Acts 16:1
Outline:
I. \\#Acts 1:1-8:4\\ God’s Work in Jerusalem
A. \\#1:1-3\\ The Introduction
B. \\#1:4-26\\ Jesus’ Departure
C. \\#2:1-8:4\\ The Holy Ghost’s Coming
II. \\#Acts 8:5-12:24\\ God’s Work in Judea and Samaria
III. \\#Acts 13:1-28:31\\ God’s Work in Uttermost Parts of the World
A. \\#13:1-14:28\\ The First Missionary Journey
1. \\#13:1-3\\ The Calling
2. \\#13:4\\ Seleucia
3. \\#13:5-12\\ Cyprus
4. \\#13:13\\ Perga in Pamphylia
5. \\#13:14-52\\ Antioch of Pisidia
6. \\#14:1-5\\ Iconium
7. \\#14:6-19\\ Lystra
8. \\#14:21\\ Debra
9. \\#14:22-25\\ Retracing the Journey
10. \\#14:25\\ Attalia
11. \\#14:26-28\\ Antioch of Syria
B. \\#15:1-35\\ Judaism or Grace
1. \\#15:1-3\\ The Issue
2. \\#15:4-29\\ The Council At Jerusalem
3. \\#15:30-35\\ The return to Antioch
C. \\#15:36-18:22\\ Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
1. \\#15:36-40\\ Problems in Preparation
2. \\#15:41\\ Syria and Cilicia
3. \\#16:1-5\\ Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium
4. \\#16:6-9\\ "they had gone throughout"
5. \\#16:11-40\\ On to Philippi
I. \\#15:36-18:22\\ Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
A. \\#1-5\\ "Derbe and Lystra" Map
1. These cities connected Paul with his first missionary
journey \\#Acts 14:6-21\\. Lystra was where Paul was
stoned \\#Acts 14:19\\.
2. \\#1\\ "a certain disciple …Timotheus"-In Lystra,
Paul found a young man named Timothy.
3. Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Greek father.
4. \\#2\\ "Which was well reported"-Timothy had a good
reputation among the churches of the area, including
"Iconium."
5. \\#3\\ "Him would Paul have to go with him"-Paul sensed
something in Timothy that made him want Timothy to go
with him.
6. "and circumcised him because of the Jews"-Paul had
Timothy circumcised which was not a Gentile custom but
part of the Jewish law.
a. Was Paul advocating keeping the law for salvation or
service? No.
b. Paul went into Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath to
preach to the Jews \\#Acts 18:4\\ and he knew Timothy
would not be allowed inside if he were not
circumcised.
c. This was part of Paul’s philosophy:
1Co 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I
might gain the weak: I am made all things to all
men, that I might by all means save some.
7. \\#4\\ "they delivered them the decrees …of the apostles
and elders"-This would be the news that the Gentiles
were not obligated to keep the law for salvation.
8. \\#5\\ "the churches established in the faith"-This news
and probably Paul and Silas’ work, helped to further
strengthen and grow the churches in that area.
B. \\#6-9\\ "they had gone throughout" Map
1. "Phrygia …region of Galatia …Mysia …Bithynia, but
the spirit suffered them not."
a. These are religions not cities.
b. Galatia was the area to which that Paul would later
write the book of Galatians.
2. "throughout" COULD mean that they spend a good bit of time
going to a lot of different cities; however, the fact
that no details are given MIGHT indicate that they
moved through area fairly rapidly.
3. Perhaps others had already preached the gospel in these
locations. If so, Paul likely would not have stayed
very long.
Romans 5:20 Yea, so have I strived to preach
the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I
should build upon another man’s foundation:
4. \\#7\\ "Bithynia, but the spirit suffered them not"-The
Holy Spirit would not let them travel into Bithynia.
5. \\#8\\ "And they passing …to Troas" Troas Map
a. So they came to Troas a port city.
b. Notice that the narrator was speaking in the third
person in \\#8\\, "us."
c. \\#10\\ "we endeavoured to go" - But here he was
speaking in the first person.
d. Conclusion - Luke joined Paul at Troas. It was likely
that Paul had several who worked with him, he being
the leader for it was obvious that God was using
Paul. Some of those might have met Paul at various
locations along his journey.
