Importance Our Testimony Series

But praise God Paul and Silas would not let that deter them. I believe that Paul looked at Silas and said, “You know Silas my back is sore, Silas these chains hurt. But you know ‘I am not going out like this’”. Lets have church.

The Bible says at the midnight hour they began to have church. Oh this was not your ordinary three hymns and a sermon but God showed up and a special service they began to worship God.

I was reminded again what Jesus said in Matthew 18:18-20 Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (19) Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

This is what it was like here.

With all their strength they began to praise the Lord. In all their pain they began to worship.

If we could only learn the simple principle of worship. Worship is not about how we feel. It is not about when God delivers worship is about God. It is not about where we are at. It is about Jesus who died for us. It is about the Holy Spirit who came to be our comforter. Worship is about getting our mind on God.

They put their mind on God and began to worship

That is what happened. In all their pain they put their focus on the goodness of God. It wasn’t about getting out of prison. It wasn’t about loosing the bonds. It wasn’t about taking away the pain it was about Christ and him crucified.

Talking about having church. I pray for the results that they had. The walls shook and the prison doors were open. That is just a touch of the power of God. When we worship it opens our prisons and loosens the bonds. True worship brings freedom.

You know the story the jails began to open

Review

Acts 16:25-28 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. (26) Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. (27) And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. (28) But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here."

Two things about this passage I want us to notice:

1) When Paul and Silas praised the Lord it the chains of the other prisoners were loosed and the jail doors were open

2) They never left the prison, Why? I believe that the impact

The jailer was about to kill him self. Yet by the grace of God and the testimony of Paul and Silas “Don’t worry everything’s alright” This man and his house hold got saved.

Now we have come full circle. The next day for some miraculous reason they were released. Yet they were not going through the back door. They went out to the public.