Paul Meets Timothy – Acts 16

Joy:  You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #105.  Today we’ll read Acts chapter 16 together:  Paul meets Timothy; Lydia believes; and Paul and Silas witness mightily to prisoners and the jailer’s family

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

Okay, I know I talk alot about The Bible Project and I wanted to share something about them again.  But I hesitated because, well, I recognize that I talk about The Bible Project a lot.  So, I started wondering why I’m so enamored with these two guys and their team and I think I’ve figured it out.  I mean, I’ve told you before that they’re engaging and that Tim is mega-smart.  He’s schooled in Hebrew and Greek and scholarly in all things Biblical it seems.  But it struck me this morning that I also just think they’re cool.  Mitch and I have noticed that watching TV leaves you believing that all Christians are nut jobs.  If a character is a Christian, you can be sure they’ll be judgy and condescending, stupid, or they’ll go off the deep end before the end of the show. 

It’s a lonely feeling to be lumped in with that.  I wonder if other people see me that way.  Don’t get me wrong…I have been all those things at one time or the other, but most of the time it had little to do with my faith and much more to do with my being a fallible human being.  When I see the guys from the The Bible Project, it just restores in me the thought that you can be cool and still be a Christian.  I know that’s probably not the most important thing, but there are days it just helps to keep you going.  Check out the link to a video in the transcript if you want to know more about them.

Acts Chapter 16:

Paul Selects Timothy

Paul went on to Derbe and Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a believing Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. The brothers and sisters at Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him. Paul wanted Timothy to go with him; so he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, since they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Evangelization of Europe

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia; they had been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Passing by Mysia they went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was standing and pleading with him, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us!” After he had seen the vision, we immediately made efforts to set out for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia’s Conversion

From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia. We stayed in that city for several days. On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate by the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women gathered there. A God-fearing woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, was listening. The Lord opened her heart to respond to what Paul was saying. After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

A Demon Cast Out

Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.” She did this for many days.

Paul was 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 right away.

Paul and Silas in Prison

When her owners realized that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.

A Midnight Deliverance

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had come to believe in God with his entire household.

An Official Apology

When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men.”

The jailer reported these words to Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders for you to be released. So come out now and go in peace.”

But Paul said to them, “They beat us in public without a trial, although we are Roman citizens, and threw us in jail. And now are they going to send us away secretly? Certainly not! On the contrary, let them come themselves and escort us out.”

The police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town. After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.

Closing Thoughts

This chapter is full of firsts!  It starts out by introducing us to Timothy, a young man whom Paul came to call his son.  By scanning the Bible Table of Contents, you see quickly that two New Testament books are called 1st & 2nd Timothy.  These books were not written by Timothy but are two letters that Paul wrote to Timothy toward the end of Paul’s life.  Paul mentored Timothy from the moment they met and, as a result, Timothy later became a young pastor. 

Next, the group of missionaries in Acts 16 go down to the river hoping to get a little prayer-time in and they meet a group of women that included Lydia.  We know that Lydia is well-to-do because she is a dealer in purple linen.  In addition to being a resource of support for Paul and his entourage, Lydia no doubt led many others to Christ. 

An Example to Follow

Finally, we have a beautiful example of true faith as Paul and Silas, after being unfairly imprisoned and abused, attract the attention of both prisoners and a head jailer with their praises to God.  This story always gives me pause.  Do I always act based on what I say I believe?  Do I focus on my situation or on the joy I have in the knowledge that God is in control?  What do others see in me in challenging conditions?  We can learn much from Paul and Silas. 

Prayer

Let’s pray.  Lord God, we confess to You that too often we are found whining and complaining instead of considering that You have ordained a circumstance for our good and Your glory.  Please forgive us.  We pray that You would help us to be more like Paul and Silas, always looking for an opportunity to boast in You.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.