Lesson 22_Pt2

Lesson 22_Pt2

Acts 16:11-40

​Memory Verse: Psalm 44:7 (NKJV)

​“But You have saved us from our enemies and have put to shame those who hated us.”

​Memory Verse: Psalm 44:7 (NKJV)

​“But You have _____ us from our _______ and have put to ______ those who ______ us.”

This slave girl was not a believer and did not have the Holy Spirit living inside her heart. She had an evil spirit living inside her. The evil spirit enabled this slave girl to predict the future. Her owners made a lot of money from this slave girl because many people paid them to have her tell them their future.​

​Knowing this about the slave girl, was there anything wrong with the message she was giving?

The Holy Spirit gives insight into situations that seem to be normal. Let’s read Acts 16:18. The Holy Spirit enabled Paul to realise that it was time to put a stop to what the slave girl was doing.

Try to imagine what it would be like to be in Philippi sharing the Good News with others. A person who is known as the town’s fortune teller is following you around as a shouting billboard, telling others that you are servants of the Most-High God. Would the shouting cause people to want to listen to Paul’s message or was the shouting causing people to focus on the fortune teller?

​We can tell from the Scripture that the Holy Spirit enabled Paul to see that this girl wasn’t a messenger from the Most-High God but rather, was a servant of Satan. The Holy Spirit empowered Paul to command the evil spirit controlling the slave girl to leave, and in Jesus’ Name the evil spirit obeyed and left the girl. The Holy Spirit enabled Paul to stop this slave girl from being used by the evil spirit to distract others from coming to Jesus and being saved.

The slave girl had been set free and was no longer controlled by the evil spirit. This was a good thing, but her owners were not very happy with what Paul did. Her owners made lots of money from this slave girl.

Now that she was not able to be a fortune teller, they weren’t going to be able to make money. This made them very angry with Paul and Silas.

They grabbed Paul and Silas, dragged them into the marketplace and brought them before the rulers of the city.

They told the authorities, “These men are causing trouble for our city because they are Jews, and are telling others about things which we Romans are not able to accept or follow.”

The leaders tore off Paul and Silas’ robes and commanded that they be beaten. The crowd joined in the attack against them and beat them with rods.

They hit them with these rods many times and then threw them into prison.

The leaders commanded the man in charge of the prison to make sure that they were secured and would not get out.

​

​The jailer took Paul and Silas far back into an inner prison that had no outside walls and put their feet into blocks of wood called stocks.

This type of imprisonment was meant for the most dangerous prisoners. Paul and Silas had not done anything wrong to be treated this way. They were not a danger to anyone except Satan’s kingdom of darkness.

If they were free to share the Good News, people would be rescued from sin and saved to spend eternity with Jesus.

PRAYER​

Announcement

• KidsAlive in 2 Jan 2022 is Open Meeting

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Multiple Choice

Paul and Silas encountered a servant girl who could

• shout very loudly

• predict the future

• follow Paul

• draw attention to herself

Multiple Choice

This servant girl was not a messenger of the Most High God but a servant of

• Paul

• God

• Satan

• Silas

Multiple Choice

The Holy Spirit enabled Paul to stop this slave girl from being used by the evil spirit to _______ others from coming to Jesus and being saved.

• distract

• telling

• shout to

Multiple Choice

The slave girl had been set free and was no longer controlled by the evil spirit,

but her owners were not very happy because

they made lots of _____ from this slave girl.

• publicity

• money

• follower

• sound

Multiple Choice

The owners of the servant girl grabbed Paul and Silas,

dragged them into the marketplace

and brought them before the _____ of the city.

• people

• Christians

• rulers

• police

Multiple Choice

If Paul and Silas were free to share the Good News,

people would be rescued from sin and

saved to spend ______ with Jesus.

• a year

• a day

• eternity

• many years