DAY 16
Acts 16:1-40
Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
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. 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, 3 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. 4 Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
A Call from Macedonia
6 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. 7 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. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.
9 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!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Lydia of Philippi Believes in Jesus
11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
13 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. 14 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. 15 She and her household were baptized, 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.
Paul and Silas in Prison
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 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.”
18 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.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 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! 27 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. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 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. 34 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.
35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
37 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!”
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 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.
1. The beginning of Acts 16 shows Paul working with believers to strengthen their faith as a part of their spiritual formation. As much as he wanted to move to new cities to spread the news of Jesus, he also took care to watch after the spiritual maturity and growth of believers at the churches that were already established. While we sometimes mistake the idea of Christian growth and spiritual maturity for the only thing that matters after we become a Christian, we also can make the mistake of assuming that once we have taken a step of faith, we can ride out the rest of our lives in comfort while awaiting heaven. In your own life, which of these two camps do you fall into? What dangers do you see in each side?
2. This chapter serves as an excellent display of what it looks like to trust in God for guidance. It was the Holy Spirit that led Paul to only go to the right places at the right time, and because he decided to follow the Spirit’s leading, he was successful in his journeys. Reflect on your own life for a moment – do you plan every step of your life on your own, or do you rely on God’s leading in all areas of your life? As Christians, we believe that God has a plan and that we always want to be living according to His will. When is the last time you prayed about your future? Do you tend to make decisions based on logic or do you consider what God may be saying to you? How can you more purposefully practice following God in your life?
3. Just as God worked through Paul to speak to Lydia’s heart in Acts 16:14, we must recognize that it isn’t our actions that have any saving power. Yet, God chooses to use us to spread the gospel and to do His works. This is an awesome privilege! Think about it this way – God doesn’t need you to move, but He chooses to use you because He delights in it. How have you seen God use you for His purposes in your own life? When those moments happen, do you take credit or do you give credit to God for using you?
4. The story of the slave girl is a terrifying one that shows us how Satan works. While it seemed that Satan was participating in evangelism (“they have come to tell you how to be saved”), he was really attempting to discredit the gospel by getting people to associate it with something more perverse and sinister. Satan often works by telling what seems like a truth and in reality, the motive gets twisted. It’s not that Satan always lies – sometimes Satan tells the truth but with the wrong motive. This is especially dangerous because it allows Christians to mistake the real work God is doing for something else entirely. What are the truths that Satan uses in your own life that take your mind and heart off of Jesus?
God our Father, today I pray for You to guide my life and to direct my steps. I pray that I would submit to Your will in my life, and that I would have the courage to trust in Your path instead of my own. Just as You guided Paul’s steps, I ask that You would guide mine in accordance with Your good and perfect vision for my life. I pray against the thoughts that invade my mind that may be truthful yet keep paralyzed by fear or timidity. Use my life as a beacon of hope for others, that You may use me to show others Your glory, and in doing so, that You would continue to form me into who I’ve been designed to be. I ask these requests in the name of Jesus Your Son, Amen.
LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE LIVED ALONE. YOU WERE CREATED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.