What does Acts 16:16-40 mean? The Gospel in Europe EXORCISM OF A POSSESSED GIRL. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. God does not give Christians an exemption, even when they are in the middle of doing His will and pursuing His kingdom and righteousness. "ACTS OF THE APOSTLES" Chapter Sixteen OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER 1) To trace the route of Paul . Whereas Lydia, while not necessarily wealthy, was at least a woman of some independence (as the head of her household), this second woman is doubly bound, a . Tell students that Acts 16-20 contains an account of Paul's second and third missions (the account of Paul's second mission actually begins in Acts 15:40). They tried to make their problem go away quietly by sweeping it under the rug. He did not give him a lecture on theology. a. Sale Date(s) . While in this country at this time, such physical torture from government authorities is rare, you may face times when your legal rights are violated. God knows what He is doing when he says, No.. These stocks had more than two holes for legs, which could thus be forced apart in a such a way as to cause the utmost discomfort and cramping pain. (Bruce), iii. This shows how repentant he was and how he followed the example of love shown by Paul and Silas. We simply know Paul and Silas were severely beaten. After such a bad beating, they were put in uncomfortable conditions (fastened their feet in the stocks). This is indicated by how they began their accusation: These men, being Jews.. He knew that it was easier for the gospel to spread from these cities than to these cities. OF DIVINATION; or, of Python, the name of Apollo, from Lord. i. Acts 16:6-10 Phrygia, Bithynia, Mysia. Do they now release us secretly? Praise the Lord is not a nice suggestion; its a command! pp. It was actually reasonable for them to wonder when the rest of the New Covenant would be fulfilled. Although I have not verified it, I have heard that the most frequent command in the entire Bible is, Sing! And you cant rightly obey the command to praise God and sing for joy unless your heart is full of joy in Him. The honourable discharge of Paul and Silas by the magistrates (v. 35-40). Acts 16:14 But Paul, greatly annoyed: Paul was greatly annoyed, and he did not appreciate the free advertising from the demon. Four lessons from Acts 16: 1. _Theophylact_: thus m AS WE WENT TO PRAYER - Greek: as we were going to the proseuche, This led Theodore Olson, a leading critic of the Supreme Court, to suggest that the students should dance nude before their football games, since the court prefers naked dancing to prayer as a form of expression (Kathleen Parker, The Washington Times [9/11/00], p. A12)! Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. The jailer, roused out of sleep, saw the prison doors open. 25About midnight Paul and Silas, in jail, were praying and singing hymns to God. We are next introduced to an incident which led to a decided God still calls people to the mission field, and He may call through unusual ways. The other prisoners were listening to them. Intro: Having lost in a fire virtually everything they owned, the Spafford family made new plans, including a move from Chicago to France.Horatio Spafford planned the trip for his wife and four daughters to be as trouble-free as possible. Let them come themselves and release us.' The word "house" is rightly supplied, for the sense is not, that they went into the country of Lydia, as some have been tempted to think; but they went to the woman Lydia, whose heart the Lord had opened, and was become a disciple and follower of Christ; they went to her house it . In the Roman Empire there were two very different laws: one for citizens of the Roman Empire, and one for those who were not citizens. . And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. ii. By her soothsaying she provided much gain for her i. The last time Paul was in Lystra, they first worshipped him as a god and then tried to kill him by stoning (Acts 14:11-20). And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. _And he came also _for _then came he, _A.V._ _and T.R. 5:18). Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, A certain disciple was there, named Timothy, son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews in that region, as they went through the cities, the delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily, They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia, They tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them, 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., Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go, From there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, On the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made, The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul, She begged us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay., A certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination brought her masters much profit, 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., I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, Her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, Exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe, When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely the inner prison fastened their feet in the stocks, But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, all the doors were opened and everyones chains were loosed, The keeper of the prisonwas about to kill himself, Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here., Ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house, And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes, And immediately he and all his family were baptized, The magistrates have sent to let you go. VI. 38The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. We're also studying 1 Corinthians 1:26-30, an entirely different text, which seems to have been chosen as the capstone of our five weeks of thinking about women in the New Testament. Prayers and praises unto God at midnight, in the midst of a brutal prison. A CERTAIN DAMSEL POSSESSED WITH A SPIRIT OF ii. With Paul, we should aim at doing all things for the sake of the gospel (1 Cor. Sailing from Troas: Paul and his missionary team (now including Luke) had to sail across the Agean Sea, from the continent of Asia to the continent of Europe. His mother was Jewish and a believer. 1. It is good for us to bring other help along with the gospel, but without the gospel, little real help is given. "The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. How to Turn Persecution into Production. She didnt do this only once, but for many days (Acts 16:18). masters much gain by soothsaying"Going to the place of prayer" Ac 16-24 Satan, though the father of lies, will declare the most 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. Dive Deeper. In last Sunday's lesson, Paul met Lydia while he was looking for a place of prayer. ow DAMSEL. important truths, when he can thereby serve his purposes. 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. 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 But those vague charges were enough, because both the multitude and the magistrates were biased against Paul and Silas. We are next introduced to an incident which led to a decided The miraculous conversion of the jailer to the faith of Christ (v. 25-34). He pointed this obviously repentant man to faith in Jesus Christ. This page is a verse by verse study of Acts 16:16-40. _AS WE WENT TO PRAYER_] , Years ago, in the former Soviet Union, a criminal who later got saved and became a church leader, wrote about his experience in prison: Among the general despair, while prisoners like myself were cursing ourselves, the camp, the authorities; while we opened up our veins or our stomachs, or hanged ourselves; the Christians (often with sentences of 20 to 25 years) did not despair. They were whipped and put in the inner prison with chains on their feet. He was a believer. If I radiate His joy because I have entrusted my soul to Him, the faithful Creator, then even when Im wrongly treated, He will be glorified and others will be drawn to the Savior. 