Paul and Barnabas head back to Antioch from the assembly of apostles and elders that had been held in Jerusalem. The church receives the apostolic letter and is strengthened. They also find prophets Judas and Silas and continues together teaching with many others. Then they agree to revisit the churches they had planted, but can’t agree on who should go with them and go their separate ways. Paul takes Silas as his new companion and they find a young disciple, Timothy who joins them. The Holy Spirit directs them as they go, preventing them from going into Asia, but requesting them, in a vision, to go to Macedonia. They get to Philippi, and find Lydia who is saved with her household and they stay many days. And, then, opposition rises up.
They Rejoiced at the Encouragement
Acts 15:30–35
Paul and Barnabas are back in Antioch, but with the letter in Acts 15:30-31. Judas and Silas are mentioned as prophets here in Acts 15:32 who “encouraged and strengthened the brothers by a long message” and we get a little glimpse of the ministry of the prophet in the new testament church as they then, in Acts 15:33 “were sent away in peace from the brothers to those who had sent them”.
Here, vs. 34 is missing in newer translations “The authorities against the insertion of this verse are strong. It may have been afterwards added to explain Ac 15:40”.1
We do know that , in Acts 15:35 Paul and Barnabas continued teaching in Antioch “with many others also”.
Let Us Return and Visit the Brothers
Acts 15:36–41
Sometimes we just need to continue doing what God has told us to do so, even though the Holy Spirit doesn’t tell them to, in Acts 15:36 And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, “Come then, let us return and* visit the brothers in every town in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.” And they both agreed on the purpose, but couldn’t agree on who to take with them in Acts 15:38-39 and “a sharp disagreement took place”. vs. 39 goes on to say that Barnabas took Mark and sailed away. Then Acts 15:40-41 Paul chose Silas and departed. The difference is that Paul was “commended to the grace of the Lord by the brothers”. Barnabas isn’t mentioned again in Acts.
They Passed On To Them To Observe The Rules
Acts 16:1–5
Paul is traveling with Silas now and in Acts 16:1 finds Timothy, the son of a mixed marriage. I write it this way intentionally because, not only was it a marriage between a Jewish woman and a Greek man, but more importantly, it was a marriage between a believing mother and an unsaved father. Even so, Timothy was, in vs. 2 “well spoken of” not just in his own home town, but also in the nearby city of Iconium.
Acts 16:3 is troubling at first look because Paul circumcises Timothy, but they were there circulating the letter, that Paul had been part of writing, that said circumcision was not required. Paul was simply being sensitive to what people believed, and did not want to stir up any distension. As Paul later explains himself in 1 Corinthians 9:19–21 (LEB) For although I am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. 20 I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law I became as under the law (although I myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as outside the law (although I am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law.
Paul continues, with Timothy, in Acts 16:4-5 to deliver the letter, one of many to come, “to observe the rules that had been decided by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem”. This structure, with leadership from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, brought clarification and settled the churches and strengthened them and they continued growing. And, though there are challenges today with denominations, it is good when we can agree together.
However, we always face the problem of the traditions of men taking the place of God as Hodge describes “Making tradition a part of the rule of faith subverts the authority of the Scriptures … Instead, therefore, of our faith resting on the testimony of God as recorded in his Word, it rests on what poor, fallible, often fanciful, prejudiced, benighted men, tell us is the meaning of that word. Man and his authority take the place of God”2
Or, as Jesus said in Matthew 15:1-9 (LEB) 3 So he answered and said to them, “Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Come Over to Macedonia and Help Us
Acts 16:6–10
In Acts 16:6 Paul was moving forward “having been prevented by the Holy Spirit from speaking the message in Asia”. Then again as they were going, in Acts 16:7 “the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them”. So, altering direction, in Acts 16:8 “they went down to Troas. It then says in Acts 16:9-10 (LEB) And a vision appeared to Paul during the night: a certain Macedonian man was standing there and imploring him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and* help us!” 10 And when he had seen the vision, we wanted at once to go away to Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. They had started this journey because it seemed right to revisit the churches they had been to before, and now along the way, the Holy Spirit is leading them step by step.
There Was a Place of Prayer
Acts 16:11–15
In Acts 16:11-12 Paul, Silas, and Timothy (who are not named here, but are mentioned together in earlier verses and again in the next few chapters) make their way through a few cities and come “to Philippi, … a leading city, … a Roman colony. And we were staying in this city for some days”.
Even though they had been led to Macedonia by the Holy Spirit through a vision, there wasn’t anyone waiting to receive them. They were finding their way around. And as they got to know the city, in Acts 16:13 there was this place “where we thought there was a place of prayer” so they went there “and we sat down and spoke to the women assembled there”. Here, they found an attentive audiences and in Acts 16:14-15 Lydia not only heard, but “she was baptized, and her household” and then “urged us, saying, “If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, come to my house and stay.” and this became their base.
And it was in this place that they found “This woman had been named after the area from which she came. It was famous for its purple dye and textiles, and Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth. Purple clothes were for the wealthy (Lk. 16:19) and the royal.3
These Men Are Servants of the Most High God
Acts 16:16–24
Paul and Silas and Timothy, were going daily to the place of prayer in Acts 16:16-18 but they were followed by a woman “crying out, saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”. It seems this didn’t disturb them at first, and “Most of the girl’s contemporaries would have considered this spirit beneficial or neutral, but Luke (the writer of Acts) indicates its evil nature”.4
Finally, Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her in vs. 18 and it came out. Two important points here, the spirit in her knew who Paul and Silas were and spoke out to the people around them that they were servants of God. And if you read the gospels, you will find that demonic spirits were often the first to speak when Jesus came on the scene. The second point is that people didn’t her fortunetelling was bad, they paid to hear what she had to say, but there wasn’t anything good coming from her.
The real trouble here was with the woman’s owners who were using her for their own profit in Acts 16:19. They brought accusations against Paul and Silas, not about them freeing the woman, but that they were Jews in Vs. 20 and in acts 16:21 “proclaiming customs that are not permitted for us …because we are Romans”. In Acts 16:22-24 “the crowd joined in … the chief magistrates … gave orders to beat them, … (and) put them in the inner prison …”
Praying and Singing Hymns to God
Acts 16:25–34
Then it says in Acts 16:25 (LEB) Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and* singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. This is about the last thing you would expect them to do, but here they are, praising! When, in Acts 16:26 “there was a great earthquake … And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened”. It is easy to imagine an earthquake happening. And with an earthquake, maybe the doors would open, but all of the bonds unfastened?
Ac 16:25–34 Praying and Singing Hymns to God
Then it says in Acts 16:25 (LEB) Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and* singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. This is about the last thing you would expect them to do, but here they are, praising! When, in Acts 16:26 “there was a great earthquake … And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bondsi were unfastened”. It is easy to imagine an earthquake happening. And with an earthquake, maybe the doors would open, but all of the bonds unfastened?
When the jailer saw it, in Acts 16:27-28 he was “about to kill himself, because he* thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out … we are all here”. The jailer found that they were there and in Acts 16:29-30 “what can I do so that I can be saved”. Then, in Acts 16:31-34 the jailer and all of his house are saved and they prepare a meal and rejoiced.
Study Verses
- Acts 15:36–41
- Acts 16:6–10
- Acts 16:11–15
Today’s Reading
- Acts 15:30-41
- Acts 16:1-34
References
- 1. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 195). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- 2. Hodge, C. (1997). Systematic theology (Vol. 1, p. 128). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
- 3. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 460). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
- 4. Peterson, D. G. (2009). The Acts of the Apostles (p. 463). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.