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¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ²⁰ For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” ²¹ Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (ESV)

Paul may have been walking around Athens, but he was no tourist. I am challenged by the words in verse 16 that ”his spirit was provoked within him”. What, in my culture, ‘provokes’ me, and motivates me to preach the risen Lord Jesus?

We again note the place of ‘reasoning’ in Paul’s ministry. It has to be said that Christianity is intellectually satisfying; it makes sense of life in our pagan ‘Athens’, and it has solid evidence to back it up. Paul himself was a living-breathing piece of evidence. He had once hated this Jesus he now proclaimed – until, that is, he met Him personally.

Paul was given a platform in Athens. There was an openness to ideas in the city, although the people were generally shallow and superficial, and loved novelty.

‘How like our world today! The quest for novelty overshadows the search for reality.’ Warren Wiersbe

‘One purpose consumed the Apostle. One thing I do, was the thread on which the many beads of his experiences were strung. Persecuted and rejected today, he is at his favorite work tomorrow. How different this intense earnestness from the trifling of the so-called philosophers of Athens! The Epicurean made the pursuit of pleasure the main object of life. The Stoic, on the other hand, believed in the stern repression of nature. All Greece was absorbed in the cultivation of art, architecture, eloquence, and intellectual brilliance. But here, as everywhere, Paul had but one message-Jesus and the Resurrection. Oh, to be pressed in spirit, as he was, till our earnestness should compel our opponents to give us a serious hearing!’ F.B. Meyer

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ¹² Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. ¹³ But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. (ESV)

The word ”therefore” in verse 12 is important. Among the Bereans, there was a serious openness of heart to know the truth.

‘There are fair-minded people in every nation, and God knows who they are.’ Warren W. Wiersbe

‘True nobility consists in being open to any new truth that God may reveal to us from His Word. The one test of truth is Scripture as interpreted to the pure heart by the Holy Spirit; but we should examine the Scriptures daily as the Bereans did. It is not to be wondered at that many believed. If only our people would love the Bible, saturating their minds with it and teaching it to their children, what different results would follow the preaching of the gospel!’ F.B. Meyer

It is important that we listen to preachers and preaching with open hearts and open Bibles.

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ² And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” ⁴ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. ⁵ But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. ⁶ And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⁷ and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” ⁸ And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. ⁹ And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. (ESV)

I remember a preacher observing that people, with their topsy-turvy sense of values may accuse us of turning the world upside down, but in truth we are, by God’s grace, turning it the right way up!

Proclamation of God’s truth is one of the primary ways the world is righted. Note the word ”reasoned” in verse 2. It’s a word that will appear repeatedly in coming chapters. There was a book entitled ‘The logic of the gospel’. Paul knew that the Christian faith is reasonable. One does not have to ‘commit intellectual suicide’ in order to be converted. Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard Paul’s expositions of Scripture? What insights this great Jewish scholar (now fully converted) must have had. Of course, we have a good sense of the breadth of his understanding from his many New Testament writings.

The ‘jealousy’ of the Jews, so often seen the gospels, reappears in ‘Acts’. Hardened hearts will not necessarily respond well to even the most clear presentations. But there will be those who are ”persuaded”(4), thanks be to God.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and 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 unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (ESV)

³⁵ But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

As believers, eyes and ears are on us – perhaps more than we can imagine. Unconverted people are listening to our words (songs even) of testimony, and they are watching our lives. Not least, they sometimes get to see how we handle adversity. Paul and Silas had been unjustly treated, as verses 35 -39 show. They must have been in great pain and discomfort after their beatings. But ”About midnight…they were praying and singing hymns to God”. This whole episode in their lives shows God actively bringing good out of bad.

‘Paul did not use his Roman citizenship to protect himself from pain…but later he used it to protect the new church (vv.35-40). When you hurt ask God to give you songs in the night.’ Warren Wiersbe

‘Paul was perfectly justified in insisting upon his civil rights when he had the opportunity, Acts 16:37 . It made the way easier for his new converts.’ F.B. Meyer

Upon reading this passage, Jilly observed, ‘Things can change in a flash!’ Indeed they can. Many of our prayer ‘seeds’ seem to lie under the frozen earth during long, dark winter seasons, before we see their eventual ‘flowering’. But other miracles occur dramatically. Even as we pray, we find that Peter is at the door, and we can scarcely believe it!

Knowing something of these two men, we are not surprised by what we read in verse 40. In spite of their own sufferings, their hearts were to go and encourage the new church.

PRAYER: Lord, give me a heart to think of others before myself, and put their welfare first, regardless of what I may be facing.

¹⁶ As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. ²⁰ And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. ²¹ They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. ²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. ²⁴ Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. (ESV)

Where the Gospel threatens the vested economic interests of wicked people you can count on a backlash. Paul and Silas felt the full force of it (19). There was an explosion of anger, and they were peppered with shrapnel.

‘What a contrast between Lydia, who had come over from Asia Minor, and employed a number of hands in the dyeing trade, and the poor girl who was possessed by the demon! Yet each of them recognized the divine ministry of the newly arrived messengers. What a contrast, also, between the gradual response of Lydia’s heart in the revelation of the risen Christ, to whom it opened as a flower to the sun, and the sudden awakening of the jailor!

