Thursday March 5, 2015
Nine year old Willie might have saved his life simply by singing a song of praise. The boy was kidnapped from his driveway by a stranger. But the kidnapper then dropped him off unharmed after driving around for hours. Willie says he continued to sing the song "Every Praise" by Hezekiah Walker until the kidnapper grew tired of cursing and telling him to shut up.
Paul and Silas had a somewhat similar experience. Accused of trying to evangelise the Romans (Acts 16:21), they were severely beaten and thrown into prison. The jailer locked them in the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in stocks to prevent their escape (vv. 22-24).
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God. Suddenly, a massive earthquake caused all the prison doors to open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off. But amazingly, not one prisoner left! (vv. 25-28).
The jailer was terrified, for he knew that he would be executed if any of the prisoners escaped. Undoubtedly, he was impressed by their faith in God, their composure and the unabated joy that Paul and Silas showed even when they had been unjustly treated and illegally punished (vv. 37-39). Most of all, the jailer was touched by their concern for him, for they hadn´t tried to escape when they had the opportunity. Wanting to know more about their faith, he asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (v.30).
Miraculously freed, Paul and Silas saw their freedom not as a means of escape, but as an opportunity to witness (vv.31-32). "[The jailer] and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God" (v.34). They certainly could sing with young Willie, "Every Praise, every praise is to our God. Sing hallelujah to our God." - K.T.Sim
Read
Acts 16:16-40
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
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 prison doors flew open, and everybody´s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don´t harm yourself! We are all here!"
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 in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to 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.
When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."
But Paul said to the officers : "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."
The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia´s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
Acts 5:26-42
At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.
Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name," he said. "Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man´s blood."
Peter and the other apostles replied : "We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed them : "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advice you : Leave these men alone! Let them go! For it their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
Question to Ponder
Consider your life circumstances : is there an opportunity for you to tell others about Jesus?
Is there a reason why you can´t rejoice in Him?
**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Mar 2015 - May 2015 issue
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