6. \\#9-10\\ In Troas, Paul had a vision of a man from
Macedonia asking for help. Paul understood that to be
the Lord’s direction.
C. \\#16:11-40\\ On to Philippi
1. \\#11-12\\ The Journey Macedonia Map
a. \\#11\\ "Samothracia" - They sailed across to
Macedonia, apparently landing on the island of
Samothracia. From the remainder of the verse, it
sounds like they were there only overnight.
b. "the next day to Neapolis" - Neapolis was the port
city.
c. \\#12\\ "And from thence to Philippi" - After
traveling some 950 miles from Antioch of Syria, Luke
will begin to detail some of the events of the trip.
Perhaps the lack of detailed information indicates
the disciples felt as though they had been merely
working to get to the location where God wanted them.
d. "in that city abiding certain days." - While this
phrase does not tell us how long they stayed at
Philippi, it does indicate that they stayed there
longer than anywhere they had previously been on
this journey.
2. \\#13-15\\ Lydia’s Salvation
a. \\#13\\ "on the Sabbath … river side" - It sounds
like the people—or at least the women—may have met
there regularly.
b. \\#14\\ "Lydia, a seller of purple …Thyatira"
(1) Lydia sold purple dye.
(2) Thyatira was 240 miles east and was where one the
seven churches of Revelation was located
\\#Rev 2:18-24\\.
c. "which worshipped God" - The way the Bible records it,
it seems that she worshipped the one true God. She
may have been Jewish or else had been introduced to
the Jewish God.
d. "whose heart the Lord opened" - She fell under
conviction and was saved.
e. \\#15\\ "she was baptized and her household" - Perhaps
Lydia was a single mother and her household meant
her children; but more than likely, her character
meant enough to her husband that when she believed,
he was moved to believe as well.
f. "abide there. And she constrained us."
(1) Lydia insisted that Paul and his troop stay with
her. This gave them a reason and place to stay
in Philippi.
(2) "us" - Luke was still with Paul.
3. \\#16-24\\ Paul’s City Ministry
a. \\#16\\ "a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of
divination"
(1) This woman has a demon controlling her that could
reveal the unknown, either of the future of the
past.
(2) Interestingly, the Greek word for divination is
"python," meaning snake. Since Satan first
tempted Eve in the form of a snake, reptile has
been associated with the devil.
(3) "brought her masters much gain" - The woman was
being used by others for their profit.
b. \\#17-18\\ The woman "followed" \\#17\\ Paul and
Silas for "many days" \\#18\\ speaking the truth,
"These men are the servants of the most High God" but
obviously not in a sincere manner.
(1) "Paul being grieved" - After a time, Paul got
tired of it.
(2) "…come out of her. And he came out" - So Paul
cast the demon out.
(3) I find it interesting that this woman is never
personally described. Was she angry that the
demon had been cast out?
c. \\#19\\ "masters saw …their gains was gone" - Those
who controlled the woman can no longer profit from
her.
(1) It is not amazing how many times greed motivates
people.
(2) The woman may have been demon possessed but these
men were not missing it by much.
(3) "and drew them into the marketplace unto the
rulers" - So Paul and Silas were brought in for
judgment.
d. \\#20-21\\ "These men, being Jews …which are not
lawful for us …being Romans" - Here we see
something of what these Jewish evangelists endured.
When with the Jews, they were hated for being
associated with the Gentiles. When with the
Gentiles, they were hated for being Jews.
e. \\#22\\ "the multitude rose …against them" - The
majority of people were against the disciples.
f. \\#23\\ "when they laid many stripes …cast them into
prison" - So they were beaten with a whip and
imprisoned.
g. \\#23-24\\ "the jailor …thrust them into the inner
prison …in the stocks"
(1) It would be the jailor’s charge to keep the
prisoners. If the prison was military, the
penalty for losing a prisoner could be death.
(2) "inner prison" - The most secured portion of the
prison.
(3) The word "stocks" means "wooden braces." At the
very least, their feet were locked into place
so that they could not walk or move.
(4) I wonder why they thought Paul to be such a risk?
He probably had done more than the one miracle
in those days there. Did they fear he had some
form of magic?
4. \\#25-34\\ Paul’s Jail Ministry
a. \\#25\\ "at midnight" - Whipped, arrested, and in
stocks, at the pinnacle of the night the men start
to pray and sing.
(1) I wonder what they were praying about? I tend to
think it was for others—not themselves.
(2) "sang praises" - There is no question of what
they sang about. They sang about God and His
goodness!
b. \\#26\\ The earth quake so that "foundations of the
prison were shaken …the doors were opened …every
one’s bands were loosed."
(1) A doubter might say that the earthquake was a
coincidence, but how would they explain every
door opening and every band being loosed? This
was God setting the prisoners free!
(2) \\#28\\ "we are all here" - A second miracle is
the fact that NONE of the prisoners tried to
escape! Paul did not say, "WE" are here but
"WE ALL," implying there were more prisoners in
the jail than just Paul and Silas. Why did they
not run? It can only be that God kept them
there. It was not God’s will to free criminals
but to demonstrate that He is the Keeper of the
prison.
c. \\#27\\ The "keeper of the prison …would have killed
himself, supposing that the prisoners had …fled."
The jailor would have killed himself either for his
honor or because it would have been required anyway.
d. \\#28\\ Paul stopped him.
e. \\#29-34\\ "what must I do to be saved?" - The jailer
wanted to be saved!
(1) There must have been more than praying and
singing going on in that jail! There must have
been some preaching!
(2) Between the praying, preaching, singing, and
earthquake, this man was convinced that Paul
worshipped the one true GOD.
(3) \\#31\\ "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved"
(a) One of the most used Scriptures to lead
others to Christ.
(b) Why is there no reference here to
repentance? Perhaps because the jailor
demonstrated repentance when he came to
Paul.
(4) \\#32\\ Paul had not explained salvation to the
jailer only, but to "all that were in his
house." For that to be done, the jailer must
have taken Paul and Silas—and perhaps the other
prisoners—to his home.
(5) \\#33-34\\
(a) \\#33\\ The jailer "washed his stripes";
that is, he took care of his wounds.
(b) "and was baptized, he and all his" - \\#34\\
will clarify by saying, "believing in God
with all his house."
(c) For the second time in this chapter, one
member of a family is able to influence an
entire family to trust Christ (Lydia).
(d) \\#34\\ "he set meat before them" - And the
jailer feed them.
5. \\#35-39\\ Paul’s Political Ministry
a. \\#35\\
(1) "when it was day" - \\#25-34\\ all took place
between midnight and daybreak.
(2) "Let those men go." - Word came down from the
city leaders to let Paul and Silas go.
b. \\#36-37\\ "the keeper of the prison" told them to go
"in peace." But Paul refused, just then revealing
that "they," meaning Paul and Silas, were "Romans."
(1) Rome was a kingdom made up of many nations. Those
born with Roman citizenship were granted special
privileges and protections under the law.
(2) People from other nations could "earn" Roman
citizen with deeds or cash.
(3) The Greek leaders of Philippi had assumed that
these Jewish men were NOT Roman citizens and by
beating them without proof they had committed a
crime, had themselves broken the law.
c. \\#38-39\\ The Leaders
(1) \\#38\\ "they feared, when they heard that they
were Romans" - Rome could deal with the entire
city in whatever manner it chose, and they were
known for their brutality.
(2) \\#39\\ "they came and besought them" - So with
kid gloves, the leaders come and "ask" Paul and
Silas to leave.
(3) Christians may have to turn the other cheek but
it seems to be all right to let others eat a
slice of humble pie from time to time!
6. \\#40\\ "house of Lydia" - Paul and Silas visit Lydia and
probably spend a short period "comforting them" and then
continue own their way.
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