Thankfully Remembering

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” (Philippians 1:3)

We frequently see this verse of scripture on greeting cards and notes exchanged between Christians.

The Philippian jailer and his household probably made up part of the church of Philippi. Paul probably remembered the jailer’s conversion and the hospitality he showed Paul and Silas.

Lydia, the seller of purple, from the city of Thyatira, was the first convert at Philippi. When Paul and Silas left their friend, the jailer, they went to Lydia’s house. She was probably part of the Philippian church along with her household.

Then there was the damsel possessed with a spirit of divination. She was saved and was likely a part of that church.

Oh, how sweet are the memories of a Spirit filled church made up of Spirit filled, Godly people. No wonder Paul said in this letter, “I thank by God upon every remembrance of you.”

The Household of Faith

“And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” (Acts 16:34)

It should come as no surprise that this newly saved, born again Christian would invite these two men into his house and that they would accept his invitation. After all, these men were all members of the family of God: Paul, Silas, the jailer and the members of the jailer’s household. There is a bond of love among the members of the family of God.

He fed them. He knew first hand what jail-house food was. These brothers were welcome at his table and were invited to eat his food. The Bible says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)

He rejoiced, and rightly so. He had just gotten saved. There is no better reason to rejoice. He and his household had a new found faith, new found friends and a new family.

The Privilege of Obeying Christ

“…and was baptized, he and all his straightway (immediately)” (Acts 16:33)

Missionaries in a remote area were experiencing a time of phenomenal success, seeing old and young alike being saved. The missionaries decided they should start a required new converts’ class which would be mandatory before one could be baptized. When the missionaries learned about a teenage girl who had not signed up for the class they asked one of the villagers who had been saved about her.  “She must take the class or we cannot baptize her,” they said.  The villager replied, “She’s the one who shared the gospel with all of us and led us to saving faith in Christ.”

The jailer in our story was baptized upon his verbal profession of faith in Christ and verified his experience of faith by following the Lord in baptism. It is very similar to the profession of faith and baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts chapter eight.

I am an old man. I professed faith in Christ as an eight year old boy and was baptized shortly thereafter. If I and the group of all ages of people who where baptized with me on that Sunday afternoon had needed to take a class and pass some imposed test I might not have been baptized yet.

Baptism does not save. But it is the first act of obedience for a new believer. Who are we to deny someone the privilege of obeying Christ?

Washing Stripes

“And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes…” (Acts 16:33)

The jailer had just been shaken from his midnight sleep and from his lethargy concerning his lost condition. He had been told by Paul and Silas to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved. He had seen the unjust and harsh stripes laid on the backs of these two servants of the Lord. Without coercion or hesitation he washed their stripes.

We live in a cruel world where evil men do evil things, laying many stripes on innocent people. These hurting people all need caring people to go to them from Christ and figuratively or literally wash the stripes of the hurting and wounded.

Perhaps the jailer remembered the pain of lashes laid on his back sometime earlier. Whether or not he had experienced similar stripes, he knew washing stripes was what he must do.

If we look around we can find someone suffering from stripes that need our attention.  Has the Lord sent you to “wash the stripes” of someone?

The World’s Greatest Question

“…Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:30-31)

This is the world’s most important question. How it is answered will determine one’s eternal destiny. Many answers have been suggested. For instance, one suggestion is, “Bow down to the sun, moon and stars.”  Another suggestion is, “Be a good neighbor, a good parent, join a church and be baptized.” Some have even suggested, “It doesn’t matter as long as you believe something, are sincere in what you believe, and do the best you can.” But, none of these is the Biblical answer for one’s search for salvation.

Paul and Silas were precise and agreed on their answer. What they told the Philippian jailer is the correct Biblical answer. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” lines up with John 3:16 which says, “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus was precise when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

They further agreed that their answer was the right answer to everyone in the jailer’s house. It is the correct answer to all who ask, “What must I do to be saved?”

God’s Better Plan

“And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. (Acts 16:27)

Swords are designed to maim, kill or inflict pain. In this story we have a man who is seriously thinking of taking his life with his own sword. His sword was to be used to defend himself or to persuade prisoners under his watch to stay in line or to risk losing their lives.

The jailer supposed that the prisoners had fled. He knew that the Roman officials would take his life if the prisoners had escaped.  He had gone so far as to draw out his sword and was prepared to fall on it, taking his own life. If he had fallen on his sword he would have died as a lost man. But God had a much better plan. God’s servant used the “Sword of the Spirit,” the Bible, to tell the jailer about how to be saved. This sword, instead of taking the jailer’s life, gave him eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

When it looks like all hope is gone and you “suppose” that there is no way out of your situation, God has a plan that will work if you trust Him and wait for Him to work His plan.

Don’t Always Expect an Earthquake

“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.”(Acts 16:26)

The scene is a jail in Philippi. The time is midnight. Two servants of the Lord Jesus are incarcerated in the inner prison with their feet securely fastened in stocks.  The two servants, Paul and Silas are praying and singing.

An earthquake shakes the prison and all the doors fly open and all the shackles are loosed. You and I as Christians can always expect trouble; Jesus said so. But we cannot always expect an earthquake to change our situation. Yes, sometimes God sends an earthquake. But, I remind you that Paul, one of the men in this story, would die in Rome at the hands of an executioner with no earthquake to deliver him.

You may go through some trials without God’s miraculous intervention. But He promises to see you through it and to never leave you nor forsake you. Just prior to his execution in the Roman prison Paul said, “At my first answer no man stood with me…notwithstanding the Lord stood with me…” (II Timothy 4:16, 17)