Parts of this chapter look like a Sci- Fi movie. There is this "Ms Cleo" character that is a slave that is telling peoples future, and her masters are making a LOT of money. Paul and Silas come in contact with Ms Cleo, get annoyed, and command the demon to come out of her, and the spirit leaves her. After the spirit leaves Ms Cleo her masters are very upset and they get Paul and Silas beaten and arrested.
My favorite part of this story is verse 25, it says, they prayed and SANG hymns and the earth shook!! I love the joy they found in a very bad situation. They could physically feel the pain from their beating, and they could physically feel the shackles around their hands and feet, and yet they worshipped. What an incredible example of faithfulness.
I love that they didn't even leave the jail. They waited to share what God had done for them with one of the guards. They again showed faithfulness by sharing their faith with someone needed Jesus. This wasn't Paul and Silas' plan from the beginning, but they took every opportunity to show Jesus' love to everyone they were coming in contact with.
Finally, Paul and Silas surprised the magistrate by asking for an apology for what had happened. This again was a bold move. They could have been thrown back in jail, because let's face it they had kinda just walked out of the jail, but they wanted to let people know they were treated unfairly, but their God did not let them down!
If we want to see the earth shake at Cedarbrook we have to show this type of faithfulness. We have to continue worship God in the midst of despair. We have to be the light in a dark world. We have to be brave when the world is coming against us., and through this faithfulness God will be faithful to us!
John
His faithfulness is indeed new every morning! Again and again we are encouraged by the fact that the same SPIRIT OF JESUS who led the early church, who allowed them to come and go, preach and not preach, heal, deliver from shackles and bondage, who gave the church courage and boldness to speak against injustice, indeed this is the same HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS who is ours for the asking TODAY!
ReplyDelete"...having been kept BY THE HOLY SPIRIT from preaching the word in the province of Asia, 7 they came to the border of Mysia, and 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 TO THEM."
"...14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. THE LORD OPENED HER HEART TO RESPOND TO PAUL'S MESSAGE."
The same LORD can and will open the hearts of those listening AND THEY WILL respond to PAUL'S MESSAGE, TO KEN'S MESSAGE, TO JOHN'S MESSAGE, TO MATHEW'S MESSAGE, TO REUBEN'S MESSAGE TO GINA'S MESSAGE, TO ANN'S MESSAGE, TO yours and mine as well.
WOW! I pray those around us WILL be listening so GOD can open their hearts to respond.
I can't believe no one else has commented on the irony of today's post… an earthquake??!!! No way. It's like this was planned all along ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the earth shook at Cedarbrook today, John! "Did you feel the mountains tremble…"
Wow! The earth really did shake today! - Don't ya love how God speaks to us?
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