Sunday Morning Bible Study: Acts 16 – Paul, Silas, and Timothy: The Gospel Comes to Europe
- Ken Kalis
- Nov 9, 2025
- 4 min read
“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.”— Acts 16:9
Are you crying out for help today? Jesus wants to save you! From what?
From Hell, to begin with; from false religion and atheism; from sin and self,
That's His job! To be a Savior and give you eternal life!
He lives in the Bible and wants to live in your heart.
Ask Him in today! He loves you and wants to be yours forever!
1. Setting the Stage – A New Companion for Paul, A New Direction
Paul began his second missionary journey by revisiting the churches he had planted.In Lystra, he met a young disciple named Timothy, a believer whose mother was Jewish and faithful, and whose father was Greek.
Paul saw in him a kindred spirit — a future leader in the faith.He circumcised Timothy not as a legal requirement, but as an act of love, so that no barrier would stand in the way of the Gospel among the Jews.
Together with Silas, they traveled through Galatia, strengthening the churches.But when they planned to move into Asia, the Holy Spirit stopped them.God had another plan — one that would change history.
2. The Call to Macedonia
That night, Paul saw a vision of a man of Macedonia pleading,“Come over into Macedonia, and help us.”
It was a divine summons. Immediately, Paul and his companions obeyed.
From this point in the story, Luke begins to write “we” — he had joined the missionary team. They set sail across the Aegean Sea, carrying the Gospel to Europe for the very first time.
3. Lydia – The First Convert in Europe
When they arrived in Philippi, they found no synagogue — only a small group of women praying by the river.Paul sat down and shared the Word with them.
Among them was Lydia, a seller of purple cloth, whose heart the Lord opened.She believed, was baptized, and said,“If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there.”
The Gospel’s first European church began not with a crowd, but with one woman’s open heart.
4. The Slave Girl and the Spirit of Deliverance
Soon afterward, Paul and Silas encountered a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. She followed them for days, crying out true words for the wrong reason.
Grieved in spirit, Paul turned and commanded the spirit to come out of her — and it did, in Jesus’ name.
Her owners, angry at their loss of income, dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates.They were beaten, publicly humiliated, and thrown into prison.
But God was still writing the story.
5. The Philippian Jailor – Praise at Midnight
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God — and the prisoners listened.
Suddenly, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors flew open, and every chain fell loose.
The jailer awoke, ready to kill himself, believing the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out,“Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.”
Trembling, the jailer asked,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”They answered,“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
That same night, he washed their wounds, and he and his family were baptized. Out of bondage came freedom. Out of suffering came salvation.
6. Reflection – The Gospel Breaks New Ground
Acts 16 is a chapter of obedience, opposition, and opportunity.
Timothy shows us the faith of the next generation.
Lydia shows us faith in action — hospitality and service.
The slave girl shows us Christ’s power to set captives free.
The jailer shows us that God saves even in the darkest night.
Everywhere they went, the Holy Spirit proved that “the Word of God is not bound.”
At RPH, when three or four of us gather to remember the Lord’s Supper,we join the same story — one heart at a time, one household at a time, the Gospel still advancing, still transforming lives.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,We thank You for the faith and courage of Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Thank You for Lydia, whose heart You opened by the river;for the slave girl, whom You set free;and for the jailer, who found salvation in the midnight hour. Teach us to listen to Your call, even when it leads to suffering.Help us to sing at midnight, to trust when we cannot see,and to believe that Your Gospel will reach the ends of the earth. Bless those gathered at Your table today — here at RPH and around the world.Fill Your house, Lord, until every seat is taken and Your joy is complete. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Transformed
Dear Lord, take up our tangled strands,
Where we have wrought in vain,
That by the skill of Thy dear hands
Some beauty may remain.
Refrain:
Transformed by grace divine,
The glory shall be Thine;
To Thy most holy will, O Lord,
We now our all resign.
Touch Thou the sad, discordant keys
Of every troubled breast,
And change to peaceful harmonies
The sighings of unrest.
Where broken vows in fragments lie—
The toil of wasted years—
Do Thou make whole again, we cry,
And give a song for tears.
Take all the failures, each mistake
Of our poor human ways,
Then, Savior, for Thine own dear sake,
Make them show you praise.
Words: Mrs. F. G. Burroughs, 1920,
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. Romans 12:2
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 1 Cor 2:2
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