Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 1)

• The Gentile question had at last been settled. Gentiles did not have to first become converts to Judaism before they could become Christians.
• The door was now opened for uncontested outreach to the nations.
• Paul's second missionary journey is the most extensive of his three journeys.
• During this journey, after revisiting the churches in Galatia, Paul and his missionary team were directed by the Spirit to venture westward into Europe.
• There they planted churches in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia (Greece).
• After a brief stopover in Ephesus, they returned to Antioch where their journey began.

After a long stay in Antioch, Paul proposed to Barnabas that they visit all of the places where they had preached the gospel during their first missionary journey to see how the believers were faring. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them again.

Paul, however, was strongly opposed to the idea, noting that during their first journey Mark had deserted the work and returned home. Their disagreement became so heated that Paul and Barnabas parted company and went their separate ways.

• Paul's second journey began with controversy. This time the controversy was not between Paul and the Judaizers but between Paul and his close missionary associate and friend, Barnabas.
• Paul felt that because of John Mark's unreliability, he should not accompany them on their upcoming journey. Barnabas, however, thought that the younger man deserved a second chance.
• The controversy became so intense that the missionaries separated, with Barnabas revisiting the work on Cyprus and Paul journeying northward through Syria and Cilicia into Galatia and eventually into western Europe.
• This controversy candidly reveals the humanity of these early Christian missionaries.
• It also shows how God provided for two different and important ministries to continue: (1) the ministry of strengthening newly established churches and (2) the apostolic ministry of planting new churches where none yet existed.

15:36 Let us go back and visit the brothers

• This statement shows Paul and Barnabas' pastoral concern for the churches they had planted in Cyprus and southern Galatia.
• Their purpose in returning was to find out how the churches were getting along, encourage the believers, and strengthen the churches.
• It was Paul's desire to see every church he planted emerge as a Spirit-empowered missional church, one that could extend itself into the surrounding region.

Barnabas sailed with Mark to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas as his missionary partner and, commended by the brothers, traveled northward by land into Syria and Cilicia. As Paul and Silas traveled, they took time to strengthen the churches in these regions.

Passing through Cilicia, they went to Derbe in southern Galatia and then on to Lystra. There they met a well-respected young man named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewish believer and whose father was Greek.

Since Paul wanted Timothy to join their missionary team, he circumcised him, so that Timothy's presence would not bring offense to the Jews living in the area. This was an example of an action taken not because the Bible required it but simply to help create unity between the culturally different Jewish and Gentile Christians.

As the missionaries moved from place to place, they read the letter from the Jerusalem Council containing the apostles' decisions and orders concerning the Gentile believers (15:23-29). Because of their visits, the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew in numbers daily.

• Paul's first order of business during his second missionary journey was to return to the churches he and Barnabas had planted in southern Galatia during their first journey.
• His purpose was pastoral, to encourage the believers and strengthen the emerging churches. He took Silas with him.

15:40 Paul chose Silas

• Silas, along with Judas Barsabbas, had come to Antioch from Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas to deliver the decree from the Jerusalem Council concerning Gentile believers.
• Judging from his name, Silas was probably a Hellenized Jew, a Jew who lived in the Greek culture.
• He was also a prophet and former leader of the church in Jerusalem (15:22, 32).
• After delivering the decree, he remained in Antioch and ministered in the church through his prophetic and teaching ministry (15:30-32).
• Paul referred to him in his epistles (2 Corinthians 1:19; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1). Peter called him a "faithful brother" (1 Peter 5:12).

15:40 Commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord

• As at the beginning of the first journey, the Antiochian church is again actively involved in sending the missionaries to the field (compare 13:3).

Leaving Lystra, Paul and his missionary colleagues traveled to the northwest through Galatia into Phrygia. They intended to go west into Asia Minor (and possibly Ephesus) but were kept from going there by the Holy Spirit.

Arriving at the border of Mysia, they decided to venture further north into Bithynia on the Black Sea, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to go that way either. As a result, they decided to travel westward through Mysia until they arrived in Troas on the Aegean coast. There they were joined by Luke.

In Troas Paul had a vision in the night in which he saw a Macedonian man standing and entreating him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." The missionaries concluded that God wanted them to preach the gospel in Macedonia. At once, they prepared to leave for that region.

• As with his first missionary journey, Paul's second journey began with a move of the Holy Spirit.
• Luke strategically places such a move of the Spirit near the beginning of each of Paul's missionary journeys. He does this so that the reader will know that everything done during these journeys was done in the power of the Spirit (Acts 13:1-4; 16:6-10; 19:1-7; see Table 8.1).
• Although this is the only mention of the Spirit's active role during Paul's second journey, we know by statements he made in his epistles that he ministered in the Spirit's power in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Corinthians 2:4; 2 Corinthians 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).

