Act 16:1-21  They Delivered the Decrees… of the Apostles and Elders

[Study Aired May 28, 2023]

Before we continue following the chronology of Paul’s second journey, let us consider what would have happened if Peter, Paul, and Barnabas had rejected the counsel of their elders. The complete church will do just that and reject the counsel of their elders towards the end of Paul’s life when he tells Timothy:

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

“All they which are in Asia” refers to “the seven churches of Asia” to whom the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ is addressed:

Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
Rev 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

It is this same ‘John’ who also tells us that the apostasy of the church was so complete before his death that “Diotrephes… cast… out of the church” those whom John had sent to them:

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

‘Loving to have preeminence’ is just another way of saying “the pride of life”, which is the last and most insidious of the three categories which encapsulate “all that is in this [evil and wicked] world”:

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, [1] the lust of the flesh, and [2] the lust of the eyes, and [3] the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Doctrinal differences, as we have learned, are commanded to be settled within the body of Christ by seeking the counsel of the elders. That counsel is rejected only because of “the pride of life” which afflicts us all, especially when we are given an “idol of the heart” (Eze 14:4). When “all they which be in Asia” and when “the seven churches of Asia” apostatize, they do so because they are sent “an evil spirit from the Lord” which causes them to make the conscious decision to ignore the counsel of their elders and cling to idols of their heart (Eze 14:4), and follow “false apostles” who ‘appear as angels of light’ to “draw away disciples after them” (Act 20:30). Paul had been made to know this would happen in his own lifetime. This is what he prophesied to the elders of the church of Ephesus:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

Notice that Paul’s admonition is addressed to the “overseers” of the Lord’s flock. Nevertheless, his words apply to “yourselves” whether we are overseers of the Lord’s flock or overseers of His words within us… “take heed to yourselves” that the pride of life does not cause me or you to attach ourselves to an idol of our heart which not even the consensus of your leaders can persuade you is rank heresy:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

False prophets, who bring in false doctrines, have never sought the counsel of their elders. They dare not do so lest their heresies be revealed for what they are. False prophets always think that they and Jesus have it all worked out, and they do not need anyone to tell them they are dead wrong.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

There is nothing new under the sun, and there is no doubt that false apostles “of your own selves” have been a key to the scattering of the Lord’s flock throughout all the generations since Christ. We ourselves have seen it happen on more than one occasion. Men who had been appointed as elders in our own fellowship and by our own leaders, were sent an evil spirit from the Lord which insisted that there is no natural element to the Lord’s words. “After all”, they told us, “Christ Himself said, ‘The words that I say unto thee, they are spirit, and they are life.’” As mentioned earlier in this study, just because Christ says His words are spirit, does not mean that there are no words which have a natural application. We are in fact told the exact opposite:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

All the spiritual doctrines of Christ and His Father are only understood “by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead”:

Rom 1:19  Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [How has ‘God shown it unto them?]
Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

“The things that are made” are the things which all natural men can see. Therefore ‘the things that are made are not spiritual because:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

Heb 11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds [G165: ‘aions’, our lives] were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

If the spiritual realm is “not first… but that which is natural” is first, then it cannot be taught that “The resurrection is past already” because there has not yet been a “things that are seen” resurrection. This natural realm must first witness a resurrection from the dead of people who can then say, “Handle me… for a spirit has not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” before there can be a resurrection with no “flesh and bones” involved.

Luk 24:39  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Yet that was, and is the ‘fullness now… everything is spiritual’ doctrine against which the apostles were fighting and against which we are still fighting:

2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

I used to wonder how anyone could teach such a falsehood. Now I understand clearly how many are led astray by the doctrines of Hymenaeus and Philetus. Now I know how they were able to deceive so many. The false ‘fullness now… everything is spiritual now’ doctrine is “profane and vain babbling” which “overthrows the faith of some.” That doctrine teaches that the “blessed and holy first resurrection… the marriage supper of the Lamb, the ensuing thousand-year reign, the rebellion which follows the thousand-year reign, and even the great white throne judgment, are one and all being experienced spiritually within us here and now, and none of these future events will ever be manifested in an outward and natural fulfillment.

One thing wrong with that doctrine is that it denies that death will ever be destroyed because it denies that flesh will ever stop being produced generation after generation.

The false doctrine of ‘fullness now… everything is spiritual now’ leads one back to the false doctrine of an immortal soul. That is the only way they can inherit the kingdom of heaven if everything is fulfilled in this present time and if all the promises are only inward and spiritual here and now. That false doctrine, which was sent into our midst, denies the order of the events which the scriptures reveal must take place. It denies there will ever be an outward kingdom of God which will rule over the literal kingdoms of this world. If there is no literal kingdom of God ruling over the natural, literal kingdoms of this world, then death will never be destroyed. Here, on the other hand is what the scriptures teach:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: [1] Christ the firstfruits; [2] afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  [3] Then cometh the end [all the rest ‘in Adam’], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

The Lord was merciful to us and kept us from being swept away by the flood of lies that passed over us all just a few years ago. Nevertheless, there is one more lesson we must all learn from that painful experience. As most of us know, we had eleven elders at that time to whom we all looked for spiritual nourishment. We did not see it until we “looked behind [us]” and saw what the Lord had done. When it was all over then we realized that the Lord had done with us the same thing He did when he decided to divide the nation of Israel in the days of Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. When Rehoboam was approached by the representatives of the people of Israel pleading with him to lower the taxes which Solomon had imposed upon them to finance all his building projects and his military, Rehoboam at first sought the counsel of the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. Here is that story:

