Call to Commitment

 

How can I be saved?

 

Timothy of Derbe

1.     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. 

 We learned of Derbe and Lystra in chapter 14, where Paul and Barnabas traveled on their first missionary trip. Now Paul, on his second journey, is with Silas, as they revisit the believers, won on the former visit throughout the region. In these cities, they hear of a young man named Timothy of Derbe (some think he was from Lystra). His grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, believed before him, but, even before their conversion to Christianity, it would seem, as Jews they taught Timothy the Scriptures.  See what Paul writes him in 2 Timothy 3:15: “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The Old Testament was instrumental in giving Timothy wisdom to find faith in Christ. The probability of his conversion was when Paul came to Derbe and there was a better response to the gospel than in the other cities in the region. Timothy’s father was Greek (v. 1).

 Apparently, he had become an outstanding disciple, and was recognized by the local believers beyond Derbe, in the neighboring cities of Lystra and Iconium (v. 2). Paul was always careful to remove unnecessary offences to Jew and Gentile and, because his father was Greek, Timothy had not been circumcised. Paul saw the potential in this young man and wanted him to join their team, but he first circumcised him. This was to avoid causing trouble in the Jewish community, where they knew his father was Greek. Otherwise in evangelization, which Paul instructed this disciple to observe (2 T. 4:5), Timothy would never be able to converse with a Jew, if they knew he was not circumcised (v. 3).

 It is obvious from Paul’s writings, that this was not a necessary Christian requirement, in fact, he told the Galatians, “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation (Gal. 5:15). He called the Jews “false brethren”, who taught that a Gentile believer should be circumcised (Gal. 2:4).

 Because erroneous teaching had come from the Jerusalem community and their teachers had circulated among the Gentile churches, it was necessary that the letter, written officially by the Jerusalem leadership, be distributed among them. The Jewish religion recognized proselytes, Gentiles who believed in the God of the Jews, but in order to become members officially of their religion, they must literally become Hebrews though the act of circumcision and the keeping of all aspects of the Mosaic law.  These teachers were looking for the Gentile believers to become proselytes, but Christianity did not make such demands. The new believer continued to be a Gentile, The only demand put upon him was faith in Jesus Christ and surrender to His lordship. This letter denied that the church in Jerusalem had given any authorization to this doctrine and those, who sponsored it. In this way, the debilitating doctrine was greatly curbed and, at the same time, a few healthy restrictions were put in place, which would aid the cause of Christ in that region (v. 4).

 Where legalistic doctrines do not prosper, the churches prosper in the faith, which is placed in the person and the work of Jesus Christ. The numerical growth that stems from this premise is legitimate and is blessed from heaven. A daily work is ongoing, seven days a week, 24 hours a day, as the Holy Spirit is given place to do His work, and He works incessantly in human hearts throughout the region. His work is not limited to the preaching of men or the schedule of public meetings, but reaches into homes and places of business. He deals with the hearts of men, lying on their beds, when sleep escapes them. Even normal appetite for food is interrupted, as sinners see the greater need of satisfying the spiritual vacuum in their hearts and souls. This is the greater blessing that all Christians should desire to take place in their time and communities (v. 5). 

 

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 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. 

Now, we understand from the last chapter that Paul and his team left Antioch in Syria, crossed Syria by land, then went through Paul’s province of Cilicia. In verse 1, we read that they came to Derbe and Lystra. In modern times, they would be travelling through Turkey, from east to west. In verse 6, they came to the provinces of Phrygia and Galatia and intended to go into Asia Minor.

 In this portion, we will see that in evangelism or world missions, every missionary must be led by the Holy Spirit. Not only Abraham went out of his home city, not knowing where he was going, but it is common in Scripture, that God’s people must walk by faith, trusting for God to lead them into His will. We have already tried to show that Philip did not know why he was to leave Samaria. Yes, he did know that he was to take the road from Jerusalen that led to Gaza, but he did not know how long we would remain on the road. He had no idea, as he walked to Jerusalem and then began to take the road from Jerusalem south, what his mission would be, until he heard the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah. Peter had no idea, as he left Jerusalem and traveled to Lydda and later was called to Joppa, that the main purpose of his journey was to go to Caesarea to meet the Roman centurion. He would be the first to preach to a congregation of Gentiles.

