The multitude rose up against Paul and Silas and the magistrates tore off their clothes and beat them.  Again, when we are doing God's will, we will face opposition from the world.  We sometimes hear people talk in church about what they will never be stopped from doing for God, but then out in the world they are silent.  If our faith is strong enough, we won't just talk among ourselves about how firmly we will stand for God.  We  will proclaim it to the lost world, even if it costs us.  Paul and Silas were beaten with many stripes and thrown into prison.  The jailor was charged with ensuring they didn't escape, so he placed them in the inner prison and put their feet in stocks.  Maybe if we endure these things, we can write like Paul.  Then, at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises, and the prisoners heard them.  They were doing what God wanted them to do where God wanted them to do it, and were beaten and thrown in prison.  That hardly says that being obedient to God means we are going to be happy and prosperous and that God doesn't want us to suffer and be unhappy.  We have at times so watered down the gospel that if the pew is too uncomfortable we look for a church where they are more comfortable.  If we were beaten and thrown into prison, would we be praying and singing praises to God at midnight?  Do we even sing praises to God if we can't find a parking spot?  When we cannot rejoice in the Lord during small annoyances, we will never stand firm if real trials come.

When Paul and Silas began to affect the income source of the masters of the damsal
they cast the spirit out of, they were angry.  Their concern wasn't for the damsal, but for the money she would no longer bring them.  If we, as Christians, begin to cost non Christians money, they are going to be mad.  If we are doing God's work and following His direction, we cannot let that stop us.  Her masters caught Paul and Silas and brought them before the magistrates.  I never said that if we were doing God's work that when we made people mad that there would never be consequences.  Notice that Paul and Silas were not accused of costing their accusers money, but of stirring up trouble.  They had followed Paul and Silas several days,with the damsal calling attention to them and herself with no problem, but as soon as Paul and Silas started costing them money, they were trouble makers.  They were accused of teaching customs that were unlawful for the masters to receive or observe, being Romans.  This is a strange charge, since the Romans worshipped about every god, known or unknown.  Still, the crowd rose up against them, and the magistrates had them stripped and beaten and thrown into prison.  Paul and Silas had followed God's call to Macedonia after being prevented by the Holy Spirit from going some places they had desired to go, and were beaten and imprisoned for their obedience to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Again, we are never promised that things are going to be easy.  We are simply to follow where God leads and be obedient to His direction.  We must never turn back because things are to hard.

Acts 16:13

Acts 16:13 says, And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.  Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi on the Sabbath and went down to the river where prayer was often made.  They talked to a woman who resorted there.  They crossed a cultural barrier by talking to a woman.  Sometimes, we may have to cross cultural barriers to witness to people.  We might even have to talk to an Arabian person.  Verse fourteen adds, And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.  A woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, from the city of Thyatira, who worshipped God heard them preach.  The Lord opened her heart, and she believed the gospel.  It is not enough to just worship God.  We may believe many things about Him that make us worship His existence, but until we open our hearts to a personal relationship with Him, we are lost.  The Jews worship God, but they reject the Savior.  Verse fifteen continues, And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.  After Lydia was baptized, and her household, she constrained them to abide with her.  Now, I don't think she tied them up, but she just really wanted to have them as her guests.  How often do we constrain the preacher to abide with us?   Verse sixteen states, And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:  Then, they encountered a damsel with a spirit of divination, who made her masters a lot money by soothsaying.  She was a fortune teller who made money for those who owned her.  There are many people today who make money the same way, and unfortunately some Christians spend money on them.  Verse seventeen adds, The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.  She followed them many days, saying, "These men are servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation." Now, she wasn't doing this to get people to accept what they were saying, but more to mock them.  Verse eighteen continues, And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.  Paul had enough after a few days and commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and he did the same hour.  I do not find any example in the Bible where there was a great battle when a spirit or demon was cast out if it was really done by faith in Jesus Christ.  When Jesus, or those acting in His name commanded the spirit or demon to come out, they had no choice. 

Paul, Silas and Timotheus set sail for Macedonia the next day.  They went through Samothracia and then Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony.  Having felt called to Macedonia, and without any specification as to where in Macedonia, Paul and his group went to Philippi.  If we feel called to country to preach the gospel, and we don't know exactly where in that country, we would do well to go to one of the chief cities.  While on the subject of being called to a country, we as the church, have almost made a call to a mission field a secondary requirement. Someone may feel led, but before they are sent, certain criteria must be met.  First, they must have the right educational requirements to even be considered.  Most of the disciples would never have met the requirement.  Second, they must learn the language.  I know it is important those we are preaching to understand what we are saying, but again, most of the disciples would not have qualified.  Then, they must commit for a specific period of time.  Philip would have never met the Ethiopian eunuch under this criteria.  Those three criteria are pretty much a must, and if the person feels called, that is a plus.  If we look at the early disciples, they were led by the Holy Spirit, and when they were led to go, they went.  We see no example of them saying that as soon as they had everything right they would go.  Philip went the desert and Paul,Silas and Timotheus went to Macedonia without question or delay.  We need to be the same way.  When the Holy Spirit directs us to go, then we must go and rely on God to equip us for the mission.

