Paul Prepares Timothy to Join Him
Acts 16Paul went to Derbe and Lystra, and a disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother who was a believer, but whose father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the siblings in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, so he took and circumcised him because the Jews in that area all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled through the cities, they delivered the decrees which had been decided on the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to observe. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
The Spirit Guides Paul (and Luke Joins)
They had passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, because they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them. So they passed by Mysia, and went down to Troas. During the night a vision appeared to Paul in which a Macedonian man was standing and begging him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After he saw the vision, we immediately prepared to go to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
We put out to sea from Troas and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a primary city in the district Macedonia. We stayed in this city for several days.
Lydia, the First Christian in Europe
On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city gate to a riverside where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A woman named Lydia was listening. She was a merchant of purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, and a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to the what Paul was saying. After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If y’all consider me a believer in the Lord, y’all should come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
Imprisoned for Exorcism
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl who had a future-telling spirit met us. She brought her owners a large profit through fortune telling. She followed behind Paul and us, shouting, “These men, who are proclaiming to y’all a way of salvation, are servants of the Most High God!” She kept doing this for many days, and Paul became greatly annoyed. Turning to the spirit, he said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out that very moment.
When her owners realized that their expected profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are disturbing our city. They are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or to practice.”
The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. When they had beaten them repeatedly, they threw them into prison, and commanded the jailer to guard them carefully. When he received this order, he threw them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a massive earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately, all the doors flew open, and everyone’s bonds came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out with a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They said, “You must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and everyone in his house.
At that very time of night, he took them and washed their wounds. He and all his household were baptized right after that. He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.
But when daytime came, the magistrates sent the officers to say, “Release those men.”
The jailer reported these words to Paul, “The magistrates have sent orders to let y’all go. Now y’all can come out and leave in peace.”
But Paul said to the officers, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman men, and threw us into prison! And now they are releasing us secretly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
The officers reported these words to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid. They came to appease them, and after they escorted them out, they asked them to leave the city. They left the prison and went to Lydia’s house. After seeing the siblings and encouraging them, they left.