Page 17 - Florida Sentinel 11-13-15 Edition

Sunday School
To Advance You Must Listen Wisely To The Spirit Of God (Acts 16:1-5, 8-15)
team. Timothy | Acts 16:1-5
But Timothy’s ethnicity and pedigree were issues for Paul’s missionary work. He was biracial (his father’s Greek heritage is mentioned twice in the text) and his fa- ther was most likely not a be- liever. Due to this potential distraction, Paul felt com- pelled to circumcise Timothy so he could be accepted into the Jewish circles where Paul evangelized. It is most ironic that Paul circumcised Timo- thy following what happened in Acts 15. But evidently Paul did so for expediency— not salvation.
As they traveled from town to town they delivered the content of Acts 15. The result was spiritual and nu- merical.
It is not wrong to plan, but Christians must be careful to hold plans loosely. Paul de- sired to swing west and then north toward Bithynia (Acts 16:6, 7). But the Holy Spirit did not allow them to do so.
God had something else in mind.
The call to Macedonia meant that the gospel would reach Europe. Paul had a vi- sion. A man with European clothing said, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” The vision identified the country. Evidently even re- ceiving a vision from Heaven does not preclude the use of the human mind—thus we read, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. To be led by God does not mean to kiss one’s brain away. Paul was spongy (pliable) in the hands of God. Acts 16:8-10
Samothrace and Neapolis are stopping off spots en route to Europe. The first city in Europe to receive the gospel was Philippi. This city was a Roman colony. Even though there was a man in Paul’s vision, it was women who welcomed the gospel onto the new continent. Evi- dently there were not enough Jewish men (10) to
form a synagogue, but there was a prayer meeting of women by the Gangites River.
Here Paul met a successful businesswoman from Asia Minor named Lydia, Acts 16:11-15, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a God-fearer (worshipper of God) but not a Jesus follower yet. The Lord opened her heart. This could be miraculous. After all, God did want the gospel in Europe. Maybe the Lord will open the heart of anyone who listens. Lydia heard the gospel and responded in baptism with the fellow workers of her house. She not only had an open heart, she had an open home; that set the stage for one of the most generous congrega- tions in the New Testament (Philippians 1:5; 4:10- 13; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7).
If we want to make similar advances today, we must act wisely, listen to the Spirit carefully, think judiciously, and follow obediently.
The first missionary jour- ney had concluded (Acts 13, 14). The Jerusalem Council had reached a decision con- cerning Gentile converts (Acts 15:1-35). Paul and Barnabas had split over the dispute about John Mark (Acts 15:36-41). Next the missionary enterprise of the church continued into the second missionary journey.
Paul revisited the churches he had planted during the first missionary journey. He may have met Timothy first during his ini- tial visit to Lystra (Acts
14:8-18). Perhaps Timothy was impressed with the courage of Paul as he faced opposition (Acts 14:19, 20). We assume Timothy became a believer during that first visit.
Timothy’s name means, “one honored of God,” and he lived out the label. When we live lives that honor God, people will notice (Proverbs 27:2). The be- lievers at Lystra and Ico- nium spoke well of him. This actually means they bore witness to him. Timothy was added to the missionary
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-B