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Acts, study 1 - Chapter 16

Background

In the last few chapters Paul and Barnabas have been travelling together and seen many become believers. At the end of chapter 15 Paul and Barnabas have a major disagreement over the suitability of John Mark to journey with them. This is an unresolved conflict (at this stage) and they part company. Paul sets out with Silas and, at Lystra (16:1), they include Timothy in their missionary team. As this group they travel and strengthen many churches. This is the beginning of Paul’s 2nd missionary journey. Luke joins them in v10 – note the shift from ‘they’ up to this point in the narrative to ‘we’ from v10 onwards.

Read 16: 4-10

1. How does this group make decisions about where to go to next?

2. What do you think Luke (the writer of Acts) wants us to know by including these verses in his account?

3. Do you think we can draw anything from these verses for how we operate today?

Read 16: 11-15

This is the first step in the Philippian church being established.

4. List all the things that seem to go into making this a successful evangelistic effort.

5. Can any of these things help us as we seek to share Jesus with people?

Read 16: 16-24

6. What do we learn about the reality and the seediness of the spirit world in these verses?

7. Why does the team end up in gaol?

8. Imagine being part of the team. How might you have reacted to what has happened to you?

Read 16: 25-34

9. This is an astonishing miracle. In the middle of it all, what do we see are the most important things for Paul and his companions?

Only if time – read 16: 35-40

10. Is Paul just being pig-headed here in v37? Can you think why he might have acted like this?

11. Read v15, 33-34 and 40 again – why is this church off to a good start?

» Go to Study 2

Notes for this study

1. The team obeyed the vision to go; they familiarised themselves with the city; chose a time when God-fearing people might gather; joined such a group and spoke with them; one of the people listened and God worked in her heart so she listened eagerly; she made a definite commitment by choosing to be baptised; she had continued fellowship with the missionary team. NB v16a indicates they kept up the practice of going to this place of prayer.

7. Paul being so annoyed; greed and anger of the girl’s owners; harshness of the crowd and magistrates.

Notice how harshly they are treated – after being stripped and severely flogged with rods, their feet are put in stocks and they are placed in the innermost cell.

8. eg annoyed at Paul for his being annoyed ->blame; angry at the injustice of it all; bewilderment that obedience to divine guidance could end up in such physical pain and injustice and apparent hopelessness.

9. Praying and praising God; concern for other people; committed to speaking the word of God and seeing people saved.

10. Probably as some protection for the new believers, so they wouldn’t be treated as lawbreakers and troublemakers.

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