Metro Youth Network

Acts 16:16-24
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.”

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.

As we learned in last week’s lesson, each step of Paul and Silas’ path to Macedonia contained ministry. In Acts 16:13-15 this ministry led them to Lydia, a “worshiper of God” (v. 14) who opened her heart and was baptized. In verses 16-24, they come across a more sinister and unpleasant audience, but one that resulted in the same outcome as Lydia, a woman who was freed from sin.

Today’s scripture passage contains a story about spiritual warfare. In this instance a demon possessed slave girl and her masters began a series of events that led to the imprisonment of Paul and Silas. In the process the girl, who was a slave both physically and spiritually, was freed from the evil that inhabited her. Satan was willing to “sacrifice” this demon so that he could incite a mob against Paul and Silas and put them in jail. “She followed along behind us shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved’” (v. 17). God is completely sovereign to the point that even the demons know the truth. But Satan is so evil that he would use this truth against God’s apostles.

Isn’t it odd that we live in a society that is increasingly more tolerant to cults, false teaching and any other religion, but has become more prejudiced towards Christianity? It shouldn’t be. This passage demonstrates Philippi’s tolerance for fortune-tellers and the demon-possessed but hatred, to the point of physical punishment and imprisonment, of those who were followers of Jesus Christ. Satan, the great deceiver, is constantly at work, trying to enslave anyone he can. We must not underestimate just how deceptive Satan can be, attempting to poison the minds of an entire generation. We must be willing to stand up for what we believe in even though it may cost us our freedom.

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, 25 Salvationists (mostly CFOT Cadets and DHQ Employees) broke into five teams and went to 26 Chicago Public Schools to perform Christmas assemblies. We talked to over 6000 children about how people all over the world celebrate the “Spirit of Christmas”. We had a lot of fun and sang X-mas songs about fictitious reindeer, snowmen and an old man who knows when you are awake, pouting, crying or asleep. We also had puppets and gave each child some school supplies.

Each year we take part in this “ministry of presence” and God continues to bless these efforts and open unique doors for The Salvation Army in these communities. As constricting as it is not being permitted to share the REAL reason for Christmas, I have no doubt that God honored our efforts.

One of the more memorable moments happened after we finished our presentation and were packing up when a few classes waited in the auditorium and wanted to sing us a song. We were all very blessed and surprised to hear them sing a spontaneous rendition of Sandi Patti’s Christmas classic “The Gift Goes On”. How interesting is it that a group of public school children started singing and telling us about the real reason for Christmas (especially through the ancient work of Sandi Patti?!)? You can watch two clips of this unique moment below.

Part 1

Part 2

Acts 16: 6-15
6 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.

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.

In today’s passage of scripture we witness Paul and Silas follow a three-step process in following the Lord: pray and wait for direction, receive direction, enjoy the process of following the directions. Let’s address the third step of this equation.

First, notice how patient these men were as they waited on the Lord for direction; the Holy Spirit told them not to enter Asia, the Spirit of Jesus did not let them enter Bithynia, so they didn’t. They never forced the issue or traveled where they weren’t supposed to go.

Finally, as these men waited for direction, Paul had a vision that inspired them to travel to Macedonia. They left immediately. It would have been easy for these missionaries to rush by every person and community on their path so that they could get to Macedonia as soon as possible. But that didn’t happen because every step in their journey was ministry.

Verses 11-15 describe an encounter with Lydia that brought unexpected blessings on their journey. Notice how Paul and Silas went out of their way and followed the Lord’s leading: “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.” (v.13). No vision told Paul or Silas to go to this riverbank and the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus weren’t telling these men not to go (as in verses 6-7). So why did they go?

Whether you are getting your drivers’ license, competing in sports or graduating from school, beware of the temptation to see things through tunnel vision. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to accomplish something that you don’t enjoy the process of learning how to be a safe driver, how to be a good teammate or gain knowledge. Be sure to wait on the Lord’s direction and enjoy every step of faithfulness.