May 29, 2019
“The Adventure Continues” (Acts 16:16-40) [continuing Acts 16…after Paul experiences a Holy Interruption]
Paul and Silas remain in Philippi where they continue to preach and teach about Jesus. One day Paul casts a spirit of divination out of a young slave girl. Her owners get upset, drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates and make false accusations against them. Then Paul and Silas are “…stripped and beaten… severely flogged…(and) thrown into prison.”
Last week I claimed that only the Holy Spirit could stop Paul. Well, now he is in chains in the most secure part of a prison. It would seem that he has been stopped. Wait a minute…[vs. 25] ”About mid-night Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” These two prisoners don’t act like they have been defeated. And BAM!!! There is an earthquake, all the doors of the prison are busted open, all the chains are broken loose…they are free to go. But they don’t go. Instead they use grace to surprise the jailer and the jailer and his entire family come to believe in Jesus and are baptized.
Paul can’t be stopped it seems until we get to verse 36-37. The jailer received orders to let the men go, he announces to Paul and Silas that they are free to go, but they don’t go anywhere (stopped?). Paul, crazy Paul, then used his Roman citizenship to rebuke the authorities who treated him unjustly. In the end Paul is not only released but the magistrates came to Paul and Silas to appease (read apologize to) them and escorted them from the prison, requesting that they leave town.
So what did Paul do? He circled back to Lydia’s house (in Philippi) to tell the believers what had happened and he “encouraged them.”
Paul had been through another ordeal, but through faith in God’s mighty hand and through powerful confession of Jesus, Paul had won the day…even over the powers of Rome. That was powerful encouragement for the early believers as they faced persecution from the Roman authorities.
God was up to something….turning the world upside down. No earthly power could compete against God and win!
Thanks be to God!
Pastor Mike
“The Adventure Continues” (Acts 16:16-40) [continuing Acts 16…after Paul experiences a Holy Interruption]
Paul and Silas remain in Philippi where they continue to preach and teach about Jesus. One day Paul casts a spirit of divination out of a young slave girl. Her owners get upset, drag Paul and Silas before the magistrates and make false accusations against them. Then Paul and Silas are “…stripped and beaten… severely flogged…(and) thrown into prison.”
Last week I claimed that only the Holy Spirit could stop Paul. Well, now he is in chains in the most secure part of a prison. It would seem that he has been stopped. Wait a minute…[vs. 25] ”About mid-night Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.” These two prisoners don’t act like they have been defeated. And BAM!!! There is an earthquake, all the doors of the prison are busted open, all the chains are broken loose…they are free to go. But they don’t go. Instead they use grace to surprise the jailer and the jailer and his entire family come to believe in Jesus and are baptized.
Paul can’t be stopped it seems until we get to verse 36-37. The jailer received orders to let the men go, he announces to Paul and Silas that they are free to go, but they don’t go anywhere (stopped?). Paul, crazy Paul, then used his Roman citizenship to rebuke the authorities who treated him unjustly. In the end Paul is not only released but the magistrates came to Paul and Silas to appease (read apologize to) them and escorted them from the prison, requesting that they leave town.
So what did Paul do? He circled back to Lydia’s house (in Philippi) to tell the believers what had happened and he “encouraged them.”
Paul had been through another ordeal, but through faith in God’s mighty hand and through powerful confession of Jesus, Paul had won the day…even over the powers of Rome. That was powerful encouragement for the early believers as they faced persecution from the Roman authorities.
God was up to something….turning the world upside down. No earthly power could compete against God and win!
Thanks be to God!
Pastor Mike