Acts 16 | Taking Risks预览

Acts 16 gives a glimpse into taking risks from a posture of faith for the kingdom of God in the face of unknown outcomes.

Let’s set the stage. Acts 15 ends with Paul and Barnabas going separate ways. Barnabas and Mark set out for Cyprus; this is where Barnabas is from. It’s the last we’ll hear of them in the Acts storyline.

Paul is now traveling with Silas, hitting the churches he and Barnabas had planted earlier. In Acts 16, Paul picks up Timothy in a town called Derbe, and later, Luke, the author of Acts, in a town called Troas. It’s turning into a road trip, and the rest of Acts shifts to Luke’s first-hand account. (Below is a map taken from NT Wright’s Acts for Everyone to help guide you.)

Timothy is a Gentile. Since Paul is traveling to churches planted out of synagogues with a deep Jewish culture, and in order to remove any stumbling blocks to Jewish evangelism, he circumcises Timothy (despite Acts 15!) while simultaneously spreading the word that circumcision is not necessary. Before meeting Luke in Troas, Paul and his crew want to go into Asia (that is, Ephesus, Smyrna, and the western coastal region of Türkiye), but we’re told the Holy Spirit won’t allow them. Weird.

So they go another route, have a vision asking them to come to Macedonia, and act on it. The gospel has now crossed the continental divide from Asia to Europe. This brings them to a Roman colony called Philippi (think Philippians) in what we commonly think of as Greece. Here they free a demon-oppressed slave girl. The city turns on them, beats them and flogs them, and they find themselves in prison awaiting judgment.

In jail, God performs another miraculous intervention to free them, but instead of fleeing, they witness to the jailer. The result? He and his entire household are saved. At the end we find out the whole arrest was an intimidation move to get them out of town.

Think of the risks.

Paul takes a risk on new ministry partners in Silas, Luke, and Timothy. Especially Timothy, given the possible offense he might cause in the Jewish synagogues as an uncircumcised Gentile. How will this work? How will people respond to him? Will this new band be effective? Will God use them as effectively as he used Paul and Barnabas?

Silas, Luke, and Timothy risk a journey into the unknown. Timothy risks getting circumcised, despite the fact he doesn’t have to. What will he face? What else will he have to sacrifice? Where is God leading them?

Together they risk uncharted courses to where God is leading. Despite wanting to stay safer near Paul’s homeland on the Turkish peninsula, they trust the guidance of the Holy Spirit and respond to a vision to travel farther and deeper into Gentile country and Roman colonies.

They go into the lion’s den: Philippi, a Roman colony. They free a woman despite the personal cost. They linger to minister to the very jailer imprisoning them instead of grabbing at the first chance of freedom!

Following Jesus means taking risks.

It’s been said the only way to truly discover the depths of what God is calling us to do is by stepping out of our comfort zones and taking leaps of faith. Following Jesus leads to a willingness to do whatever it takes to be obedient to him. This will sometimes mean taking risks we think God is asking us to make, or if we think it can unleash a movement of God.

Acts 16 gives a glimpse into some of those risks. Our hope is that this plan both encourages you to take the risks God wants you to take, and discern when to take them. Today, simply start by reading the story of what happened in Acts 16.