Philippian jailor saved
In Acts chapter 16 we have another exciting story about one of Paul’s encounters with preaching the gospel. When Paul and Silas were in Philippi, they were followed by a servant girl who had an evil spirit. She would chant and cry like the pagan priestess do who claim to know the future. Her owners were getting rich from her fortune telling. Everywhere Paul and his colleagues went, she shouted to the people, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” She did this day after day, and soon the people began to think Paul was a servant of Zeus, a god of the Greeks, rather than a servant of the God of heaven.
One day Paul had enough, and he turned to the evil spirit and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to come out of her.” Instantly the demon left her, and she was totally free from the evil spirit. But when her owners saw what had happened, they realized that their way of making money was over. Needless to say, they were angry with Paul and Silas, so they grabbed them and took them to the Roman officials and accused them of disturbing the peace.
The mob told them that these Jews were causing all kinds of trouble in the city, and that they were even forcing the people to accept the Jewish religion, which is forbidden by law for Roman citizens to accept or to practice. This mob started to twist the truth. How do we react when someone is twisting the truth? Do we fight back? How should we respond? Satan is the master at twisting truth and when he does, we should stay strong in the faith and in Christlike attitude refute those who lead the church astray. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
Soon the crowd grew larger and larger, and they demanded that they be stripped to the waist and beaten with rods in the town square for the people to witness. After they had beaten them, the officials ordered them to be thrown into prison to watch them carefully until the morning. So, the guards wanting to do an extra good job put them in the maximum locked area of the prison in painful foot stocks.
So now we come to an incredible part of the story. What do we hear coming from this inner prison cell, do we hear swearing or crying? If you were in in this position what would your attitude be? What do you think Paul and Silas were doing?
That night Paul and Silas were praising the Lord that they had been found worthy to suffer for Christ because of the gospel. They prayed and sang and shared the good news of salvation with their fellow prisoners. Someone once said, “The leg does not feel the chain when the mind is in heaven.” Did they feel like worshipping? Probably not. I am sure they were and tired, but yet they were determined to give glory to God and trust Him completely. Do we give glory to God in all things? No matter what our circumstances we have the choice to praise God or not. May we say like David, “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” (Ps. 34:1)
About midnight, the earth began to rumble and shake, as a violent earthquake shook the whole area. The prison foundation shook so much that the heavy iron doors flew open and the chains on the prisoner’s legs fell off. What kind of earthquake was this? Was this a heaven-sent earthquake? You see God had not forgotten His servants, and all heaven was interested in what was happening inside that prison cell, so God sent His angels to visit the prison and set them free. God answered prayers then and He still does today.
The keeper of the prison had heard the prayers and songs and was amazed. Why? When they entered the prison they had bleeding wounds on their backs, and he ordered that they be put the painful stocks. While expecting to hear bitter groans and profanities, instead he heard songs of joy and praise. With these sounds he fell asleep until awakened by the mighty earthquake. In startling alarm, he saw the prison doors open and fear gripped his mind as he was sure all the prisoners had escaped. He was given explicit orders to keep Paul and Silas guarded or face certain death. In that moment he decided it was better to die from his own hand then die by public execution, so, he pulled out his sword to kill himself when Paul’s voice was heard, “Don’t kill yourself we are all here.” The keeper couldn’t believe it, calling for a torch he rushed into the inner prison, and to his unbelief all were there. Then he led them out of the inner secured cell and asked, “Sirs what must I do to be saved.” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you and all those in your household who believe.”
They went to the keeper’s house and shared the story of Jesus with him and to all those who lived there. After the keeper had washed their wounds and everyone listened to the wonderful story of Jesus, they went with Paul and Silas to the pool and were baptized. Why did the jailor believe in Jesus? One reason is that he saw Jesus in Paul and Silas. How are we doing, those of us who claim to be Christians? Do others see Jesus in us, or do they just see a worldly Christian? The only way to bring others to Christ is for them to see Christ in us.
Just as Paul was able to tell others about Jesus, why not ask God to show you how reach your family and community with the wonderful, lifesaving story of Jesus.
