Episode 275: Paul circumcises Timothy

Acts 16-18

Paul circumcises Timothy (he was worried about what the Jews would think)

16 ¹ When Paul and Silas came to Derbe and Lystra, there was a disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Jewish Christian and whose father was a Greek.

³ Paul invited Timothy to go along with him and Silas. But first, he circumcised him, because the local Jews knew his father was a Greek.

The Holy Ghost won't let Paul preach in Asia (or Bithynia)

⁶ Paul, Silas, and Timothy went through Phrygia and Galatia, but they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach in Asia.

⁷ Then they wanted to go to Bithynia, but the Spriit wouldn't let them.

Paul's vision of a man from Macedonia

⁹ Paul had a vision one night of a man from Macedonia, who said to him, “Come to Macedonia and help us.”

The conversion of Lydia

^11-12 Then we went to Philippi in Macedonia and stayed there for a while.

¹³ On the sabbath we talked to the women that lived there.

¹⁴ Among them was Lydia, a seller of purple. The Lord opened her heart when she heard Paul speak.

¹⁵ And she was baptized, along with her household.

Paul expels a soothsaying spirit of divination

¹⁶ As we went to prayer, we met a slave girl possessed with the soothsaying spirit of divination, from which she made money for her masters.

¹⁸ Paul said to the spirit that possessed her, “Come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ.” And he came out that same hour.

Paul and Silas are put in jail

¹⁹ The slave girl's masters were upset by the loss of income from her divination, so they complained to the officials.

²² The officials tore off the clothes of Paul and his companions and had them beaten.

23-24 After they were beaten, they were thrown into prison with chains on their feet.

Another miraculous jailbreak

²⁵ At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed.

²⁶ And suddenly, there was a great earthquake, the prison doors opened, and the chains unlocked.

The jailor and his family are baptized

²⁷ When the jailor found out, he was going to kill himself.

²⁸ But Paul cried out to him, saying, “Don't hurt yourself. We're here.”

³⁰ The jailor asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They said, “Believe in Jesus Christ and you and your family will be saved.”

³² And so the jailor and his family were baptized that same night.

Paul in Thessalonica and Berea

17 ¹ Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue.

^2-4 Paul spent three sabbaths trying to convert them. And some of them believed him.

⁵ But the non-believing Jews were envious of his success. So they assaulted the house of Jason.

⁶ When they couldn't find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason to the city officials and said to them, “These men said there is another king named Jesus.”

¹⁰ So the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue.

¹¹ They had more success than they did in Thessalonica, and many believed them.

¹³ But when the Jews of Thessalonica heard about Paul's preaching in Berea, they came to stir up trouble.

Paul's speech on Mars Hill

¹⁶ Paul argued with the Jews in the synagogue in Athens.

¹⁸ When the philosophers heard about Paul, they said. “What will this babbler say? He seems to believe in some strange gods.”

²² Then Paul stood on Mars Hill and said,

You men of Athens are too superstitious.

²³ I saw an altar dedicated to the unknown God, whom you ignorantly worship.

²⁴ But God made the world and is lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples.

Paul in Corinth

18 ¹ After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

² He stayed with a Jewish tentmaker named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. 3 Paul and Aquila worked together, since Paul was also a tentmaker.

⁴ Every sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue to try to persuade the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

⁶ When the Jews opposed him, he shook his clothes and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I'm going to the Gentiles.”

Jesus visits Paul (in a vision)

⁹ One night, Jesus spoke to Paul in a vision, saying,

Don't be afraid but speak.

¹⁰ I'm with you, and no one will hurt you, because I have many of people in this city.

Paul shaves his head

¹¹ Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half.

¹⁸ While there, he shaved his head because he'd made a vow. Then he sailed to Syria with Priscilla and Aquila.

Paul, as a Nazarite	After completing his vow and shaving his head