A1 Objectives
B1 Explain how Lydia came to faith in Jesus.
B2 Describe how God used Paul and Silas even though they were in prison.
A2 Scriptures
B1 Acts 15:39-16:15
B2 Acts 16:22-34
A3 Notes
B1 "...Sharp disagreement..." Acts 15:39
C1 What are we supposed to do in a situation like this?
C2 Both to pray.
D1 For each other
D2 About the situation
C3 Walk apart and cool off for awhile
C4 Point out the pros and cons together
C5 Study to see if this situation is addressed in Scriptures.
D1 By law
E1 We must do something
E2 We must not do something
D2 By principle
D3 By example
C6 Define together the goal, then how to reach that goal
C7 Be humble instead of an attitude of "because I said so."
C8 In this case discuss why it would be better to have John with them or why it would not.
C9 Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 together to learn about love.
C10 Consider
D1 "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron's beard onto his robes." (Psalms 133:1-2, HCSB)
D2 "Then Abram said to Lot, "Please, let's not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives." (Genesis 13:8, HCSB)
D3 "By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." " (John 13:35, HCSB)
D4 "Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction." (1 Corinthians 1:10, HCSB)
D5 "...diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope at your calling — one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (Ephesians 4:3-6, HCSB)
D6 "...fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:2-5, HCSB)
D7 "Let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1, HCSB)
D8 "Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic, should love believers, and be compassionate and humble," (1 Peter 3:8, HCSB)
D9 "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has this world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need — how can God's love reside in him? Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence," (1 John 3:14-19, HCSB)
B2 Forbidden by the Holy Spirit--Acts 16:6
C1 Paul was an Apostle. Silas was a prophet (Acts 15:32)
C2 Apostle and prophets (real apostles; real prophets) get revelation from God.
C3 God said, "No" concerning their traveling to Asia (eastern Turkey).
B3 Lydia--Acts 16:11-15
C1 From Troas to Philippi
C2 They needed to sail across the Aegean Sea
C3 It was about miles.
C4 Landed in Neapolis then traveled to Philippi.
C5 Met Lydia who is the first European convert
B4 Slave girl--Acts 16:16-21
C1 Demon possessed
C2 Gave information to owners on how to make money
C3 Tried to divert the Gospel truth.
D1 Everyone knew the slave girl was possessed.
D2 The demon knew that if he used the girl to tell the truth, everyone would think that the Gospel is from the devil and no different than she was. It would be just a different message from the same source.
C4 Cast out by Jesus through Paul.
B5 Persecution--Acts 16:22-40
C1 After casting out the demon, the owners lost money because they no longer had the information they wanted.
C2 They tried to get the preachers killed.
C3 Paul and Silas were thrown into prison by the authorities.
C4 Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns.
C5 The prisoners heard this.
C6 There was the earthquake.
C7 All prison doors were opened by no one escaped.
C8 The jailer thought they had and that he would be killed for their escape.
C9 Paul and Silas yelled at the jailer that no one had escaped.
C10 The jailer, who had heard the Christians pray and sing, had been convicted by the Holy Spirit and be saved.
C11 He was saved.
C12 His life was changed.
C13 Paul and Silas were asked to leave by the city officials who did not want it known that they had broken Roman law by jailing Roman citizens without a trial.
A4 Questions
B1 Why did Barnabas want to take John Mark with them on their revisit journey?
B2 Why didn't Paul want him?
B3 How would you feel if you were Barnabas, Paul, or John Mark?
B4 How did Paul think of John Mark later? (Colossians 4:10)
B5 Since Paul and Silas were blessed by the church at Antioch, does that mean that God had no use for Barnabas and Mark?
B6 How do we handle disagreements?
B7 Did Paul and Barnabas handle this well? (Acts 15:39)
C1 We don't know all the details.
C2 The Greek word for the disagreement is παροξυσμός
D1 It is a strong word for disagreement.
D2 It is a disagreement with strong emotion.
D3 Some other uses in the New Testament
E1 "And in Athens, while Paul waited for them, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was full of idols." (Acts 17:16, EMTV)
E2 "...does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own, is not provoked to anger, thinks no evil;" (1 Corinthians 13:5, EMTV)
E3 "And let us consider one another for the stirring up of love and of good works," (Hebrews 10:24, EMTV)
D4 In modern Greek it is used among other things for the word "seizure."
C3 As soon as Paul and Barnabas had become Christians were they perfectly mature in the faith, or did they still have to learn? Do Christians need to learn? Who does this teaching?
B8 Do these sharp disagreements lead to separations? How might this apply to marriage, family situations, church situations, society, business, etc?
B9 Acts 15:41--what does "strengthening the churches" mean?
C1 Handling disagreements according to the Scriptures
C2 Handling misunderstood doctrine according to the Scriptures
C3 Correcting people who preach false doctrine.
