Acts 16

Acts 16 (NKJV)

The Second Missionary Journey

They are open to adding to their team

16    Then (with Barnabas heading for his home town of Cypress with Mark, Paul set out for the opposite end of their first missionary journey over land, towards his home city of Tarsus and) he came to Derbe (of which nothing is mentioned) and Lystra (where Paul had been stoned and thought dead.  We do know from chapter 15:41 that their mission in each city was to strengthen (affirm) the churches (to be established in their faith and remain firm in it).  And behold (through the preordained will of God), a certain disciple was there (at Lystra), named Timothy (half Jew and half Gentile), the son of a certain Jewish woman (named Eunice) who believed (was a gospel believer), but his father was Greek.

According to later rabbinic law, a child born of a Jewish mother and a Greek father was considered to be Jewish. The marriage of a Jewish woman to a non-Jew was considered a nonlegal marriage; and in all instances of nonlegal marriages, the lineage of the child was reckoned through the mother.[1]

 2 He (Timothy, in his late teens or early twenties) was well spoken of by the brethren (Timothy’s spiritual gifts and godly character were obvious to the gospel believers) who were at Lystra and Iconium (in his own neighborhood as well as in the surrounding communities).

1 Timothy 3: 2, 10 are mandates for leadership – 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; …10 But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.  

It says a great deal about Timothy that he met these qualifications at such a young age and to such a geographical extent.

  • It’s never too young to begin living one’s life for the Lord.
  • Major service to the Lord is not determined by age.
  • Whether young or old, none of us just begins to serve the Lord in the major lanes of kingdom work, it is something we all merge into from other roads of spiritual growth and service.

It also says a lot about the gospel believers around him. 

  • They were able to discern godly character and spiritual giftedness when they saw it.
  • They were at least looking for and hopefully praying for potential labors for the harvest.
  • They were speaking up about the persons that they felt had potential.

 3 (Seeing this great potential in Timothy) Paul wanted to have him go on (the remainder of the second missionary trip) with him. (I wonder what Silas thought…)

Recognizing Timothy’s value and potential, Paul wanted this man to go with him. This was an important step for Timothy and a sacrifice on the part of his family. They knew all too well the dangers he faced as Paul’s companion. Eunice and Lois would still vividly recall the events of Paul’s last visit to Lystra, when he wound up bloody, battered, and left for dead. It was possible that Timothy might meet a similar fate. Nevertheless, they permitted him to go. After being commissioned by the elders of the local assembly of believers (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6), he joined Paul and Silas, and the course of his life was set.[2]

1 Timothy 4:14 – Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.

2 Timothy 1:6 – Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Whether our own children, grand children or church family children, are we really ok with God calling them into whatever line of Christian service He want, wherever He wants, to live or die as He wants?

I remember thinking about Jacquelyn McGinnis going on her missions trip to minister to Muslims.  I really struggled with it.

Then the Lord put the book, Chineese man in my hands. 

3 Paul wanted to have him (Timothy) go on with him.  And he took him and circumcised him (not because he disagreed with the Jerusalem counsel and felt it necessary for Timothy’s salvation, but) because of the (unsaved) Jews (sake) who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek (and therefore Timothy was uncircumcised, and in that state, the unbelieving Jews would not even give him a hearing or allow him into their Synagogues).

With Timothy’s father likely dead, and having been a Gentile in any case, Paul assumed the role of a father and took Timothy and circumcised him. … Nowhere is it stated or implied that Paul circumcised Timothy so that he could be saved. The text clearly says that Paul circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Circumcision was the sine qua non of Judaism. Had Timothy not been circumcised, the Jews would have assumed he was renouncing his Jewish heritage and choosing to live as a Gentile. Paul’s circumcision of Timothy had nothing to do with salvation; he did it for expediency’s sake, to avoid placing an unnecessary stumbling block in the way of Jewish evangelism. Timothy’s circumcision granted him full access to the synagogues he would visit with Paul and Silas.

Far from lapsing into legalism, Paul was being consistent with a principle he would later express in 1 Corinthians 9:19–22:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.

Significantly, Paul refused to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3). Titus, unlike Timothy, was a full-blooded Gentile. To have circumcised him would have been to [surrender] to legalism.

