ACTS 16:1

At the end of Acts chapter 15 we saw that Paul began what is called his second missionary journey. Near the start of this journey the Bible says in Acts 16:1-3, “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; Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. 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.”

At the end of the previous chapter Paul had just lost his friend and closest co-worker, Barnabas, due to the unfortunate circumstance that they were just not able to agree on what they obviously considered to be an important decision. On the first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas had a great trip for the glory of God. Many people were saved after hearing the word of the gospel. Churches were set up. Believers were taught and strengthened in their new faith. But now Paul was without Barnabas. So what does God do? God leads Paul to another companion: one who would be his life-long friend and co-worker, Timothy. In this way God gave to Paul a younger man, that Paul could train and instruct and build up, so that he could one day have a ministry similar to Paul’s. Too bad that there are not more ministers today who have an eye and an ear to find someone that they can help the way that Paul helped Timothy. Of course, in order to do that they would have to be led by the Spirit of God. And of course, in order to do that they would not be able to be the type of person that is competitive and ambitious, because then they would view another man with a gift as a competitor instead of someone that they might be able to help along the way.

Timothy had become a believer. Whenever someone becomes a believer, almost always it is partly due to the influence that some other believer had on them. In Timothy’s case it was his mother and grandmother. Here in Acts chapter 16 it says that the mother of Timothy was a Jewess who believed. It doesn’t say anything about the faith of the father: only that he was a Greek. And then in Second Timothy 1:5 Paul wrote to Timothy, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.”

Timothy’s mother and grandmother saw a wonderful result in their lives: not only did Timothy become a true believer, he also became the life-long coworker of the great apostle Paul. No Christian parent can ever guarantee that their children will become believers, but they can increase the odds in their favor by being a good example, and by making sure that the children are exposed to the gospel and the preaching of the Word. Ultimately everyone makes their own decision, but the responsibility of a parent is to make sure the children have every opportunity to make the best decision. Some children will make the worst decisions even though they are in the best of circumstances that provided them every opportunity to hear about the love of God through Christ.

Paul was never married and so he had no children, but he did have Timothy who became as a son to him. Paul wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy 1:2, “To Timothy, my dearly beloved son.” Paul also had the other believers to whom he ministered. They became as his children, and Paul did for them the most important thing that a parent can do for a child: Paul taught them the Word of God. The Bible says in Acts 16:4-5, “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. And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”

Paul and Timothy were now very early in the second missionary journey of the apostle Paul. They were traveling through Asia Minor with the intention of going further east, but the Lord had other plans. The Bible says in Acts 16:6-11, “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. 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. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis.”

God knows better than we do. The smartest person in the world is the one who finds out which way God is going and goes with him. If you are a believer, hopefully you know how to find the leading of the Spirit. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” As far as Paul and Silas and Timothy were concerned it says that they “were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.” And it also says that they tried to go into Bithynia, “but the Spirit suffered them not.” If something does not work out for you, then you just have to trust that it was God’s will. Maybe God wants you to do something else, or do it somewhere else. The only way that you will find out for sure is to wait upon the Lord and see in which direction He leads you. One thing is certain: if the Lord shuts a door, no one can open it; and if the Lord opens a door, no one can shut it.

The Lord opened a door for Paul and his co-workers, and they went through the door. That was a wise thing to do. Woe to those who go their own way instead of God’s way. If you really want to do God’s will more than anything else, in His own way and in His own time He will let you know what He wants you to do. Paul, in a vision saw a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” That is what taking the gospel to others is all about: helping human beings in the most important way possible, helping them to hear the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are told in Acts 16:12-13 the first thing that Paul did when he went to Macedonia. It says, “And from thence to Philippi, which is the chef city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony; and we were in that city abiding certain days. 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.” If you want to preach the gospel effectively, then go to where you find people who are hungry for spiritual truth. That is why the apostles commonly went to the synagogues. They knew there would be people there who wanted to find out more about God. If you go to people who do not want to hear about God, your words will be wasted.

The words of Paul and his colleagues were not wasted here because the Bible tells us in Acts 16:14-15, “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 that were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there, And she constrained us.” Concerning the salvation of this woman, notice that it says, “whose heart the Lord opened.” When someone gets saved, it is Jesus who saves them. Sometimes you hear people talk about leading others to Christ. Do not ever say that with the emphasis on what a man has done. Yes, God uses people and speaks through them, but unless God opens the heart, no one gets saved. Be careful about telling people that they are saved because they did what you told them to do. No one gets saved unless God opens the heart. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God sees the heart.

Notice also that as soon as this woman was saved, she wanted to help those who were preaching the gospel. First Corinthians 9:14 says, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” In order for them to do that as effectively as possible, there must be others who give and who provide materially speaking. It is a team effort. Once a person gets saved, they are immediately part of the team, and there is something for them to do. This woman got saved and then became immediately generous with her home and with her substance to help Paul and the others. Whenever someone preaches the gospel to good effect and to the glory of God, there are always others who are largely unsung and unknown behind the scenes doing their part.

The Bible says in Acts 16:16-24, “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. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. 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. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the elders, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely; Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.”

Perhaps the thing that is most noticeable about this passage is the reason that the masters of this woman opposed Paul and Silas. The reason was money. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Those who profit from some sinful or ungodly activity will always become angry when the preaching of the gospel touches their pocketbook. What really should have happened is that these men should also have repented of their sins of using this young woman for their own material gain. If they did not ultimately repent, they are this day burning in hell. There are many people in our society today who are headed for the same destiny. Anyone who puts money more important than the gospel of Christ, and more important than spiritually changed lives, will have to give an answer to the all-powerful Judge of the earth, who knows all things and who knows everything that everyone has ever done. It will be a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. First Timothy 6:7-9 says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

One thing leads to another. For every action there is a reaction. For every behavior there is a consequence. For every person who desires to be rich, these are the things that will follow: 1. they will fall into temptation and a snare; 2. they will fall into any foolish and hurtful lusts, and 3. they will drown in destruction and perdition. These men here in Acts chapter 16 wanted to be rich at the expense of the young woman. They had no concern for her spiritual condition nor for her eternal destiny. They hated the preaching of the gospel, and they hated the apostle Paul, God’s servant. Then they told horrible lies in front of the magistrates of the city and became responsible for Paul and Silas being beaten and cast into prison. So many sins followed the one great sin of desiring to be rich. It is not a sin to be rich, but it is a sin to love money, and to desire it with a strong desire.

Something interesting to notice here is that Paul and Silas were taken to the marketplace in order to be falsely accused in front of the magistrates. The market place was in the center of town, and was the place of almost all commerce in that town. The Greek word used for marketplace is the word “agora.” If you went into any Greek town today, you would find an agora still in the middle of town. Inside the agora would be produce and fish and fruits and all things imaginable for sale. One thing different about the agora of today and two thousand years ago is the fact that along with everything else there would be slaves for sale two thousand years ago. One of the great words of the Bible that describes what God has done for us when He saved us is the word “redeem.” It comes from the word “agoradzo,” and means to purchase out of the marketplace. Have you been redeemed from enslavement to sin by Jesus Christ? If not, you can be today by turning from your sins and in prayer to Him, asking for forgiveness.

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