Acts 16: Expectation in the Midst of Every Circumstance

 

Scripture: Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas were still praying and singing hymns around midnight and all of the prisoners were listening to their witness.

 

Title: Expectation in the Midst of Every Circumstance

 

Acts 16:1 When Paul arrived in Derbe and Lystra he met a disciple by the name of Timothy, whose father was Greek and mother was Jewish. 2 He was known throughout the region and treated with respect in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted him join with them in the ministry and circumcised him because of the many Jews in the area who were aware his father was Greek. 4 They continued through many cities and told the believers about the letter from their meeting with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 All of the believers found great strength and encouragement in these words and the numbers of followers increased daily.

 

6 Paul and Silas sensed that the Holy Spirit was blocking their way into Asia, so they continued to teach as they went through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia. 7 They arrived in Mysia thinking they might go from there into Bithynia but felt the Spirit of Jesus directing them another way. 8 They ended up in Troas. 9 While there, Paul had a vision of a man from Macedonia standing before him and encouraging him to come over to that region and share the message of good news. 10 Immediately we looked for a way to cross over into Macedonia, knowing that it was God who was calling us to preach the good news to them.

 

Paul now returns to some of the cities where he had taught during the first journey into the regions of what we now call Turkey. Once he and Silas had visited with these believers, they set out to new territories seeking to share the word of the Lord with more people. While they wanted to go into the areas east of them, they felt the Lord directing them north and west. The region of Bithynia on the north coast of Turkey looked like a spot ripe for the good news of Jesus, but they ended up sensing the Spirit leading them towards the west to the town of Mysia and then on to the port city of Troas on the northwest coast.

It was here Paul encountered a vision and a visit from Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. We do not know exactly how this encounter happened, but we do know that Luke joined them some time between verse 9 and 10. We know that by the change in pronouns used in the text. Verse 9 speaks of Paul in the third person, using the pronouns of “they” and “he” and “him.” Verse 10 changes the pronouns from the third person to the first person, “we.” It is at this time that Luke joins with Paul and his companions and proceeds on the journey with them.

 

I have always thought that Paul went to sleep one night in Troas and had a dream where he saw the face of a man encouraging him to come over to Macedonia. The way I envision the story unfolding, he got up the next day and went out into the marketplace of the city and standing right in front of him he saw the man in his dream, Luke, the doctor. Paul would then tell him the story of the dream, and probably witness to him about Jesus. Luke decides to take Paul back to his homeland of Macedonia and help with sharing the good news of Jesus.

 

I do tend to expect God to work in the miraculous ways of dreams and visions, of divine encounters, and in the strange coincidences of life. I suppose others could fault me because I place too much faith in a God who works in the details of my life, but looking back over the years, I could not expect anything different because of my experiences. I have found that my trust in Jesus to work things out in my life has never disappointed me.

 

The next time we are faced with a difficulty of any kind, I suggest we ask Jesus to help us through the situation. We might also ask Him to give us an opportunity off in the future to look back and see how this experience has benefited our life. With enough experiences where we can see His hand at work, we can begin to accept the difficulties of life, whether they appear to be good or evil, as being something Jesus can use to better our life. We do not want to let any experience hold captive to the past and absorb our energy when there is so much more in this life to do and to appreciate.

 

Some of my close friends are trained in a program called “Immanuel Prayer.” I do not fully understand the details of the process, but it appears to be a prayerful form of counseling that helps a person go back into a painful experience and appreciate how Jesus was present with them through the whole experience, aware of their pain, holding onto them and bringing them the strength they needed to make it through. It does not solve the issue of why He does not intervene and stop the situation no matter how loud you cry. But it does bring healing and hope with a new way of looking at the experience.

 

This has been my understanding of life for a very long time; that God works all things together for good in my life if I just trust Him. Why He does not make the bad and the hurt go away and why He does not keep me from these hard experiences I cannot answer. I just know He is always with me and will provide me the resources to deal with my hurt and struggle if I will just trust that He knows what He is doing.