 However, in this chapter we have the most astounding circumstance of people leaving and crossing all of modern Turkey, without knowing where they were going. Even more astounding, although Luke leaves us no record of the gospel ever being preached previously in Asia Minor, “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.” If the gospel had never been preached there, does that not mean that there is a tremendous need to preach it there? What are we learning? That need alone does not dictate where we are to take the gospel. The Holy Spirit must be given full control to lead the missionary, as to where he is to preach the gospel. The same thing can be said of Bithynia. “The Spirit did not permit them” to preach the gospel in this needy area where, as far as we know, the gospel had never been preached (v. 7).

 Now they came to Mysia, as far as land could take them in their westerly travels, to the coastal city of Troas (v. 8). I said before, they had crossed all of modern Turkey, from east to west and could go no farther by land. No one, including Paul, had an idea of the mission, in which they were to engage. Paul is not in charge; the Holy Spirit is.

 Only at this point, when they could go no farther, did the Holy Spirit give them direction, according to heaven’s plan. Paul had a vision. The entire mission in the activities of the early church, required supernatural guidance. In the night, a Macedonian appears to Paul and begs him “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” We will see that this was the one place, they were to go… not Asia Minor and not Bithynia, but Macedonia (v. 9). We are seeing, through the book of Acts, that more than people with a disposition to reach the loss are needed, more than financial means and equipment to support them! The problem in modern missions is to find people who know how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Paul’s team could say, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” There is no question that Paul was the human leader of this team, but as the Captain of the Lord’s army met Joshua, as he entered the Promised Land (Jdg. 5:14), so the Spirit had met Paul and took the reins that controlled this divine mission. Paul had received the vision, but read verse 10 very carefully to see, who made the decision, concerning the next leg of the journey. I accent the words we and us: “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.” This is not a one-man show; every person on the trip is involved. Apparently in Troas, Luke joined them, because the pronoun changed from they and them to we and us.

 

The Conversion of Lydia

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. 

 We will begin to see why the Lord was focused on Macedonia and was intent on His servants to go there, because we will see that He had begun to do His work in that area. From Troas, the team went by ship, Dr. Luke accompanying them now. They passed by the island, occupied by people from Samos and Thrace, logically named, Samothrace, which many criminals or fugitives inhabited. They went on to the port of Neapolis (New City) (v. 11), and then they went inland about 10 miles to the city of Philippi, a major city of Macedonia, named after the great conqueror, Philip, father of Alexander the Great. In Paul’s day it was a Roman colony, enjoying Roman privileges, such as freedom from taxes and freedom from punishment by whipping to Roman citizens. This would be the first opportunity for Paul to preach to Romans. They stayed there a few days, fulfilling Paul’s desire to reach the Jew first on the Sabbath day (v. 12).

 However, the Jewish citizenship in Philippi was not large enough to merit a synagogue, Paul learned of a gathering of Jewish women by the riverside, and went out of the city to meet with them. Here was a general reason for the team to arrive in Macedonia, because God always responds to the prayer of a hungry people. The missionaries preached the gospel to the women, who assembled there (v. 13).

 We quickly come to the second reason, for which Paul’s team was sent to Macedonia and not Asia Minor or Bithynia. Lydia was a traveling seller of purple raiment from Thyatira, who settled in Philippi for a time. Thyatira had cultivated the dyeing of material, of which the rich were particularly fond. This gave Lydia a good opportunity for business among the elite in Philippi.  God had been working in her heart, for no man or woman can ever understand the gospel or seek after God, unless the Holy Spirit initiates the work. Therefore, it was in the plan of the Lord, that the preaching of the gospel should fulfill the work that He was already doing in her heart. She only knew to join herself to the Jewish women, praying by the riverside, because she was seeking the God of the Jews and worshiping Him, as best she could. The Lord’s purpose was now that she should hear the gospel preached by Paul (v. 14).

