What two cities did Paul pass through on the way to Thessalonica?
What custom of his did he continue when he reached Thessalonica?
How many Sabbaths did he reason with them? What did he use to reason with them from?
What did he explain?
What type of people formed the largest group who were persuaded?
How were the unpersuaded Jews feeling?
What type of people did those Jews form their mob from?
Whose house did they attack? Why?
When they didn’t find Paul and Silas, what did they do? What statement did they make?
What accusation did they make against Paul and Silas?
What did they do before they let Jason go?
Where did the brethren send Paul and Silas that night?
Where did Paul and Silas go as soon as they arrived there?
What description was given of the Bereans? What two things did they do?
What was the result of these actions?
Who came from outside to stir up those crowds?
What did the brethren do then (like they did in Thessalonica?)
Who stayed behind?
Where did his companions bring Paul? What command was to be given to Silas and Timothy?

Thought Questions

What did Paul have to use when he reasoned with the Jews that he didn’t have when he reasoned with the Athenians? (Verse 2)
Think about how you would explain to someone how Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. What Scripture texts would you use (from the Old Testament, like Paul had to use)?
Why do you think more devout Greeks were persuaded by Paul than Jews?
What do you think the other Jews were jealous of? What was their motive for trying to attack the apostles?
What was the meaning of their accusation, “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” Have you been a part of turning the world upside down?
How has Christianity changed the world in your current society? Can you see non-Christians getting upset by the world “turned upside down” where you are? What are their reasons?
What made the Berean Jews more fair-minded than the others? Do you search the Scriptures daily to find out whether the things you are taught by your pastors and teachers are true?

My prayer is:
That the Lord would guide my study so that I might be able to reason with others regarding Christ from the Scriptures;
That, like the Bereans, I would be “fair-minded” and open to the truth of Christ, daily searching the scriptures to find out if what I’m hearing is true;
And that even the enemies of Christ would acknowledge that my work for God is “turning the world upside down.”

What was the route to Philippi?
Describe what kind of city Philippi was.
On what day did Paul and his companions go to the riverside to find the people who were praying?
What gender of worshippers were mentioned?
What was the name of the woman who heard him? What was her occupation? Where was she from?
Who did Lydia worship? Who opened her heart?
What happened to her and her household? What did she ask the apostles to do?
Who met them as they went to prayer? Describe her circumstance.
What did the girl say as she followed the apostles?
What was Paul’s reaction to this? What did he do?
What did the girl’s masters do when they found out?
What was their accusation?
What was the result? What punishments did they inflict on Paul and Silas?
What were Paul and Silas doing in prison at midnight? Who was listening to them?
What happened next?
Why was the jailer going to kill himself?
What did Paul say to stop him?
What was the jailer’s question for Paul and Silas?
What was the answer (in one short phrase)?
What did Paul and Silas do to follow up?
What did the jailer do for them?
Who else believed and was baptized along with the jailer?
What was the jailer’s final reaction to his newfound belief, emotionally?
Who sent word to let Paul and Silas go?
What was Paul’s response?
When the magistrates heard what Paul said, what bit of information made them afraid?
What did the magistrates do?
Where did Paul and Silas go first? What did they do there?

Thought Questions

What day did the worshippers in Philippi gather to pray? Did Paul give them any indication that they should worship on another day? (See also ch. 14:42, 44)
What type of people did the Macedonian worshippers (“the man of Macedonia”) turn out to be?(verse 13) What can you learn about the respect the apostles had for women from the story of Lydia?
In what way was Lydia a faithful witness of Christ? What can you learn from her?
How do you think the possessed servant girl knew the truth about Paul and the apostles? Why do you think she was persistently repeating it? Why did that bother Paul so much?
Did the accusation of the girl’s masters have anything to do with what they were actually angry at? Has this happened in other circumstances in the Bible? How about in your life? What can you do when your enemies invent unrelated accusations to cover their anger over something completely different?
Who was listening to Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns in prison? Could you pray and sing hymns aloud in those circumstances? How do you think it, along with the earthquake situation, affected the other prisoners?
What could Paul have done when the earthquake released his bonds? What would you have done? Why do you think Paul saved his jailer?
Name all of the elements from this story that probably influenced the jailer’s conversion. How many of those can you apply to your situations in life to affect those you come in contact with?
How did the jailer, then, show kindness to Paul? How does conversion to a Godly life affect a person?
Was Paul’s response to the magistrates when they let him go surprising to you? Was it a good move for him? Even as patient and long suffering Christians, is it acceptable to fight for the rights we fully deserve?
When you look over the course of this entire story, what examples do you see of God working all things out for good?

My prayer is:
That I, like Paul, would show kindness to those in bondage to evil;
that I, like Lydia and the jailer, would show hospitality to my brothers and sisters in Christ and meet their needs;
And that I would be able to trust that God can turn a difficult situation to glorify Him to others.

Which cities did Paul suggest to Barnabas that they visit? What did he want to find out?
Who was Barnabas determined to take with them?
Why didn’t Paul want to take him?
Who did Barnabas take and where did he go?
Who did Paul take and where did he go?
What did Paul do along his journey?
Where did Paul find Timothy?
What national background were his parents of?
Why did Paul have Timothy circumcised?
What did Paul and Timothy do as they went through the cities?
What was the result in the churches?
What two regions did they go through next?
Who forbade them to go preach in Asia?
Where else were they not permitted to go?
Where did they end up?
Where was the man in the vision calling Paul to come to?

Thought Questions

Is it important to have companions on your missionary work? Why?
Is it ok for Christians to disagree? How about “sharp contention?” Do you think sometimes even Christians should part from another because of their disagreements?
Do you think God worked for good through Paul and Barnabas’s situation, even their contention? How? Have you seen negative situations turning out for good in your life?
Review the situation and its resolution in the first half of chapter 15. Why, then, did Paul have Timothy circumcised? How should we work with people in other cultures, even if we don’t hold the same beliefs? How was the situation with Timothy (16:3) different from the previous situation (15:24)?
How was the early Christian church structured? (16:4) What was the advantage of having a group of authorities in Jerusalem decide the decrees, rather than the local churches? What was the result (verse 5)? How is your church structured, and does it produce the same result?
Did God not want the people of Bithynia to hear His word? (Read 1 Peter 1:1) What are some reasons you can think of why the Holy Spirit would not permit Paul and Timothy to preach in certain places, or perhaps at that time?

My prayer is:
That I would understand that conflicts may be unavoidable, even among my fellow Christians, but through prayer and wisdom I would trust God to guide us to an outcome that is according to His will;
And that I would go tell others about Christ in the places where God calls me to go, trusting that His wisdom will guide me most effectively.