 

Acts 16:11 We set out from Troas, sailing first to the Island of Samothrace and then to the city of Neapolis, and on to Philippi, which was a major city of Macedonia. We stayed in that Roman colony for a number of days. 13 When the Sabbath day came around, we went outside the city to a place by the river where we had been told there might be gathering for prayer. There we found some women who had assembled together, and we started speaking with them about the Lord.

 

14 Lydia, a woman from Thyatira who sold purple fabrics and worshipped God, listened to what we had to say. The Lord touched her, and she responded to everything Paul spoke. 15 She and her whole household believed and were baptized. Then she asked us, “Would you come and stay at my house?” We could not say no to her.

 

The fact that a group of Jewish women would be gathering at the river for prayer on the Sabbath probably means there was no synagogue in the community for them to attend. If there had been a synagogue, then Paul more than likely would have found his way there.

 

The women desired to worship and spend time in prayer, so they found a place that allowed them the quiet they needed to enjoy this part of their week. I wonder what constitutes a place of worship for us. Does it need to be a church building? Recently we have found that it can be in front of a computer on a zoom call. Can it be our favorite place in the mountains or beside the creek or at the ocean? How about our favorite chair? Where can we go in order to find peace with Jesus and talk with Him about the depth of our heart?

 

And along those lines, what constitutes worship to us? To me it is any time I get lost in the wonder of His presence. Sometimes that is through singing, sometimes reading the Word, sometimes in prayer and sometimes just sitting and listening to Him. Worship does not need to be done in a group, although being in a group enhances the experience for me, knowing that others believe as I do, that Jesus is our Lord and worthy of our honor.

 

Lydia seemed to have the gift of hospitality. She must have had riches because of the way the passage describes her and her business. She must have had room for the group of men to come to her home and stay. When we look around us, who do we know that has the gift of hospitality? Why would we say that? What qualities do we associate with this gift? What can we learn from them about caring for other people? And what qualities that we see can we put into practice in our lives?

 

This does bring me to one of my favorite subjects, that of learning to be generous. Lydia was willing to bring these men into her household and share her resources with them. Paul later encouraged this behavior in the Philippian church because they had sent him a gift while he was in prison. Writing to them in his letter he reminded them, “I do not seek the gift so much as what your giving of the gift does for you and how it brings an increase to your faith and your abundance.” (Philippians 4:17 EBV) Those who learn to be givers benefit in many ways; they gain strength to combat greed, they grow in their trust in God, and somehow, they have more resources to give away the next time. Not a bad trade off.

 

And the other side to being generous, we also need to learn, as Paul did here, there are times to accept the generosity of others with a cheerful attitude. Others need to give as well, and we need to graciously accept their use of the gift God is cultivating in them.

 

Acts 16:16 On the way to the place of prayer, we were followed by a certain girl who had a spirit of divination and by this she brought much money to her masters. 17 She kept following us and crying out, “These men serve the Most High God, and are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 This went on for many days and Paul became increasingly annoyed. One day he turned to her and spoke to the spirit within her, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I order you to come out of her!” The spirit left her at once. 19 Her masters were not happy. They realized their profits would now dry up, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them before the authorities. 20 The judges were seated in the general marketplace and were told, “These Jews, have come to bring confusion into our city 21 by teaching things which it is unlawful for Romans to believe and do.”

 

The spirit of divination is an interesting designation for Luke to use at this point. I do not know if evil spirits have specific tasks like divination or if they can be general practitioners of evil. But in this case the woman clearly was seeking to bring harm to the good news rather than encouraging people to believe. When a person acts in behavior that is erratic and unsociable, even if they are speaking the truth, even if they think they are doing the will of God, they draw attention to themselves rather than the truth they are speaking.

 

I want to encourage each of us to look at our behavior and make an effort to live in such a way that people around us are encouraged to follow our example and believe our words. If they see our actions as distracting, they might miss what our heart and our words are trying to communicate.

 

Acts 16:22 The people of the town agreed with her masters and the judges ripped the clothes off of Paul and Silas and had them beaten.

