Acts Chapter 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas/Philippian Jailer Converted

At the close of chapter 15 we saw Paul and Barnabas parted ways after disputing about taking John Mark on their missionary journey. Paul departed with Silas, a leader in the Jerusalem church, and traveled to Derbe and Lystra, cities where Paul and Barnabas had visited on their first missionary journey (Acts 14: 6-7). From Derbe he retraced the steps of his first missionary journey in reverse order, going next to Lystra. In Lystra Paul found a young man named Timothy (Timotheus). 2 Tim. 1:5 informs us that Timothy was raised by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice who were Jews. Timothy’s father was a Greek which was a known fact in the cities of Lystra and Derbe. Paul sought to take Timothy with him on his second missionary journey, but the fact that Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father this to the Jews, meant that he was a half-breed like a Samaritan. The hindrance to using Timothy as a helper did not arise, however, because he was a half-breed. The hindrance came between everyone knew he was not a circumcised Jew.

Paul realized that if he brought a man like Timothy into the ministry some Jews would raise an objection. Yet everyone knew that Paul did not require circumcision of converted Gentiles. In every city that Paul visited he read the decrees of the Jerusalem council, exempting new converts from circumcision. To silence any possible objections to Timothy presence on the missionary team, Paul took and circumcised him. Timothy was not required to submit to circumcision, but he voluntarily did this to overcome any barriers to his witness for Christ. The phrase “and so were the churches established in faith” does not imply that Paul had just established these churches, but that the churches already there were “strengthened” and increased in numbers daily.

The missionary team then ventured out into new territory. They entered the heart of Asia Minor and toured the regions of Phrygia and Galatia. They then decided to swing south, toward the major cities in the lower portion of Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit refused them permission to go in that direction. Then after moving westward into Mysia, they thought of turning north along a course that would take them into Bithynia, the province along the Black sea. But again the Spirit denied them. The only way left was for them to go toward the west. So, they moved on to Troas on the northwestern side of Asia Minor. Why did the Spirit prevent the Apostles from going south and north, but allowed them to go west? The Holy Spirit was leading them out of Asia Minor altogether. The Spirit wanted them to take a great leap and take the gospel to another continent, the continent of Europe.

At Troas, Paul had a vision that came to him at night. He saw a man of Macedonia (a Roman province) who called out for help. The next day Paul had no doubt that the vision came from God. Before leaving Asia, Paul and Silas added an important member to their team. In verse 10 Luke uses the pronoun “we”. This is the first occurrence of the first-person pronoun in the book of Acts. In a humble way, Luke wants little attention as possible. He joined Paul on the eve of his departure for Europe. For many years to come Luke will be a faithful companion of Paul. Immediately they set sail for Macedonia. Leaving from Troas, they went straight to the island of Samothrace, midway between Asia and Europe, and the next day they arrived at Neapolis, a port city in the province of Thracia. A short journey to the west brought them to Philippi, an important city of Macedonia. Unlike many cities in the region, it was a Roman colony, therefore, its culture was predominantly Roman (Latin) rather than Greek.

On the Sabbath day, Paul and his companions were searching for people to preach the gospel when they discovered that certain women who revered the God of Israel met every Sabbath beside a river for prayer. They went to the meeting place and began speaking to the women assembled there. One named Lydia, originally from Thyatira in Asia Minor but now a resident of Philippi, listened carefully to the words of Paul. She was a successful business woman who sold purple fabric, which was one of the chief products of Philippi. The Lord opened her heart to the words of Paul and she believed his words gladly. Then she must have gone home and brought her whole family to hear the Apostles for we read that soon after her conversion, apparently on the same day, her household came to Christ. Since the Scripture does not mention her husband, we can surmise that she herself was head of the household. Immediately she and her household were baptized according to the practice of the early church.

