Acts 16:16-22 New Living Translation… One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17She 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.”
18This 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.
19Her 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.”
22A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods.
Transition: “One day” informs us that this day is superior to other days, and that a story of transformative nature is being recalled.
Exposition: This day made a difference in the lives of a young woman, her masters, and Paul and Silas.
-Possessed and Pimped Out
-Pardon that leads to Prison
Conclusion: This message has been a call to action, for believers to become so annoyed by demonic influence that we become difference makers (agents of change).
Objective: With improvement in mind, we will use Acts 16 as a guide for discipleship development, to lose our restrictive view in favor of God’s unrestricted power for progress.
The Painful Profit
Acts 16:16-40 New Living Translation… One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 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.
Introduction: From a place of great pain that became profit, Horatio Gates Spafford wrote It Is Well With My Soul…
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
(Refrain:) It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul.
Pain is the crucible of the Christian which is the passageway for meaningful ministry.
Overwhelming Observations:
Pain Is…
-Severe: II Corinthians 2:8-10
-Seasonal: II Corinthians 4:17
Profit is…
-Conversion: II Corinthians 5:17
-Community: Acts 16:40
Punchline: Serving the Lord requires us to learn how to turn a darkroom into a SONroom!
Conclusion: Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…”
Objective: With improvement in mind, we will use Acts 16 as a guide for discipleship development, to lose our restrictive view in favor of God’s unrestricted power for progress.
Stick To The Plan
Acts 16:11-15 New Living Translation… 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 and her household were baptized, 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.
Introduction: One of the most frustrating facets of life’s journey, is coming to grips with the reality of unexpected shifts, twists, and turns.
Evangelism is the sharing of the gospel through preaching and/or personal witness.
Overwhelming Observations: Stick to the plan…
–No one is exempt
References… Romans 2:11, Luke 8:1-3, Mark 16:1, Mark 16:5-7, Mark 16:9-10.
–Someone is expecting
References… Hebrews 10:25, John 5:4.
–Everyone connected is exposed
References… Barna Study: Around 82% of people would consider attending church if invited by a close friend, but only about 2% of Christians actively invite friends to church, meaning a significant gap exists between potential attendees and those who are actually invited.
Punchline: When the church sits down it opens the door for comfortable communication that changes lives.
Conclusion: Sticking to the plan requires us to lose our mind, because we get stuck where we were meant to start.
Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.
Objective: With improvement in mind, we will use Acts 16 as a guide for discipleship development, to lose our restrictive view in favor of God’s unrestricted power for progress.
Dealing With God’s No
Acts 16:6-10 New Living Translation… 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. 7Then 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. 8So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.
9That 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!” 10So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
Introduction: When mortal control meets divine sovereignty, there will either be humble submission or hard headed rebellion.
Overwhelming Observations:
-No doesn’t require any explanation (verses 6-8)
-No doesn’t mean cancelled, its a call (verse 9)
-No turns darkness into direction (verse 9)
-No turns potential into proclamation (verse 10)
Punchline: God’s no reveals our spiritual maturity, with the aim of toddler-like tantrums not hindering the progress of the grown-up work of the gospel.
Conclusion: No is hard to hear, but it’s helpful for who we are to become and for who will be made better because we lost our mind.
Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind (center/heart of you) is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Objective: With improvement in mind, we will use Acts 16 as a guide for discipleship development, to lose our restrictive view in favor of God’s unrestricted power for progress.
You Were Born For This
Acts 16:1-5 New Living Translation… 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.
Introduction: Christians fully understand the precious beauty of birth, but we also understand the blessed burden of being bound to the purposes of God.
Transition: Luke, the author of our text, quickly shares a biographical sketch of who Paul meets. Verse 1 “…there was a young disciple named Timothy“.
Exposition:
-Christian legacy is strong.
ReferenceI Timothy 1:5
-Christian character is key.
-Christian progress is on the other side of pain.
Reference Acts 15:1-21
Conclusion: Timothy was mixed up, but thank God he wasn’t messed up!
Nehemiah 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work”.
Objective: To encourage disciples to be fully present in their relationship with God.
Embrace Me
John 14:6 New Living Translation… Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”.
Introduction: There are three Greek words to for life… bios (physical), psuche (soul), and zoe (eternal).
Transition: Zoe is the divine life of God, imputed to humanity at salvation.
Exposition: Embrace the creation, resurrection, and eternal life of Jesus Christ that is imputed and accessible to us.
–Life-giving: Creation…
Reference John 1:3-4 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
-Life-saving: Resurrection…
Reference John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live…
–Life-anchoring: Eternal…
Reference I John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Conclusion: Subtraction is not the business of our savior, but addition is!
Objective: To encourage disciples to be fully present in their relationship with God.
Trust Me
John 14:6 New Living Translation… Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”.
Introduction: The naked truth is uncomfortable, which makes it often ignored.
Transition: Aletheia (Greek): truth that is reality; unhidden/revelation. Verity/fundamental principle; irrefutable.
Exposition: What Jesus has revealed in this statement is that…
-Truth will tie you up (verses 8-11) and free you up (verses 12-14)
ReferenceJohn 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
-Truth will either drive you or draw you
Conclusion: Trusting Jesus should be easy because Jesus is the truth. However, Trusting Jesus is often difficult, because the truth challenges us to change.
Objective: To encourage disciples to be fully present in their relationship with God.
Follow Me
John 14:6 New Living Translation… Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me”.
Introduction: Sometimes you can be looking for something that is within your grasp, but you just can’t see it.
Transition: This I AM statement of Jesus asserts his sovereignty (I am), supremacy (the), and his salvificability (way).
Exposition: What Jesus has revealed in this statement is that the way isn’t a path, it’s a person!
Conclusion: The person of Jesus Christ is the way, and we already know him. Allow yourself to be aware of his presence and power, and stop overlooking him.
Luke 13:6-9 NLT… Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. 7Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ 8“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. 9If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”
Introduction: In the wake of two national tragedies, Jesus preaches that condemnation is not the posture to assume but repentance is. When we fail to repent, we choose to perish. Reference verses 1-5
Transition: This parable of the barren fig tree is an appendix of the verses that precede it. It’s Jesus’ way of illustrating that when your focus is judgmental, critical, and damning of others, you have lost sight of your responsibility to be faithful and fruitful.
Exposition:
-The landowner’s expectation is fair but futile… verse 6
-The landowner’s evaluation is not rash but reasonable… verse 7
-The extension is granted because of the gardener’s plea for mercy and plan for grace… verse 8
Conclusion: This story is left incomplete, because it wasn’t about the tree in the first place. There is a possibility for conversion or condemnation… verse 9
Antonie E. Walker Ministries 