The Book of Acts Chapter 16

[뉴맨]

The Book of Acts Chapter 16

Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ACT.16.NIV

The Second Mission Journey (1)(1)  (Europe; Philipi)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra (14:6, where they'd been), where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. (The Jews was matriarchal. Usually mother is more influential for young children.)

2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. (Timothy was known in the area.)

3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey (Beginning of apprenticeship) so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. (Paul circumcised Timothy for the sake of acceptability for the Jewish believers. 2Tim. 1:5)

4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. (The decision of the Jerusalem Council became a standard among the churches.)

5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (The consistency of the doctrine helps the church growth in quantity and theological unity.)

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. (There was not many ministry happened in the region.)

7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, (flourishing and strategic area) but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. (Things didn't get through well.)

8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. (A beach town on Aegean Sea, the end of the Asia  Minor; Turkey. Where are they going to?)

9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia (The other side of the sea, Europe) standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (The God-given vision became the turning point in the missionary history; used to be limited in the Minor Asia but now into Europe.)

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi

11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. (Nothing much here. They just past by.)

12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. (They entered into the Roman colony.) And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. (People might congregate in the riverside when they didn't have a synagogue which requires ten or more men. Ps. 137:) We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. (Met a group of ladies and shared the Gospel.)

14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira (famous for dyeing, also one of the seven churches in the  Asia  Minor. Rev.2:18-29) named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.

15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. (Lydia, a business lady from Thyatira in the Asia Minor, and also devoted to God, accepted the Gospel, were baptized with her household, and invited Paul's company to her house. The Birth of the First European Church.)

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. (There was a fortune-telling slave making a lot of money for her owner. How can this, knowing future, happen? Do you think that it's possible? Can you do it?)

17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.”

18 She kept this up for many days. (Certainly she had a spiritual power knowing something hidden to ordinary people.) Finally Paul became so annoyed that (Why? the power was not of God but something else.) he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. (Paul kicked out the spirit because it is not of God but evil. We can't use evil for good. because evil never ended off glorifying God but misleading the believers to wrong conclusion such as destruction and eventually death.)

19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. (Those who gained profit from the fortune-telling slave, accused Paul and Silas to the authority.)

20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” (The cause was violating Roman customs.)

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. (Due to the crowd, the magistrates ordered flogging and imprisonment. This order was an illegal because of lack of proper procedure. Paul was a Roman citizen who deserves proper judgement.)

23 After they had been severely flogged (They were beaten up indeed.), they were thrown into prison (and imprisoned), and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. (2Co. 11:23-27)

24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. (Even they were shackled.)

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. (But the authorities were unable to lock up their spirit of praise.)

26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. (Sudden, but very timely earthquake happened.) At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.

28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. (Also shackles and chains were loosened. But they stayed in the jail rather than escaping so that the jailer's life was spared.)

30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (The jailer who was spared from the death, deeply moved, released them, and asked the way of salvation.)

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (The PROPOSITION!)

32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. (They were invited to the house of jailer and shared the Word of the Lord.)

33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. (Paul and Silas were treated and baptized the entire household who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.)

34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. (They all together celebrated with a meal for becoming Christians.)

35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”

36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” (The magistrates ordered release of Paul and Silas.)

37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.” (Paul, however, insisted his right of Roman citizenship which deserves proper release.)

38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.

39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. (So that the magistrates accordingly treated Paul and Silas who were Roman citizen.)

40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left. (They accomplished what God provided for them in Philippi.)

(1)The Route of Paul's Second Mission Journey

Paul's second missionary journey (c. AD 49-52) started in Antioch (Syria), revisited churches in Asia Minor  (Turkey) like Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch, then went to Troas, crossed to Europe (Macedonia), visiting Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and then to Athens and Corinth (Greece). After a long stay in Corinth, he sailed to Ephesus, visited Caesarea, then Jerusalem, and returned to Antioch, marking a significant expansion into Europe.