Being grateful for the message of salvation, she insisted that they stay for awhile at her home. Her ability to furnish them with a place to stay may suggest that she was a wealthy woman. It is interesting to note here that Luke does not mention Paul and company visiting any Synagogues. One day a girl followed the Apostles who cried out repeatedly, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation”. She was perfectly correct, but Paul resented her words and became grieved. Why? She was possessed by the Devil, a spirit of divination. That is, the evil spirit within her enabled her to tell people’s fortunes. Finally Paul had enough and turning toward the possessed young girl commanded in the name of Jesus Christ that the demon depart from her. The translation, “and he came out the same hour”, leave the impression that the demon did not obey until an hour later. That is not the meaning of the statement. The meaning is that the demon left without delay, at the very same time Paul spoke his command.

The girl did not have her own fortune-teller business. Rather she was a slave working to earn money for her master who was an occultic pimp. After the demon left her work in divination vanished. The change was so quick that when her customers discovered she had no more power they stopped seeking her counsel. His income dried up and he was furious. Paul and Silas was arrested and charged with disturbing the city. The charges against them were vague at the least. In the Roman Empire, there were two very different laws: one for citizens of Rome and one for those who were not citizens. Roman citizens had specific civil rights which was zealously guarded. As were the non-citizens civil rights were subject to whims of both the multitude and the magistrate. Roman law permitted Jews to practice their religion, but not to proselytize Roman citizens.

Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrate and ordered that they be beaten with rods. The beating was extremely severe, amounting to “many stripes”. Then the magistrate cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them under tight security. To assure they would not escape, the jailer put them into the deepest part of the prison (dungeon), and put their feet in stocks. During the midnight hour while incarcerated in prison, Paul and Silas were in prayer and singing praises to God. Their confinement together became a worship service. Their torment became rejoicing. The whole prison heard their voices. At midnight, the two servants of God would be vindicated. God sent a great earthquake that rocked the foundation of the prison, opening every door and loosened every chain. Nothing could prevent Paul and Silas’ escape as well as the other prisoners. The jailer wakened from his sleep by the trembling of the prison, came quickly and found all the cell doors open. The jailer assumed that all the prisoners had made their escape. The jailer knew full well what the penalty was for losing a prisoner. He therefore resolved to kill himself in a more dignified manner. He took out his sword with the intent of falling upon it.

Before he could commit suicide, Paul called out to the jailer not to harm himself assuring him that all the prisoners were accounted for. Finding the prisoners in place, the jailer fell at the feet of Paul and Silas with inexpressible gratitude and asked “what must I do be saved?” The answer of the Apostles is a classic statement of the gospel in its simplest form: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thou house”. They emphasized the need to believe on Jesus’ full name, which distinguishes him from all the Jesuses that have been invented by false religions. The jailer and the jailer’s whole family received the truth of Paul’s gospel gladly, becoming disciples of Christ. The jailer showed compassion for his new brothers in Christ, by washing their wounds. As soon as they were able the jailer and his household were baptized by Paul and Silas. The jailer took the former prisoners home and set meat before them rejoicing.

On the morning after an earthquake strikes a city, there is much turmoil as people assess damage and look for victims. But Luke’s account gives no hint that the city suffered any effects of the earthquake. The magistrates met and reconsidered what they had done. They had punished two men without due process. To protect themselves, they immediately sent their sergeants to the jailer with word to release Paul and Silas. Paul was not willing, however, to pass over the injustice without protest. For the first time, he revealed that he and Silas were Roman citizens. Paul informed the jailer that they had been mistreated not only by being denied a trial, but also by being subject to an illegal punishment. Roman citizens were protected by law from a beating or any other punishment that brought them into public disgrace.

Not leaving quietly, Paul insisted that the magistrates come themselves and release him and Silas. Such a gesture would be an admission that they had acted without cause. Paul’s ultimatum was effective. When told that they were Roman citizens, the magistrates became afraid. They went to the prison and begged Paul and Silas to depart the city. Now that Paul had made his point, he was ready to leave. After a brief visit at the house of Lydia, where they met the believers and consoled them because circumstances would not allow them to remain, they departed from Philippi and journeyed toward the south.

Questions/Answers:
1. What does the word “divination” mean?
Divination implies occult practices such as fortune-telling and witchcraft which was common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 mentions the following specific occult practices that were forbidden by the Law of Moses.

