Acts 16:25: Prison ministry
Acts 16:25: Songs in the night.
“25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” NIV UK
‘’I remembered my songs in the night’’ (Psalm 77:6).
As we know, Paul and Silas were in a dark place:
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They had been treated unjustly;
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They were held in the most secure area of the prison;
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They were placed in stocks in such a way as to cause great discomfort;
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Their bodies must have been raw from the severe beating (23 – we know from verse 33 that their wounds needed washing).
Make no mistake, these men were in pain. It was ‘’midnight’’ (25) in more ways than one. Yet what were Paul and Silas doing? They ‘’were praying and singing hymns to God’’. They were shining a bright light into that dark place.
Wherever we are, and whatever we are facing, there are eyes on us and ears listening in. Do we believe what we say we believe? They want to know. Will we act consistently with our deepest convictions? We are being assessed. None of us wants to face trials. It’s counter-intuitive to want to suffer. In times of difficulty, though, we have opportunities to glorify God.
I have just recently begun to read the biography of Ron Dunn. He was an exceptionally gifted communicator from the South of the United States. Here in the United Kingdom he preached at Keswick and Filey. He wrote a number of books: ‘Don’t just stand there, pray something’ is a notable example. However, Ron suffered immensely, in a variety of ways, in what turned out to be a relatively short life. What I see in the biography is that so many people were deeply affected not just by what he taught, but by the way he lived what he taught – even in the very worst of times. He sang in the night.
PRAYER: Lord, I recognise that we who say we love you are always being watched. I pray that people will see Christ in me
Acts 16:16-24: Vested Interests.
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 round 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 realised that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place 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 practise.’ 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.NIV UK
In 2 Corinthians 11:25 Paul states that three times he was ‘’beaten with rods’’. This was one of those occasions. The suffering of Paul and Silas, like Christ’s, was unjust. If we are faithful to Jesus we cannot expect less. The church is engaged in a very real battle with invisible, evil powers, and there are days when this seems more evident than others, like the one recorded here. Regularly it is when we go ‘’to the place of prayer’’ that we encounter the enemy, because he hates it. It’s a lethal weapon to be used against him. In today’s story the girl was controlled by an evil spirit. But as powerful as these beings are, the Lord Jesus is very much superior. When the command to leave came ‘’in the name of Jesus Christ’’ (18a), this demon did not take long to pack his bags. He was off, and she was free! However, when vested economic interests are challenged by the gospel, you can expect a big stink to be made, and that’s what happened here (19ff). F.B. Meyer comments that whereas worldly people care most about their money, what moves the hearts of believers is the captive state of people who are lost; those enslaved by the devil. We know that people matter way more than things. It’s been pointed out that to a large extent the accusation was true (20, 21). By preaching Christ in a Roman colony like Philippi, they were in fact breaking the law of the Roman Empire. According to Roman law, it was illegal for anyone to preach a strange or foreign religion among Roman citizens. But Paul and Silas were not even given a proper examination at law. On the basis of the crowds’ outcry against them the magistrates assumed they must be guilty as charged, and had them beaten. If Jesus was hated by the world, we will be too. We must not be surprised if we find ourselves unfairly treated.
Well, this is not the end of the story, thank God, but we leave our heroes in dire straits (24). In Roman prisons these stocks were placed so that the prisoner’s feet would be spread widely apart, causing intense discomfort. They were held in the most secure part of the prison, and they were in pain. What did they do next? What would you do next?
Humanly speaking, there was no hope of escape for Paul and Silas. However, we are not speaking in merely human terms.
Acts 16:11-15: God’s business.
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we travelled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.NIV UK.
Salvation is God’s work. It is all of God. That is not to say people are not involved, but it is still God’s work through them. Today’s story illustrates the point.
• God guiding (9-12). Paul and his team moved in the direction of Philippi as a result of the night vision gifted to Paul. So the gospel ‘car’ moved forward with God Himself at ‘the wheel’. If, in all our ways we acknowledge Him, He will direct our paths.
• God responding. God is at work in people’s hearts before they are converted. It seems Lydia was a prayerful woman even before she become a full Christian. She was certainly ready to respond gladly to the gospel once she heard it (13, 14) Could it be that the ‘’man of Macedonia’’ seen by Paul, begging for help, in some way represented the heart cry of these people by the river?
• God opening (14b). The work of conversion is a sovereign activity of God. It is a divine miracle. Lydia was a business woman, but the Lord had business dealings to conduct with her. How beautifully the story is told with economy of words
THOUGHT: The book of Acts has 28 chapters; you are Acts 29! (George Verwer).
Prayer: Lord, I thank you that the Acts of the Holy Spirit have not ceased. The adventure continues. Please will you graciously allow me to be part of the story. Lead me in your right paths to people you want to save.
Acts 16: 1-10: God at the wheel.