1Ki 12:4  Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
1Ki 12:5  And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
1Ki 12:6  And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
1Ki 12:7  And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
1Ki 12:8  But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
1Ki 12:9  And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
1Ki 12:10  And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins.
1Ki 12:11  And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
1Ki 12:12  So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.
1Ki 12:13  And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
1Ki 12:14  And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
1Ki 12:15  Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

There are no coincidences with God. It is not a coincidence that all four of the elders who were giving us such “profane and vain babbling” counsel, attempting to “overthrow [our] faith”, were the four with the least seniority among our eleven elders. Larry Groenewald, Bobby Lynch, Kenwin Thomas, Steve Crook, Aaron Lohman, Tony Cullen, and I all agreed that the doctrine that ‘everything is spiritual, and everything is fulfilled in this present time’ is an insidious false doctrine which must be denied and rooted out of our teachings. It is no coincidence that we were all the senior elders in the body of Christ who were given to see through those lies and give sound counsel to the rest of the body of Christ.

That doctrine was a deadly cancer which had been growing within the body of Christ for some time, and just like any outward surgery, it was a painful extraction, and it took a lot of time to heal the wound of that surgery. There have been many lessons which we learned through that painful experience. I am especially grateful that the Lord showed us that when the apostles went up to Jerusalem to discuss the heresy which taught that the Gentiles must be physically circumcised to be saved, they discussed the subject among themselves and “the whole multitude held their peace.” When the judgment was given, then the apostles and elders did not ‘take it to the people’ as we did during that time of trial, instead they did what Christ said to do, and they “told it to the church”:

Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them [the counselors], tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall [have been] bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall [have been] loosed in heaven.

We will now continue with the chronological order of the events which took place during the second missionary journey which Paul took, taking with him Silas who had come down to Antioch to confirm the words of the letter sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem to the Gentile converts in Antioch and the surrounding areas:

Act 16:1  Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
Act 16:2  Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
Act 16:3  Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
Act 16:4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
Act 16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
Act 16:6  Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
Act 16:7  After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
Act 16:8  And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
Act 16:9  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.
Act 16:10  And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.
Act 16:11  Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
Act 16:12  And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
Act 16:13  And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 16:14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Act 16:15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.
Act 16:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
Act 16:19  And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
Act 16:20  And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
Act 16:21  And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

On this journey, Paul begins by passing through Cilicia, where his hometown of Tarsus was located:

Act 15:40  And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
Act 15:41  And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

Then Paul travels first to the last city which he and Barnabas had evangelized on their first journey. That city is Derbe, and he goes from Derbe to Lystra where he meets a Jewish woman named Eunice, who has a son named Timothy, whom Paul spiritually adopts as his own son:

Act 16:1  Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
Act 16:2  Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

Here is how we happen to know the name of Timothy’s mother and even his grandmother. Paul reveals that he was closely acquainted with Timothy’s family:

2Ti 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,
2Ti 1:2  To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Ti 1:3  I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
2Ti 1:4  Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy;
2Ti 1:5  When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.

Now for any who think that Paul was only begrudgingly agreeing with the apostles and elders concerning the need for the Jews to remain faithful to the covenant of circumcision notice what Paul does to Timothy whose mother was a Jew:

Act 16:3  Him [Timothy] would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

Paul’s preaching at this time was in complete accord with the agreement made with the apostles and elders that the Jews still had to live under the covenant of circumcision and keep the law of Moses as our next verse demonstrates:

Act 16:4  And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
Act 16:5  And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

‘…As they went through the cities” means Paul and Timothy as well as Silas, because it is later revealed that Timothy joined Paul on this missionary journey:

2Co 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Act 16:6  Now when they [Timothy included] had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,
Act 16:7  After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
Act 16:8  And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.
Act 16:9  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.
Act 16:10  And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

Here is a map of all the places, cities and provinces that were just mentioned:

https://www.conformingtojesus.com/charts-maps/en/paul%27s_journeys_map.htm

Paul, Silas, and Timothy then sail from Troas to Samothracia and then to Neapolis, and from Neapolis they traveled to Philippi, a city in Macedonia where Paul converts a woman named Lydia and is eventually imprisoned with Silas. While they are in prison there in Philippi, the Lord sends a miraculous earthquake which frees them and all the other prisoners of their bonds and opens the doors of the prison.

Act 16:11  Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;
Act 16:12  And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.
Act 16:13  And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Act 16:14  And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.
Act 16:15  And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

It is a wonderful thing to witness how the Lord just lays the needs of His saints upon those whom He drags to Himself, and lays it upon their heart to minister to the needs of His body, “[their] own flesh”:

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7  Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

That is exactly what Lydia did. She “hid not herself from her own flesh.” She met the needs of the Lord’s saints.

Now we come to the event which caused Paul and Silas to be cast into prison under the watchful eye of the Philippian jailer, who, as we will learn in our next study also ends up being converted.

Act 16:16  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
Act 16:17  The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

The spirit in this damsel is using the Truth to draw attention to herself and to make others think that she is of herself a clairvoyant to whom they should seek for advice. The spirit reveals this to Paul, and he is inspired to cast this evil spirit out of this damsel.

Act 16:18  And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
Act 16:19  And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
Act 16:20  And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
Act 16:21  And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.

The gospel of Christ clashes with both the doctrines of the great harlot and with the doctrines of men. Those who are called to serve Christ in this age are given this sobering promise:

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

We will stop here for today, and we will see how the Lord can and does miraculously deliver us from our insoluble trials in our next study.