Acts 15-16 - Second
Missionary Journey
The Missionary
Journeys of Paul…
Are some of the most amazing events in history. The early
church was breaking new ground at this time. They have just completed their
first Mission Journey and now are ready to start on a new adventure in God’s
work.
What is The Spirit
Saying To The Church Today?
How we deal with disagreement is very critical to how we
represent the Kingdom of God in any situation. Paul & Barnabas have a
disagreement about John Mark whom according to Paul had flaked out on him in
Pamphylia. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. Paul & Silas
went to Syria & Cilicia strengthening the churches.
Acts 15:36-41
What Can We Learn
About Disagreement?
Did they handle their differences well? Probably not. Did
they handle every situation in the right way? No! How about us, neither do we.
As long as we want to see Jesus glorified we will handle
conflict in the right way.
What We Find Here The breakthrough of God in the realm of breaking down wall
of differences between cultures, ethnic groups or people groups.
Paul’s Priority
Was To See People Saved even when people were preaching the Gospel out of contention
with Paul, he said, I don’t care what the motives are, all I know is that the
Gospel is preached and people are saved.
The Church Grows in Lystra Paul meets Timothy, who had a Jewish believing
mother and a Greek father. Timothy had a great reputation in the church so Paul
made him part of his team. As they passed through the cities the ministry team
gave the believers the message from the Jerusalem Council. The churches were
strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily. This is God’s desire
for us, for believers to be saved daily. This will happen through you.
Acts 16:16
The Vision
The team is forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the Word
in Asia (Turkey). They visited Mysia and on their way to Bithynia but the
Spirit stopped them. They then went to Troas. Paul has a vision of a man of
Macedonia pleading with him to come and help.
The Team
- Sets out to sea from Troas through Samothrace and then to Neapolis then to Philippi, the leading city of Macedonia, A Roman colony.
- On the Sabbath they go to the river outside the city and spoke to the woman who was there.
- A woman named Lydia from Thyatira, a business woman who worshiped God was intently listening. Her and her family were baptized. The team stay at her house.
- Was going to prayer when a slave girl with a spirit of divination met the team. Her owners made much money by her fortune-telling. For many days she would say “These men are bond servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” Paul cast the demon out of her.
- Were brought into the market place before the rulers and the chief magistrates. They made some poor charges against them, beat them & threw them into prison.
Paul & Silas
- Are placed in the inner prison (the most secure part) and in stocks.
- At midnight are praying & worshiping God while the other prisoners heard them. Then a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison and all the doors were opened. The jailer was going to kill himself, thinking they had escaped. Paul tells him not to harm himself. He asks them, “What must I do to be saved?”
The Famous Words
- Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your house. They share the Gospel with them and they believe. The jailer washes their wounds in the middle of the night and he & his family were baptized.
- The jailer took them into his house and offered food to them and the whole house rejoiced in finding faith in God.
The Holy Spirit
- Moved in the early church in amazing ways and wants to move in amazing ways in our lives today. We need to be hungry for God to move like that today. If we are not hungry for a move of God it will not happen to us. It might happen here but those who aren't hungry for God will miss out.
- Don’t miss out on what the Spirit has for you. Be hungry for it and amazing things will happen.