C4 Correcting people preaching a wrong Gospel
C5 Warning about false teachers.
C6 Handling people who are at odds with each other
C7 Clarifying what was taught earlier (in their first visit)
C8 Preaching against sin that might have arisen in the church
C9 Encouraging the brethren to continue in the faith. Discouragement may come
D1 from persecution
D2 from trials
D3 from failures
D4 from successes
D5 from believing there is no success in their sharing the Gospel
D6 from seeing no answer from prayer
D7 from remembrances of past sin
D8 from still struggling over present temptation to sin
B10 Acts 16:1--whom does Paul and Silas meet in Derbe/Lystra? (Timothy)
B11 It is written that Timothy has a good reputation from the brethren. Do we have the kind of reputation?
C1 "I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves the preeminence over them, does not receive us. On account of this, if I come, I will call to mind his works which he does, slandering us with evil words. And not being content with that, he does not receive the brothers, and hinders those who desire to, casting them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate the evil, but the good. He that does good is of God; he that does evil has not seen God. Demetrius has a good testimony with everyone, and of the truth itself. And we also testify, and you know that our testimony is true." (3 John 1:9-12, EMTV)
C2 How do we develop a good reputation?
D1 Pray
D2 Study the Bible
D3 Fellowship with God and fellow believers
D4 Living the faith
B12 Acts 16:4--it speaks of the "decrees"? What are these decrees? (The Jerusalem Council--"...but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood." (Acts 15:20, EMTV)
B13 Acts 16:6--why did the Holy Spirit forbid them from going to Asia (eastern Turkey)?
C1 Shows who is boss. The Holy Spirit is the vicar of Christ, not any human.
C2 Is there any better boss then God?
C3 Different opinions
D1 Not to spread the Gospel at that time further in eastern Turkey, but now it is time to preach in Europe.
D2 The other cities in "Asia" were not spiritually ready for the Gospel.
C4 Two years later they came to Ephesus which was in Asia
B14 Acts 16:14--Who opened Lydia's heart?
B15 What are some things about Lydia?
C1 Business women--seller of purple cloth
C2 Worshiped God
C3 Took time out to pray with others at the river side
C4 Listened intently
C5 Had heart opened by God
B16 How does God open the heart? What does this mean?
C1 To understand the truth and reality of one's lost condition. There is no obscurity.
C2 God does this by the work of the Holy Spirit.
B17 After God opens the heart, what does God expect from the person?
C1 We can either resist or not resist God's call.
C2 We can either obey or disobey.
B18 Is faith a work?
C1 A Calvinist will say that it is because salvation has to be all of God (Monergism).
C2 A classical/reformed Arminian will say that it is not a work. God initiates salvation. After God's complete work, He wants us to believe (synergism).
B19 Why did Lydia and her household get baptized? (Jesus had commanded it. Matthew 28:19-20)
B20 Were infants baptized? Some believe this because Scripture states, "...her household..." There must have been infants in her household. (No because infants do not understand their sinful condition and cannot respond in faith).
B21 Is there any evidence from our Scripture reading that there was a change in Lydia? (She invited the brethren to stay at her home).
B22 Acts 16:16 and Acts 16:19--Does money affect how people react to situations? Does money affect how people treat Christians?
B23 Acts 16:22-23--What would you and I feel like to be beaten, thrown into the inner prison, and be shackled? What would we do?
B24 Acts 16:25--Why did Paul and Silas sing hymns and pray? Is this what someone would expect to do after being beaten?
B25 Acts 16:26--Was this earthquake from God?
B26 Acts 16:27--Why did the jailer want to kill himself?
B27 Acts 16:30--Why did he come and say, "What must I do to be saved?"
B28 Acts 16:31--Is that all we have to do is believe to be saved? What we do have to do be remain saved? (faith from start to finish).
B29 Acts 16:31--What is believe? (What Jesus says is true. Trust is my confidence in Him to say and do the truth; I don't have to worry about it).
B30 Acts 16:31--Why do most versions leave out the word "Christ" as in "...believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?" (Wilbur Pickering states in his notes on this passage, "Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit 'Christ' (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). Why would having the word Christ be important or why would it not? (A lot of people believe in Jesus but to believe He is Christ, Messiah, is important).
B31 Acts 16:31--If the jailer believed, would all his family be saved, too? (No each person has to believe for themselves. See Acts 16:34).
B32 Acts 16:32--Who heard the Gospel? (All the jailer's family and anyone else living there).
B33 Acts 16:33--Was there a change in the jailer? What was it? (He washed their wounds. A real conversion experience changes a person from the old life to the new. See Galatians 5:19-24).
B34 Acts 16:33--Is baptism necessary for salvation? What if someone refuses to be baptized?
B35 Acts 16:34--What was the reaction of the family after believing and being baptized? (They rejoiced).
A5 Resources
B1 Animated map
B2
Map
B3
B4
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