As the Apostle Paul said to the jailer, in Acts 16:31, when he kept him from committing suicide…
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Read Acts 16
Here’s the backstory
This is Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (49-52 A.D.) as recorded in Acts 15:30 – 18:21.
Paul is accompanied by Silas (15:37-38), and they are later joined by young Mark (16:1).
Because of the “we” passages in 16:10-16, some scholars believe that Luke (the author of this book) is also part of Paul’s party.
This missionary journey has taken Paul from Jerusalem north to Antioch of Syria and then westwards through the interior of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
A vision of a man from Macedonia (modern-day Greece) caused Paul and Silas to cross the Aegean Sea to go there (16:9-12).
This introduced the Gospel to the continent of Europe for the first time (Turkey is in Asia and Greece is in Europe).
Paul and his companions found a “place of prayer” outside the city of Philippi on the sabbath (16:13).
They met Lydia, a seller of purple, there, and baptized her and her family (16:11-15).
Lydia, a seller of purple (and probably affluent), offered them the hospitality of her home, which they accepted (16:15).
As the story continues, the disciples are still in Philippi, where they will be for the balance of chapter 16.
This chapter records Paul’s encounter with Lydia, the successful businesswoman (16:11-15) and his encounter with a slave-girl (16:16-18) —women from opposite ends of the social and economic scale.
It also records the conversion of a Roman jailer and his household (16:29-34), demonstrating the ability of the Gospel to penetrate into the hearts of people from all walks of life.
These three recipients of Paul’s ministry (Lydia, the slave-girl, and the Roman jailer) “epitomized all whom the Jews held in contempt—women, slaves, and Gentiles.”
In verses 20- 24 we read that after having been beaten by the local authorities, Paul and Silas were thrown into a dungeon.
But instead of murmuring and complaining about their situation, Paul and Silas instead went on the offensive:
“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (v. 25a).
At midnight, the darkness would be all-encompassing.
Luke gives us no information concerning the content of these prayers, but the hymn-singing makes it clear that Paul and Silas are anything but depressed, defeated prisoners.
It seems likely that their prayers are prayers of praise and petitions for guidance rather than prayers for release.
“and the prisoners were listening to them” (v. 25b).
Some of these prisoners have probably spent many days in this terrible place, and this would surely be the first time that they have heard anyone praying and singing hymns.
The actions of Paul and Silas, therefore, constitute a powerful witness to the rest of the prisoners.
“Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken” (v. 26a).
Philippi is in a seismically active area, so it would not be unusual to experience an earthquake there—although an earthquake this violent would be unusual.
“and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened” (v. 26b).
This is the point.
Using an earthquake for His purposes, God opens the prison doors and unfastens the prisoners’ chains so that Paul and Silas are free to escape.
Luke has told us about two occasions in the past when God opened prison doors, allowing disciples to escape.
In the first instance, Peter and other disciples were healing large numbers of people in the temple when the high priest had the disciples arrested and put in public prison.
“But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, ‘Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life’” (5:20).
In the second instance, Herod arrested Peter “and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him” (12:4)—an extraordinary measure of security.
However, even though Peter was bound with chains and sleeping between two soldiers, an angel freed him (12:6-11).
These stories are intended to show that even powerful men, using their utmost to stifle the Gospel, cannot defeat the people whom God has sent to proclaim the Gospel.
“The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped”
(v. 27). It might seem odd that this jailer did not examine the cells carefully before deciding to kill himself, but people under great stress often panic—and this jailer is certainly panicked.
When the angel delivered Peter from prison in an earlier instance, Herod executed the guards for dereliction of duty (12:19).
In this latest instance, the jailer knows that his life is forfeit if even one prisoner has escaped—and all the prison doors are open, so surely more than one prisoner has escaped.
There is another reason, too, why the jailer would contemplate suicide.
Not only can he expect to be killed if a prisoner has escaped, but he will also be humiliated before his peers, who will carry out his execution.
Very often, fear of humiliation is a significant factor in suicide.
“But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here“‘ (v. 28).
Not only have Paul and Silas remained in prison, but the other prisoners have done the same.
Perhaps God caused the prisoners to delay their escape.
Perhaps Paul and Silas persuaded them to stay.
Paul understands the pressure that the jailer is under and the possibility that he will commit suicide.
He calls out to reassure the jailer that all the prisoners are still present.
The miracle that God has worked is not just for the deliverance of Paul and Silas, but also for the deliverance of the jailer.
“He called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas” (v. 29).
The jailer understands that Paul has saved his life, so he falls down before them—signaling his obeisance.
“and brought them out” (v. 30). A lesser manuscript (known as the Western text of Acts) says that the jailer secured the other prisoners before bringing Paul and Silas outside, but the better manuscripts say nothing about this.
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (v. 30).
The jailer’s panic and his relief on discovering that the prisoners are still present has made him receptive to guidance from Paul and Silas, whom he surely regards as his saviors in this present crisis.
The jailer’s question reminds us of the people’s response to Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, where they asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (2:37).
The jailer’s question can be understood on two levels.
He could be asking what he must do to be saved from execution by the authorities.
But, as we will see in the next verse, Paul and Silas hear the jailer’s question as having to do with his eternal salvation.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (v. 31).
Paul and Silas use the jailer’s question as an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to him.
This verse probably summarizes a longer proclamation. It is similar to Peter’s salvation formula at Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (2:38).
“you and your household” (v. 31a).
Paul and Silas make it clear to the jailer that his household can enjoy the same salvation that they are offering him.
“They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house” (v. 32).
The proclamation of the Gospel continues, this time to the jailer and “all who were in his house”—his family and possibly servants as well.
Luke has already told us about the baptism of Cornelius and all those who were with him (10:44-48) and of Lydia and her household (16:15).
“He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household” (v. 33).
The jailer demonstrates his new faith by taking care of their wounds and by being baptized.
His family is also baptized, in keeping with a tradition that the head of a family can make a decision that is binding on the whole family.
Then it says, “He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God” (v. 34).
Like Lydia earlier (v. 15), these new converts extend genuine hospitality to Paul and Silas.
The message here is for us to allow God to use the leaven of our faith, to spread the Good News of the Gospel to our entire house.
SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Tuesday, May 23
The Spirit Filled Believer
by Dick Mills
“Salvation for You and Your Household
Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.”
— Joel 1:3
Here is a word covering four generations, from us to our children, to our grandchildren, to our great-grandchildren.
It is a blessed word showing how the truth of God’s Word can remain in a family for a long, long time.
In Deuteronomy 5:9, Moses stated that the sins of the fathers would be passed down through the family to the third and fourth generation.
This verse in Joel is a positive assurance that the blessing of the Lord will also reach to the fourth generation.
It might be that very few people who read this message are great-grandparents. (My wife and I don’t even come that close.)
However, despite our age or situation, there is a resident truth in Joel 1:3 for each of us.
Your Family is Included
The truth is that our family is included in the promises of salvation.
Again and again we read in Scripture the familiar phrase, “you and all your household.”
Truth resident in one’s life has the potential for spreading through a family, and even through a whole family tree.
If you happen to be the only one in your family serving the Lord, rejoice!
The Lord has chosen you to introduce salvation to all your loved ones.
A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Gal. 5:9). You will live to see your entire family serving the Lord.
It’s just a matter of time!
(Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Daily Devotional by Dick Mills)
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