Act 16:1-5 | EE | STEP | Paul travelled on to Derbe and then he came to Lystra. A man called Timothy lived in Lystra. He was a believer. His mother was a Jew who had become a believer in Jesus. But Timothy’s father was a Gentile who came from Greece.

Acts 16:1-5

Timothy travels with Paul and Silas

1 Paul travelled on to Derbe and then he came to Lystra. A man called Timothy lived in Lystra. He was a believer. His mother was a Jew who had become a believer in Jesus. But Timothy’s father was a Gentile who came from Greece. 2 All the believers in Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to travel with him to different places. All the Jews in that region knew that Timothy’s father was a Gentile. So Paul circumcised Timothy, so that the Jews would accept him. ^{▼▼16:3 Timothy’s father was not a Jew. So nobody had circumcised Timothy when he was a baby. Paul wanted Timothy to go with him to help him with his work. Paul wanted to tell Jews the good news about Jesus. These Jews knew Timothy. They knew that his father was not a Jew. This is why Paul circumcised Timothy. If he had not done this, the Jews would not have accepted him. A person from the country called Greece is called a Greek.}

4 Paul, Silas and Timothy travelled through many towns. In each place, they told the believers the things that the apostles and other leaders in Jerusalem had decided. They told the believers to obey those rules. 5 In this way, the groups of believers in those towns became stronger. They trusted Jesus more. More and more people joined the groups of believers every day.