From Paul’s actions concerning his two companions an important principle becomes evident. Missionaries must be sensitive to the unique characteristics of the cultures in which they work. As Paul did in circumcising Timothy, they should avoid giving any unnecessary offense. But like Paul in refusing to circumcise Titus, they must not compromise any of the timeless truths of Scripture.[3]

Timothy

  • He was born in Lystra
  • His mother was Eunice, a Jewess and gospel believer
  • His grandmother was Lois, a gospel believer
  • His mother and grandmother taught Timothy the Scriptures from infancy
  • His father was Greek, a gentile
  • We don’t know his name
  • He may have been dead at this time
  • He was a disciple, thus a gospel believer
  • He may have been saved during Paul and Barnabases first missionary journey
  • He may have been saved later by the witness of his mother and grandmother
  • He was held in high regard by the communities of Lystra and Iconium
  • He was adopted by Paul as a spiritual son
  • He probably had a great deal of knowledge of Paul and my have even seen him stoned, which is something you don’t forget
  • He had his first pastorate as a young man and two pastorates in all
  • He may have had poor health
  • He appeared to be timid and didn’t like confrontation

 4 And as they (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) went through the cities (of Galatia), they delivered to them the decrees (the resolutions made at the counsel) to keep (to follow), which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

They were spreading the liberating truth affirmed at the Jerusalem Council, that salvation was wholly by God’s grace. Also, that new believers would not be hindered in their fellowship with their Jewish brothers, the missionaries informed the churches of the regulations imposed on the Gentiles. That is the twofold message of Christianity: salvation by grace and living by love.[4]

5 So the (gospel believing and preaching) churches were strengthened (meaning firmed up or made solid, like muscles, only here) in the faith (in the Person, promises, will, and blessing of 0faith in Christ), and increased in number daily (as others placed saving faith in Christ on a daily basis).

They became firm in the faith, and then, they increased in number.  Others came to know Christ as Savior as they became more like Christ.

          THE EXTRA STEP

As a Christian, Timothy was not required to be circumcised (the Jerusalem council had decided that—see chapter 15). Nevertheless, he voluntarily submitted himself to this to overcome any barriers to his witness for Christ. Sometimes we need to go beyond the minimum requirements in order to help our audience receive our testimony. What personal sacrifices would you be willing to make for the sake of the gospel?[5]

They are open to God changing their mission

They accept God’s closed doors

6 Now (being possibly somewhere around Antioch in Pisidia) when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia (having visited at this point, the churches they established on the first missionary trip that they initially intended to check on, and probably wondering how to proceed from there), they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word (of the gospel) in Asia (the message was crystal clear, however it was communicated).

Phrygia was an area populated by thousands of Jews, who introduced the teaching of the Old Testament to Gentiles. This knowledge and teaching of the Scriptures contributed to the spread of the gospel.

Luke mentions Phrygia as one of the nations represented at Pentecost (2:10). …For this reason many scholars are reluctant to suggest that Paul brought the gospel exclusively to Gentiles in the northern part of Galatia.[6]

[The Asian] region was an important one, and there would later be churches in such cities as Ephesus, Smyrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colossae, Sardis, Pergamum, and Thyatira.[7]

After visiting the churches he had founded, Paul tried to enter new territory for the Lord by traveling east into Asia Minor and Bythinia, but the Lord closed the door. We don’t know how God revealed His will in this matter, but we can well imagine that Paul was disappointed and perhaps a bit discouraged. Everything had been going so smoothly on this second journey that these closed doors must have come as a great surprise. However, it is comforting to know that even apostles were not always clear as to God’s will for their ministries! God planned for the message to get there another time (Acts 18:19–19:41; see 1 Peter 1:1).[8]

          THE LEADING OF GOD

We don’t know how the Holy Spirit told Paul that he and his companions should not go into Asia (16:6). It may have been through a prophet, a vision, an inner conviction, or some other circumstance. To know God’s will does not mean we must hear an audible voice. He leads in different ways. When seeking God’s will,

(1) make sure your plan is in harmony with God’s Word;

(2) ask mature Christians for their advice;

(3) check your own motives—are you seeking to do what you want, or what you think God wants?—and

(4) pray for God to open and close the doors as he desires.[9]

 7 After they had come to Mysia (northwest of the Roman Province of Asia Minor, a mountainous area with several major Roman roads), they tried to go into Bithynia (not a Roman Province, with many Jewish communities and later evangelized by Peter [1 Pet. 1:1]), but the (Holy) Spirit did not permit them (to go to the populated city areas there either). 8 So passing by (through the sparsely populated mountain areas to the other end of) Mysia, they came down to (the harbor city on the Aegean Sea) Troas.

