| Church School Lesson: All Are Welcome |
"All Are Welcome"
August 30, 2026
Background: Acts 16:11-40; Print: Acts 16:11-15, 40;
Key Verse: Acts 16:15; Devotional: James 2:14-26
Acts 16:11-15 (ESV)
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis,
12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.
13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
Acts 16:40 (ESV)
40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Acts Chapter 16 (Commentary)
16:11-15 They sailed from Troas and eventually arrived in Philippi, a Roman colony and a leading city of the district of Macedonia (16:11-12). The church in Philippi would be the first one Paul would start in Europe, and he would pen his letter to the Philippians about a decade or so later.
On the Sabbath, Paul and his companions went outside the city . . . to find a place of prayer (16:13). They met a God-fearer (a Gentile believer in the God of Israel who had not become a proselyte—that is, a convert to Judaism) named Lydia. She was a dealer in purple cloth and, thus, a businesswoman of some means. As she listened to Paul talk about Jesus, the Lord opened her heart and she believed, along with her whole household (16:14-15). They were all baptized, and then she invited Paul and the other disciples to stay at [her] house (16:15). Clearly her business had produced some wealth if she had a home large enough to house all of the missionaries in Paul’s group.
16:38-40 When the magistrates learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid (16:38). They went from being arrogant authorities to humble beggars, escorting them from prison and urging them to leave town (16:39). With the disciples vindicated and the reputation of Christianity cleared, they encouraged the brothers and sisters further and then departed (16:40).