A Double Blessing

Now, I am not sure what your definition of unfair is but I think you would all agree that this day was not one of Paul and Silas’ better days. However as we are going to see later, Paul and Silas’ bad day turns out to be the best day in the jailer and his family’s life.

So What?

Lets rejoin Paul and Silas inside the prison now and see what happens. Please turn with me to our scripture Acts 16:25-34.

Now place yourselves in the shoes for a moment of Paul or Silas. You had done nothing wrong, you were stripped naked, beaten, taken to jail, and placed under guard. You even overhear the authorities tell the jailer to watch you very closely. So he puts you in the innermost cell in the prison. I have not been to prison before, I haven’t even toured one, so I can’t tell you much about prison structures, but I know they are not the most friendly places on the earth. Today’s prisons are depressing inside at best but imagine one 2000 years ago. Now imagine the most inner cell. This had to be a special place to keep the worst kind prisoners, one where it would be hardest for them to escape, one where everyone in the prison could watch and keep an eye on them. Most likely it was the darkest and most depressing place inside those prison walls.

But look at the two again. What do we find them doing? The Bible says they were praying and singing hymns to God! Praying sure, but singing? Yes, singing!!!

Paul and Silas were so Spirit filled they probably could do nothing else. You have heard preachers preach about being thankful for your hardships, endure through the tough times, because God will surely bless you because of the experience. But have any of them ever told you to sing?

The Nazarene church has a very interesting evangelist named Rev. Robert Pickle. Now if you were to meet Robert on the street you would have no idea he is a Christian, much less an evangelist. He doesn’t seem to fit the stereotype. Rev. Pickle is a Harley Davidson rider, tattooed from head to foot, blue jeans and t-shirt wearin’, ex-con. And he is also a fully commissioned evangelist for the Church of the Nazarene. If you ever get the chance to hear Rev. Pickle jump at the opportunity.

Now he tells a story of singing and praising God in the worst of situations. Rev. Pickle was not long out of prison. He had met his wife and they were living a meager existence in a very modest little house. Robert had just started his ministry and had next to nothing to his name except for his old motorcycle and rental house. He says he was coming home one day and saw the fire trucks on his block. He didn’t recognize his house till he got up and saw his family standing on the sidewalk watching everything they owned burn and go up in smoke.

Robert didn’t know what to do until he remembered that in everything we are supposed to rejoice. The Spirit took Robert and he started running up and down the sidewalk screaming, “Well Glory! Glory to God! Glory!” and started yelling and singing at the top of his lungs.

You see Robert didn’t know why his house was burning down he just knew God had a plan and he was part of it! He did not know why he had lost everything he owned, just that God was about to send a blessing and he was going to receive it! Just when life had seemed to throw the final blow on Robert’s life, instead of being beat down he rose up and was shouting praise to God. God did bless Robert Pickle, his ministry today reaches into the public school system where he tells young kids about the dangers of drugs and gangs. And when he is done he tells the kids about the life saving grace of Jesus Christ no matter what the authorities tell him before hand.