Acts 16 reminds me of red lights. I am impatient, and frequently grumble when I am stuck waiting. I rarely think about a purpose in the pause. Today’s lesson is about taking delight in delays. We begin with the apostle Paul starting out on his second missionary journey, by revisiting some cities. In Lystra we meet a young man named Timothy, “whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek”. The believers there “spoke well of him”. Paul invited him to join them, but first, Paul circumcised him, “because of the Jews who lived in that area”. Rather than demand Timothy be accepted, they adapted to the culture to avoid unnecessary conflict. They carried with them the letter from the elders in Jerusalem instructing Gentile believers; “the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers”. The author casually writes that they traveled to the region of Phrygia and Galatia, “having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia”. How does that work? Consider how people react to a “Lane Ends Ahead” sign. Some move over quickly, while others speed up and swerve in at the last second. Others don’t seem to notice and mess up the flow for everyone else. His Spirit guides us in both subtle and overt ways. Friend, are you paying attention to the signs?
Paul and his companions stayed close to the Mediterranean Sea, though they tried a second time to visit what is today Eastern Europe, “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to”. I do not know how this was communicated, but Paul was certain. We are told he had a vision of a man in Macedonia begging him “Come over to Macedonia and help us”. They all got ready and left at once. They traveled to the Roman colony of Philippi in Macedonia. Because there was no synagogue, “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer”. They began to teach, and a local named Lydia listened. “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message… she and the members of her household were baptized”. She invited them to stay in her home. True ministry sometimes requires us to not just stop, but to stay a while.
Next we read of an encounter with “a female slave” that “earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling”. She followed the missionaries for days, shouting “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved”. Paul eventually was so annoyed by her that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” Her owners soon realized they lost their profit source. They had Paul and Silas brought to the Roman Magistrate accusing them of being “Jews… advocating customs unlawful for us Romans”. They were immediately stripped, beaten, thrown into prison and shackled. They did not grumble. They found peace in the pause. Paul and Silas “were praying and singing hymns… and the other prisoners were listening to them”. Then, after a violent shaking, “all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose”. Knowing that Roman guards are responsible for any escaped prisoner, Paul immediately called out to his captor, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer responded, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul taught, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved”. Later he “spoke the word of the Lord… to all the others in his house” and they all believed and were baptized. The chapter ends with the Roman Magistrate realizing that Paul was a Roman citizen, entitled to a trial. They were immediately released. But before leaving, “they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them”. Friend, is it time for a purposeful pause?