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 Acts 16:16. Paul's Macedonian vision. After learning how to become a Christians the jailer and his family were all baptized immediately. ii. human knowledge. they were (James 2:19). And fifty days after the Passover, the second major Jewish feast, the Feast of Pentecost, or the Feast of Ingathering. with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much However, the jailers household was not saved merely because he was; Paul came and spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. He wrote, We exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Rom. (temp. VII. All I can say here is, when you are treated wrongly, your response should be motivated by the furtherance of Gods glory and the gospel, and by the administration of Gods justice through law and government, which He has appointed for the well being of society. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. So the correct text with accusative thin A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament by Bruce M. Metzger, Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary, College Press Bible Study Textbook Series, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch, G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament (1851), Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible, Manly Luscombe Commentary on New Testament, Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611), Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible, NT Verse References in the Ante-Nicene Fathers, Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols), Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament, Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary, Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith, Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament (4 Volume Set). They charged the jailer to keep them safely. But it was the Holy Spirits plan to lead him there. prayer, or to the oratory, as they were in the way to it; for this is The accusing and abusing of Paul and Silas for it, their imprisonment, and the indignities done them (v. 19-24). spirit, a Python. It is written in the scriptures that no one can please God without faith. Maybe they thought that the beating and night in prison would send these guys packing, never to return. When they had brought them out of the prison, they continued pleading with them to leave the city. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. She followed Paul and Silas saying, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." a. Were out of here! And they would have run for their lives. a. 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. They were in, not out, of Gods will. All doors seemed to be Such people had to be taught to know their proper place and not trouble their betters. (Bruce). which Paul witnessed. 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. Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. Its not enough just to grit your teeth and endure trials; God wants us to rejoice in them! In Acts 15, Paul argued strongly that it was not necessary for Gentile converts to come under the Law of Moses for salvation (Acts 15:2 and 15:12). A. The Roman emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in A.D. 49. 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. a. William Carey wanted to go to Polynesia, but God sent him to India. VIII. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? In line with that, Pauls action showed the entire city, which would have heard about this incident, the spirit of Jesus Christ. We see another reason why the Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia. Timothy. Spirit of divination [ ]. But they can read and predict human behavior, and can attempt to steer events towards a previously predicted conclusion. It is mandatory for all who know His salvation. He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. Therefore, a most important element in evangelism is asking God through prayer to open hearts, for without this there can be no genuine conversion. I wish that Paul had said, Rejoice in the Lord as a general rule. But, always? b. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. This is good advice to anyone contemplating suicide. Both heard the gospel and believed, and through each of them their whole families were touched! We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Luke notes that the prisoners were listening to them (16:25). Read Acts 16 again and ask God to reveal and emphasize truths from this chapter that He wants you to see. He has a greater purpose that we often do not understand. CHAPTER 16 spiritum i. the servants of the Most High God, (10) And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. iii. ACTS 16:1 A jailer was charged to watch them. 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. c. And he came out that very hour: The idea behind that very hour is that the demon came out immediately. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. When you are wronged, entrust your soul to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. ; _to Lystra 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. 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. One way or another, Paul and his company got the message. The more difficult reading appears to be pu,qwna (74 a A B C* D* 81 _praes. _paidiske._ See note on Acts 12:13. read "a spirit,. About midnight they were singing and praying in the hearing of the other prisoners. in which the conversion of Lydia occurred, or at another time, is no CHAPTER 16 This is how God wants our lives to be: Natural magnets drawing people to Him. Knowing this, Paul called with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm, for we are all here. He assured the jailer that no one had escaped. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. This was a promise made specifically to the keeper of the prison. The spirit of Christ is to forgive those who sin against us, while at the same time holding them accountable to change their behavior. 39So the magistrates came begging to Paul and Silas. Our rights are not as important as our obedience to the will of God. Pauls action helped hold these men accountable to carry out justice for others who would be accused of some crime. At the time Paul met Timothy, he was delivering the news of this decree that came out of the Acts 15 council (as they went through the cities, the delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem). 6. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. The next time, they would follow the Roman law! 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. Acts 16:40 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Acts 16:40, NIV: After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them.Then they left. As Roman citizens, Paul and Silas had a right to a trial before any punishment. The use of they here suggests that Luke stayed behind in Philippi for at least a while, perhaps to care for this new congregation. He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. When they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them: Only after this did they agree to go. This title, it is generally said, was given to Apollo, on account of his having destroyed a monstrous serpent that . 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. New International Version. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. Home He also wrote to the Philippians, Do all things without grumbling or disputing (Phil. Now we see another reason why they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. How can we know when it is right to defend ourselves and when we should simply yield our rights? Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition The Lockman Foundation, Related Topics: Character of God, Faith, Suffering, Trials, Persecution, Steve served as the pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship from May, 1992 through his retirement in December, 2018. "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. No indeed! Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divinationc 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 shew unto us the way of salvation. iii. 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. The term emphasizes His omnipotence and sovereignty. Tap the title next to the arrow to get thatdocument. 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? 1:20). He was told, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Acts chapter 16. b. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. Our responsibility in such difficult times is to trust and obey Him. serpent destroyed, according to Greek b. Peter echoes this: But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation (1 Pet. 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 .

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