Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
Paul returned to churches that he and Barnabas...
Paul returned to churches that he and Barnabas had established on their previous journey.
1Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where he found a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father. 2The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Paul and Silas faithfully communicated the decisions of...
Paul and Silas faithfully communicated the decisions of the Jerusalem council. The wisdom of the decision was indicated as the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day (cp. 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1; 9:31; 21:20).
4As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian
God directed the missionaries’ travels: The Holy Spirit...
God directed the missionaries’ travels: The Holy Spirit had prevented them from proceeding westward into the province of Asia, the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go north to Bithynia, and then Paul had a vision calling them to go northwest over the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. God’s Spirit guided his servants in Acts in a variety of ways, including divine visions (see also 9:10; 10:9–16; 22:18), direct intuition (cp. 8:29, 39; 10:19; 20:22), counsel with other believers (cp. 15:29), guidance through prayer (13:2, 4), insight through Scripture (28:25–27), and prophecy (11:28). Guidance by the indwelling Holy Spirit helped them to accomplish their mission to be Christ’s witnesses (1:8; see also 4:8, 31; 11:24; 13:9).
6After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia,† they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia. 7And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
a vision: See “ Visions ” Theme Note.
a vision: See “Visions” Theme Note.
9During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace, and the following day on to Neapolis. 12From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia.† And we stayed there several days.
Luke gives his readers cameos of three lives...
Luke gives his readers cameos of three lives touched by the Good News in Philippi: a wealthy woman (16:14–15), an exploited slave girl (16:16–21), and a middle-class officer (16:23–36).
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.
The first person changed by Christ in Philippi...
- The first person changed by Christ in Philippi was Lydia, a successful businesswoman from Thyatira (modern Akhisar), a city of western Asia Minor famous for its woolen fabrics, weavers, and linens. Lydia responded to the message and she and her household were baptized (cp. 16:32–33).
- One of Lydia’s first acts as a true believer in the Lord was to extend hospitality to the visiting missionaries. Hospitality is an important Christian virtue (Matt 25:31–46; Rom 12:13; 16:23; 1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8; Heb 13:2; 1 Pet 4:9; 3 Jn 1:5–8; cp. Gen 18:1–8; 19:1–3; 24:23–33).
14Among 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. 15And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
The second portrait of a changed life in...
- The second portrait of a changed life in Philippi is of a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future.
- Even though the demon within her was stating the truth, Paul, like Jesus, did not permit it to proclaim the Christian message (cp. Mark 1:25, 34; 3:11–12; Luke 4:35, 41). The Lord had commanded that the gospel be proclaimed by his disciples, not by opponents (Acts 1:8; 9:15; 26:15–18; Matt 28:18–20; Luke 24:46–49; John 20:21; see Acts 22:15).
16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination,† who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
18She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
As in the ministry of Jesus, sometimes the...
- As in the ministry of Jesus, sometimes the Good News threatened established commercial interests (see also 19:25–27; Mark 5:1–20). The slave girl’s exploiters viciously attacked the missionaries and dragged them before the authorities as criminals, blamed them for fomenting a disturbance, resorted to racial bias (these Jews), and appealed to the Philippians’ pride (us Romans; the Philippians prided themselves on being Roman citizens of a Roman colony).
- customs that are illegal: By law, Jews were not permitted to make converts of Romans.
19When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. 20They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil 21by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”
All reasonable security measures were taken to ensure...
All reasonable security measures were taken to ensure that Paul and Silas didn’t escape after they had been stripped and beaten with wooden rods (see 22:24–26; 2 Cor 6:5; 11:23–25). As at Christ’s tomb (Matt 27:65), however, human effort did not prevent divine intervention.
22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods. 23And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. 24On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
The Conversion of the Jailer
25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
Luke’s third portrait in Philippi is of the...
Luke’s third portrait in Philippi is of the Philippian jailer who, shaken by what had happened, responded in faith when challenged to accept the Lord Jesus and be saved. He was baptized with his household and rejoiced in his newfound faith as he reached out with hospitality to the preachers.
27When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”
Paul and Silas had impressed the jailer with...
Paul and Silas had impressed the jailer with their cheerful faith (16:25), their composure in crisis, and their concern for his well-being (16:28). Whatever the jailer’s previous understanding of Paul’s message, God touched his heart, and he cried out for divine help.
29Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Paul and Silas directed the jailer to a...
Paul and Silas directed the jailer to a faith in Christ that brings blessing both to him and to his family. The whole household received Christian instruction, and their response was expressed in baptism and the offering of hospitality to Paul and Silas.
31They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. 33At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized. 34Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.
An Official Apology
35When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order: “Release those men.”
36The jailer informed Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on your way in peace.”
Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens, so...
- Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens, so the beating and imprisonment (16:22–24) had been illegal. After the city officials learned of this, they were justifiably alarmed because they had committed a crime against Rome.
- Let them come themselves to release us: Paul made use of his rights as a Roman citizen in order to clear his name and ensure that no disrepute would attach to the Christian message or those who accepted it. Luke intended to show that Christianity should enjoy the same status as Judaism in the Roman Empire as a permitted religion—the Christian faith was compatible with the life of a Roman citizen. Accordingly, it was important to note that Paul made use of his rights as a Roman citizen (cp. 22:25–27) and was ready to use the privileges of citizenship to advance the cause of Christ in a hostile world.
37But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
38So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39They came to appease them and led them out, requesting that they leave the city. 40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.