HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1367
ACTS 16
page 997
38 But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark
had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not
continued with them in their work. 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated.
Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed
for Cyprus. 40 Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the
believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious
care. 41 Then he traveled throughout Syria and
Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.
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.
16
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
16:2 Greek brothers; also in 16:40. 16:6-7 Phrygia, Galatia,
Asia, Mysia, and Bithynia were all districts in what is now
Turkey. 16:10 Luke, the writer of this book, here joined Paul
and accompanied him on his journey.
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
• Communication
A C TS 16:25
Paul and Silas did not seek their audience; they were confined with their
audience. The other prisoners couldn’t
help overhearing them. Would Paul and
Silas curse God for letting them get into
this mess or praise him in spite of their
situation? They chose to sing, pray, and
praise God. And the others were listening!
A curious world is watching to see how
you respond to the uncomfortable situations in which you find yourself. Your
response determines how they see Christ
in you—and may encourage them to turn
to Christ, who can cause people to sing
in the midst of crisis. You may think the
crowd around you doesn’t care, but it
is watching you and waiting to see how
your faith works in tough times.