 

We should stop being surprised if opposition comes our way because of our faith. If it comes our way because of our behavior, that is something different. Peter says it this way, “If you serve another person, do so with respect, not just to those who treat you gently and well, but also when others mistreat you. It is favorable when a person endures suffering when they are seeking to do God's will. However, there is no credit for suffering because of your sinful words or behavior. It is when you do what is right and you suffer patiently, that God is pleased. (I Peter 2:18-20 EBV)

 

     Can people recognize in our behavior, the love and mercy of Jesus Christ? Or do they see a harsh and bitter attitude, or statements of judgment about others? We are called to live our lives in such a way that we demonstrate Jesus to others at all times. We are His ambassadors and as such when people look at us and our behavior, they will use what they see and hear to determine if Jesus is alive, and if the church is His family. 

 

Acts 16:23 After beating them, they were thrown into the prison, and the jailer was commanded to place a secure guard on them. 24 He then put them in the inner most prison and locked their feet in the stocks.

 

Remember that when bad things happen to us, we are not abandoned by Jesus, He has not left us to fend for ourselves. I remember the story of Elijah in the cave feeling sorry for himself that God had walked out on him and left him to carry the torch of Yahweh all by himself against the growing worship of Baal in the land. Yet, that was a lie that satan brought into his mind. Later in the story we find that God had provided 6,000 more followers who were supportive of Elijah and the ways of Yahweh. We are never alone in this battle for righteousness, and we do not claim the name of Jesus in isolation. He is always with us.

 

Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas were still praying and singing hymns around midnight and all of the prisoners were listening to their witness.

 

To Paul and Silas, prayer was a regular part of their lives. They were not praying as the last resort for help in their dilemma, they were witnessing to those around them by worshipping in song and words. Glorious things happen when the people of God gather together. Prayer and song was a way of life for Paul and Silas, and this night was not any different just because they were in prison.

 

And the people in the prison were listening and enjoying the experience. There is a modern song by Cody Carnes entitled “Nothing Else” which captures what I think Paul and Silas knew at that moment in prison; “I’m caught up in Your presence, I just want to sit here at Your feet, I’m caught up in this holy moment, I never want to leave. Oh, I’m not here for the blessings, Jesus. You do not owe me anything. More than anything that You can do, I just want You.” And in the midst of the worship God comes to their rescue.

 

Acts 16:26 and a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the doors were opened wide, and all of the chains fell off of every prisoner. 27 The jailer, being awoken, realized the prison doors were opened so he decided to kill himself with his sword, believing that all of the prisoners had been set free. 28 Paul stopped him, saying, “We are all still here, do not harm yourself.” 29 Calling for lights, the jailer entered the place where Paul and Silas were and fell at their feet in great fear. 30 Bringing them out of the prison, he asked them, “How can I too be saved?”

 

31 They told him, “You must believe in Jesus our Lord, and salvation will come to you and your whole household.” 32 They gathered in his home and spoke the word of the Lord to him and all in his house. 33 And even at that hour of the night, he washed their wounds and had everyone in his house baptized. 34 He had the table set with food and everyone was filled with great joy having believed in Jesus.

 

35 On the next day, the judges sent the guard to the jailer and told them to release Paul and Silas. 36 The jailer told them they were free to go. 37 Paul responded by saying, “They had us suffer a beating in public, without a trial, and threw us in prison. We are Roman citizens and now they want to just let us go away in secret. I won’t have it. They need to come and set us free themselves.” 38 The guards went back to the judges and told them that the prisoners were Roman citizens. 39 The judges came in person to apologize, let them come out of prison, and encouraged them to move on from this city. 40 But Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house to speak with the brethren and encourage them before they left.

 

God leads us in His ways, some days in joyous wonder and other days through difficulties. Sometimes we have people wanting to know more about Jesus and then there are times when all we find is opposition. Yet, like Paul, we persevere. We trust that our Father in Heaven has our best interest in mind and He walks with us through whatever life throws our way. He will never leave us alone. Be encouraged with those words of truth.

 

Bless you in the name of Jesus, with faith to see His presence and to feel His loving arms around you.

Edd Breeden