They act quickly when God opens a door

 9 And a vision (divinely timed and planned by God) appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia (the mainland of Greece, in the continent of Europe) stood and pleaded (repetitively) with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us (plural, help us, the people of Europe.  The idea here is that this man over and over again pleaded with Paul to come).” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately (without hesitation or argument) we (Luke includes himself for the first time as he has at this point joined the team) sought to go to (the region of) Macedonia, concluding (lit., “to make go together, to coalesce or knit together, to make this and that agree and [as a result] to conclude”[10]) that the Lord had called us (our entire team Paul, Silas, Timothy and Dr. Luke) to preach the gospel to them (understanding now why God didn’t allow them into Asia.)

Everett Harrison, founding faculty member of Fuller Theological Seminary, where he served as professor of New Testament for some thirty years makes an interesting observation at this juncture, “Alexander [the Great] had moved from west to east to conquer brilliantly and infuse [the world] … with everything Greek. Now a converted Jew was moving in the opposite direction, from Asia to Europe, to conquer for Christ.”[11]

Lessons we can learn:

  • Sometimes God’s leading can appear confusing, illogical or even a waste of time, resources and opportunities.
  • We still need to not let closed doors discourage us, but keep busy and press on with the knowledge that we do have.
  • We need to trust and rest in the Person and will of our Lord, not our activities or personal perceptions.
  • It’s not wrong to test the waters in areas of interest.
  • God is not in a hurry.
  • What we are not doing is just as important as what we are doing.
  • We need to be spiritually sensitive in order to discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
  • We need to remember that the great commission never ceases no matter how limited our means of fulfilling that responsibility may be.

11 Therefore (purposing to fulfill God’s will for them, they set out for southern Europe), sailing (across the Aegean Sea) from Troas (present day Turkey), we ran a straight course to Samothrace (a small island about half way across), and the next day came to Neapolis, (the sea port for Philippi—modern day Kavalla—about 150 miles.  The winds must have been favorable because the return trip would take them 5 days, [Acts 20:6]) 12 and from there to Philippi (about 10 miles northwest of the sea port), which is the foremost (a prominent) city of that part of Macedonia, a (Roman) colony.

“The Roman colony of Philippi.” The travelers journey along the Roman-built Egnatian Road, a highway that extended four hundred miles from the east coast to the west coast of Macedonia. After leaving Neapolis, Paul and his companions ascend to a broad plateau that is exceptionally fertile and in summer lush and green. Within a few hours, they see Philippi (literally, “of Philip”; Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, had renamed the city). At one time, the area was known for its gold mines that produced more than one thousand talents of gold annually. The Romans conquered Philippi in 168 b.c. and garnered the revenue from the mines.[12]

Roman colony abroad. The rights of a colony were essentially threefold: self-government, freedom from taxes and tributes, and the same privileges as the citizens of any Italian city.[13]

They stick with it when the ministry is slow going

And (after all the hustling) we were staying in that city for some days (the idea is that not much was happening after they got there).

Mathew Henry says, “They had made all the haste they could thither, but, now that they are there, they are almost tempted to think they might as well have stayed where they were. But so it was ordered for their trial whether they could bear the pain of silence and lying by, when this was their lot. Those eminent and useful men are not fit to live in this world that know not how to be slighted and overlooked. Let not ministers think it strange if they be first strongly invited to a place, and then looked shyly upon when they come.”[14]

They faithfully minister the Word of God

 13 And (according to their normal practice) on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily (regularly) made (as was the normal practice in a Jewish community that didn’t have a Synagogue.  The presence of a creek, river or sea was also sought out for the place of meeting and prayer.  Having a Synagogue required a minimum of 10 Jewish men who were the heads of the home.); and we sat down (the normal posture of teaching for a rabbi) and spoke to the women who met there (another indication of a small population of Jews in Philippi.  Having a visiting rabbi would have been a rare treat).

