By: Dale Weckbacher
Text: Acts
16:25-40
Acts 16:29-31.
And the jailer[e] called for lights and
rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and
Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?” 31 And they
said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household.”
(ESV)
Although probably not something
he expected when receiving the calling to minister in Macedonia, time in jail
for his faith would become a regular occurrence in the life of Paul. While unfortunate for him, during this time
in jail, Paul wrote letters to the Churches he established which would become
part of the New Testament. The text of Acts
16:25-40 shows how God can change a negative situation into something that
gives God glory, even time in jail.
The parody band Apologetix describes
the shaking in Macedonia in their parody song of Jailhouse Rock. The shaking in Macedonia teaches us what we
should do when we find ourselves in dire circumstances by teaching us to,
1) Pray
and worship God (Acts
16:25-26) – While people in prison under false accusations may pray, few
would also be worshipping God and instead may complain about their situation,
praying for God to open the prison door and to lose them from their
chains. James
1:2-4 reminds believers to consider it joy when they experience trials for
it is in these times of trial that faith is tested and grows strong. Even though this passage had not been written
yet, Paul and Silas had spent time with the Apostles and could have heard this
teaching from James (Acts
15:2). When in a time of trial, it
is important to pray but we must also worship God, remembering He is in control
so our faith in God remains strong.
2) Not
to run in fear (Acts
16:27-28) – Paul and Silas had the opportunity to run once the prison doors
were open but to the surprise of the jailer were still in the prison. Looking at the situation from a practical
point of view, had they run, the authorities would have hunted them down and
their situation would have been worse. However,
Paul and Silas also had a calling to minister to the people in Macedonia and
now have an opportunity to minister to the jailer and his family.
3) Remain
focused on sharing the Gospel (Acts
16:29-34) – The jailer trembles with fear at seeing Paul and Silas and asks
what he must do to be saved. Acts
16:25 tells us that the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas as
they prayed and worshipped God, but perhaps the jailer was listening as well. It is also possible the jailer understood the
earthquake that opened the jail was a divine intervention and feared what might
happen to him. Paul and Silas remain true
to their mission of taking the Gospel to the people of Macedonia and the Macedonian
jailer is saved.
4) Stand
up to and do not run from accusers (Acts
16:35-38) – Upon receiving a pardon from the magistrates, Paul and Silas
could have left the city without any fear of repercussions from escaping the
jail. However, they had a calling to
minister to the people of Macedonia and now have an opportunity to speak with
the magistrates. Paul reminds the
magistrates how they publicly beat them and that they were Roman citizens. This would have brought fear to these
magistrates for they had exceeded the punishment allowed for Roman citizens. To appease Paul and Silas and prevent any repercussions
for falsely accusing and beating them, they apologize to them, escort them from
the jail, and ask them to leave the city.
5) Give
comfort and encouragement to other believers (Acts
16:39-40) – Although asked to leave Philippi, Paul and Silas go to Lydia
where they see the other brothers in the city, encouraging them before
leaving. Encouraging the believers in
the Churches Paul established was important to Paul and why he wrote letters,
or epistles, to them even when in Jail.
One of these prison epistles is the book of Philippians where we get a glimpse
of the encouragement Paul may have provided to the brothers in Philippi before
leaving (Philippians
4:13,19).
Paul and Silas have obeyed the
call of God to minister in Macedonia and after the conversion of Lydia (Acts
16:11-15) and the casting out of a spirit of divination from a slave girl,
find themselves in jail accused of disrupting the city (Acts
16:16-24). Instead of becoming
frustrated, angry, or bitter at being in jail under false accusations, Paul and
Silas pray and worship God at which point God shakes things up with an
earthquake. With the prison opened, Paul
and Silas could have run away but they have a calling to minister to the people
in Macedonia and take the opportunity to minister to the jailer, his family,
the magistrates, Lydia, and the brothers in Philippi. Paul and Silas remained focused on their
calling from God with God opening a door of opportunity to minister to people
they would not have had an opportunity to minister to before these events.
Covid19 has taken the Church out
of its comfort zone of having individuals gather in a church building, forcing
the church to focus on ministering online and in smaller groups. These changes could lead to frustration,
anger, and even create fear the church will cease to exist. Instead of trembling in fear like the
magistrates, the Church needs to follow the example of Paul and Silas and
continue praying and worshipping God online, trusting God to shake things up
and open opportunities to share the Gospel with individuals previously
unreachable. Church leaders can also encourage
their congregations on a more regular basis using online tools by providing
daily devotions and encouragement. Please
join me in prayer that the Church will grow stronger and not weaker during this
trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment