Saturday, May 30, 2026

Opening Scripture

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, open my heart and mind to Your truth today. Help me to know and do Your will. Help me to forgive others as You have forgiven me. Help me to trust You to meet all of my needs. Help me to see and appreciate what You’re doing around me. Help me to respond to You in obedience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 16

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Reflection  

After yesterday’s reading, Barnabas, Paul, Silas, and some others took the letter from the Jerusalem Church leaders back to Antioch. Everyone was happy, and the issue was mostly resolved.

Some time later, Paul wanted to take a second missionary journey with Barnabas to check on the churches they had established on their first mission trip. Barnabas wanted to take his cousin, Mark, with them. Paul refused because Mark had abandoned them the last time. They couldn’t agree, so Barnabas took Mark and headed home to Cyprus. Paul took Silas and headed toward Asia. That brings us to today’s passage.

Paul and Silas traveled northwest, around the Mediterranean Sea, stopping in Paul’s hometown of Tarsus before continuing to Derbe and Lystra, where they picked up Timothy. Perhaps Timothy became the kind of helper Mark had been.

After all the disagreement about the need for circumcision – with Peter, Paul, and Barnabas making a strong case against it – why in the world would Paul compel Timothy to be circumcised to join this mission trip? Great question!

The debate in Jerusalem was about circumcision as a requirement for salvation. That issue was settled. With Timothy on this second missionary journey, the concern was effective ministry and removing obstacles. As the team ministered to Jewish populations, Paul wanted Timothy to be able to enter the synagogue and dialogue with Jewish leaders. The urgency and intensity of the mission prompted the desire to eliminate any unnecessary barriers to proclaiming the gospel.

Somewhat ironically, in that light, “As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.”

When the group reached the northwest part of Asia, they wanted to head up toward the Black Sea, “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” Since the Holy Spirit was the true Team Leader, He made it clear that the itinerary was different from what they expected. God’s plan was for this group to take the gospel across the Aegean Sea to Greece, and He provided instruction through a dream (vision).

The first-person plural pronoun “we” in verse 10 indicates that Luke joined the party of Paul, Silas, and Timothy at this point. They headed straight for Philippi, the leading city in that part of Macedonia.

There was no synagogue in Philippi because fewer than ten Jewish men lived there. So, on the Sabbath, the group headed down to the river to pray. Things got off to a great start with the baptism of Lydia and her household; however, when Paul cast an evil spirit out of a demon-possessed fortune-telling slave girl, her owners started a riot. Paul and Silas were stripped, “severely flogged,” and thrown in prison.

As promised, God can bring good out of a bad situation. The beating was horrible and humiliating. The pain was real and intense. The prison was harsh and oppressive. And yet, Paul and Silas sat bruised and bleeding in their own sweat and blood, praying and singing praises to God as the other prisoners listened.

And what happened next is one of the best stories in the Bible!

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

We referenced the episode between Paul and Barnabas last month in our study of 1 Peter. At the end of that letter, Peter refers to Mark as his “son” and sends greetings on his behalf. Mark ended up in Rome ministering with Peter and had become a vital and trusted part of the team.

We don’t know why Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas on that first mission trip. Was he homesick? No mention is made of his father; perhaps his mother was a widow, and he was worried about her. Was he afraid? Certainly, there were significant dangers and hardships in their travels. Was he disillusioned? What had started as a movement among Jews in Jerusalem was becoming a global conversion of Gentiles! Perhaps it was a combination of several factors.

Mark’s earlier “failure” was the source of “sharp disagreement” between two established leaders. It resulted in a change of plans and a realignment of ministry. The fact that Mark was ready to join another mission trip after quitting the previous one shows growth, maturity, and resilience. The fact that Barnabas was willing to take him back – even at the cost of losing Paul – shows grace, faith, and forgiveness.

Thankfully, Mark’s failure was not final. Paul eventually forgave his desertion. In Colossians 4:10, Paul sends greetings to the church on behalf of “Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.” And in his second letter to Timothy, Paul says, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). As we know, Mark went on to write the second Gospel.

Have you missed an opportunity because of pride or fear? Have you quit in a moment of weakness? Have you become angry and overreacted to something? Have you grown discouraged and lost hope?

If you let Him, God can work in that situation to bring about good.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!