They eventually receive some fruit for their labor

 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us (at the prayer meeting). She was a seller of purple (a very expensive fabric of the influential) from the city of Thyatira (a Roman province of Lydia, which may mean Lydia may not be her actual name, but “The Lydian Lady.”  Thyatira was also one of the seven churches of Revelation [Rev. 2:18–29] known for purple dye and fabric.  This means that Lydia, or “The Lydian Lady,” was a woman of financial means), who worshiped God (she had rejected her peoples false gods for the One True God.  She was a seeker). The Lord opened her heart (seeker or not, she was still spiritually dead, which necessitated God’s intervention) to heed the things (the gospel truth) spoken by (God’s messenger) Paul. 15 And when she and her household (whom God must have opened the hearts of as well) were baptized (after heeding the truth as well), she (Lydia) begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord (meaning here a true gospel believer), come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us (to do so).

They reap demonic wrath for the fruit for their labor

16 Now (as Christ began to build His church at Philippi) it happened (that Satan begins attacking it as he did on the first missionary journey), as we went to prayer (as they were going to a place to pray), that (the agent of Satan’s) a certain slave girl possessed with a (demon) spirit of divination met us (crossed our path), who (by her interaction with demons) brought her masters much (extensive, mega) profit by fortune-telling. (e.g., by telling people who robbed them, where they lost something, whether to trust someone, could an illness be healed, would a job venture be good, etc., but only for a hefty price.)

If Lydia came from the top end of the social scale, this slave-girl came from the bottom. She was what was called a Pytho, that is, a person who could give oracles to guide men about the future. She was mad and the ancient world had a strange respect for mad people because, they said, the gods had taken away their wits in order to put the mind of the gods into them. She was probably also gifted with a natural [ability] for ventriloquism. She had fallen into the hands of unscrupulous men who used her misfortune for their gain.[15]

[The] Greeks and Romans put great stock on [omens] and divination. No commander would set out on a major military campaign nor would an emperor make an important decree without first consulting an oracle to see how things might turn out. A slave girl with a [mystic] gift was thus a veritable gold mine for her owners.[16]

17 This girl (after seeing the team) followed Paul and us (wherever and whenever we went somewhere), and cried out (as loudly as she could), saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, (i.e., they attend on him, are employed by him, and are devoted to his honour, as servants; they come to us on his errands, the message they bring is from him, and they serve the purposes and interest of his kingdom.[17]  The Most High God is in refrence to the God “who is over all men, over all gods, who made us all, and to whom we are all accountable. [18]) who proclaim to us (who have no salvation, no matter how sincerely or in whatever ways we have sought it) the (true) way of salvation.” (She spoke the truth, but assumedly for wrong reasons.) 18 And this she did (not just occasionally, but) for many days.

  1. Doing this she could give the impression to those listening and watching that she was part of the team and once associated as such, Satan could then use her to destroy the church from within.  One of Satan’s snares is to present himself as an angel of light rather than darkness.  He and his demons use light to lure their victims into darkness.  His truths eventually lead to lies.
  2. Neither would Paul and his team want to give any credit or approval to the devil and demons for the work Christ does in building His church.
  3. In doing this also, she may have been trying to show her value and thereby acquire some money to be their herald.

But Paul, greatly annoyed (strongly irked or provoked, assumedly either wanting no advertising from Satan, and/or irked about this girl being used by the demon), turned (with a righteous anger) and said (not to the girl, but) to the (evil) spirit, “I command you in the name (on behalf of and in respect) of Jesus Christ to come out of (leave her) her.” And he (had no choice and) came out that very hour (at that very moment).

…By this [act, God reveals] that these men are the servants of the living God, and are able to prove themselves so, without her testimony: her silence [will] demonstrate it more than her speaking could do. [So at this point] Paul shows the way of salvation …, that [1] it is by breaking the power of Satan, and chaining him up, that he may not deceive the world (Rev. 20:3), and that [2] this salvation is to be obtained in the name of Jesus Christ only, as in his name the devil was now cast out and by no other. [19]

God’s marvelous turning of persecution into triumph unfolds in five sequential stages: persecution, praise, preaching, provision, and protection.[20]

First the PERSECUTION

 19 But when her masters (her slave owners) saw that their hope of profit was gone (caring nothing for the girl, only the money she made for them), they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities (Paul was getting a taste of his own medicine concerning his earlier days of persecuting the church.  Do you think that thought may have been going through his head?)

Such reactions illustrate a sad spiritual reality: love of money blurs spiritual perception. “Those who want to get rich,” Paul wrote to Timothy, “fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” (1 Tim. 6:9). That is true because “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang” (v. 10).[21]

The agora (market place) was the central public square. It functioned not only as a marketplace, but also

as the social center of the city. Here

  • the unemployed waited for suitable work,
  • the sick were healed,
  • and the magistrates judged court cases.

