Title: The Vision Paul Saw
Contents
Paul's vision
Acts 16:1-10
They would leave even when they were persecuted, and when they were persecuted from the place they moved to, they would leave again.
Look at verses 1-2.
After breaking up with Barnabas, the apostle Paul took Silas from Antioch to Syria and Cilicia.
And they came to Derbe and Lystra. There he meets Timothy.
This process proves that the Holy Spirit intervened. For the Holy Spirit to intervene, Paul himself was not. This is the intervention of the Holy Spirit. When Paul makes a plan to do this, the Holy Spirit changes it.
Here is the mystery of God, the providence that people do not understand.
You can see that there is a door that God opens, and that there is one who opens.
First of all, when we look at the case of Barnabas and Paul breaking up, in fact, Paul had no intention of breaking up with Barnabas. He was planning to go on a second missionary trip with Barnabas.
In 15:36, we see a scene where Paul asks Barnabas to go on a missionary journey together.
The same thing happened in the direction of the evangelistic journey. Paul wants to go back to the area he had previously visited through the island of Gururo. But Barnabas and Mark went to that area first.
Since they are going to that area first, Paul wants to go to that area, so the situation is difficult.
So, in the opposite direction, he goes to Syria and Cilicia, where he encounters new things that Paul did not expect. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Look at Acts 15:40- 16:1
Dear saints,
Meeting this young Timothy has a very special meaning in the book of Acts and in Paul's ministry.
Timothy was a child of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. And when I look at my mother, she is the 3rd generation Christian. He was born into a believing family.
Such Timothy accepted the gospel on Paul's first missionary journey. He seems to have been greatly shocked and challenged by Paul. The relationship between Timothy and Paul was very special.
It was Timothy who always followed Paul during his ministry. Paul wrote 13 books of the New Testament, of which 2 epistles were sent to Timothy. And in 2 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and at the beginning of Philemon, it is written that I, Paul and my brother Timothy.
Dear saints,
Paul had an unexpected co-worker. However, when I was working with Timothy, something unexpected happened. Look at verse 3.
Why was Timothy not circumcised? The Bible does not explain why in detail.
But when you look at your family situation, you will be influenced by your father when you see that your father is Greek and your mother is Jewish. With this Timothy, Paul thought about preaching, so circumcision became a problem.
Even then, circumcision was a problem for Jews.
So Paul takes Timothy, circumcises him, and takes him to preach.
Here we find Paul's duality. What got him excited, arguing and going all the way to the Jerusalem church? He argued that circumcision should not be burdened with burden.
And it was because of circumcision that Peter was criticized in Galatians 2:11-13.
Why does Paul do such a thing? It doesn't matter whether Paul is circumcised or not. If the Jews need it, they will get it, and if the Gentiles are having a hard time, they do not need to be circumcised. It is good as long as you believe only in Esu. Paul's interest is only in preaching the gospel and making believers believe in Jesus.