Acts 16:26
"And suddenly there was a great earthquake,
so that the foundations of the prison were
shaken: and immediately all the doors
were opened, and every one's
bands were loosed."
Let us look at the situation that Paul and the other prisoners were in. This was a district where earthquakes were by no means uncommon. The door was locked, probably by a wooden bar falling into two slots that were fastened to the wall. The earthquake shook the bar free and the shackles fell from the prisoners, and the door was open. The jailer was about to kill himself because Roman law said that if a prisoner escaped the jailer must suffer the penalty the prisoner would have suffered.
Paul could sing hymns when he was locked in a prison at midnight. The one thing you can never take away from a Christian is God and the presence of Jesus Christ. With God there is freedom even in a prison and even at midnight there is light. He was quite willing to open the door of salvation to the jailer who had shut the door of the prison on him. There was never a grudge in Paul's nature. He could preach to the very man no matter what they had done or were doing to him! He could stand on his dignity! He claimed his rights as a Roman citizen! To scourge a Roman citizen was a crime punishable by death. But Paul was not standing on his dignity for his own sake but for the sake of the Christians he was leaving behind in Philippi. He wanted it to be seen that they were not without influential friends.
The jailer turned to Christ! The interesting thing about the jailer is that he immediately proved his conversion by his deeds. No sooner had he turned to Christ than he washed the stripes upon the prisoners' backs, was baptized, and set a meal before them. My friends that is true conversion from sinner to a Christian! Unless a man's Christianity makes him kind it is not real. Unless a man's professed change of heart is guaranteed by his change of deeds it is not genuine . When the chains are loosed from your life my friend, you have freedom from sin and the power of Jesus Christ to defeat any and all evil in your life.
Paul could sing hymns when he was locked in a prison at midnight. The one thing you can never take away from a Christian is God and the presence of Jesus Christ. With God there is freedom even in a prison and even at midnight there is light. He was quite willing to open the door of salvation to the jailer who had shut the door of the prison on him. There was never a grudge in Paul's nature. He could preach to the very man no matter what they had done or were doing to him! He could stand on his dignity! He claimed his rights as a Roman citizen! To scourge a Roman citizen was a crime punishable by death. But Paul was not standing on his dignity for his own sake but for the sake of the Christians he was leaving behind in Philippi. He wanted it to be seen that they were not without influential friends.
The jailer turned to Christ! The interesting thing about the jailer is that he immediately proved his conversion by his deeds. No sooner had he turned to Christ than he washed the stripes upon the prisoners' backs, was baptized, and set a meal before them. My friends that is true conversion from sinner to a Christian! Unless a man's Christianity makes him kind it is not real. Unless a man's professed change of heart is guaranteed by his change of deeds it is not genuine . When the chains are loosed from your life my friend, you have freedom from sin and the power of Jesus Christ to defeat any and all evil in your life.
Amen!!
Reading: (Acts 16:16-40)
Reading: (Acts 16:16-40)
May God Bless You
And Your Families
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
.
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