16:6-7 Kept by the Holy Spirit... The Spirit of Jesus would not allow them

• The Holy Spirit again acts as the Superintendent of the Harvest.
• By keeping the missionaries from entering Asia and Bithynia, He was directing them to the specific fields He had prepared for them.
• The title "Spirit of Jesus" is another name for the Holy Spirit. He is the One whom Christ sent in His place (John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 2:33) and who reveals the things of Christ to us (John 16:15).
• Peter calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ (1 Peter 1:11-12), and Paul calls Him the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:19).

16:9 A vision of a man of Macedonia

Paul and his band of missionaries (Silas, Timothy, and Luke) sailed from Troas to Macedonia. They arrived at the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of the district.

One Sabbath day, the missionaries went down to the river and found a group of Jewish women who had gathered for prayer. They sat down and began to speak to the women.

While they spoke, the Lord opened the heart of a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple cloth who came from Thyatira and who was a God-fearer. She accepted the gospel, and she and the members of her household were baptized. After this, she persuaded the missionaries to lodge at her home, saying, "If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house."

• Because there seems to have been no synagogue in Philippi, Paul and Silas went down to the river to seek out Jews.
• When there was no synagogue in a place, the Jews would often meet by the riverside, since it provided a convenient place to find water for their rituals.

16:13 Began to speak to the women

• Lydia, a woman, was the first Christian convert in Europe.
• By telling her story, Luke again demonstrates his concern for women.
• Because women can be empowered by the Holy Spirit, they can be full participants in the mission of God (compare Acts 1:8, 14; 2:17-18).

16:14 The Lord opened her heart

• The Holy Spirit works to open people's hearts to the gospel.
• A combination of the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16) and the power of the Spirit (Acts 1:8) is needed to effectively lead people to Christ.
• God opens people's hearts; however, they must individually respond to the gospel in faith and repentance.

One day in Philippi, as the missionaries were on their way to a prayer meeting, they met a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. Her owners used her fortune-telling abilities to earn a lot of money for themselves.

Day after day the girl followed the missionaries, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."

Finally, Paul became so troubled that he turned to her and commanded the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus. Immediately the spirit left her, and she was set free.

• The story of the deliverance of the Philippian slave girl is yet another example of how Paul and the other ministers in Acts ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Through the manifestation of spiritual gifts, Paul brought deliverance to a demon-possessed slave girl.

16:18 Paul became so troubled

• Though the slave girl was speaking the truth, the source and motivation of her message was demonic.
• Her activity may have been a demonically-inspired tactic, aimed at undermining the ministry of Paul and Silas in Philippi.
• Through the gift of discerning of spirits, Paul identified the source of her inspiration, and through the gift of miraculous powers and with the name of Jesus, he drove out the demon (see 1 Corinthians 12:10).

16:18 In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!

• Jesus drove out demons by the finger (or Spirit) of God (Luke 11:20; compare Matthew 12:28).
• Today, believers are given this same power when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
• Those who faithfully follow Jesus and obey His commands have also been given the right to use His name in combating evil and advancing His kingdom in the earth (Mark 16:17; John 14:12-14; 16:23-24; Acts 3:6, 16; 4:10, 30; 1 Corinthians 5:4).

The owners of the slave girl became angry at Paul because they could no longer use the girl to make money. They seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the city's marketplace. There, they accused the missionaries of causing confusion among the people by advocating practices contrary to Roman law.

The gathered crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. The magistrates then ordered Paul and Silas to be stripped, flogged, and cast into prison, where they were placed in the inner cell with their feet fastened in stocks.

That night around the midnight hour as the other prisoners listened, Paul and Silas began singing hymns to God. Suddenly a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the prison doors flew open, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.

Waking up, the jailer saw what had happened and started to kill himself, believing that all of the prisoners had escaped. Seeing this, Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

• Even in the severest trials, the apostles stayed close to God and focused on their work.
• As a result, their hearts were filled with joy, and they became powerful witnesses to those around them.

16:25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God

• The church experienced constant opposition and persecution.
• In spite of this, as the gospel advanced, the missionaries remained full of the Holy Spirit and joy (Acts 13:52; Romans 14:17; Galatians 5:22; Colossians 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; Hebrews 1:9).
• In their joy they prayed and sang hymns to God.

16:25 The other prisoners were listening

• The apostles' Spirit-inspired praying and singing resulted in witness.
• This is a major theme in Acts: the infilling of the Spirit empowers Christians to be effective witnesses to the lost (compare Acts 1:8).
• The other prisoners must have been very impressed when they heard Paul and Silas, who had been falsely accused, beaten, and thrown into prison, joyfully praising God.

16:26 Suddenly... a violent earthquake

The jailer fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He implored them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

The apostles then shared the gospel with him and his family. Afterward, the jailer took them and washed their wounds, and he and his family were baptized in water. He then took the apostles to his house and prepared a meal for them. He and his family were filled with joy.

• At the heart of Paul's ministry was the message of salvation.
• When the Philippian jailer inquired about how to be saved, Paul and Silas were ready with an answer. They told him that salvation comes through faith in Christ.

16:30 What must I do to be saved?

• This is the most important question in the Bible.
• All are lost; therefore, all must be saved (Romans 3:23-24). This salvation was provided through Christ's atoning work on the cross.
• The primary mission of the church is to proclaim the message of salvation to all nations (Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-47).

