The Bible tells us to, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31)…

So God promises that when we are saved, our house (family) will follow…

Let us hang our faith on this promise!

Here’s the backstory to what happened prior to Acts 16, verse 31:

Acts 16:25-34
New Living Translation

The Philippian Jailer Saved
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations.

All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.

28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

30 Then he 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, along with everyone in your household.”

32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.

33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds.

Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.

34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
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SALVATION BEGINS WITH FAITH

Paul and Silas’s answer to the Philippian jailer’s question is the essence of salvation;

“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

This verse raises two questions:

1. What does it mean to believe, and

2. What does it mean to be saved?

Belief includes but is MUCH MORE than just an intellectual assent!

Belief includes the idea of TOTAL reliance, trust, dependence, and submission of oneself to Christ, as both LORD (King, Master) and SAVIOR of their life.

(HE CAN’T BE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER… BOTH LORD AND SAVIOR)

TO BE SAVED IS TO BE DELIVERED

We are delivered from the very presence of sin and evil (Satan and hell) and will be delivered into the very presence of God (Christ and heaven).

“…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:8

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW you have eternal life.”
— 1 John 5:13

So the way we receive this new life is by faith — believing that we are sinful, that Jesus died for our sins, that His death was in our place, and that His payment for sin is fully acceptable in God’s sight.

Faith can be summarized in the following acrostic:

F. A. I. T. H. =
Forsaking All I Take Him

And in verse 31b, the promise goes on to say that “your entire household will be saved.”

Your Family’s Salvation —
So the jailer was the first to be saved; and then by him assuming spiritual leadership of his family, by being the first to repent and to humble himself before God; and then by him being the first to ask for forgiveness and a change of life, he set the pattern for the rest of his family.

And so by his example, the rest of his family was also won to Christ.

In the same way, every believing father has the responsibility to set the example of spiritual commitment, and to teach his family all he knows of following Christ.
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Mon, December 20
The Spirit Filled Believer
Written by Dick Mills

YOU AND ALL YOUR HOUSEHOLD

“They shall come back from the land of the enemy…your children shall come back to their own border.”
— Jeremiah 31:16-17

One of the most encouraging words from the Lord we have been hearing throughout the length and breadth of this land is:

“All the children are coming home; those who have been away in the land of the enemy are going to return to their own border.”

It is hard to describe the gladness, joy, and peace this God-breathed message of assurance brings to distraught parents.

GATHER AND BRING THEM IN

When the ark was finally all in readiness, just before the great flood descended, the Lord spoke these words to Noah:

“…Come into the ark, you and all your household…” (Genesis 7:1)

We are hearing these same words today:

“A flood of tribulation and persecution is coming. Get your family together and bring them in.”

When Israel was alerted to get ready to move out of Egypt, each family was instructed to sacrifice a lamb to cover their household.

Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb whose blood is sufficient to cover our entire family.

One of the features of the last-day move of the Spirit of God is family salvation, family restoration, and family unity.

If your children are away from home, you can take comfort from this passage in Jeremiah 31:16-17 which assures you that they will return.

In the parable, the prodigal son came home. The modern-day prodigals are going to do the same.

Just as chickens come home to roost and cows come back to the barn at the close of the day, so our children will return to us before the final darkness descends.

We are hearing this word all over the world. Believe it and be encouraged!

Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional by Dick Mills
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