“Acts 16: The Second Journey”

Monday, January 16, 2017

After Paul and Silas have gone through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches, they come to Derbe and Lystra. Here they add a young disciple named Timothy to their evangelistic team.

The relationship between Paul and Timothy was strong, and it would continue to grow and develop through the years. Paul would later say that he knew no one else so “like-minded” and commended him for his “proven character” (Philippians 2:20, 22). Timothy has the distinction of receiving two personal letters from Paul that became part of the New Testament, including the final letter Paul wrote shortly before his own death.

Not allowed by the Lord to go to Asia or Bithynia, the team comes to Troas where Paul receives what has been referred to as “the Macedonian Call” and so they travel to a Roman colony called Philippi. There are three major events in Philippi – the conversion of Lydia (verses 13-15), the arrest of Paul and Silas for casting a demon out of a young girl (verses 16-24), and the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his household (verses 25-34). Each of these accounts teaches us some important lessons.

In verses 13-15, we find that the church in Philippi begins with the conversion of some devout women, including Lydia. There is no Jewish synagogue there, which means there are not ten faithful Jewish males in the area. Paul preaches to a group of women who had gathered at the river side to pray, the gospel touches and opens their hearts and Lydia and her household are converted. Later, the church at Philippi had both elders and deacons (Philippians 1:1; all men – see 1 Timothy 3:1-13), but they started with women.

In verses 16-24, Paul casts a demon out of a young fortune teller who was making a lot of money for her owners. Incensed by this loss of income, they have Paul and Silas imprisoned. This shows us that God can use difficult circumstances to accomplish His will, as is seen in the next section of the text.

In verses 25-34, through a providential earthquake, Paul and Silas have the opportunity to teach the jailer and his household. They are baptized “the same hour of the night” and the Philippian church continues to grow.

The next morning, Paul and Silas are released. They spend a little time encouraging the new Christians and then move on with the gospel. Luke remains behind to further strengthen the church.

--Roger Hillis

Share