Paul’s 2nd Mission Journey

Title ideas:Paul experienced many difficulties as he traveled to other far towns to encourage believers in Jesus. Paul and Silas sing in prison.Paul, the Jailor, Lydia and the slave girl.[Are you] in a prison?

Paul and Barnabas stayed in Jerusalem several months [changes of the moon]. One day Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we have preached. Then we can know whether they are continuing to obey Jesus well."

Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them. But Paul did not want him to go with them because Mark had left them and gone home during their first journey. They did not agree, so they decided to go different pathways [ways].

Barnabas took Mark and they got on a ship and sailed [traveled / went] to the big island called Cyprus (which was the first place they visited on their other / first trip). Paul invited a man named Silas to go with him and they traveled [walked] on the road. When they arrived at a town where there were Christians, they encouraged those believers.

Among the believers in one town, Paul met a young man whose name was Timothy. Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him.

They [Paul, Silas and Timothy] continued to visit the Christians in various towns. They encouraged them. The believers became more confident to trust Jesus. Also more people chose to obey [follow / accept] Jesus’ teaching.

Paul and his friends wanted to go to towns further north, but the Holy Spirit would not let them. Then, one night, Paul saw a vision. He saw a man begging him, saying, "Come west [toward the sunset] to my country and help [teach] us!"

In the morning, when Paul told his friends about the man he saw in his vision, they recognized that God wanted them to go to preach in that country in the west. So they made preparations to go and quickly left.

Paul and his friends traveled on a ship and then walked a day to get to that country. They went on to the largest town of that area, which the people called Philippi.

When they learned that the Jews who lived in that town [Philippi] were meeting and praying outside the town near a river, they went there [to the meeting]. They sat down with the people who had gathered there and talked with them.

One of those people was [a woman named] Lydia. God helped her to believe the truth about Jesus. She and all her family and [house] servants believed and they were baptized. Then Lydia invited Paul and his friends, “You all are welcome to stay at my home.”

Paul and his friends stayed more days in Philippi. On another day, Paul and Silas walked past a girl on the street. She began to follow them, shouting [in a distracting / annoying / sarcastic way], “The strongest God of all gods has sent these men here! They are telling everyone the way in which God forgives people their sins!"

The girl shouted like that every occasion when Paul and Silas passed by on that road/street. [That girl told people their futures / fortunes, and thus people paid her owners money. She spoke what an evil spirit told her to say.]

Finally, after some days being annoyed by the girl, Paul turned to her and said to the evil spirit in her, “God’s Chosen man Jesus, authorizes me! I command you to stop speaking through this girl! Leave her now!" And the evil spirit left her that very moment!

There were two men who owned that girl as their slave. They quickly understood that the evil spirit had left the girl. They knew that they would get no more money from people for telling them what might happen in their future. They became very angry with Paul and Silas, So they with others seized them and dragged them to the community center and complained to the community elders.

Those community elders did not ask carefully what bad action Paul and Silas might have done. They commanded the police to pull off their shirts and beat them with sticks. They commanded the police to throw Paul and Silas into prison. They told the prison boss to guard them carefully.

So the prison boss put them in a cell far inside the prison and fastened [locked] their feet in blocks of wood. In the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were praying loudly and singing songs to honor God. The other prisoners were listening to them.

Suddenly there was a very big earthquake! The walls were shaken and all the doors suddenly broke open! Also every prisoner was freed (from their bonds).

When the prison boss awoke and commanded servants to light torches, he saw the open doors, he thought all the prisoners had escaped from the prison. He wanted to kill himself because he knew he would be killed by the community elders. But Paul saw him and shouted, "Don't hurt yourself! We are all here!"

Then the prison boss brought Paul and Silas outside and asked them, "I am a sinful man! What must I do so that God might forgive my sins and rescue me from God’s condemnation?"

Paul and Silas said. "Believe in Jesus! Choose to obey him as your Lord [Boss], and God will rescue you and forgive your sins." Then the prison boss with all his family and servants believed in Jesus.

Then the prison boss washed and put medicine on their wounds and gave them food. Then Silas baptized the man and all his people. His whole family was very joyful [happy].

The next day the community elders recognized their mistake and asked Paul to forgive them. Paul agreed. So the elders escorted Paul and Silas away from the prison. Then Paul and Silas encouraged the Christians at Lydia's house and went to another town.