Paul and Silas: Sacrifice & Service 24/7
Acts 16:16-40
Dunkirk, a recent popular movie, recounts the early days of WW-II when Britain, France, and Belgium faced Hitler's advancing armies on the European Continent. Things were not going well for the allies who were pushed back by Hilter's blitzkrieg attack. The British Expeditionary Force, comprised of about 400,000 men, found itself trapped on the beach at Dunkirk in northern France and faced what seemed to be inevitable capture or death. From May 26 to June 4, 1940 the Miracle of Dunkirk, known as Operation Dynamo, took place. A flotilla of about 800 ships and boats, which included private fishing boats, pleasure craft, yachts, and even lifeboats, transported soldiers from the French coast back to England. By the end of the eighth day, 338,226 soldiers had been rescued by the hastily assembled fleet. Winston Churchill was correct in his analysis that "we must be very careful not to assign to this deliverance the attributes of a victory. Wars are not won by evacuations." However, this seeming defeat became one of the major turning points of WW-II. While Dunkirk was a terrible defeat, it inspired Britain to not keep hope alive and to fight on in spite of all odds. "Dunkirk spirit" continues to describe those who pull together/persevere in the face of great odds. In our journey through Acts, Paul and Silas faced great odds as they were falsely accused and thrown into prison. They were inspired by the cross of Christ to sacrificial service even in the face of this adversity.
Redirection
In Acts 16:6-15 God opened a new door for Paul and Silas on Paul’s Second Missionary journey. Paul had another vision from the Lord to shift his ministry from Asia and move toward Europe by going to Greece, specifically to Philippi. This small change dramatically impacted our world and the spread of the gospel through the centuries. We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and his redirection of our lives in small and large ways.
Release
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She 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.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed 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.
19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:16-25 NIV).
Paul and Silas had ministered for several days in Philippi based in the home of Lydia, a new convert. A spirit-possessed slave girl was speaking the truth but in a disruptive way. Paul released the slave girl from an evil spirit and from being unjustly used by her owners. It was the right thing to do, but it brought some interesting reactions.
Reactions
The People's Reaction – Prosecute them! - Paul and Silas upset the economic system of Philippi by healing the slave girl who was unjustly used. The people dragged Paul and Silas before the magistrates who treated them unjustly, beat them, and jailed them in the worst part of the jail in stocks. As we know from current experience in our country, when the social system is upset, violence and hatred often follows.
Human Nature – Why me Lord? - The natural human reaction is to puts the emphasis on "me," the self. How might we have reacted in Paul's place? We might have cried out with righteous indignation to the authorities and questions/anger for God. “God why are you allowing this to happen to me? I was doing something good for you.” We would be asking the right question but with the wrong attitude/emphasis. Paul did not react this way because he knew that in opposition, like that of the cross of Christ, God was often up to something greater and more glorious in his plan--the salvation of human beings.
Spiritual Nature – Why Lord? - “God why are you allowing this to happen to me, and how can I give you glory in it?” Paul and Silas did not react with anger toward God but with wonder at what God was doing. When we see division and disunity in our country, we must not ask, "Why is this happening to us." We must ask God how he is at work in the midst of this adversity. We must continue to be faithful and witness of our faith to others in words and actions. We must look for what God is up to and join him in doing it to his glory. Living life 24/7 with spiritual awareness is hard work. Paul and Silas, filled with joy in spite of adversity, served the Lord 24/7 even from prison. The difference between a human reaction and a spiritual one is attitude—hopelessness versus hope. Paul and Silas prayed and sang in the jail while waiting to see what the Lord would do next. Instead of singing the blues, Paul and Silas sang hymns of joy to God. They knew the victory Jesus won as he faced the adversity of the cross and death. They anticipated with joy what God was about to do in the midst of the adversity that they faced in his name. When we face adversity, we should look expectantly for what God is about to do.
Results
26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 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. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 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 household.
35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”
37 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.”
38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left (Acts 16:26-40 NIV).
God sent an earthquake. Paul and Silas waited on the Lord. They didn’t conclude the earthquake was just for them but continued to look for what God was doing. They did not run selfishly away but continued to live self-sacrificially 24/7.
The jailer and his family were saved. The jailer had a natural, worldly reaction to adversity: despair and hopelessness leading to thoughts of suicide. When we face adversity, God does not want us to despair but to rely on him to find abundant life. The jailer turned to Christians who helped him face the adversity of life with the hope of Christ. When people come to faith it is the result of the Holy Spirit working in veteran Christians to show them a godly example and to share with them the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Like Lydia, the jailer became a sacrificial servant. He cared for Paul and Silas; petitioning their release.
Paul and Silas were freed when it was discovered they were Roman citizens. It is interesting that Paul did not reveal this to the magistrates earlier in the experience. He sought to undergo adversity for the sake of the gospel. What if Paul had spoken up about being a Roman? What if he and Silas had run when the doors opened instead of waiting to see what the Lord was up to?
Response
The British response to Dunkirk was to not give up hope and to continue fighting. Winston Churchill declared, " We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." America joined Britain and the Allies as they re-gathered themselves. Just four years after Dunkirk, the Allies invaded German held France on the beaches of Normandy. Within a year of the Normandy invasion, Germany was defeated and the war in Europe was over.
What should we do when we face adversity for our faith?
- We should be inspired by the sacrifice and service of Christ Jesus on the cross.
- We should face adversity and not turn from it. We should stand in the strength of the Lord and see the mighty thing he will do in and through us.
- We should realize that we are saved to become sacrificial servants to those around us.
- We should live our lives for Christ 24/7 with spiritual awareness in everything that happens at home, at work, in school, everywhere we go. We should live with the expectation that God is at work around us in every situation of life. We must live with spiritual awareness and self-sacrifice.
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