“But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of
praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there
came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were
shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were
unfastened.” Acts 16:25-26 [NASB]
Would you be arrested because you tell people about Jesus
the Messiah? Would you suffer beatings because you refuse to stop telling
people about Him? Would you sing praises to God while bleeding, sore, and shackled
at the ankles after people beat you because you are His child?
This happens today. It happened to Paul and Silas, too.
After Paul commanded a spirit of divination to leave the body of a girl, her
masters grabbed them. They took them to the magistrates proclaiming they were
throwing their city into confusion and teaching customs unlawful for them to
accept or observe since they were Romans. Understand, these “masters” made
money from their servant foretelling people’s future. They did not want what
Paul preached to turn their world upside down or cause them to lose money. The
magistrates ordered the guards to whip Paul and Silas then chain them in the
prison. After the jailor chained Paul and Silas, they sang praises to God, and
the doors of the prison opened and the chains on all the prisoners unlocked.
People are beaten, tortured, imprisoned, and killed for proclaiming
their faith in Christ today. With the world becoming smaller because of faster
transportation and international media, we have heard of or seen these things
happen for ourselves. Some of us have experienced these things. Others of us
have faced less harsh persecution and trouble, but still it affected us. We
stopped and thought about being silent, and of not standing for our belief in God and
His Word. We considered the world is a different place now and so we need to be
different, too. Possibly you have even considered and wondered, because you
hear it so often, if God is irrelevant. Deep within yourself, you know He is
relevant. You realize He is Almighty God. You know Jesus is the Savior and Your
Savior. Still, wouldn’t it be easier not to speak about it so people would not ostracize
you, call you names, persecute you, or kill you?
Paul and Silas, being human just like us, possibly thought
this, too. Yet, consider what happened in Acts 17:16-34 after their beating and
imprisonment in Acts 16. Paul walked through Athens. He realized Athenians’ desire
to make sure they worshipped every god. They feared they wouldn’t worship all the
gods that existed and erected a statue to “The Unknown God.”. Paul’s heart,
being like Christ’s, ached with love for these people. He cared for them and
wanted to help meet their need. With his heart beating in time with Christ’s,
Paul talked with Jews, God-fearing Gentiles, Epicureans, and Stoic philosophers.
People took Paul to the Areopagus where philosophers and teachers spoke,
argued, and dissected ideas determining if they would incorporate them into
their lives. These leading thinkers of Athens asked Paul to explain what he
meant in his teachings and reasonings.
When Paul spoke with the Athenian leaders, he did several
things. He met them at their acknowledged need. He spoke eloquently and respectfully
to them. Paul recognized their need. Jesus Christ meets people at their need. Paul
brought his speech to a moment of decision. He told them he recognized they are
a people who realize their own human finiteness. Paul saw they were religious. (Acts
17:16) He humbly showed them respect and acknowledged the Athenians
understanding of their own limitations and the obvious existence of a power greater
than humanity. (Acts 17:22) Paul did not teach them by ostracizing their gods.
He approached them wanting to give them more information because he respected
them. (Acts 17:23). In this verse, Paul met the people at their spoken need – to
recognize all gods. He then explained about their “Unknown God” being God
Almighty and His Son, Jesus Christ. He spoke to them in a way in which they would
realize their needs are met in Christ. Paul explained this God is the Creator
of all things and means to righteousness. (Acts 17:24-29) Finally, Paul spoke
not only his mind and explained about God Almighty and Jesus Christ, he brought
the Athenian leaders to a point of decision. Would these Athenians believe in
this God forsaking their handmade gods? Would they believe in and accept the
gift of God’s righteousness through His Son, Jesus Christ, the One He raised
from the dead? (Acts 17:30)
Paul didn’t back down from speaking because of his earlier
arrest, beating, and imprisonment. He, having a heart like Jesus Christ’s,
cared for the Athenians. Paul respected them and their desire for knowledge. He
saw their need as they recognized it. Paul boldly stepped forward and spoke respectfully
with authority and conviction about Jesus. He brought his hearers to a point of
decision. Paul didn’t back down from fear of arrest, imprisonment, and beating.
He didn’t think himself a coward and so unable to do what Jesus calls all his
disciples to do. People continued taking Paul before the authorities. He often experienced
persecution and torture. Yes, Paul kept telling people about Jesus Christ, the
righteousness of God made available to humanity.
Yesterday we each felt ostracism by someone because of our
belief in Jesus. Today and tomorrow you might experience it, as well as
persecution and torture because of your faith. Each believer in Jesus throughout
time since His life, death, and resurrection will have faced it at least once.
Is that supposed to stop us proclaiming God’s love and the salvation He offers
to all people? Does that mean we should lambast people as being “stupid” in
their beliefs? Does that mean we should grudgingly tell people about Jesus, but
disrespect them or not lead them to a point of decision? NO to all these.
We are to be like Christ, whom Paul emulated well. Though
faced with imminent death, Jesus continued to proclaim God’s salvation had
come. He continued on the path set before Him to His purpose, to be the
sacrifice for the sins of every person. Jesus said He suffered at the hands of
man and His followers would suffer the same and more. BUT, Jesus never stopped
loving the people for whom He came to give up His life. He never belittled
them. Jesus kept telling the people the day of their salvation had come. He met
them at their need – illness, poverty, imprisonment, and status in life – and made
them whole because of His power and their belief in Him.
We each will face troubles, persecution, maybe torture, and possibly
death because of our faith. These will come at the hands of other people. We must
decide in advance we will love the people no matter what they may do to us. We must
resolve to stand strong in our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. We must determine
to treat the people with respect and tell them about Christ leading them to His
throne. Above all, each of us must decide for ourselves to follow Jesus no
matter what the cost. Jesus told His followers, when they asked Him what they
must do to have eternal life, “Come follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21)
Will you love, proclaim, teach, and lead like Jesus?
Will you be willing to suffer the darts and arrows of Satan because you
follow Jesus?
Lord, so often I stop
obeying You because I am tired or scared. Please forgive me. Make me bold and
courageous willing to follow You no matter what may happen. Give me a love for
people who don’t know You so I will tell them about You no matter the consequences.
Lord, You are Creator, Provider, and Redeemer. You hold time and our lives in
Your hands. You could kill us without a thought, but Your love for us is so
great You do not want us to die without knowing You and being made righteous.
Lord, I am not good enough, nor can I ever make myself good enough to be in
Your presence, but You have provided the way for me to be with You. Thank you,
God, for loving me even though I am sinful. Thank you for providing a way for
me to be with You forever. Thank you for calling me to tell others about You
and making me brave enough to do it. Help me tell others with Your love in my
heart. Make me whom You need me to be. Amen.
