Day 105 – Tuesday, May 27, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Acts 16

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. ² He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. ⁴ And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. ⁵ So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. 

(Acts 16:1–5, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After passing through Syria and Cilicia, Paul and Silas came to Derbe and Lystra again.
• They met a young man named Timothy, who Paul felt would be useful for their missionary trip. Paul circumcised him to keep Jews from objecting to him.
• Paul, Silas, and Timothy went onto through the cities in that region, telling them what was decided at the Council in Jerusalem, and encouraging them. The church was growing!

The Macedonian Call

⁶ Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. ⁷ After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. ⁸ So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. 

(Acts 16:6–10, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• While on their journey, the Holy Spirit prevented Paul and Silas from preaching in several of the cities they went through.
• However, while in Troas, Paul sees a vision of a man calling to him for help. The man was from Macedonia. Upon waking, Paul immediately went to Macedonia.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

¹¹ Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. ¹⁴ Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. ¹⁵ And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. 

(Acts 16:11–15, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Paul and Silas sailed from Troas through Samothrace and Neapolis, and then landed in Philippi. They stayed there several days.
• On the Sabbath, they went outside the city to the riverside, and met with the people who gathered there to pray.
• Almond them was Lydia, who invited them to stay at her house, and they did.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

¹⁶ Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she did for many days.

But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. ¹⁹ But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

²⁰ And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; ²¹ and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” ²² Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. ²³ And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 

(Acts 16:16–24, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• Another day, as they went to pray, a slave girl who told the future for profit followed Paul and Silas, identifying them as servants of God. She did this for several days.
• Paul grew weary of the interruption and commanded the spirit of divination to come out of her, and it did. After this, her owners were angry that their source of income had been ruined.
• They dragged the two missionaries to the authorities and accused them of troubling the city and teaching false customs. The magistrates tore off their clothes and had them beaten. Afterward, they were imprisoned and the jailer charged with keeping them secure.

The Philippian Jailer Saved

²⁵ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. ²⁷ And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

²⁹ Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. 

(Acts 16:25–34, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• At about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing. A great earthquake came, and the foundations of the prison were shaken, the door open ended, and their chains were loosed.
• The keeper of the prison was afraid and drew a sword to kill himself. Paul called out that all the prisoners were still in the prison.
• He came to see for himself, and fell before them, asking what he must do to be saved. Paul and Silas simply told them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They did, and the whole household was saved.
• They took care of the two preachers, and then he baptized them. They ate food, and slept for a while.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

³⁵ And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

³⁶ So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

³⁸ And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. ³⁹ Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed. 

(Acts 16:35–40, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• In the morning, the magistrates said that they should be let go. The word came to the jailer, who told Paul.
• Paul insisted that since they beat them in public, that they should come themselves to let them out, especially since they were Roman citizens.
• The magistrates were afraid once they found out that they were citizens of Rome. They came and begged the preachers to leave. They went to Lydia’s house, encouraged the members, and departed.
• What a powerful touch of God to shake the prison foundations and open the doors for Paul and Silas’s deliverance.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.