In those days, a plaintiff could drag a defendant into court and ask the judge to pass a verdict (James 2:6). The owners of the slave girl were acting according to Roman law when they laid their hands on Paul and Silas and put their grievance before the city authorities. (Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Acts [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990], 595)[22]

A very reassuring aspect of God’s sovereign rule over the universe is His ability to bring good results out of bad circumstances. That is especially true when His people undergo persecution [which we are going to see in this passage]. God “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28), often by making “the wrath of man …praise [Him]” (Ps. 76:10).

Sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers, Joseph rose to prominence in Pharaoh’s court. In that exalted position he was able to provide for his father and brothers during the ensuing famine:

And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt…. And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (Gen. 45:5–8; 50:20)

God used Joseph to preserve the ancestors of the nation of Israel.

Israel’s apostasy led to her captivity at the hands of cruel foreign nations. But from the trauma and tragedy of that period emerged such shining lights as Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.[23]

The Light Turned to Darkness

20 And they brought them to the magistrates (the chief officials of the Roman colony), and said, [1] “These men, being Jews (today one would be called a right winged extreme fundamentalists), exceedingly trouble our city (which is a false statement—they exceedingly troubled these men’s business venture, their pocketbook); 21 and (in addition to this) [2] they teach customs (of a foreign religion to them) which are not lawful for us, being Romans (not officially sanctioned by the state), to receive or observe.”[24]  (Not a word as to the real reason these men were brought to be judged.)

When Paul cured her of her madness, these men felt not joy at a fellow-creature’s restoration to health but fury that their source of revenue was gone.

…It is characteristic of men that if their pockets are touched they are up in arms. It is every man’s duty to ask himself, “Is the money I am earning worth the price? Do I earn it by serving or by exploiting my fellow men?” Often, the greatest obstacle to the crusade of Christ is the selfishness of men.[25]

Their property held them in chains which shackled their courage and choked their faith and hampered their judgment and throttled their souls. If they had stored up their treasure in heaven, they would not be enslaved as they are to their own property. They are not the master of their money, but its slaves.

Bishop Cyprian[26]

  22 (Satan moves now to influence the magistrates through the crowd.) Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the (high and mighty principles of the Roman justice go to pot as the) magistrates tore off their clothes (in protest of Paul and Silas) and (without any investigation or trial) commanded them to (illegally) be beaten with (a bundle of) rods.[27] 23 And when they had laid many stripes (so many inflamed welts that they didn’t keep count) on them, they (then) threw them into prison[28], commanding the jailer to keep them securely.

Satan was quick to react, first attempting to infiltrate the young fellowship with a demon-possessed medium. When Paul’s miraculous power thwarted that attempt, Satan tried to destroy the church through persecution. Those are always his two avenues of attack: infiltration—attacking the church from within; and persecution, attacking it from without. Verses 19–40 record the failure of Satan’s attack through persecution, as God used that persecution to expand the Philippian church. God’s marvelous turning of persecution into triumph unfolds in five sequential stages: persecution, praise, preaching, provision, and protection.[29]

24 Having received such a (life threatening) charge, he put them into the inner (the deepest, out of reach cell of the) prison and (even there, he still) fastened their feet in the stocks (he wasn’t taking any chances).

You just can’t out maneuver God though.

Psalm 139:8–12 – If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”   Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Second the PRAISE

25 But (even with the sad turn of events) at midnight (certainly still in great pain from their beating, incredibly) Paul and Silas were (not complaining and whining, but) praying and singing hymns to God (glorifying him), and the prisoners were listening to them (the idea here is that the prisoners kept listening, they were listening intently to Paul and Silas’ prayers and hymns, they riveted their attention).

How could Paul and Silas find it in themselves to glorify God is such terrible circumstances and conditions.

They were some of God holiest, most learned and faithful saints and this is how He treats them?!  Shouldn’t they be able to expect more than this!

[Paul and Silas] understood what many Christians seem to forget—praising God does not depend on circumstances. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” wrote Paul to the Philippian church (Phil. 4:4; cf. 1 Thess. 5:16, 18). Christians do not rejoice in their circumstances; not even Paul did that. He knew what it was to experience affliction so severe that he was

  • “burdened excessively”
  • and “despaired even of life” (2 Cor. 1:8).

