Spread the Word and follow the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:1-10).

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, July 13, 2025

One of my favorite movies is called, The Patriot. In that movie, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a leader during the Revolutionary War. He leads the militia. There is a scene in which he is recruiting for the militia. He walks into a pub, and a companion says, “I think we are in the wrong place.” Martin says, “God save King George.” When they hear that many people throw knives at him. Benjamin Martin knew where to go to recruit.  Likewise, in today’s passage, the Apostle Paul recruits Timothy.

One of today’s challenges is to target your audience effectively. The challenge is to eliminate barriers. Just like Mel Gibson recognized that if he wanted to recruit militia to fight against the British, he should go to the pub, so we must recognize where and how we are to minister.

My theme today: Spread the Word and follow the Holy Spirit.

1. Let’s talk about Timothy.
   1. Read with me:
   2. Acts 16:1–5 (ESV)
   3. Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴ As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem. ⁵ So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
   4. We know that Paul was on his second missionary journey, and he is traveling backwards through the cities.
   5. He sees a “disciple” there named Timothy.
   6. Notice the modifiers. Timothy was a “disciple.”
   7. This means he was a follower of Jesus. He was an apprentice.
   8. He was the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.
   9. Paul chooses Timothy. We see this in verse 3. Something stood out to Paul that made him want to take Timothy along.
   10. Timothy is likely around eighteen years old. It is possible and probable that Paul met Timothy during his first missionary journey, and he would have been saved at that time.
   11. Do you know what I think stood out to Paul about Timothy? Do you know what ought to stand out to us? Will this stand out to our community as well?
   12. Verse 2 says that the believers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
   13. That corresponds with 1 Timothy 3:7, which is a requirement for a church elder. A requirement for a church elder is that they have a good reputation in the community.
   14. I was reading an article that talked about signs of churches that are struggling, and one sign is that struggling churches do not have enough transformation(s). At some point, Timothy had a transformation. But one sign of an unhealthy church is that they do not have enough testimonies of people passing from death to life. When we see these testimonies, people want something like that.
   15. I was speaking with another pastor, a pastor who had planted a church, and I asked him how the church had grown. He said that at one point, they led a man to Christ, and that man would deal drugs to many people in the area, and when everyone in the community saw the transformation in him, they, one by one, became Christians as well. It was not his amazing faith; it was just the amazing transformation.
   16. By the way, 2 Timothy 3:14 says that from childhood, Timothy had been familiar with the sacred writings. Timothy was raised according to Jewish ways. But not Christian ways.
   17. Timothy had a transformation, and MORE THAN THAT— now, verse 2 says that the believers in Lystra and Iconium speak well of him. Praise God!
   18. Now what about Paul and Timothy: Paul considered him a “son” (cf. 1 Cor 4:17; 1 Tim 1:2). Not only did he address two letters to him, but he also listed him as cosender in six others (2 Cor 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:1; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; Phlm 1). He considered him his “fellow worker” (Rom 16:21; cf. 1 Cor 16:10) and, indeed, as much more—“as a son with his father” in the work of the gospel (Phil 2:22).
   19. Now, let’s get back to audience analysis. Remember what I shared from the movie The Patriot. If you are going to go fight the British, where are you going to recruit your militia? Likewise, is it important to analyze your audience in evangelism?
   20. In verse 3, it says Paul circumcised Timothy, but why? We just got done talking about a chapter and this big church council stated that it was not necessary. This was necessary for the non-Christians, not for the Christians. Also, Timothy’s mother and his grandmother were Jewish. This made him, in certain customary ways, Jewish. So, to the Jews, he was Jewish. So, for Paul, he wanted to remove barriers; he wanted to be able to take Timothy into the synagogue and have him preach there alongside non-Christian Jews. This was necessary.
   21. After this, Paul went from city to city spreading the news about the Jerusalem Council. Paul was obedient to the council. Then, in verse 5, we see one of Luke’s common summary statements: So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
