READ: Acts 16:6-17:34
Verses
chosen for meditation: Acts 16:25-32
25 About midnight Paul and
Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening
to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And
immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were
unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that
the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill
himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But
Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all
here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and
rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and
Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And
they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and
your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the
Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
REFLECT
The
book of Acts follows Paul on his missionary journeys, and it was a good time to
travel. Language was unified, with a rare empire-wide peace. A good
network of roads was built and as a Roman citizen, Paul holds a passport valid
anywhere.
Paul
focussed on main trading towns and capital cities of Roman colonies. From there,
the gospel could spread across the globe. When a young church showed promise,
Paul would stay on for a few years to guide its spiritual growth. This chapter
shows how one of Paul’s favourite churches came into existence. The Philippi church
was one that Paul really trusted and had special affection for (check out the
book of Philippians).
In
Acts 16:14, a casual conversation with a merchant named Lydia paved the way for
his ministry in Philippi. She and her household were eventually baptised and
her place became a shelter for Paul and his missionaries (likely also a meeting
place for the Philippian Christians). Things look on the up, until a series of
unfortunate events led to Paul and Silas being beaten up by crowds, with their
garments tore off, then thrown into prison.
Paul
and Silas, even under this circumstance, could still sing praises to God in
worship. A miraculous earthquake then came, opening the prison doors, and unfastened
the stocks trapping the prisoners’ feet. The jailer, shocked to see the doors open,
wanted to kill himself, thinking that all the prisoners escaped, as he could
not live through the consequences.
Paul,
to save the jailer’s life, revealed their presence in the cells. This peculiar
situation led to the jailer and his household believing in God. The magistrates
eventually let them go, but wanted them out of the city secretly. But Paul claimed
his right as a Roman citizenship, alerting how they mistreated a citizen. This
bought him some time (and respect), so he could visit Lydia and encourage the
community of new Christians before departing.
Paul
did not hesitate to use his prestige and status that came with his Roman
citizenship. If it’s for God’s kingdom purposes, he would milk it. Being
escorted out of the city, he left behind two transformed households: one led by
a woman merchant, and one by a city jailer. From that unlikely combination, the
lively church at Philippi grew.
RELATE
Have
we doubted God’s calling and plan for us, because we were brought to a place out
of our comfort zones, or face hindrances that made us conclude that we should
bring our talents elsewhere? If Paul and Silas were conclusive that way, the gospel may not reach our shores as fast. A modern-day
evangelist once quipped, “Whenever Paul visited a city, the residents started a
riot; when I visit one, they serve tea.”
When
the ministry seemed to be gaining momentum, they became victims of human greed,
beaten severely and thrown in prison. I would have asked God why this was
happening and second guessed my work in that place. Clearly, Paul and Silas
were not fazed. They held on to the faith that God has his ways, and is intentional
to follow their call even in the unlikeliest of places. God indeed had a reason
for placing them there, with his eyes set on a jailer.
This
brings us several insights. We may be displaced in our work, or called to
places or people that do not suit our preferences. The key question when
discerning if that’s the path for us should not be tied to our personal
preferences but pray and ask: Why did God place me here? What are God’s plans
for this place, for these people? Spend some time mulling over that and be open.
Next
insight is that our God is not only a “macro-God” with the big picture,
engineering the major things that sustains the universe, but also a
“micro-God”, intimate and attentive to the individual. He is not like CEOs of
major corporations, where they just have no capacity for a ground employee’s
struggles in life. God could have placed Paul and Silas in mass rallies
converting big numbers, but he engineered so many things to transform the life
of a jailer. God cares for the individual, sparing no expense in transforming
the lives of each one. That’s how much attention he pays to each of us.
Then
there’s the mercy and compassion of Paul. The jailer did nothing to deserve
Paul’s saving. In fact, he was the one who (unnecessarily?) chained their feet.
When Paul revealed his presence rather than leave the man to die, he was
risking his freedom, as the jailer could lock them up again. However, Paul
chose mercy and compassion over self-preservation.
In
a world where most would preserve themselves, the grace of Paul and Silas, their
positivity and praise for God under any circumstance, their grit in a difficult
place displayed God’s glory even more, resulting in one of the most compassionate
of churches recorded in the Bible.
REST
Father, keep our eyes focussed on your glory, and
let that drive our mindset and actions. So that wherever we may be placed, your
glory will shine bright for the individuals you care so much about in those
places. Amen.
Chris
Chong
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