Christians [are to] rejoice in the glorious truth that [our] sovereign God controls every circumstance of life [every circumstance]. [Gospel believers are to] “know [and rest in the knowledge] that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). When trials come, believers can take comfort in the truth expressed by Peter in 1 Peter 5:10: “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” Like Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:16–17 they can say:

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

He adds in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10:

He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

The key to having joy in every circumstance of life is to be filled with the [Holy] Spirit. Joy is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and yielding to His control produces songs of joy (Eph. 5:18–19). [do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.]

[Listen] The problem with … miserable Christians is not their circumstances but the lack of living a Spirit-controlled life.

Paul and Silas’s reaction underscores another vitally important truth in living the Christian life: How Christians live is directly related to their concept of God. No one expressed that truth more clearly than A. W. Tozer:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of  [Jehovah, Yahweh, the Most High] God….

Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man….

A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well…

Paul and Silas did not base their theology on their circumstances. Instead, they evaluated those circumstances in light of what they knew to be true about God. Their songs expressed confident trust that God would use their circumstances for their good and His glory. They did not have long to wait until He did.[30] [even though there is no evidence that Paul nor Silas were praying for deliverance from their wrongful circumstances.]

 26 Suddenly (without warning) there was a great (a powerful, violent) earthquake, so that the foundations (the structural integrity) of the prison were shaken (compromised); and (because of that) immediately all the doors were opened (would no longer latch) and everyone’s (not just Paul and Silas’) chains were loosed (from their moorings). 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep (probably at his home close to the prison) and (after arriving at the prison) seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself (knowing that death was the price for a Roman soldier allowing a prisoner to escape, no matter what the cause). 28 But Paul (seeing what he was about to do) called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all (one and all) here (it’s not what you think!  Your life isn’t at stake).”

29 Then he (the jailer) called for a light (a torch), ran in (probably in a state of disbelief), and (seeing all was as Paul said) fell down (in submission) trembling before Paul and Silas.

The jailer recognizes that he is held captive by even greater forces than the steel bars, chains and inner rock dungeons that Paul and Silas were in.  Everyone thought that Paul and Silas were prisoners in the dark, but in reality they were in the light and free.  While those like the jailer who thought they were in the light and free, were actually in the darkness and prisoners.

This may be why the other prisoners didn’t flee too.  If they fled it would be away from the light into darkness, away from real freedom and into another prison.

God’s converting grace changes people even before they are saved.  This jailer’s perception, attitude, and actions towards Paul and Silas are completely changed from when he received them as prisoners.  When the Holy Spirit convicts one of sin, righteousness and judgment, as Romans 10:15a says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” Even when those feet have been fastened in the stocks of a dingy prison cell.

In whatever conditions our evangelistic opportunities may be…we can be…and are even called to be…like Paul and Silas.

 30 And he (the jailer) brought them (assumedly just Paul and Silas) out (of the dust and chaos into the fresh clean air) and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (If this isn’t the man who pleaded with Paul in his dream begging them to come to Macedonia, he certainly is represented by him.)

Salvation, only moments ago, was the furthest from this jailer’s mind, now it is his greatest concern.  Saving his life was all the jailer was concerned about in placing Paul and Silas so deep in the dungeon, and now he is seeking to voluntarily even pleadingly to surrender his life.

  • It’s interesting too, that he doesn’t ask for this power that Paul and Silas seem to possess, like Simon who dabbled in sorcery did in Acts 8. 
  • Nor did he ask for any other worldly provision. 
  • He saw his greatest need and concern as being his lost soul. 
  • He understood that something must be required of him in asking, “What must I do…,” not “What can be done for me?”  He knows that some sort of change must take place in his present life.
  • Neither does he seek the advice or approval of anyone else.  It doesn’t matter to him what anyone else thinks about his humbling himself before these men and seeking their direction. 

God’s prevenient grace is irresistible.  The jailer was saying to these men:

  • I want the same spiritual freedom you enjoy!
  • I want the same God you worship!
  • I want the same hope you express!
  • I want the same confidence you demonstrate!

Satan’s plan backfires…again.  There is no circumstance that God cannot turn to gold, use for good.

Third the PREACHING

  • Notice that these servants of God didn’t triumph over the jailer, rubbing his face so to speak in his proverbial ignorance and helplessness.
  • They don’t try to frighten him or guilt him.
  • Nor do they seek special favors from him.