 Not only did she believe, but so did her entire household, and they confirmed their faith by water baptism. Her house was large enough to lodge the team, and she begged them to stay with her. Her hunger was intense, and she wanted to serve God in some way, and to have his ambassadors close at hand. She reminds us of Rahab in the Old Testament, who received the Israelite spies and helped to fulfill God’s purpose in Jericho (Joshua, chapter 2). It is probable, that when she returned to her home city of Thyatira, that she was instrumental in aiding the cause of the gospel, as it opened to her people (v. 16).

 

 Paul and Silas in Prison

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. 

We come to another reason, as to why the Lord wanted his people to go to Macedonia without delay. His great heart hurt for the bondage brought upon a young slave woman. When William Carey went to India, he observed, with horror, the custom of burning young wives alive with the corpses of their husbands. The Lord’s grief was great over the practice and sent Carey to witness it. He eventually was used to go to the Indian government so that a law would abolish the practice.

 The Greeks were the originators of the famous demon-possessed oracles, related to the god Apollos, whom noblemen came to visit to receive counsel concerning matters of their government. These women would go into trances and give advice that would serve the devil’s purposes. Their religion and the similar Roman religion with their multiple gods and goddesses were terribly Satanic. In Philippi was a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. Her owners gained income through her satanic powers, (v. 16).

 Paul’s team was on the way to the riverside for prayer, when the devil attempted to taint the message of the gospel and the messengers by pretending to promote their cause. He has done this over the centuries and is often more successful by polluting the gospel, than he is by open opposition. This was what he was doing through the slave girl, by announcing that the gospel preachers were servants of the Most High God and were offering salvation. How effective he has been through sects that have falsely interpreted Scripture and brought damnation, rather than salvation, and lies, rather than truth! He was persistent in this case, coming time after time with his announcement and it was impossible to ignore him (v. 17).

 The half-breed people, living in the land of Israel offered to help in rebuilding the temple. They offered to help Zerubbabel, from the line of David, and Jeshua, the High Priest, but they refused their help (see Ezra 4:1-3). God’s work is accomplished by God’s people, and the enemy’s servants are not welcome.

 Some might interpret this work as free advertisement and think that God was behind it, but Paul, through the gift of the discernment of spirits, was greatly disturbed. Here is another proof of the supernatural intervention of God to thwart the efforts of Satan, something that must be done by the 21st Century church. Can our supernatural enemy be overcome without the supernatural gifts of the Spirit? Are there demon-possessed people today and should they be delivered? Every Christian should know the answers to those questions. and Luke, who wrote this account was a medic, who knew that the girl’s problem was not mental or physical, but spiritual. Paul turned and spoke to the spirit and not to the girl. He dared not come in his own name and in his own authority to confront an enemy spirit, but commands in the name of Jesus Christ that the demon should come out of her. Because of His name, the demon responded and came out that very hour (v. 18).

 The girl was wonderfully set free, but her owners were dismayed to see that she did not have the “gift”, for which they had used her. Their profitable business was ruined, and they came to Paul and Silas and carried them bodily to the authorities. The world’s system is evil and finds its center in the marketplace and there the dark kingdom of Satan influences the world’s population. It will do so until the end of time, when the antichrist and the false prophet will see that no one can buy or sell without showing loyalty to the beast, expressing it by receiving the mark or the number of his name, which is 666 (Rv. 13:16 -18).

 The human-enslaving businessmen dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates and their case is immediately heard (v. 19). Their sympathies were antisemite and the first accusation against the two men is that they are Jews. The second is against the public peace, claiming that the apostles are troublemakers (v. 20). Their next accusation is that their teaching opposes the Roman society’s views (v. 21) and is harmful to it. The populace rose in protest, the authorities immediately joined their cause, tore off their clothing and had them beaten (v. 22).

 It was an abuse of justice and an excess of punishment. Then they were put in prison, with instructions to bind them securely (v. 23). According to that charge, the jailor put them behind the inner doors of the prison and put their feet in stocks. They were bound in as severe a fashion as the Philippian jail could hold them (v. 24).

 

The Philippian Jailer Converted

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. 

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. 

