Acts 16:31

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:1-40

The Expansion Of The Word In Cyprus and Asia Minor, With Satan’s Counterattack Being Defeated at an Assembly In Jerusalem, Which is Then Followed By Further Ministry (13:1-18:22). Jerusalem having forfeited its Messiah and its right to evangelise the world, the torch now passes to Antioch. For in his presentation of the forward flow of ‘the word’ Luke now had to find the next great forwards movement and he found it at Syrian Antioch. From there at the instigation of the Holy Spirit (the Holy... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:6-40

The Mission to Europe (16:6-19:20). Paul’s plans now seemed to begin to go awry. All doors seemed to be closing to him as in one way or another he was first hindered from going one way, and then another. But unknown to him it was to be the commencement of the mission to Europe. Why then does Luke emphasise these negative responses? It was in order to underline that when the move to go forward did come it was decisively under God’s direction. He was saying, ‘the Spirit bade him go’. We need not... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:12-40

Ministry in Philippi From the House of Lydia (16:12b-40). The arrival in Europe was clearly seen by Luke as very important. He illustrates the successful ministry there by a threefold description of Paul’s effectiveness which covers a wealthy businesswoman, a slave girl and a jail proprietor, three different grades in a multiple society. And two of these along with their households, included servants and slaves. The threefoldness stresses the completeness of the success of the ministry. They... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:19-34

Arrest and Imprisonment Lead To Additions To The Church In Philippi (16:19-34). But the problem was that what he had done would hit at men’s pockets. They did not care about the girl herself, they had not cared that she was making a nuisance of herself, they were not too concerned about what it meant to the gods, but they were concerned about one thing , and that was Mammon. What had happened would lose them a great deal of money and the result was that they were angry. They were a picture of... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:31

‘And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your house.” ’ The reply came back immediately. Paul and Silas declared to him that the way in which both he and his house could be saved was by response to ‘the Lord, even Jesus’. That was the ‘Lord’ he should look to. Only in Jesus, ‘the Lord’ (which would be recognised by a Gentile as denoting someone who was divine), was there safety, security and salvation. Note that the saving of all depended on the belief of each.... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 16:19-34

Acts 16:19-Nahum : . Imprisonment of Paul and Silas. The Prison Broken.— The “ rulers” ( Acts 16:19) are the heads of police; they are afterwards called Strategi, which answers to the Roman Prœ tores. Philippi was a colony, its magistrates were Roman, duoviri, and had the fasces, the Roman rods, showing their power to order a beating. The missionaries are accused of making a disturbance in the city, being Jews (Jews are generally unpopular, and at Philippi they are not strong), and of... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - Acts 16:31

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; this is the sum of the gospel. Christ, apprehended by faith, serves for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, as 1 Corinthians 1:30. But then this precious faith must be such as works by love, as purifies the heart, Acts 15:9, as overcometh the world, 1 John 5:4, as quenches the fiery darts of the devil, Ephesians 6:16, and is deservedly called, a most holy faith, Jude 1:20. Thou shalt be saved, and thy house; thou shalt by this means come to... read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - Acts 16:19-40

CRITICAL REMARKSActs 16:19. The rulers, ἄρχοντες, were the town magistrates (Luke 12:58).Acts 16:20. The magistrates, στρατηγοί, were the two chief civic authorities (dunmviri) in a Roman colony town, and were usually styled prætors.Acts 16:20-21. Being Jews—i.e., belonging to the despised race, whom Claudius had shortly before banished from Rome (Acts 18:2); and being Romans—i.e., in proud contrast to the hated sons of Abraham. “The distinction between ὑπάρχων and ὤν seems to be that the... read more

William Nicoll

Sermon Bible Commentary - Acts 16:29-31

Acts 16:29-31 Note: I. What a "manifold wisdom" is the wisdom of God! how infinitely various are His ways in the work of the conversion of souls and the bringing of sinners to Himself! One is never more struck with this than in comparing the two records of conversion which this chapter contains and which befel in the same city the conversion of Lydia and the conversion of the Philippian jailer. The first, what a quiet work! the evening dews do not light more gently, more imperceptibly on the... read more

Charles Simeon

Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae - Acts 16:29-31

DISCOURSE: 1787THE CONVERSION OF THE JAILORActs 16:29-31. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved.VARIOUS are the ways in which God effects the conversion of sinners to himself. Some he draws by the attractive influences of his Spirit; causing his word to distil as dew upon their souls, and... read more

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