Acts 16:16-40
Verse 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
We hop forward another few years and join up with Paul and Silas on a mission trip. As with most of the believers in the early Church, the men find themselves being opposed by those who don’t want to hear about Jesus. There were also those who didn’t want to lose the money they were making using evil means like the girl with the demon.
It wasn’t that the evil spirit was speaking lies about Paul and Silas, it was the evil spirit’s intentions in making it known who they were serving. The girl’s owners showed who they were serving too, money. Because Paul cast out the demon cutting off their cash flow, the owners of the girl grabbed Paul and Silas and started dragging them through the marketplace. Then the owners lied to the Roman officials saying the missionaries were going against Roman laws and trying to cause an uproar.
After being put in the deepest part of the jail, a place for the most dangerous criminals, the men didn’t start a riot or fight against their imprisonment, but sit back and wait. By midnight they felt the need to praise. This could have come out of hearts seeking the peace only God could bring or maybe they were trying to encourage others who were there with them.
The fact that they were praising God after having been dragged through the streets and then beaten and flogged shows how big they saw God to be. They were magnifying Him to all who could hear and that is when it happened. A huge earthquake shook the region. The shaking opened the jail doors and everyone’s chains broke off.
God was really shaking things up that night. He had plans for the jailer and his family and maybe even some of Paul and Silas’ fellow prisoners. By God making Himself known in a big way, the door was opened for the Gospel to be shared openly. Indeed this was a life changing day. The servant girl had been set free of the evil spirit, all the prisoners were freed from their chains, the jailer and his family were released from the bondage of sin, and God revealed Himself in a big way for all.
Making It Personal
What has God released you from? How has that shown you the greatness of God? Is there something you want the Lord to release you from today?
Making It Personal Kids
What does it mean to be released from something? What are some things God can release from you? Have you ever asked Him to help you escape from those things?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for setting us free from so much in life. Give us the desire to be released from the things which hold us back from being all You want us to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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