Now we come to the final reason that the missionaries were instructed to go to Macedonia. Philippi was that night, the epicenter of a powerful earthquake, strong enough to loosen their chains and break the doors of their prison. To fulfill the purposes of God, it is no time to be in Asia Minor or Bithynia. Humanly speaking, it was the darkest hour since they came into the city. However, the apostles are not operating under worldly circumstances. It was midnight and they had just been subject to a psychologically traumatic judgment and an excessive beating, yet they broke through the darkness in songs of praise to God and intense prayer. They were not keeping anything to themselves, but were bursting forth loudly in an expression of worship, so that all the prisoners heard them (v. 25).

 One might think that an earthquake would pour more vengeance on their dire condition, but that is not at all the case in the divine will. In God’s plan, it provided the apex to His function, after the arrest, the trial, the beating and the midnight hour. The mighty earthquake shook the foundation stones of the prison, broke chains, opened prison doors, cracked open the stocks and set every captive free (v. 26)!

 Up to this time, we have only read the report that women had responded to the gospel, but now every prisoner, under the judgment of the Philippian justice system, was freed. In a moment, it became time for Paul’s Macedonian vision to become reality. The jailor was startled from his sleep, looked upon the effects of the earthquake and, understanding the consequences to his own life, drew his sword to commit suicide (v. 27). Paul quickly intervened, shouting “We are all here!” The power behind the earthquake that burst every restraint, also kept every ungodly criminal in his place (v. 28).

 The jailor called for a torch to assess the situation and saw that what Paul claimed was true. You can imagine his relief in finding all the prisoners. He was not going to be executed after all and still trembling over the traumatic experience, he falls down at Paul and Silas’ feet. He brought them out of the inner cell and his question indicated that he somewhere had heard the gospel message of salvation, and now he wanted to know what was required of him in order to be saved (v. 30).

 The answer he received was the simple gospel (v. 29). There was nothing that he could do, except believe on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved.  That is the same answer to anyone reading this article. If your soul trembles over the question of your eternal fate, you are ready to receive this same simple answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will surely be saved (Ro. 10:17). The answer is that He has done the work for your salvation, and it is for you to cast yourself upon Him in trusting that it is so.

 We have to see that the promise reached beyond the question of one man’s salvation. God was concerned and had in mind all the members of his family and those in his household. I believe, in every case that He sees beyond the life of the person, who is seeking salvation. He sees into the future and sees friends and family that He will save through one person’s life. That part of the answer is also for you (v. 31).

  However, the answer does not come automatically. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Ro. 10:17). Every individual must hear the gospel with spiritual ears, and the word will give him faith. Paul and Silas preached the word to all in the household and amplified the word that they had already spoken to the jailor (v.32).

 Will you please notice that everyone who received Jesus Christ in the book of Acts was immediately baptized? That was the case for the jailor and his household. It was past midnight and baptism was not convenient. No matter, they went out and found enough water for baptism that very night, after first of all washing the wounds, caused by the flogging to Paul and Silas. Water baptism was simple enough that they did not need hours of instruction to understand it. It was important enough that they should immediately obey the command of Christ (v. 33).

 Coming back into the house, they gave the apostles food… it must have been breakfast time by now. The jailor, who had almost panicked and committed suicide, was now rejoicing in salvation with his household. By the way, no one was baptized, who had not first believed. Verse 34 plainly showed that they all believed.

 The sun rose to a new day and the authorities had given more thought to the situation. For a reason that is not given, they decided to release Paul and Silas (v. 35). When Paul heard from the jailor that this had been decided (v. 36), he was not at all willing to comply. Roman law said that an injustice had occurred, especially in the free city of Philippi, where beating a Roman citizen was against the law. The magistrates were in trouble with Roman law and Paul, and it would seem that Silas, as well, were Roman citizens. Besides, there had been no official trial, and yet they were publicly punished. In recognition of their error, Paul insisted that the authorities come personally and release them (v. 38).

 They were more than willing to do as Paul insisted and asked for their forgiveness, released them and requested, but did not command, that they leave town (v. 39). The two did not hurry to obey, but went first to the house of Lydia, the true and kind worshipper of the Lord. The believers were at her home to say goodbye to Paul, Silas and their team. It is obvious that the Macedonian man, whoever he was in Paul’s vision, had received spiritual aid and found salvation. They received one more word of encouragement from the apostles, before they left town. Apparently, Luke is no longer with them (v. 40).