16 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they travelled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. 6 Paul and his companions travelled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
‘Our path through life will often be indicated by the fact that the doors which lead off the straight track are barred and bolted, so that we have no option save to go on. Paul was blocked first on the left, that he should not go into the province of Asia; then on the right, that he should not go into Bithynia. Finally he reached Troas, and stood face to face with the ocean that lay between him and Europe. Here he had a vision which made a deep impression upon him…God often leaves us to infer our own course. He does not ignore his own great gift of reason.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, pages 493/494. So there are some important principles of guidance that emerge here.
Also note that in the Christian life we may need to combine firmness of conviction with flexibility in practice. Where people wanted to insist on circumcision as necessary for salvation, Paul fought against it, as we saw in the previous chapter. However, Paul was quite prepared to have Timothy circumcised in order to remove an unnecessary stumbling block to his mission.
Acts 15:36-41: ‘All things’ means ‘all things’.
“36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. ” NIV UK
There is something sad about this story. I have always found contention among Christians to be painful. Paul and Barnabas had been such a team, up to this point, risking their lives for the gospel; contending side by side in the cause of Christ. The sharpness of their disagreement pierces my heart even as I read about it (39). It’s terribly sad. Who can say that one of them was right and the other wrong? I can understand Paul’s logic (38). They were not embarking on a Sunday school picnic. He wanted soldiers in the trenches with him who would remain courageous under fire. There was too much at stake on this mission to risk another desertion. I believe I can see Paul’s perspective. But true to his character as the ‘son of encouragement’, Barnabas wanted to give John Mark another chance. He probably saw potential in the young man and thought him worth persevering with. It appears that over the long haul Paul came to see what Barnabas saw (2 Timothy 4: 11). May God help us to be willing to change our minds where necessary. Yet there is something glad in this story. Reading between the lines we get a glimpse that God is in control, as now two teams move out with the gospel. When Paul wrote that ‘’In all things God is working for the good of those who love Him…’’ (Romans 8:28) he meant ‘’all things’’. It is indeed ‘’good and pleasant’’ when brothers dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1 ). Yet even when they don’t, God is still on the throne.
Acts 15:22-35: ‘No blessing without bleeding.’
“22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorisation and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. 30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.”NIVUK
As we approach Easter 2017, today’s reading speaks of the need to be Cross-centred and Spirit-led.
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Cross-centred: See verse 26. Someone said that ‘Christianity that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.’ There can be ‘no blessing without bleeding.’ Not all Christians live in societies where their lives may be on the line because of their beliefs. But a true believer ‘risks’ his/her own life every single day, in that they are prepared to sacrifice what they would naturally, normally choose in order to follow Jesus. The Cross is an event in history; but it is also our calling. It’s a disciple’s way of life.
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Spirit-led: See verse 28. There are those times when something just seems right to the Holy Spirit, and there is no jarring in our own spirits as we consider it. There is a harmony between what we sense the Holy Spirit is saying, and our own inner feelings. There is just peace – no disturbance at all.
The way of the Cross and the way of the Spirit are one. If we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit we must also embrace the cross.
Warren Wiersbe tells the story of a missionary wandering around a religious fair in Brazil. He came across one booth bearing the sign ‘Cheap Crosses.’ He thought, ‘Yes, but my Lord’s Cross was not cheap, and neither will mine be.’
PRAYER: Lord, enable me to walk in step with your Spirit – whatever the cost.
Acts 15:12-21: Listen!
“12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me. 14 Simon[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 ‘“After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things” –
18 things known from long ago.
19 ‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.’” NIV UK
‘A wise old owl sat in an oak, the more he saw, the less he spoke; The less he spoke, the more he heard; Now wasn’t he a wise old bird?’ We need to train ourselves to listen more, and even to be willing to learn from people who see things differently to ourselves. I’m not talking about having elastic convictions. That would be a contradiction of terms. Let’s hold firmly to revealed truth. Certain things are set in concrete, but it’s good to be flexible wherever there is legitimate room for manoeuvre.
This was a challenging time for the Jewish church. Prejudices and presuppositions were being stretched almost to breaking point. How could Gentiles become a part of the church? Furthermore, how could they possibly gain admission without being circumcised? However, the willingness to listen to another viewpoint was key in what unfolded (12). As James says in his letter, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. God has given us two ears and one mouth which may be slightly more than a subtle hint. What’s more, He has created a mouth which closes and ears that don’t – unless we deliberately choose to shut them. What won the day at the council of Jerusalem was a willingness to listen, along with the recognition that God was doing something new (12, 14), and an understanding that these events were the fulfilment of ancient prophecy (15-18). The only things asked of the new Gentile believers (19-21) were as a loving concession to enable table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles in the church. There’s a place for compromise for the sake of harmonious relationships, so long as we are not compromising key truth.
Acts 15: 7- 12: Only one way
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