A series of unusaual events

The Purpose of the Journey

End of Chapter 15 Paul is planning his second missionary journey.

Acts 15:36 NASB95

36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”

Acts 16:4 NASB95

4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.

Christians that had been Pharisees thought Gentile Christians should be baptised.

Paul among others disagreed.

Saved by Grace!

Acts 15:28–29 NASB95

28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”

Things sacrificed to idols:

To live in harmony with Jewish Christians

MCs kissing their brothers on the mouth.

To keep other believers from stumbling

Paul addresses this in Chapter 8 of 1st Corinthians.

Live in harmony with others.

Romans 12:18 NASB95

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

From Blood and from things strangled.

God gave laws to the Jewish people, some of which were, like many of the dietary laws, were for their own good.

How to prepare food.

Pork - triganosis

Shellfish - filter toxins

resting on the Sabbath.

Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NASB95

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Fornication

God’s Moral Law

How we as believers should live:

Romans 12:1 NASB95

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Paul and Barnabas separate

Paul and Barnabas get into an argument.

Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark

Paul refused sin he had abandoned them on their first missionary journey.

(Acts 12)

There was such a sharp disagreement and Barnabas took Mark for Cyprus and Paul took Silas.

We are not always going to see eye to eye.

Timothy

Acts 16:1–3 NASB95

1 Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Explain

Jews first then the Greeks.

On the Journey

Acts 16:6–7 NASB95

6 They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them;

Paul receive a vision

Acts 16:9 NASB95

9 A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

Acts 16:13 NASB95

13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.

(Jews leaders has stirred up the women of prominence against them.)

Acts 16:14 NASB95

14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

That is how we are all saved. It is the Lord that opens our heart, not anything we do.

The slave girl

Acts 16:17–19 NASB95

17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities,

Why would a demon proclaim the truth?

Joyce Myers

Keneth Copela I’mJoe Olestien

The People

2 Timothy 4:3 NASB95

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

2 Timothy 4:4 NASB95

4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

For us:

2 Timothy 4:5 NASB95

5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.