16:31 Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved

• People are saved through faith in Christ.
• Two essential elements of true saving faith are repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Acts 19:4; 20:21; Hebrews 6:1).
• Repentance toward God involves acknowledging one's sins, asking forgiveness, and turning from sin to walk in newness of life.
• Faith toward the Lord Jesus involves believing in His death and resurrection, inviting Him into one's life as Lord and Savior, and trusting Him alone for salvation (compare Romans 10:9-10).

The next morning the city officials sent orders to the jailer to release Paul and Silas, telling them that they could go in peace. Paul, however, refused, saying, "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 magistrates were distressed, realizing that they had mistreated Roman citizens. They therefore came in person to apologize to Paul and Silas and ask them to leave the city. After this, the missionaries went to the house of Lydia and encouraged the brothers there. They then left for Thessalonica.

• In demanding an apology from the magistrates, Paul's concern was not to preserve his own dignity or status.
• His concern was for the safety and blessing of the new church in Philippi. So he used his Roman citizenship as a means of ensuring fair treatment of Christians in the city.

16:37 Let them come themselves and escort us out

• Paul wanted to leave Philippi with a good name.
• He did this so that the work of the church would not be hindered, and so that it could carry out its work without unnecessary interference.
• For this reason, he demanded that the city officials come and apologize before he left Philippi.

16:40 They met with the brothers and encouraged them

• Paul and Silas were not only concerned with getting people saved, as important as that work is.
• Their concern went further: to the establishment of a strong indigenous church.
• So they gathered the brothers together to encourage them in the work of the Lord before departing for Thessalonica.

• During Paul's second missionary journey, he and his companions were led by the Spirit to enter Europe and preach the gospel for the first time there.
• His ministry in Europe began in Philippi in eastern Macedonia.
• There, Paul and Silas established a strong indigenous missional church.
• He would later write a letter to this church and tell its members how he thanked God for them and how he carried them in his heart.
• They became partners with him in the gospel by helping to support his missionary work (Philippians 1:3-7).

• Missionaries and other gospel workers are human, and sometimes disagreements arise between colleagues. Unfortunately, on occasion, these disagreements can be sharp.
• At such times we should not be tempted to abandon the work that God has given us.
• We must be mature enough to come to strategic agreements about how each will continue in the work, even if we may at times have to work separately.
• God is able to use people who honestly disagree with one another if they keep their attitudes pure and kind.
• If we remain kindhearted and mature in our attitudes, then in time even greater unity and agreement can come. Such was the case with Paul and Barnabas.
• In later years Paul requested that Mark join him in the work (2 Timothy 4:11; compare Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24). Mark even went on to write one of the four Gospels in the New Testament.

• Our work is not completed when the church planting campaign ends. We have the ongoing responsibility of giving pastoral oversight to the new work.
• Our goals must be to ensure that the new church is filled with the Spirit, strong in the Word, and focused on the mission of God.
• Our methods should include fellowship, prayer, teaching, and godly counsel.

• We should seek and expect the Holy Spirit to guide us when we are actively engaged in the Lord's work.
• This guidance may come in various ways, including dreams, visions, angelic appearances, and providential circumstances.
• The most common way God leads us is by speaking directly to our hearts by His Spirit.
• To experience such guidance, it is essential that we be prayerful and remain full of the Holy Spirit.
• What the Lord speaks to us by His Spirit will always be in harmony with His written Word, the Bible.

• Throughout the history of the church, women have played a prominent role.
• Women were the first to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:5-8; Luke 24:9-10; John 20:16-18).
• They were present at Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out (Acts 1:14), and the first convert in Europe was a woman (16:14).
• We should never treat women as second-class citizens in the kingdom of God.
• We should release them and encourage them to be full participants in gospel work.

• We as Christ's ministers should be filled with the Spirit, and we should learn to operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
• Had Paul not been able to do this, his and Silas' ministry in Philippi would have been much less effective, and the slave girl would have remained in bondage.
• The Bible commands us to be filled with the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5; Ephesians 5:18). It also commands us to earnestly seek after spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1).
• Those who ignore these commands can never be the effective ministers of the gospel that God intends for them to be.

• Joy during trying circumstances is an evidence of one's being full of the Spirit.
• Our being filled with the Spirit should be evidenced by more than speaking in tongues.
• As we abide in Christ, walk in the Spirit, and obey the Lord's commands, our lives will be filled with the joy of the Lord.
• Such joyful lives will be a witness to those who observe us, and, as a result, they will be encouraged to turn to Christ.

• Every Christian should at all times be prepared to answer the question, "What must I do to be saved?"
• It is the responsibility of pastors and other church leaders to train everyone in the church how to lead others to Christ.

• It is important how a missionary or Christian worker begins a work. It is also important how he or she departs the same work.
• Our departure must never result in weakening the church.
• Every pastor or church planter should ensure that the church is strong enough to carry on the work or that the church is left in able hands.
• He or she should also leave with a good name so that the work will not be hindered.