The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

Many thanks to those of you who commented on our last discussion on being relevant with our witness. We had some great spiritual discussion on the topic from:

http://tracyleekarner.com/

http://debbestillandlisten.com/

http://rosehallmedia.com/

Drop by these ladies blogs when your done here and tell ’em Pastor J sent you!

If you missed it or any of our other conversations they can be found at

http://wp.me/P39vIx-Gh

Here is today’s topic for discussion from the next segment of the Book of Acts:

Acts 18:1-17

Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers  just as he was.

4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”

7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.

9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.

12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”

14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.”16 And he threw them out of the courtroom.

17 The crowd then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.

What does Paul seem to do with the conflict here?

What does the church do?

Would you have reacted differently? How?

The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

So far we have had 38 spiritual discussions from the Book of Acts. The book is designed to help us understand the way the Holy Spirit worked in the life of the church at its conception ( the church’s that is since the Holy Spirit being God is without beginning or end). The hope is that being coming to an understanding of how He moved then we can better understand what we should expect of His move now!

If you have missed any of the discussions you can find them at

http://wp.me/P39vIx-Gh

Now on to today’s discussion…

Paul Preaches in Thessalonica

17 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

8 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

Acts 17:1-9

It is one thing when the choices you make cause you trouble, but it is another thing when the choices of others cause you problems. Jason was only guilty of opening his home to the preacher and apostle Paul. Do you think he expected as much trouble as he got? Would you have expected it if you were him? What temptations do you think Jason faced after his arrest? What lessons can we learn from Jason’s experience?

The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

We are entering lesson thirty-seven in this on-line class concerning the Book Of Acts. If you have missed the last few discussion you can find them here

http://wp.me/P39vIx-Gh

I would love to hear your on thoughts as we continue on.

I know I am going back into our last lesson a little bit but it does bear going back over a bit.

16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”

37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”

38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town. Acts 16:16-38

Today’s questions:

List all the miracles you see in this passage (big and little). Which of the miracles you see here is the most amazing to you? What about that miracle makes it so impressive?

The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

I have really been enjoying our discussions through the Book of Acts. God has been helping me to grab a better understanding of the context in which this book was written. As I study I find myself wondering about many things concerning the administration of the early church. The more I read the more I think just how intentional the movements of the Holy Spirit, and those of the men and women who followed Him, were. I see in the story of Acts  men of tremendous vision, like Paul, who  geared the church for exponential growth from the get-go. As inheritors of that legacy then how can we do any less?

Well enough soap-boxing. Here is today’s discussion:

11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.

13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.

Paul and Silas in Prison

16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

Acts 16:11-18

Just a quick point of interest.  Because Paul could not go into the mountains according to his plans he headed for the coast and ended up launching out for Macedonia (Greece) from Troas, which was the ancient city of Troy. On arrival in Macedonia he started his work in the city of Philippi. The church he planted there would later inspire the Book of Philippians.

Allow me to ask:

The demon possessed woman in our story here followed Paul around for several days before he dealt with her. Why do you think Paul chose to handle things this way?

The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

Today we continue our discussion through the Book of Acts. If you have missed any of our previous discussions they can be found at       http://wp.me/P39vIx-Gh

Here is today’s discussion topic:

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.

9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. Acts 16:6-10

Why do you think the Spirit of God resisted Paul when his intention was to preach the gospel?

Have you ever felt like God was resisting you? Describe that.

before we close I want to highlight two faithful students here at Lillie-Put. Robin and Debby have been commenting just about every class and so I want to give both of them a shout out and a hearty thank you. Do me a favor and pop on over to Robin’s blog and check it out. She can be found at

http://www.robsreallife.com/

Debby is just about to take the leap into devotional blogging. I will keep you updated!

The Word of God is a bridge that connects Earth with Heaven and Heaven with Earth.- Joseph Elon Lillie

Debby Robin and I have been having a great spiritual conversation regarding God’s will in conflict. If you missed the beginning of that discussion you can find it here

http://wp.me/p39vIx-Sj

We continue our discussion of the Book of Acts as we turn now to Acts 16:1-5

Paul adds Timothy to the team:

Paul went first to Derbe and then to Lystra, where there was a young disciple named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 Timothy was well thought of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium,3 so Paul wanted him to join them on their journey. In deference to the Jews of the area, he arranged for Timothy to be circumcised before they left, for everyone knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in their faith and grew larger every day.

By most accounts Timothy was a teen-ager at the time Paul brought him onto the team.

From these verses what inferences can be made about why Paul would choose to bring such a young man on to his team? Do you think bringing Timothy on board had anything to do with his recent refusal to allow John Mark back on the team? What role do you imagine Timothy played?