July through September our series is entitled: Paul's Odyssey II
Odyssey means "a long and adventurous journey or experience". It is the second of a three-part series about the life and ministry of Paul. The text for these three months will cover Acts 15 - 18, Paul's second missionary trip.

We are looking at the life and missionary trips of a man named Saul, who later became known as the Apostle Paul.
We can learn some things from this study that will apply to our own personal faith and walk with God, the nurture and care of our families, the health and growth of our church, and the way that God opens and closes doors for our lives, and How He allows obstacles to SHAPE us and provides opportunities to STRETCH us.

As Acts 15 came to an end, we saw a storm brewing, two of them actually.
The first storm was an attempt by some people to corrupt the gospel. They began to teach religious deeds as a way to earn salvation. This was resolved by a major council of the church.
The second storm was in a relationship between two Christian workers and friends; Barnabas and Paul. They had an intense disagreement that led to a serious fracture in their ministry and relationship.
When we face storms, they reveal our character and commitment to one another and the mission that God has given us!

Paul's 2nd missionary journey began in Acts 16:1-10.

Acts 16:1-2
As he arrives in Lystra, he meets someone named Timothy. We are given some information about him here in this passage as well as a few other places in the New Testament.
- Timothy is likely in his early 20's
- His mother is Jewish (her name is Eunice and grandmother is Lois) and has raised Timothy in the Jewish faith
- His mother is a believer; likely a result of the 1st missionary trip
- His father is a Greek and a Gentile who observed certain aspects of the Jewish faith. This helps us to understand how Eunice may have come to marry this man. There is no other mention of him in the Bible so he is thought to have died.
- Timothy is someone who has a good spiritual foundation and reputation
- Later in the Bible we see that Timothy becomes a faithful disciple and pastor as he proved himself under Paul's mentorship. Paul calls him "my son in the faith"
- Timothy didn't become a leader because he was entitled to it; he earned it

Application:
1. As a responsible person in your family, are you building a solid spiritual foundation in your children?
2. As a believer, are you living a godly life and establishing a solid reputation that God can use to influence others?
3. Are you faithfully submitting to the mentors in your life?

Acts 16:3

Timothy's upbringing of having a Gentile father would be a stumbling block to the Jews. The idea of circumcision in this case had nothing to do with salvation (like in Acts 15), but with acceptability. Timothy surrendered his personal rights to open a door of opportunity into the world of the Jews.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 [MSG]

Application:
What is it in your life that may be a stumbling block to someone coming to faith?

Acts 16:4-5

At this point, Paul has added Timothy to "The Band."

Application:
Teamwork is an incredibly effective method to get things done and has tremendous benefits. To make this happen, people must recognize the place of leadership, their individual role, the purpose and goals of the team, be willing to communicate, and to re-organize their priorities.

Acts 16:6-9

When we come to this passage we see that the team is on the move.
It might look like they aren't accomplishing a whole lot except getting to the place where God wants them. Two times we read that the Spirit of God was involved in the path they took.

Application:
1. The Lord will lead us to where He wants us to be.
2. We must learn the lessons that he presents in our circumstances.

Acts 16:10

In this chapter we come across something very meaningful. Looking at verse 10 we see that Luke, the author of his own gospel and the book of Acts, has joined the team...WE and US.

Application:
Effective ministry requires that people work together on the mundane as well as the mission.