5 April - Acts 16

Today we are reading Act 16 together. Below are a few quick thoughts:

1. Acts 16 begins by introducing us to a guy named Timothy. Paul decided to take Timothy along with him on his journeys and later we will see Timothy becomes a key person in the life of Paul.
2. Next we notice how the Holy Spirit kept Paul and his companions from going into different areas of Asia. Then God gave Paul a vision at night about where to go and they immediately got up and went. 
3. We also read about a couple different women hearing about Jesus and deciding to follow him.
4. Then the religious leaders arrest, beat and imprison Paul and Silas. 

While Paul and Silas were imprisoned God caused a violent earthquake to open the jail doors but they don’t leave (I guess they didn’t read Peter’s manual: “How to Escape Prison With the Help of God.”) The guard wakes up to see the doors open and positions to kill himself but Paul stops him. You might be wondering why the guard would kill himself? Back then if a prisoner escaped they would kill the guard. So instead of being killed, in maybe a more painful way, he was going to do it himself. Seeing they hadn’t escaped the guard falls at Paul’s feet and wants to know what to do to be saved from his sins. That guard and his whole household chose to be baptized and follow Jesus! 

The interesting thing about the imprisonment of Paul and Silas is what happens when the magistrates decide to let them go; Paul refuses to go! He demands the magistrate come and escort him out! Sounds nuts right? Paul points out they were Roman citizens and the magistrates were like “oh crap!” Then they come escort them out and ask them to leave the city. You might be like what’s the big deal with being a Roman citizen? As a Roman citizen it was unlawful for someone to imprison you without a trial. And the Romans took the freedoms of each citizen very seriously! The magistrates knew that they beat and imprisoned them without a trial. The magistrates would have lost their job or worse if their superiors heard about this.

How would you handle yourself if you were in Paul and Silas’ position? Would you have been praying and singing to God so loud all the other inmates could hear you? Most of us probably wouldn’t but then we would have missed out on the rest of the chapter. Because they were still praising God in their troubles God shakes the prison doors open, a jailer and his whole household decide to be baptized and follow Jesus and have their accusers all but beg for their forgiveness. Are you going through a tough time right now? Are you focusing on the problem or still seeking God? Let us all follow Paul’s lead on how to deal with our problems in life.