Acts 16:9

Acts 16:9 says, And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us.  Then, in a vision in the night, a man from Macedonia appeared to Paul, saying, "Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” Paul could have written this off as a dream, and how often may we write off God’s call as only a dream. Verse ten adds, And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.  Paul immediately began to make plans to go to Macedonia, because he knew it was the Lord speaking to him in the dream.  Once we know what God wants us to do, we need to immediately begin to make plans to do it.  Also, we must be attuned enough to the Holy Spirit to be able to know His will.  We may have plans and dreams of what we are going to do for God, but they may not be His plan.  Paul, Silas, and Timothy were not allowed to go everywhere they wanted to but were attuned enough to God to go where they knew He was sending them.  Even if we have a plan that we think would be good for spreading the gospel, we must make sure that it is God's plan. Verse eleven continues, Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;  Verse twelve concludes, And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.  After arriving there, Paul and those with him stayed in Philippi for a number of days.  Sometimes, even if we are on the way to another destination, God may have us stay put somewhere along the way. 

 

 

 

 

Acts 16:1

Acts 16:1 says, Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:  Paul and Silas came to Derbe in Lystra, they met a young disciple named Timotheus, or Timothy as he will later be known by.  He was the son of a woman who was a Jewess who believed.  She shared a heritage with Paul and Silas as Jews who had come to accept Christ as the Messiah. Timothy’s father was a Greek, a Gentile.  We are not told that his father was a believer.  If that were the case, then Timotheus had several things going against him becoming a Christian.  He was the son of a Jewess married to a Gentile.  His mother had accepted Christ as the Messiah. Both things would have caused her to be rejected by the Jews. We must never let the circumstances of our birth prevent us from accepting the salvation that Christ has made available.  Verse two adds, Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium   We are told that this was well reported by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium.  Whether this referred to the character of Timotheus the disciple or to the fact of his birth, we really aren't told.  Verse three continues, Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.  Either way, Paul wanted to take him on their journey. Now, after just concluding the question about circumcision, and declaring it an unnecessary burden, Paul had Timothy circumcised because of the Jews.  We are told it is because people knew his father was a Greek, but that doesn't matter to the gospel.  We can also speculate that maybe having rejected Mark that Paul wanted to teach another young believer.  Verse four states, And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.  Then, as they went through the cities, they delivered the decrees declared by the elders and apostles at Jerusalem.  Our main objective should be spreading the gospel, no matter what the religious leaders may say.  Verse five adds, So, the churches were established in faith and grew in numbers.  We must always work to see the churches established in faith and growing in number, even if we do not agree totally with what all other Christians are doing. As long as the gospel is being preached, the church established in faith, and growing in number, then we should all rejoice in the Lord.  Verse six continues, And when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,  With Timothy accompanying them. Paul and Silas went to Phrygia and the region of Galatia but were forbidden by the Holy Ghost from preaching the word in Asia. We are not told why they were prevented from preaching in Asia, nor are we told how the Holy Ghost prevented them from preaching.  We can only conclude that the time was not right for them to go into Asia and that they were attuned to the Holy Ghost enough to know what He wanted for them.  Sometimes our plan may not be God's plan, so we must always be under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse seven says, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.  They then went to Mysia, with plans to go to Bithynia. Understand that they were not just out traveling but were spreading the gospel in these new areas.  Again, the Holy Spirit prevented them from going to Bithynia.  Verse eight adds, And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.  Being forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go to Bithynia, went to Troas.  We may not always get to go where we want to go to share the gospel, but as Christians, God will always have a place for us to witness. 

 

Acts 15:32

Acts 15:32 says. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.  Like Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Judas completed their trip to the churches to encourage them and clarify the question of circumcision, and then it was time to continue spreading the gospel.  Verse thirty-three adds, And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.  Silas and Judas had stayed there many days exhorting them with many words and confirming them.  The church let them go in peace to return to the apostles.  Verse thirty-four continues, Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.  Verse thirty-five says, Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.  Paul and Barnabas, with Silas also, stayed in Antioch for a while, preaching and teaching.  Wherever we are, we should be sharing the gospel and encouraging other Christians.  Verse thirty-six adds, And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.  Paul proposed that he and Barnabas go to every city where they had preached and see how the Christians there were doing.  We should always be concerned about new Christians and check on how they are doing and not just get them to accept them Jesus Christ and then forget them. Verse thirty-seven continues, And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.  Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but as we will see, Paul did not.  Even great men of God don’t always agree with one another.  Verse thirty-eight says, But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them in Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.  Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement about John Mark going with them.  Paul did not want him to go, since he had left them before, and Barnabas wanted to him to go with them.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.  The contention between them was so sharp, they split from one another.  Two missionaries, who could not agree about a fellow believer, were going on separately.  Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus.  Verse forty continues, And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.  Verse forty-one concludes, And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.  Paul and Silas teamed up and went to Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches there were following the  gospel..  We can speculate about who was wrong, Paul or Barnabas, but the end result was two teams of missionaries preaching God's word.  We may not always see eye to eye, even with those that we have been closest to.  That does not mean we are to sit back idly, attempting to assign blame.  Sometimes, other than with the gospel, we simply have to agree to disagree, and continue to proclaim the gospel.