2. What did the Apostles means by the phrase “and thy house”?
Some in tradition of covenant theology used this statement to support the idea that even the unsaved children of Christian parents participate in a covenant relationship with God. But this is not the true meaning of the phrase. The Apostles were merely explaining who could be saved by believing on Jesus Christ. At first they said “thou”. Then by attaching the phrase “and thy house”, they broadened the invitation to include the man’s family. The proof that this is the right interpretation is what happened next. The Apostles witness to his family with the evident desire that they believe also.

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Acts Chapter 15

The Jerusalem Council/Circumcision Question Answered

Not long after Paul and Barnabas finished their missionary work and returned to Antioch, the church there was visited by some believers from Judea. They were evidently men of high reputation because church leaders allowed them to address the brethren. When they stood before the assembly, they began teaching a doctrine that the people in Antioch had never heard before. They said the Gentile could not be saved unless he was circumcised. What they really meant was that a Gentile who converted to faith in Christ had to become a Jew. The real problem for the Jewish Christians was not over whether Gentiles could be saved, but whether Gentiles had to adhere to the laws of Moses. They were worried because soon there would be more Gentile than Jewish Christians, and the Jews were afraid of weakening moral standards among believers if they did not follow Jewish laws. Paul, Barnabas and other church leaders believed that the Old Testament laws were important, but it was not a prerequisite to salvation. The law cannot save; faith in Jesus Christ is what a person must have to be saved.

The teaching that the uncircumcised Gentiles could not be saved caused a great stir among the people. If the men from Judea were correct, then all the work that Paul and Barnabas accomplished was for nothing because they did not circumcised anyone. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas opposed their teaching vigorously. When Luke says that there was “no small dissension and disputation,” he means that the debate threatened to tear the church apart. Whether these men from Judea were saved, we do not know for sure. But they were certainly Satan’s tools. He gained control of them by working on their pride. Conviction based on one’s trust in God’s word is one thing, conviction based on confidence in tradition, education and lifelong habits are another. These Pharisees who wanted to circumcise the Gentiles were simply asserting themselves. They felt they were God’s chosen defenders of truth. They set themselves against men such as Paul and Barnabas, the true defenders of the gospel truth.

The New Testament is filled with warnings against false doctrine. Three of its characteristics are illustrated in the dispute that arose at Antioch. First, it normally enters the church through leaders who look like real Christians (Matt. 7:15-20; 2 Pet. 2:1-2). Their motivation is never wholesome or benevolent. Rather, they are moved by wickedness, whether pride, greed, or lust (2 Pet. 2:10, 13-14). Eventually they draw people out of the church into a heretical cult (1 John 2:18-19). In Acts 15 we do not see anyone leave the church, but the false doctrine that first appeared in this chapter later produced a schism. Even after the Apostles declared that Gentiles need not be circumcised, some Jewish believers persisted in teaching the opposite and aggressively spread their doctrine. They targeted churches established by Paul and tried to convince the converts that they needed to become circumcised Jews.

As the believers in Antioch heard the dispute between the men from Judea and Paul, they were uncertain who was right. Wanting to follow the right doctrine, they decided to send Paul and Barnabas along with others to consult with the Apostles in Jerusalem. The delegation did not go straight to their destination. They took the round about way and went through Phoenicia and then Samaria. Their purpose was to visit as many churches as possible and to share the exciting news that many Gentiles had received the gospel. Coming finally to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas again told of the wonderful work of God’s blessings on their missionary journeys. The reception of Paul and Barnabas in Jerusalem was less enthusiastic than in other churches. Jerusalem was a city that was basically run by the powerful Pharisaical party that openly and strongly opposed the message that the Apostles preached. They immediately opposed Paul and Barnabas. They understood that they preached to the Gentiles, but they did not circumcise them, thus they were not Jews. With the dispute going no where the church leaders decided to gather and hammer out an official position. Even among the leaders there was a difference of opinion. Finally, Peter took the floor and rendered his judgment. He presented three arguments. He reminded the church that God had sent him down to Cornelius house (a Gentile, see Acts 10 ) so that by his mouth Cornelius and his household should hear the gospel. When they heard the gospel, the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit just as He had gave the Spirit to the Jews. Peter’s great point was that even though they received the Holy Spirit by faith, they were not circumcised. If God saved the Gentiles at Cornelius’s house without circumcision, why should the church impose circumcision on anyone else? Peter reminded them that the Law of Moses had always been a burden upon the backs of the people (Jews) which they could never bear themselves, how could they expect the Gentiles to bear it? Peter stated that Jews no less than Gentiles are saved by grace. Salvation is for anyone–Jew or Gentile, it is by God’s grace (vs.11) and is by faith (vs. 9; see Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8).

