Acts 16:1 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.
As Paul set out on his second missionary journey with Silas, bringing with him the decision of the Jerusalem Council, God provided new friends for the journey, as well as those whose homes would become places to which he could return later. Mentioned here is Timothy, but by the end of the chapter he will have been invited into the homes of Lydia and the Philippian Jailer, baptizing the households of both new believers. But he would also face a number of new foes: the owners of the fortune-telling slave, and many who did not want to be challenged by the message of repentance. We also find that Paul keeps moving forward into new provinces, going wherever God will allow, to preach the good news of the Kingdom. If we are faithful to our call, we will experience the same: new friends, new foes, and a focused life that can take us places we would never expect.
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