Changes will take effect once you reload the page. So the first lesson is: As Peter tells his persecuted readers, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you (1 Pet. About midnight they were singing and praying in the hearing of the other prisoners. Exalting Jesus in Acts (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) - GOOD Product Id:1433647095 Condition:USEDGOOD 255947117284 It is written in the scriptures that no one can please God without faith. New International Version. So, they came down to Troas. The masters of the demon possessed girl cared nothing for the girl herself, only for their ability to exploit her demonic possession for money. When they had laid many blows on Paul and Silas, they threw them into prison. Having received such a command, the jailer threw Paul and Silas into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. 16-30, Ezekiel 37:21-28). These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe. Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. They were singing because their hearts were full of praise toward God and the joy of His salvation. Sermon #7 . So Paul and Silas went out of the prison, and entered into Lydias house to see and encourage the brethren; then Paul and Silas departed.". Her masters made a lot of money from her power. She followed Paul and us, crying out, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation! She continued doing this for several days. They were assumed guilty without a hearing or trial. going one way, and then anoth MINISTRY IN PHILIPPI FROM THE HOUSE OF LYDIA (16:12B-40). Had there been ten Jewish men, they would have sufficed to constitute a synagogue. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Timothy had a believing mother with a Jewish background (son of a certain Jewish woman who believed), and a (presumably) unbelieving Greek father. The Key teachings of Jesus Christ are focused on Faith and Love. _ 1. pythonem. 25About midnight Paul and Silas, in jail, were praying and singing hymns to God. of prayer._ (See Note on Acts 16:13.) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Our Christianity should make others want what we have with God. I am using the wording of 1 Peter 4:19, which is one of two times in the New Testament God is called the Creator (Rom. pp. a. Do they now release us secretly? Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? They answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household. They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. i. Paul knew that a man will be identified by both his friends and his enemies, and could do without a demonic letter of reference. i. Paul began this missionary journey having come from Antioch. (Acts 16:35-37). In last Sunday's lesson, Paul met Lydia while he was looking for a place of prayer. (Acts 16:6) they received a GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 3 Paul wanted Timothy as a companion on his journey. gain by soothsaying: i. Python". , _as we were going to the place of prayer_ (see on That they sailed straight for Samothrace is quite revealing, because this is a nautical expression that means the wind was at their backs. He drew his sword and was about to kill himself, assuming that the prisoners had escaped. That, by the way, is the missing note among Christians in many places today. "When the slave girls masters had brought Paul and Silas to the magistrates, they said, These men, who are Jews, are confusing our city, proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or to observe. Come on, Paul, get realistic! He knew that it was easier for the gospel to spread from these cities than to these cities. Commentary on Acts 16:35-40 (Read Acts 16:35-40) Paul, though willing to suffer for the cause of Christ, and without any desire to avenge himself, did not choose to depart under the charge of having deserved wrongful punishment, and therefore required to be dismissed in an honourable manner. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Paul and Silas did not sit in jail lamenting, Maybe we missed the signals! Hand-drawn illustrations based on sermons by Kevin DeYoung guide you through the book of Acts helping to communicate truths in a unique, compelling way. The arrival in Europe was clearly seen by Luke as very important. When they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them: Only after this did they agree to go. Entered into the house of Lydia This was the place of their residence while at Philippi: see Acts 16:15.. The words, literally, are as in the margin, a spirit of Python, or, as This he does not yet do, speaking racially. Maybe God didnt mean for us to come to Macedonia. For all they knew, they would be executed the next day, or left to die a slow death in prison. Thus if we want to glorify God, which is the highest goal for the Christian, we must focus on finding joy in Him. And these disciples expected God to do something! 25But as for the Gen-tiles who . One way or another, Paul and his company got the message. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. b. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. _possessed with a spirit of divination_ Greek, Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. Yet, Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go there. CHAPTER 16 John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:4-18. From the city of Thyatira: Thyatira was well known as a center for this purple dye and fabric made from it. . a. Three stories in the Bible help us to distinguish three kinds of belief. But Paul wrote Second Corinthians to defend his character and his apostolic ministry. iii. The jailer, roused out of sleep, saw the prison doors open. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. The Macedonian man wanted help. And they went out, &c. The servants of Christ, being honourably cleared from every crime by this public release, left the prison quietly, and went to the house of Lydia With whom they had lodged before; and when they had seen the brethren The disciples whom they had made; they comforted them By rehearsing what God had done both for them and by them, in prison; and . ventriloquist (Ramsay). Even in their pain, God was not far from Paul and Silas. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. He comments: The words had scarcely left his lips when she was released from its power.. Lit., a ii. These verses describe Pauls experiences and work in Thessalonica and Berea during his second missionaryjourney. apostle Paul. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily. Site Location117 Pembroke Pines-PEM. ( ). The Python was the s ACTSNOTE ON ACTS 16:11 Philippi was the first Macedonian city in 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." 18 And this she kept doing for many days. They came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city: The magistrates acted as politicians often act by instinct. 17She followed Paul and us, crying out, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!' What should a Christian do when his life has been a poor testimony to those without Christ? 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18 She kept this up for many days. b. Lydia was a seller of purple: Anyone who was a seller of purple dealt in a valued, luxurious product. First, Paul was concerned for justice for all people, and what these magistrates had done was grossly unjust. The places specially mentioned are Samaria, Azotus, Caesarea, Lydda, the Sharon valley, and Joppa. Each of these two had their lives touched by Jesus in very different ways. In times of trial, Satan tempts us to think things like, If God exists and if He is good, why didnt He protect you from this extreme situation? As Peter goes on to show, and as Paul and Silas here exemplify, the solution is to resist the devil by being firm in our faith in the Almighty God. The great missionary David Livingstone summarized the spirit of Paul when he said, I am prepared to go anywhere, so long as it is forward. (Cited in Barclay). Home If we add the article , see critical note: to the place of Paul trusted God to work for His purpose and glory, whether Paul got delivered or whether he died in the process. And, in addition to these common trials, we can expect even more trials because we are Christians. A CERTAIN DAMSEL POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF Also, if he wanted to come back again, he knew that they would not prevent him. SEPARATOR CAPACITY, 5,000 LB. 1. 16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. Let them come themselves and release us. " (Acts 16:35-37). The real issue, when youre treated wrongly, is, Do you trust in a sovereign, omnipotent God who could have prevented this situation if He had so willed? The magistrates sent the officers: Paul and Silas left the prison (in the protective custody of the jailer) to minister to the jailers household. frequently, and the party comes to be known. ind. How to Turn Persecution into Production. (Acts 16:25-28). Due to the sweetness and greatness of this work, there is a proverb in Tamil which says, "Thiruvasagathukku . Like the children of Israel in the wilderness, they think that they would be happier back in slavery in Egypt than to be with God and His provision in the wilderness. From there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia: Paul here followed a plan to plant churches in the major cities. Acts 15:36-18: . 16. With much fear he fell down before Paul and Silas and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Verses 1-5 ACTS 16:35-40. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. OF DIVINATION; or, of Python, the name of Apollo, from Why did Paul do that? The safety Trainer in partnership with management and Human . As Paul later wrote to the Philippians, his aim was that with all boldness, Christ would even now, as always, be exalted in his body, whether by life or by death (Phil. d. When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison: After being severely beaten, Paul and Silas were imprisoned in maximum-security conditions (commanding the jailer to keep them securely the inner prison fastened their feet in the stocks). Our responsibility in such difficult times is to trust and obey Him. gain by soothsaying: (17) The same followed Paul and us, and cr We now enter on the missionary journeys, as they are called, of the After their baptism into Christ they were filled with great joy. In their former Asia does not refer to the Far East as we know it today. 1:4 ). Rather, they accused them of throwing the city into confusion and of proclaiming customs that were not lawful for Romans to accept or observe (16:20-21). We are studying the story of Lydia, recorded in Acts 16:11-15 and :40, for Sunday, February 28. Acts 16 is the sixteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. not to be understood of their just going to the act, or dut And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed If they couldnt do it within three minutes, they werent fit for the chaplains service. Acts 12:13. 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. We see His mighty power here in the earthquake that rocked this prison. We simply know Paul and Silas were severely beaten. (apparition, a spirit, a python), not the genitive (). It was at least the third choice for him.