The
gospel comes to
Acts
16:1-15
Everywhere you look
women are building the
1) people
After the
i) Silas: (15:40): he was a prophet, able to explain the conference
decision from
ii) Timothy (16:1-3): a young man of mixed race; a
Christian since Paul’s first visit to the region (1 Cor 4:17 shows Timothy was
a convert of Paul’s); Jewish because of his mother but because he wasn’t
circumcised, he’d have been treated as an apostate by the Jewish community and
so couldn’t have gone into synagogues. This made him no use to Paul because his
strategy was to begin by visiting the synagogue when he hit town. So this is 1
Corinthians 9:19-23 in action; Paul is seeking to clarify Timothy’s status to Jew
and Gentile alike.
iii) Luke (16:10 ‘we’) – always useful to have writer and doctor on the team
– he was also probably Macedonian and so would know the lie of the land.
> teams of like-minded, gifted people are essential
for the Kingdom: are we in one?
2) praying
Did Paul have any
idea where he was going? Yes and no! He wanted to take the result of the
conference to the Galatian churches – and then what? It looks like he was
pushing doors till one opened (6, 7, 9). How did the Holy Spirit guide him: through
feelings? words from the team and other Christians? Probably both – and certainly
via dreams and visions (9f see 2:17). However
they were guided, two factors were key here:
i) open – Paul and his team were keen to hear from God, to go where he
sends them, speak to whoever God brings across path – so they spent a good deal
of time praying:
> is this true of us? Are we praying 24/7 for
opportunities and open doors?
ii) obedient – as soon as God speaks clearly, they’re
off (10). Notice how God guides them as they were getting on with life, obeying
his general call to be sharing their faith, living for him in the world. > is this what our lives are like?
If so, we’ll find God guides us
3) places
The praying team
heads for the places where the gospel will get a hearing:
i) where people are open: (13) – it is likely that the group they met
by the river was a Jewish group; but it could have been any group of people
searching for God, for answers to life’s big questions; our culture awash with
them:
> do we know where they are? Are we going to where
they are
or expecting them to come to us?
ii) women with clout (14):
Women were key to the
growth of the early church – especially at the eastern end of the Empire but
also in
> do we honour and use the gifts of women to the full here?
The mission
progressed because Paul gathered the right people, prayed and went to the places
where people were searching for something. It’s simple really
> are we doing it? It’s way we’ll see growth
too
> So, are we praying, working together and going
where we’ll gather a harvest?
Further areas for
discussion [remember
the questions in the notes]
When have you been particularly aware of God guiding you? How
did it happen?
Do the same principles apply when we think of God leading the
church into a new work or a new area of mission?
Who are the women who have been influential on your Christian
life? Why?
Where do we see women exercising leadership in our church? Are
any areas off-limits to them?
Where are the places in our culture where people are searching
for God? How can we reach them?
How important are teams for getting things done in the church?
Can you think of teams that you’ve been a part of that have been particularly
effective? How should we be building teams at
How much do we pray for the people around to hear the good news
about Jesus? Are we willing to be part of the answer to our prayers?
Luke says God opened