Verse 31 simply says:

31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (not just that He is a real Person, not just that He is the Son of God; not just about the historical facts about Him; but that He paid the penalty for our sin, death; that He suffered the wrath of God for our sin; that he will apply the value of His priceless gift, the forgiveness of all sin—past, present and future, to the lives of all who believe He can; that He is the only Savior; to believe is to place saving faith in these truths), and you will be saved (absolutely, completely, eternally, period, and anyone else who does the same as), you and your household (any and all who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved—but every individual has to personally believe on their own).”

  • It matters not that you are a lowly jailer.
  • It matters not how you have treated the innocent, as Paul and Silas are.
  • It matters not how you have ill-treated and persecuted other prisoners.

God’s grace can penetrate, soften, lift and sweeten any heart it infiltrates.  The jailer would never suffer for any of the crimes he had committed against his fellow man and creator God.  Jesus Christ had suffered the wrath of God for him, and on the merits of Christ, he would become a son of God, “… who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

 32 Then they (Paul and Silas) spoke the word of the Lord (the gospel) to him (the jailer) and to all who were in his house (with the jailer).

Fourth the PROVISION

We see in verses 33-34, the principle of Romans 8:16.  The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

The first witness:

 33 And he (the jailer) took them the same hour of the night and washed (cleaned) their stripes (their wounds).

The second witness:

 And immediately (before any more time passed) he (the jailer) and all his (gospel believing) family were baptized (immersed, identifying themselves as Christ followers).

The third witness:

 34 Now when he (the jailer) had brought them (Paul and Silas) into his house, he set food before them (now we know he’s a Baptist, as eating is one of the Baptist distinctives);

The fourth witness:

 and he rejoiced (when only a short time earlier he was ready to take his life in great sorrow and distress), having believed in God (his reason for turning his sorrow and distress into rejoicing) with all (his entire) his household.

The jailer had received eternal life which he would enjoy later, but he had also received the more abundant life which he rejoiced over now.

We are not told, but it would be entirely reasonable to assume that some of Paul and Silas’ jail mates were saved too.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

The Open Air Meetings before the Meeting!

15     And certain (self-appointed legalistic and Judaistic) men (possibly saved men who still didn’t understand grace yet, or unbelieving Judaizers trying to discredit God’s grace.  What we know for sure, is that they are men without the

[1] Polhill, J. B. (1995). Vol. 26: Acts. The New American Commentary (343). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[3] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[4] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[5] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life Application Bible Commentary (273). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

[6] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (583–584). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

[7] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[8] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Ac 16:6). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[9] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life Application Bible Commentary (276). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

[10] Robertson, A. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Ac 16:10). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

[11] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life Application Bible Commentary (278). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

[12] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 17: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles. New Testament Commentary (587). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

[13] Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1972). A handbook on the Acts of the Apostles. UBS Handbook Series (314). New York: United Bible Societies.

[14] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Ac 16:6–15). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[15] The Acts of the Apostles. 1976 (W. Barclay, Ed.). The Daily Study Bible Series (124). Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press.

[16] Polhill, J. B. (1995). Vol. 26: Acts. The New American Commentary (351). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[17] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Ac 16:16–24). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[18] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Ac 16:16–24). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[19] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (Ac 16:16–24). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[20] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[21] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[22] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[23] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[24] There was a law forbidding Roman citizens to practice any foreign religion that had not been sanctioned by the state, although this law was rarely enforced. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.)

[25] The Acts of the Apostles. 1976 (W. Barclay, Ed.). The Daily Study Bible Series (125). Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press.

[26] Barton, B. B., & Osborne, G. R. (1999). Acts. Life Application Bible Commentary (283). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

[27] The beating was administered by the lictors (the “policemen” of vv. 35, 38), who were under the command of the magistrates (v. 35). Each lictor carried a bundle of rods tied together—ironically, as a symbol of Roman law and justice. With those rods they brutally beat the men, a punishment Paul endured three times (2 Cor. 11:25). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.)

[28] The Roman prison usually had three distinct parts: the communiora, where the prisoners had light and air; the interiora, which was shut off by strong iron gates and had bars and locks; and the tullianum or dungeon for executions, where prisoners condemned to die were confined. (Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles (671–672). Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House.)

[29] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.

[30] MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (326). Chicago: Moody Press.