Acts 16:35-40 

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. ³⁹ They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Exodus 4:10, 19…

¹⁰ Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue…” ¹⁹ Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead.” 

That’s the unspoken reason Moses did not want to go back to Egypt; he was actually afraid of his life; it’s not about eloquence. Can you identify with him?

We argue or ignore God’s call because we are afraid of what may happen to us. Does hesitation to obey God manifest lack of faith or just plain stubbornness?

One may argue or ignore God’s call, but God’s plan will always be accomplished. How do we know when the mission God has given us is accomplished?

Paul and Silas were missionaries and church planters; they needed to keep moving. How did Paul and Silas decide to move on to their next mission project?

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

Paul could have just kept quiet and left the place without invoking his right. If Paul and Silas shut their mouth, it could imply that they were guilty of a crime. Did God touch the hearts of the magistrates for them to appease Paul and Silas?

1.  Appease

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. ³⁹ They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city…

Paul and Silas shared the gospel to the jailer and his family; they believed and baptized. No problem, but how would they respond if those who accused Paul and Silas learned that they believed in Paul’s message?

Let’s recall what happened in Acts 16:20-21… 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 practice.”

Paul and Silas were accused of unlawful things not acceptable to the Romans.

When the jailer believed, it implied that he has favored Paul and Silas; his action implied also that the jailer stood against those who accused Paul and Silas.

The jailer and his household were still babies in their new found faith. At that early stage of their faith, it’s easy to be discouraged when persecuted. Did God move the magistrates’ hearts to appease Paul and Silas because of that?

It seems like the accusers abandoned their case against Paul and Silas when the magistrates escorted Paul and Silas; the jailer and his household were spared also. Was it part of God’s project through Paul and Silas to secure the jailer’s faith?

God’s project has different stages. When God’s project through us is accomplished, God uses another worker to continue on the next stage or next phase. God’s project should continue to bear fruit until the 2^nd advent of Christ.

Paul expressed more of it in his prayer; it says in Philippians 1:4-6…⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

In Rome, Paul was imprisoned for similar accusation he encountered in Philippi.

The Philippians became his partner in missions; they kept sending their financial support to him wherever he went. In Philippians 4:15-16… ¹⁵ Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶ for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 

Being thrown in prison could be the worst nightmare a believer would experience. Yet, Paul has been very productive in sharing the gospel while he was in prison.

Paul shared his prison experiences to remind the Philippians that many of them believed in Christ when Paul and Silas were thrown in jail in Philippi.

In Philippians 1:12-14… ¹² Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

What challenges are you facing now? Can you visualize God’s on-going project in your circumstances? Will you allow God to accomplish His project through you?

God might also be using your tough situation to assure you of your own salvation. Or, there might be believers observing your situation who needed encouragement.

2.  Assure

 ⁴⁰ After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left…

The brothers and sisters gathered in Lydia’s house to meet Paul and Silas. Who were those brothers and sisters; were the jailer’s household included?

Dr. Luke, the author of Acts, never bothered to identify them; the assembly of brothers and sisters implied that a new church in Philippi has been organized.

In just a short period of time, a church was planted. Church historians suggest that the church in Philippi congregated, initially, at Lydia’s house.

The testimony of Paul and Silas—persecuted, thrown into prison, and the conversion of the jailer and his household – all those factors may have encouraged the believers who assembled in Lydia’s house to keep on keeping on.

We classify what’s right and what’s wrong, good and bad situations but with God, all situations, good and bad, are beneficial instruments for His purposes.

Oppression

The Israelites went to live in Egypt because there was famine in Canaan.  They have abundant life in Egypt and they forgot to go back to Canaan.

Then, the Egyptians oppressed them; in Exodus 1:12… ¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites… 

 The Israelites are God’s chosen nation but He allowed them to be oppressed. The more the Israelites were maltreated the more they multiplied in number.

The Lord allowed the 1^st century Christians to be persecuted; we are not exempted. In Act 8:4, ⁴Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.  Persecution is God’s dramatic way of pruning genuine believers to be more fruitful just as the gardener would prune branches that are bearing fruits.

In John 15:1-2… ¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

If our Christian life is fruitful, God keeps pruning unproductive aspects of our life. Pruning hurts; it’s painful but we will be more fruitful like branches when pruned.

How’s God’s project through us? Is it accomplished? Does it need more pruning?

If God is pruning us, we must be fruitful; God wants us to be more fruitful. Amen!

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