Then Paul and Barnabas raised and spoke of the miracles that God had enabled them to perform among the Gentiles. These miracles were proof that their missionary journeys had the blessings and backing of God. As an act of grace, God showed Himself to the Gentiles so that they might believe on Him. Thus, they were saved by grace and not by their own merit or works. After they spoke, James the church leader (the Lord’s brother), whose voice carried a lot of weight rose to address the church. James refers to Peter’s mission to Cornelius’ house to show Peter that there were no longer a separation between Jew and Gentile. He reminded the church that salvation of the Gentiles was prophesied in the Old Testament. He quotes Amos 9:11-12, which states that God’s ultimate purpose is to bring people into the house of God from all over the world. James sided with Peter’s judgment that to impose circumcision upon the Gentiles converts would be wrong. It would merely trouble them and discourage them from continuing in the ways of God.

James entered a motion that the council send the gentiles a command to observe three rules: (1) that they abstain from pollution of idols–in other words, that they refrain from eating meat previously dedicated to a pagan god, (2) that they abstain from fornication, and (3) that they consume no blood, whether in liquid form or in meat from strangled animals. By “things strangled” he meant animals from which the blood had not been properly drained (Lev. 17:10-14). Missing from these rules was the rite of circumcision. James concluded his statement that the new rules would not lead to the neglect of the Old Testament. The writings of Moses would continue to be read and revered wherever there were Jews. The letter sent by the Apostles and elders confirmed the findings of the council. The church’s admiration for Paul and Barnabas is evident by the words our dear friends and their acknowledging that Paul and Barnabas risked their lives for our Lord Jesus Christ. Significantly, the letter referred to the Holy Spirit as the author in this truth. There were two other men that traveled with Paul and Barnabas. One named Judas (surnamed Barsabas) and Silas, both leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

Although the letter was written to all the churches, the place where the controversy began was Antioch. They went straight to the city of Antioch. After reading the letter and hearing the good news of the council decision the multitude, both Jews and gentiles, responded with much rejoicing. Judas and Silas stayed in Antioch so that they might continue the work of strengthening the believers. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul approached Barnabas and suggested that they go back to Asia Minor and revisit the churches they had established. Barnabas agreed and began to make ready for the trip. Barnabas considered taking along John Mark, the same John Mark who had forsaken them on their first missionary journey (13:13). Paul objected to taking John Mark along because he did not think of him as trustworthy. Both of these great men could not agree. They parted with Barnabas taking John Mark and Paul choosing Silas. The church at Antioch knew Paul well so Paul and Silas were commended by the brothers to the grace of God. They traveled to Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.

Questions/Answers:
1. Who were the men in verse 1 that came down from Judea with this new teaching?
These men were called Judaizers who came preaching that the Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to receive salvation. In other words, they must become Jews. They opposed Paul’s teaching and found it difficult to set aside a tradition of gaining merit with God by keeping the law. This is why the Jerusalem council had to take up the issue.

2. What was the importance of circumcision?
Circumcision was a covenant God made with Abraham that set the nation of Israel apart from the Gentile nations (Gen. 17:10-14).

3. Who is Simeon in vs. 14?
Simeon is another name for the Apostle Peter (Matt. 16:17).

4. Who is Silas?
Silas was a prominent member of the Jerusalem church and a companion of Paul. He was with Paul on his second missionary journey. In Paul’s Thessalonians letters he refers to Silas as Silvanus. (Acts 16:19, 25, 29; 17:4, 14-15; 18:5; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1).

5. Who was Judas (surnamed Barsabas)?
Judas was a disciple in the Jerusalem church.

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