Acts 16: 1-15

(Acts 16: 1-15)

Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:  Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily. Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,  After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.  And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;  And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.  And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

 

When the apostle Paul arrived at Lystra through Derbe, where the second missionary journey with Silas began in earnest, he met Timothy, who later became the son of faith. 『Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 』God prepared Timothy ahead of Paul's 2nd evangelistic journey and was waiting for Paul. God does not leave those who do God's work alone, but He is the One who always attaches co-workers and helpers.

By the way, Timothy's father was Greek and his mother was Jewish. In other words, Timothy was a faithful brother of faith with both Jewish and Greek backgrounds. Because Timothy became a Jew with his mother's lineage and a Greek with his father's lineage, there was a point of contact to preach the Gospel to Jews and to the Greeks as well. However, when Timothy met the Jews while preaching with Paul in the Jewish capacity, there could be a lot of friction or conflict because of not being circumcised.

『 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek. 』 It was clearly contrary to the Gospel to allow Gentiles to be circumcised as a condition of salvation, but it was not forbidding believers to be circumcised. If Timothy's parents were all Gentiles and Timothy was also a complete Gentile, Paul would not have been circumcised by Timothy. Paul hoped that just as he became a Jew to the Jews and one without the law to gain more people in God, so did Timothy. So, Paul wisely and flexibly applied the non-essential and non-essential for the preaching of the Gospel.

Paul with Timothy tried to preach the Gospel in Asia, but ``Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 』God wanted Paul to leave Asia and go to Macedonia, a region in Europe, through his second evangelistic trip.

『 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. 』 Although on the surface it seems as if Paul planned the second evangelism tour, in reality God is the subject of the evangelism tour. God attached Timothy to Paul and let him preach the gospel to Europe beyond Asia.

When Paul realizes God's plan through a vision, he does not delay and immediately leaves for Macedonian Philippi to get there. Philippi was said to be the first castle in the province of Macedonia and also as a Roman colony. In other words, Philippi was a Roman colony and the first city in the Macedonian region. God was also preparing another man for Paul in Philippi.

『 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.  』 Lydia was a wealthy merchant, a Gentile, who sold purple cloth, and a convert to Judaism, who had not yet heard the Gospel of Jesus. God opened Lydia's heart to understand what Paul was saying, ``when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide. there. And she constrained us. 』. In other words, Lydia became a missionary patron who supported Paul's group.