Page 710 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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JULY 10
Acts 16:1–21 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go
into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit
Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And 8
16 behold, a certain disciple was there, named them. So passing by Mysia, they came down
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Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the
believed, but his father was Greek. He was well night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded
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spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia
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and help us.” 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.
16:1 a certain disciple…Timothy. A young
man (late teens or early 20s) of high regard, a
“true son in the faith” (1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2),
who eventually became Paul’s right-hand man
(1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Thess. 3:2; Phil. 2:19). In essence, 16:9 Macedonia. The region located across
he became John Mark’s replacement. After the Aegean Sea on the mainland of Greece.
being commissioned by the elders of the local The cities of Philippi and Thessalonica were
church (1 Tim. 4:14; 2 Tim. 1:6), he joined Paul located there. Most significantly, going there
and Silas.his father was Greek. The grammar was to take the gospel from Asia into Europe.
likely suggests his father was dead. By being
both Jew and Gentile, Timothy had access to 11
both cultures—an indispensable asset for Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a
missionary service. straight course to Samothrace, and the next
day came to Neapolis, and from there to
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Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part
and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying
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with him. And he took him and circumcised him in that city for some days. And on the
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because of the Jews who were in that region, for Sabbath day we went out of the city to the
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they all knew that his father was Greek. And as riverside, where prayer was customarily
they went through the cities, they delivered to made; and we sat down and spoke to the
them the decrees to keep, which were deter- women who met there. Now a certain woman
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mined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of pur-
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, ple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped
and increased in number daily. God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the
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things spoken by Paul. And when she and
her household were baptized, she begged us,
saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to
16:3 circumcised him. This was done to aid the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she
his acceptance by the Jews and provide full persuaded us.
access to the synagogues he would be visiting 16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer,
with Paul and Silas. If Timothy had not been that a certain slave girl possessed with a spir-
circumcised, the Jews could have assumed he it of divination met us, who brought her mas-
had renounced his Jewish heritage and had ters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl
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chosen to live as a Gentile. 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.
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said
and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden to the spirit, “I command you in the name of
by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came
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out that very hour. But when her masters
saw that their hope of profit was gone, they
seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into
16:6 Holy Spirit…Asia. Paul was not allowed the marketplace to the authorities.
to fulfill his intention to minister in Asia Minor 20 And they brought them to the magistrates,
(modern Turkey) and to such cities as Ephesus, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceed-
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Smyrna, Philadelphia, Laodicea, Colosse, ingly trouble our city; and they teach cus-
Sardis, Pergamos, and Thyatira. toms which are not lawful for us, being Ro-
mans, to receive or observe.”

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