Acts 16:1-13 (English Standard Version)

Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

1Paul[a] came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named(A) Timothy,(B) the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. 2He was well spoken of by(C) the brothers[b] at Lystra and Iconium. 3Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he(D) took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance(E) the decisions(F) that had been reached by(G) the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. 5(H) So the churches were strengthened in(I) the faith, and they increased in numbers(J) daily.

The Macedonian Call

6And(K) they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but(L) the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8So, passing by Mysia, they went down(M) to Troas. 9And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10And when Paul[c] had seen the vision, immediately(N) we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

The Conversion of Lydia

11So, setting sail from Troas, we(O) made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12and from there to(P) Philippi, which is a leading city of the[d] district of Macedonia and(Q) a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13And(R) on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate(S) to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we(T) sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

Wow, it's been a while since my last post! Life has been busy. If you're interested in what I've been doing, check this out. Anyway, this passage of scripture is pretty important to me. It was a passage that God brought me to often when my family and I found out that we would no longer be ministering on the west coast. We went to Washington in 2003 planning to stay there the rest of our lives. However, the Godly men who lead our ministry decided to move us in a new direction. God has called us now to minister at Word of Life's headquarters in Schroon Lake, NY. At first, this was a very hard thing for us, but God gave us this scripture to help us wrap our heads around what he was doing. It was exciting to read it again in today's Quiet Time.

Always before when I have read this or seen it preached at missions conferences and the like, I always see the emphasis put on the man in Macedonia calling out to Paul to come help. Then the application usually goes something like this..."get off your rear-end and start telling people about Jesus because there are people all over the world like the Macedonian man." That's a GREAT application. However, I saw it in a little bit different light this fall. I realized that this passage is not about calling someone into ministry who has been sitting around doing nothing. Instead, it's about how God through the Holy Spirit changed the direction of a man who was already in motion, doing stuff for God... a seasoned "professional." He definitely was not sitting around on his rear-end. However, even though he was going full steam ahead, God would not allow him to continue with his plan. Paul was sensitive to this and did not try and force God's hand. The result was that God gave Paul a brand new vision and direction and WOW, am I glad. I'm saved today because of Paul's ministry and obedience to the Lord. I'm sure the people in the places where Paul wanted to go may have been disappointed, but bottom line... it's always better to obey. I feel just like this. It was so HARD to leave the west coast. But, it's always better to obey. And, already God has given us new vision and new direction. We are so pumped about what He has in store for the ministry from here that goes out across the world. PRAISE GOD!

New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Acts 6:1-15 (New King James Version)

Acts 6

Seven Chosen to Serve

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists,[a] because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

8 And Stephen, full of faith[b] and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous[c] words against this holy place and the law; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” 15 And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.


The pastors of the church cannot keep up with everything, so they come up with a strategy that we still use today. They appoint deacons whose main purpose is to see to that the physical needs of the people are met. They are like mini-pastors in ways as Stephen here was even doing signs and wonders like the apostles. It's amazing to me to see how different deacons function in most churches today. I wonder what impact it would have if deacons around our country returned to this model. It seems like a lot of times a deacon's job ends with making sure the grass is cut and the walls are painted. In reality it should be much more than that. For me personally, I'm seeing a huge challenge in the way Stephen lived his life regardless of who was around. He didn't care what kind of threats were out there. He only cared about his God and he lived for Him. So much so, that people could see it on his face. I want to be THAT kind of chrisitian!