Apologetic but not believing is a symptom of pride and sinfulness. This is the spiritual battle that the city officials found themselves in when they told the jailer to let Paul and Silas out of prison. The city officials placed Paul and Silas in jail as they responded to the mob’s wishes. Earlier, Paul prayed …
Suicidal to saved was the experience of the jailer who oversaw Paul and Silas as prisoners. In those days, the guards were responsible for their prisoners and would be held accountable for their escape. The punishment for the guard who let a prisoner escape would be the same sentence as the person who escaped. Paul …
Have you ever had an unusual answer to a prayer you did not expect? As you read the Scriptures, you see God responding to people’s prayers in ways they could not imagine. God saved the Israelites by parting the Red Sea, and when the Egyptians pursued them, the sea closed around them. The family of …
We may not be aware that others are listening and watching what we do as we go about our lives. When someone discovers you believe in Jesus, they may start observing you, and you are unaware of it. Although many people proclaim to be Christians, there is often little difference between their actions and those …
How did Paul and Silas react to illegal beating and imprisonment? They responded with praise and singing in jail. They were not simply behind bars but in stocks in the deepest part of the prison. Perhaps the officials had heard the stories of angels releasing other Christians. Whatever the reason, Paul and Silas were under …
Paul and Silas get beaten and jailed because of the assumptions of prejudice. The two men had not broken any laws but simply used the name of Jesus to command an evil spirit to leave a slave girl. Acts 16: 19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and …
Paul was upset with the fortune-telling slave girl because she was the wrong source of truth. Acts 16: 16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters …
Going back to Tarsus must have felt like a demotion to Saul. He had left years earlier to study under Gamaliel in Jerusalem. His fanaticism for Judaism led him to persecute the followers of Jesus. But meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus turned Saul’s life upside down. He realized that Jesus was the Messiah. …
In Jerusalem, Saul got into a dispute with Greek-speaking Jews. The local Jerusalem Jews would have spoken Hebrew, while the Greek-speaking Jews were from outside Jerusalem. Saul, himself, had grown up in Tarsus and spoke Greek. The language and cultural differences caused friction between the two groups. The History Earlier, there had been a clash between …
We are better together. This became especially evident during the recent pandemic when people were isolated from family and friends. We need each other to share our day, to give and receive encouragement, and to love. We need people to pray for us when we struggle or have battles that are difficult to overcome. Others …