They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31 WEB
At the beginning of chapter sixteen in Acts, Paul and Silas went to Lystra where Timothy joined them. As they travel from town to town, they deliver rules decided by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the function of the churches. Led by the Spirit of God, these men worked to strengthen the church and help the churches grow in numbers.
During their travels, Paul had a vision of a man pleading for him to come to Macedonia and help them. Feeling God’s call to preach the gospel there, the group traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and major city in Macedonia, staying there several days.
On the Sabbath in Philippi, Paul and his group preached to a group of women outside the city gates near the river. While delivering his message, the Lord opened a God fearing woman named Lydia’s heart to Paul’s preaching and she began to believe in the Lord. After she and the members of her house receive baptism, Lydia invites Paul and his group to stay at her house.
While staying with Lydia in Philippi, Luke teaches that a woman followed the evangelists from place to place. She was a slave who had a spirit by which she gave fortunes and predicted the future. Perceiving that she had an evil spirit, Paul rebuked the spirit and it left her. The woman lost her ability as a fortune teller.
Beaten and Jailed
Having made money from the female slave’s fortune telling, it angered her owners that the spirit by which she predicted futures no longer existed within her. And so, they turned Paul and Silas over to authorities who had them beaten with rods and thrown in jail.
While in jail, Paul and Silas sang hymns and praises to God when suddenly a great earthquake happened. The cell doors came open and the prisoners’ chains came loose. The jailer, seeing the doors open and knowing he would be killed for losing his prisoners, drew his sword to end his own life. Paul intervenes saying in Acts 16:28, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here! WEB”
Perceiving the supernatural significance of the event and grateful that the prisoners had not run off, the jailer asked Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? WEB” Paul and Silas answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul and Silas preached the word of God to the jailer and the members of his house. They were saved that night. Paul and Silas were released from jail the next day.
Prayer: “Father God, I believe in the Lord Jesus. Thank you for making salvation available through simple faith. Help me to endure the trials of my life. Guide me by your Holy Spirit to share the truth of your word with all who will receive it. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: A City Located on a Hill
