Tag: Acts 16
Singing in the night!
Scripture reading for May 27: Acts 16
” About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:25-30
This story is a contrast of different world views. In Paul and Silas we have prayer and worship, in spite of being in the prison dungeon in chains. In the other prisoners, we find curious listening and probably some mocking of their faith and worship. In the jailer, we find despair in his assumption that his life was over if the prisoners had escaped. I imagine all would have been shaken up because of the strong earthquake that opened the doors and unfastened the shackles. Why wouldn’t they escape with open doors and loosened chains? That should have been the logical outcome. Faith works by love!
The contrast is one of worldly logic and human nature and its fears with faith and supernatural peace. Paul and Silas were prisoners of Rome but free to worship and pray. They entered the world of God’s abundance and divine provision where all things are possible. As they worshipped, heaven did what human strength or reason could not. Invisible forces of angelic power and God’s providence shook the jail and those inside and outside. The jailer and his household were saved and redeemed. The magistrate ordered their release from jail. Paul and Silas demanded an apology and got one. They visited other believers and departed, having done God’s will and work.
How do you think you might have responded to being beaten and imprisoned for the Gospel? Why does God allow His people to go through this kind of suffering in doing His work? What role did these apostles have in reaching the jailer and his family?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for sharing with us Your amazing ability to answer prayer. Thank you for using Your people, even in suffering, to witness hope to those imprisoned by their own sinful world view. Lead me by Your Holy Spirit to live in such manner as to have people ask how to be saved. Amen!
Household salvation!
Scripture reading for May 26th: Acts 16
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Acts 16:31-35 “He (the Philippian jailer) then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household. Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.
Acts 16 describes two instances of household salvation. Earlier, Paul and Silas had gone to a place of prayer and a woman named Lydia gave her heart to the Lord and her household was baptized. (Acts 16:15) Here the Philippian jailer is saved from taking his own life and finds salvation by believing in Jesus along with his whole household! God loves to save individuals and also whole families! He wants His family to enjoy heaven with others from the same family! What a great promise for each of us as we pray for our families to be saved!
Observations for over-comers: Be diligent to ask God for the salvation of households! Start with your own household and then be sure to include this promise when ministering to others who have families! “. . .what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. . . . so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God. . .” (Psalm 78:3-4, 6-7)
An earthquake with eternal blessings!
Scripture reading for May 27th: Acts 16
Earthquakes have been in the news frequently. A devastating earthquake killed thousands in Nepal and caused terrible hardship and suffering. But the Book of Acts tells of an earthquake that had a liberating effect on a specific group of people. This earthquake literally shook the chains off them and opened the hearts of a family for salvation!
Paul and Silas while on a missionary journey found themselves in stocks in the prison dungeon, beaten and bruised, after casting a demon from a slave girl in the Roman province of Philippi. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they began to worship God. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the doors flew open and everybody’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26)
Worship has a liberating effect on the souls of those who practice it. It also has a way of loosing people from chains of bondage! In this case, all the prisoners experienced a terrible shaking that loosed them and opened the doors of the jail!
The jailer was fearful that all the prisoners would escape in the night, and drew his sword to kill himself. Paul called out to stop him, letting him know that all were still there. “The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” (Acts 16:29-31) This earthquake opened the heart of the Roman jailer to recognize his need of salvation! This was an earthquake that brought blessing!