2. Now, we see Paul obey the Holy Spirit’s lead.
   1. In verses 6-8, the Spirit tells Paul and his companions not to go north or south.
   2. Acts 16:6–8 (ESV)
   3. ⁶ And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
   4. They pass through the Phrygia and Galatia area. Remember that Paul later wrote a letter to the Galatians.
   5. Interesting that we can do studies and we can know that Paul likely took a common Roman Road called the Via Sebaste, which was a Roman military road.
   6. But the next part is most interesting. They were forbidden or kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the Word in Asia. Now, this is not the same as modern Asia. This would be more like modern Turkey.
   7. What do you do when you are kept or forbidden from doing something? The Apostle Paul was a driven personality. He got things done. Nothing stood in his way, but right here, we see that God is His master and He obeys.
   8. In today’s day, we have action movies where the main characters are celebrated for disobeying commands. I think of Jack Bauer in the hit show. In just about every season, he is on the run, yet he is saving the country. Our culture celebrates rebellion. Not in this case.
   9. The Apostle Paul is submissive to the Holy Spirit.
   10. In verse 7, they were trying to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them.
   11. Paul obeys the Holy Spirit’s lead.
   12. The celebrated Browns Coach, Paul Brown, was a football genius. He was also in charge, no one crossed him. One day, he was sending the player out with the play, and the quarterback, Otto Graham, shook his head “No.” There was a look of terror on the player’s face. That young player did not want to go back and tell Paul Brown “No.” In reality, Otto Graham was just playing a trick; Otto Graham was not a rebel.
   13. Neither was the Apostle Paul, he recognized that Jesus was the Lord. Do we? Do we understand that He is in charge? We have strayed from a society in which we recognize what it means to serve a sovereign King. We think that our voice always matters. Certainly, God’s Word says that He wants and even desires to hear from us, but He is the Lord. He has no room for rebels in His Kingdom. He is the Lord.
   14. Some have asked me, “Why should I serve Jesus?” Why should you follow Jesus’s “Yes” and Jesus’s “No”? You are bought with a price. Jesus has redeemed you and set you free. He died in your place and saved you. Jesus loves you and loves us all (John 3:16; Romans 3:21-31). Jesus has called you to take part in what He is doing. To some extent, He gives you a choice, but He is the Lord. Listen, your sovereign Lord has called you on a mission. How do you know? You are here. If you are a Christian, you are called to be a follower of Christ, and you are called to be a part of His army, a part of His mission. He is your Lord. He is Your King. Notice that the Apostle Paul did not waver; he did not rebel.
   15. Paul’s obedience in traveling through these cities in verse 6 meant something like a 400-mile difference in journey? All by foot!
3. In verses 9-10, Paul is told by the Spirit to go west. Paul continues to obey.
   1. Acts 16:9–10 (ESV)
   2. ⁹ And 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.” ¹⁰ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
   3. A vision appears to Paul in the night.
   4. Paul is told to come to Macedonia.
   5. Why? They are to go down there to help them.
   6. In verse 10, they immediately decide to go down and preach the Gospel to them.
   7. Notice that Paul received two “no’s” and then a “yes.” Notice that Paul was obedient.
4. Are we seeking the Holy Spirit? Are we in a place to hear from God?

1. 1. God speaks through His Word, the Bible. Are we in the Bible? The Holy Spirit will speak to us through the Bible.
   2. God speaks through the church, especially smaller groups and prayer partners. Are we connected?
   3. God speaks through our reason. Are we learning?
   4. All the other avenues must be confirmed by God’s Word.

Close:

When Mercedes and Abigail were younger, they would get scared and come to our room at night. Do you think we told them to go back to bed alone? It was rare if we ever did that. When Mercedes was three years old, I woke up and Mercedes said, “It is scary in my room, there is thunder and lightning, and she proceeded to climb into our bed.” There was no questioning. But you know what, she was three years old.

God wants a relationship with us in which we can hear His “no” and His “yes.” Further, God wants a relationship with us in which we can honestly cry out to Him saying, “I am scared, there is thunder and lightning.” We can do that if we are a child of God.

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray