Acts 16
Big idea: The Spirit closes every door but one and calls the missionaries across the sea into Macedonia. In Philippi the gospel enters Europe through three unlikely households — a merchant whose heart the Lord opens, an enslaved girl set free at her masters' cost, and a jailer who asks at midnight what he must do to be saved.
Asked to leave Philippi, Paul and Silas carry the same word down the road — ch. 17 finds them reasoning from the Scriptures in the synagogues of Thessalonica and Berea, and before the philosophers of Athens.
16:1–5 — Timothy and the decrees
At Derbe and Lystra Paul finds Timothy — a disciple with a believing Jewish mother and a Greek father, well attested by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul takes and circumcises him 'because of the Jews who were in those parts,' for all knew his father was a Greek; and the team delivers the Jerusalem decrees city by city. The assemblies are strengthened in the faith and increase in number daily.
1 He came to Derbe and Lystra; and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed, but his father was a Greek. 2 The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him. 3 Paul wanted to have him go out with him, and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered the decrees to them to keep which had been ordained by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5 So the assemblies were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.
16:6–10 — Called into Macedonia
The itinerary turns strange: the Holy Spirit forbids speaking the word in Asia; at the border of Mysia the Spirit does not allow Bithynia; the company is funneled down to Troas. There, in the night, a vision: a man of Macedonia standing, begging, 'Come over into Macedonia and help us.' The narrative shifts to 'we' — 'immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.'
6 When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn’t allow them. 8 Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night. There was a man of Macedonia standing, begging him and saying, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go out to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the Good News to them.
16:11–15 — Philippi: Lydia's opened heart
A straight course — Samothrace, Neapolis, and Philippi, 'the foremost of the district, a Roman colony.' On the Sabbath the missionaries go outside the city to a riverside place of prayer and speak to the women gathered there. Lydia, a seller of purple from Thyatira, a worshiper of God, hears — and 'the Lord opened her heart to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.' Baptized with her household, she persuades the missionaries into her house.
11 Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a city of Macedonia, the foremost of the district, a Roman colony. We were staying some days in this city. 13 On the Sabbath day we went outside of the city by a riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us. The Lord opened her heart to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.
16:16–24 — The slave girl and the prison
A girl with a spirit of divination — much gain to her masters by fortune telling — follows the missionaries for many days, crying, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!' Paul, greatly annoyed, commands the spirit out in the name of Jesus Christ, and it leaves that very hour. Her masters, seeing 'the hope of their gain was gone,' drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates on civic charges — Jews agitating our city, advocating customs unlawful for Romans. Beaten with rods and heavily striped, they are thrown into the inner prison, their feet secured in the stocks.
16 As we were going to prayer, a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling. 17 Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!” 18 She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city 21 and advocate customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.” 22 The multitude rose up together against them and the magistrates tore their clothes from them, then commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received such a command, he threw them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks.
16:25–34 — Midnight: the jailer's question
About midnight Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns to God while the prisoners listen. A great earthquake shakes the prison's foundations, opens every door, and loosens every bond — yet no one flees. The jailer, sword drawn against himself, is stopped by Paul's cry: 'Don't harm yourself, for we are all here!' Trembling, he asks, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' — and hears, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' The same hour of the night: the word spoken to all his house, stripes washed, household baptized, food set out, and great rejoicing, 'having believed in God.'
25 But about 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 bonds were loosened. 27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, 30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. 34 He brought them up into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly with all his household, having believed in God.
16:35–40 — Romans, uncondemned
At daylight the magistrates send word to release the men quietly, but Paul refuses: 'They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No... let them come themselves and bring us out!' Hearing 'Romans,' the magistrates are afraid; they come, beg them, bring them out, and ask them to depart from the city. Paul and Silas go — but first to Lydia's house, where they see the brothers and encourage them.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!” 38 The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, then departed.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).