Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

Who was Timothy? (verse 1-4)
Why did Paul circumcise Timothy? (verse 3)
What did Paul and Timothy do as they went through cities? (verse 4)
How were the churches strengthened  in the faith, and increased in number daily? (verse 4-5)

The Macedonian Call

Who was forbidding Paul and Silas to preach the word in Asia? (Verse 6)
Where did Paul and Silas try to go when the Spirit did not permit them? (Verse 7)
When did a vision appear to Paul in the night? (verse 8)
Who stood before Paul in his vision? (Verse 9)
What did Paul conclude after his vision? (Verse 10)

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

Where did Paul and Timothy stay for some days?( verse 11-12)
When did Paul and Timothy go out of the city to the riverside? (Verse 13)
What was customarily done out of the city by the riverside? (Verse 13)
Who did Paul and Timothy speak to there? (Verse 13)
Who heard Paul and Timothy? (Verse 14)
Who was Lydia? (Verse 14)
Who opened Lydia's heart to heed the things spoken by Paul? (Verse 14)
Who was baptized in verse 15?
When did Lydia persuade Paul and Timothy to stay in her house? (Verse 15)

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

Where were Paul and Timothy going in verse 16?
What was the slave girl possessed with? (Verse 16)
Did the slave girl's masters profit financially from the spirit of divination possessing the slave girl? (verse 16)
Who did the girl follow? (Verse 17)
What did the girl cry out? (Verse 17)
For how long did the girl follow them and cry out before Paul commanded the spirit in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her? (Verse 17-18)
When were Paul and Silas seized and dragged into the marketplace to the authorities? (verse 19)
What was said about Paul and Silas to the authorities in the marketplace? (verse 20-21)
What did the magistrates tear off? (verse 22)
How were Paul and Silas' fastened in the inner prison? (Verse 24)

The Philippian Jailer Saved

What were Paul and Silas doing when they were in the inner prison? (Verse 24-25)
Who was listening to Paul and Silas? (verse 25) 
What shook the foundations of the prison? (Verse 26)
What did the keeper of the prison do when he saw the prison doors open? (verse 27)
What did the keeper of the prison suppose when he saw the prison doors open? (Verse 27)
What did the keeper of the prison ask Paul and Silas? (Verse 29)
When did the keeper of the prison and all his family het baptized? (verse 31-33)
What was the keeper of the prison's response to believing in God with all his household? (Verse 34)

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

Who came the next day saying, "Let those men go."? (verse 35)
What did the keeper say to Paul when he heard this command? (Verse 36)
What was Paul's response to the command relayed to him? (Verse 37)
Who told Paul's response to the magistrates? (Verse 38)
When were the magistrates afraid? (Verse 38)
Did Paul and Silas leave when they were headed with and brought out? (Verse 39-40)
What did Paul and Silas do when they saw the brethren? (Verse 40)

Interpretation

Was Lydia from Thyatira? (verse 14)
Were the purple goods Lydia sold from Thyatira? (verse 14)
What kind of trial happened in verses 16-24?
What did Paul and Silas respond by the doings in verse 16-24? (verse 25)
What shook the foundations of the prison? (Verse 26)
What opened the doors in verse 26?
What loosed the chains in verse 26?
What would the keeper of the prison's fate be if Paul hadn't commanded him to do himself no harm?

Thoughts

Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. -verse 16

Are there times in our lives when we profit from evil? 
Are there times in our lives when we profit from evil done to others or that is assisting others in getting us profit?

“These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” - verse 20-21

What trouble was being caused by Paul and Silas? 

What customs were being taught? 

 “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 

Correlation

Hebrews 11:35 - Acts 16:37 

Acts 16New King James Version (NKJV)

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. 4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily.

The Macedonian Call

6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit[a] did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia Baptized at Philippi

11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. 14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Paul and Silas Imprisoned

16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.

But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

20 And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; 21 and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” 22 Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. 24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Philippian Jailer Saved

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 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 chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then 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 stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul Refuses to Depart Secretly

35 And when it was day, the magistrates sent the officers, saying, “Let those men go.”

36 So the keeper of the prison reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now therefore depart, and go in peace.”

37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans, and have thrown us into prison. And now do they put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out.”

38 And the officers told these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans. 39 Then they came and pleaded with them and brought them out, and asked them to depart from the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and entered the house of Lydia; and when they had seen the brethren, they encouraged them and departed.

Footnotes:

1. Acts 16:7 NU-Text adds of Jesus.