that His Holy Spirit could so fill them that even in their painful imprisonment they could overflow with joy!
∗Do not allow difficult events to cancel the joy of knowing you are a child of God. Choose to allow God’s Spirit to fill you with His unquenchable joy, and your life will be a miracle to those who watch you face the trials that come.
CONVERSATION WITH THE PHILIPPIANS JAILER
∗ During the midnight there was a great earthquake, the fountains of the prison was shaken, all the doors were opened and every one’s hands were loosened
* When jailer awoke, to discover what has happened, he intended to kill himself because he knew the Roman authorities would do as much or worse.
* The reason for the prisoners reluctance to flee was not recorded.
* Perhaps the prisoners recognised the work of God in connection with the hymns and miraculous nature of the earthquake.
* The Jailer was no longer the authority figure. He fell trembling before Paul and Silas, freed them , and them asked what he needed to do to be saved.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (16 :31)
∗ when the magistrates let them go, Paul and Silas were reluctant to go because they had imprisoned them publically and freed them privily.
But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.(16 : 37)
* Paul and Silas’s request was accommodated, although the magistrates do asked them to leave the city.
* So they made one more stop at Lydia’s house to encourage the believers and then moved on.
Let’s Pray
Lord, as the disciples changed the hearts of many and turned towards Your goodness, let our hearts be focused towards you and look for Your goodness in our lives. Amen.
Glory be to God
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