Acts 16:11-40 (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)

Acts 16:11-40

• How long can you put up with something that annoys you?
• Context:
  • What caused Paul to leave Troas and go to Europe? This is Paul’s 2nd missionary journey. We left Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke in Troas last week. 
• Acts 16:11-15
• 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, the next day to Neapolis, 12 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 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.
  • Notice Paul heads to the leading city in the area.
    • How did the fact that there was no synagogue in Philippi change Paul’s strategy?  Sabbath they go near the river side looking for the place of prayer the Jews would meet near water for ceremonially washings.
  • Were any of them Jews?
    • It appears no. But believers in the God of the Jews.  But still Gentiles.
  • Who was responsible for Lydia’s conversion?
    • The Holy Spirit or Lord opened her heart to respond.
  • How does Lydia help Paul’s ministry?
    • Providing food and shelter.
• Acts 16:16-18
• 16 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. 17 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.” 18 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.
  • Are you surprised to find a demon telling the truth?
  • Why do you think Paul waited so long to command the evil spirit to leave female slave?
    • Maybe he was being patient or he knew it may create a problem. I think that this evil spirit was trying to disrupt the sharing the gospel.
      • You don’t want a demon for a witness because:
        • Wrong Content: The text literally says, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you ‘a’ way to be saved.” This is syncretistic in looking at Christianity as one of the many ways to be saved. 
        • Wrong Tone: We can’t critique this because we were not there. Perhaps she said it sarcastically in such a way as to make light of the content of the preaching. 
        • Wrong Source: Maybe Paul does what he does because he doesn’t want any free press for the enemy. Like Jesus, the best thing Paul could do with a demon is to hush it immediately. 
  • How did Paul expel this spirit from the girl?
    • In name of Jesus Christ
• Acts 16:19-24
• 19 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. 20 Bringing them before the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are seriously disturbing our city. They are Jews 21 and are promoting customs that are not legal for us as Romans to adopt or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.
  • The Gentiles Timothy and Luke with Paul were not seized in Philippi, but Paul and Silas, the Jews were.  Why?
    • Was racism a factor here? 
  • What kind of job did the city magistrates do at investigating these claims?
    • Terrible they just punished them on hearsay doesn’t appear Paul and Silas were even able to defend their side of things or even asked anything…after all they are outsiders and Jews.
  • Why the stocks?
    • Just another form of punishment but also made it harder for them to escape.  
    • Do you think Paul and Silas were discouraged?
• Acts 16:25-34
• 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 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. 27 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. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because we’re all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 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.
  • I wonder what Paul and Silas were singing?
    • Was it early Christian hymn or out of the Psalms…whose attention did this get?  The other prisoners.
  • Convenient time for an earth quake especially one that loosens all chains…. What does this tell us about the earthquake? 
  • Why was the Jailer preparing to kill himself?
    • It was his life if anyone escaped. Paul saved this man’s life by calling out.
  • When the jailer found out everyone is still in their cell what does he do?
    • He falls before Paul and Silas wants to know what to do to be saved.
  • How did the jailer get to that point?
    • He saw God working maybe he heard Paul and Silas singing… maybe no one escaping when they could have… maybe recognized God’s hand in all of this. It could be he had heard what the slave girl said or some of the preaching of Paul.
  • To believe in Jesus what did the Jailer need to know?
    • Paul and Silas taught him about Jesus who died for their sins and all that was needed for salvation. Who Jesus is and what  Jesus has done.
• Acts 16:35-40
• 35 When daylight came, the chief magistrates sent the police to say, “Release those men.” 36 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.” 37 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.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates. They were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to appease them, and escorting them from prison, they urged them to leave town. 40 After leaving the jail, they came to Lydia’s house, where they saw and encouraged the brothers and sisters, and departed.
  • Why do you think Paul insisted on claiming his civil rights as a Roman Citizen the next day?
    • Paul refuses to allow God’s name to be slandered by leaving without a public apology. He is convinced that God orchestrated these events not the magnates of Philippi.
  • Notice the last 3 words, “Then they left.” This means Luke did not go with Paul but stayed behind to help this new church.
• TAKE AWAY
  • If someone would ask you, “What must I do to be saved?” how would you respond?
  • What can you learn from Paul and Silas about enduring adversity? 
  • We should not discourage easily, why?  Because of what we have in Christ…Paul said God is for us!