God Speaks
Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium, 3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.
6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.
9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She and her household were baptized, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: While ministering in Derbe, Paul recruited Timothy, a Christian young man with a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Once Timothy was circumcised so that he would be accepted in the synagogues, he joined them in delivering the decrees regarding believing Gentiles to the growing churches. As Paul, Silas, and Timothy traveled to various places, the Holy Spirit directed them where and where not to go. One example of this is a dream God gave Paul about a man asking him to come to Macedonia. At that point Luke joined them in sailing to Philippi, a Roman city in that area. In Philippi, they met Lydia, a prominent woman who was an immense help to them. One day they encountered a fortune-telling slave girl who brought undue attention to them even while she was telling the truth. Paul set her free of demonic control. The irate reaction of her masters created a riot that resulted in Paul and his associates being arrested and thrown into the prison’s inner dungeon. About midnight, while these Christians were praying and praising God, an earthquake freed them from their shackles. The chief jailer saw the prison doors wide open and assumed the worst. Paul stepped in and not only saved the man’s life but also the souls of him and the members of his household. These new believers were baptized and in return fed and tended to Paul and his companions’ wounds. The next morning when the city officials learned that Paul and Silas (whom they had publicly beaten) both had Roman citizenship, they tried to handle things privately, but Paul and Silas insisted on leaving town on their own terms after preaching at Lydia’s house once more.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus who is leading Your people in establishing Your Kingdom on this earth, please direct Your chosen leaders as they train younger people to carry on the work. Show them any actions that must be taken in order for these new leaders to be accepted and more effective. Holy Spirit, please be as specific with Christian leaders today as You were in the “Macedonian call.” May they be just as effective. Like Lydia, may people of wealth and influence be open to the gospel of Jesus Christ and His workers, providing for them. Like Paul and Silas, may Christians recognize and deal in Your strength with demonic oppression. Help Christians to deal with both persecution and prosecution in a godly manner, so that those who see their response will come to (or be strengthened in) faith in Christ. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will look for a specific young person I can mentor and/or train in what it means to follow Christ.
- I will help that young person to find ways to “fit in” with his/her peers without compromising their Christ-centered values.
- I will look to the Holy Spirit to direct me as to where I should go, to whom I should speak, and what I should say, then do it.
- I will use whatever advantages or privileges I have to further the Kingdom of God, like Lydia with her prominence or Paul with his Roman citizenship.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.