When Christ touches the pockets of worldly men, He arouses their direct opposition. The world is troubled when it loses its gains; the saints are troubled when they see Christ’s property being injured! See Acts 16:18.’ F.B. Meyer.

The jailer was given an impossible charge. To ”keep them safely” in prison was not within his power, however deep within the prison he put them. I found myself inevitably thinking about Acts 12, and Peter’s miraculous escape. In terms of guarding the apostle, the authorities had given it their best shot! But their best was not good enough. Who, indeed’ can stop the Lord Almighty? As the grave could not hold Jesus, prison gates could not hold His ambassadors, when He wanted them on the outside.

So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. ¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. (ESV)

I love this story of the conversion of the seeker, Lydia, the Thyatiran business woman.

It is a story of the Spirit’s leading. As we have seen, this is how Paul and his team came to be in Europe;

It is a story of God’s Sovereignty in Lydia’s coming to faith;

It is a story of simplicity, with the forming of a Christian community in Lydia’s home. There was no razzamatazz! How beautifully F.B. Meyer expresses this:

‘This was an epoch-making moment, but how quietly it is recorded. There was no heralding of the gospel which was to transform Europe. The need for it was unspoken and unfelt. It stole in like the dawn.

Paul’s first experiences in Europe were not promising. In most cities there was a Jewish synagogue; but here only a small group of pious women in an arbor by the riverside. Let none despise the day of small things.’

Great things happen in prayer meetings, and great things can come out of them!

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (ESV)

Thus begins the thrilling story of how the gospel first came to Europe! It shows the primacy of the Holy Spirit in the whole enterprise, closing certain ‘doors’, but opening wide another. Just a week or so ago, my wife, Jilly, prayed a heartfelt prayer for God’s guidance for us as a couple. It then ‘just so happened’ that we read the above passage as part of our Bible reading together. I found the timing of this to be significant and encouraging.I wrote these words in my journal:

‘On a morning where we have again talked about our future, and prayed to know God’s will, we ask, Lord, that you will keep us from wrong turnings and lead us in right paths for your Name’s sake.’

Note the words ”immediately” and ”concluding” in verse 10. We can see that they had responsive hearts to what God was doing and saying. Also, we note that guidance is not a mindless process. There were conclusions to be drawn from their experience and the vision.

‘Our path through life will often be indicated by the fact that the doors which lead off the straight track are barred and bolted, so that we have no option save to go on. Paul was blocked first on the left, that he should not go into the province of Asia; then on the right, that he should not go into Bithynia. Finally he reached Troas, and stood face to face with the ocean that lay between him and Europe.

Here he had a vision which made a deep impression upon him. He saw a man of Macedonia standing in an attitude of entreaty and saying, Come over into Macedonia and help us. Note that word, concluding, Acts 16:10 . God often leaves us to infer our course. He does not ignore His own great gift of reason.’ F.B. Meyer

Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵ So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. (ESV)

Timothy had a good reputation, and this is a priceless thing. Proverbs 22:1 says, ”A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favour is better than silver or gold.”

‘Timothy replaced John Mark and became a true son in the faith to Paul. God has the right person ready at the right time, so be patient.’ Warren W. Wiersbe

It is important for us to understand that Timothy’s circumcision was not about his salvation, but was rather, as someone put it, ‘cultural sensitivity for the sake of evangelism.’ It’s an example of Paul’s clearly stated principle, ”For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. ²⁰ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

We further note here that the wise decision of the Jerusalem council, wisely and sensitively communicated, led to church growth in both depth and numbers (5).

PRAYER: Lord, please give us your wisdom in our dealings with all people, that we may put no unnecessary obstacles in their road to faith in Jesus.

³⁶ And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” ³⁷ Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. ³⁸ But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. ³⁹ And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. ⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. (ESV)

The early Christians were not ‘stained-glass window’ saints. They were real, flesh and blood human beings. They could see things differently, and in the case mentioned here, Paul and Barnabas differed sharply. It seems typical of what we know of Barnabas, that he would want give his cousin, John Mark, a second chance. But Paul’s reasoning was understandable. He was unhappy that Mark had ”deserted” them (38) during their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13), although we do not know why he did so. Whatever, God over-ruled in this ”disagreement” so that there were now two missionary teams where previously there was one.

Tom Hale writes helpfully about this:

‘In one way, we are sad to read about the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. We see their weakness. They are men like ourselves. Disagreements can arise even between good and godly men, and cause them to separate.

But, in another way, we can see a good side to this event. Paul and Mark were evidently not compatible with each other. It would have been unwise to force Mark to travel with Paul. We can guess that Mark’s spiritual development might have been thwarted if he had remained under Paul’s authority. But Barnabas believed that, in time, Mark would become a mature and effective disciple. Barnabas, more than Paul, would be able to help Mark grow spiritually. Thus we can see that it was to Mark’s benefit that he and Barnabas went off in one direction, while Paul and Silas went off in another..

We know that in the end Barnabas’ assessment of Mark proved to be correct. Later on, Mark became an important colleague of Peter. He wrote the New Testament Gospel of Mark. And even Paul’s opinion changed as time passed, because some years later Mark became one of Paul’s closest colleagues (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 23).’

PRAYER: ‘Lord God, help me to be one who sees the best in others, believes the best about them, and reaches out to help and encourage the weak and straying.