“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and 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 bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God” [ACTS 16:25-34]. [1]
On January 24th of 2023 the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forward to ninety seconds to midnight. This is the closest to midnight the clock has ever been set. The clock is still set at ninety seconds to midnight. [2] The Doomsday Clock is set every year by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes ten Nobel laureates. The Clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world’s vulnerability to global catastrophe caused by manmade technologies.
We commonly use the concept of “midnight” when speaking of challenges we are facing as individuals and even as nations. The concept is used especially when speaking of dangerous challenges. Midnight speaks of the time when there is no further possibility of avoiding whatever challenge may loom before us. At midnight one day passes into the next; whatever is to be done this day must be accomplished shortly or it cannot be done in the allotted time.
This accounts for the urgency witnessed when the Apostle writes in the encyclical we have received as the Letter to saints in Ephesus, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
‘Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.’
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” [EPHESIANS 5:11-16].
RESPONDING TO INJUSTICE — “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” [ACTS 16:25]. Matt Mooney never dreamed that playing T-Ball with his six-year-old daughter would result in him being handcuffed and seated in the back of a police cruiser. However, Brighton, Colorado police saw him in an empty forty-acre park playing with his daughter and arrested him in front of his little girl. The city council had ordered that people must not be in the fresh air during the engineered Covid crisis. [3] And Matt Mooney defied the orders of the city council.
A paddle boarder was arrested because he ignored lifeguards’ orders to get out of the ocean. He violated the governor’s stay-at-home orders during the Covid pandemic. [4]
A street preacher was arrested in less than one minute after showing up at a Pennsylvania pride event. [5] An officious police sergeant could not tolerate anyone exercising the right to free speech when it offended the alphabet mafia.
Unjust arrests do occur, and innocent people are sometimes taken into custody because of rulings fabricated by elected officials, or even by concepts imagined by authorities. Justice is not always administered fairly, nor has justice ever been administered in absolute fairness. Until Christ Himself reigns, there will never be absolute justice in this world. Among the early saints were examples of unjust incarceration and even worse acts against the believers because of their faith in the Risen Lord of Glory.
You will recall the words of one writer who assessed the cost of faith, writing, “Recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” [HEBREWS 10:32-34].
That same writer, assessing unnamed saints who were unjustly persecuted, wrote, “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” [HEBREWS 11:36-38]. Justice will not always be attained in this life.
I suppose I could give this point the title, “Praying and Praising God in Unjust, Even Impossible Situations.” The missionaries, Paul and Silas, were in an unpleasant, unenviable situation. Let’s do a quick review of what was going down at the specific time addressed by our text.
Paul and Silas had planned to evangelise and minister throughout the Roman province of Asia, an area which covered the western half of the nation we know as Türkiye in this day. Though their intention was to proclaim the Gospel in this province, God, in His sovereign will divinely debarred the missionaries from delivering the Gospel there. They therefore travelled westward through the province, coming at last to the region identified as Mysia. As they travelled and served the Lord, first Timothy and then Luke joined these missionaries.
In Mysia, one night as the other missionaries likely were sleeping, Paul had a vision in which God communicated with him. Doctor Luke is quite definite in identifying that what Paul witnessed that night was a vision and not a dream. The Apostle was awake and alert as the Lord communicated in a vision. In this vision, Paul saw a man of Macedonia standing and pleading, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Upon arising the next morning, Paul relayed the vision to the others who were sharing in this ministry of declaring the message of grace. The men consulted with one another as to what this might mean, arriving at the conclusion that they must deliberately travel to Macedonia because that was where God was directing them to preach the Gospel.
They immediately and deliberately travelled to the port of Troas where they secured passage on a vessel sailing to the Island of Samothrace, and thence to Neopolis. From there, the missionary band travelled to the Roman colony of Philippi. They would remain in Philippi for an extended period. While in Philippi, one Sabbath day the missionaries went to the river, thinking they would find a place of prayer.
It was natural that the missionaries would seek a gathering of Jewish worshippers. If they could find a synagogue, fine; if not, perhaps they would find a group met for prayer. Paul’s approach throughout his missionary journeys was to go to a synagogue where he would request opportunity to speak, telling the Good News that God’s Messiah had come, providing His life as a perfect sacrifice for sin. It would seem there was no synagogue in Philippi, but if there were worshippers of God in the city, they would gather by the river where they would recite the requisite prayers. Indeed, the missionaries did find worshippers there, but it was a group of women. The missionaries did speak to the women, telling them of God’s gift of life offered through the Messiah.
Doctor Luke, writing of what happened while in Philippi, informs the reader, “One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us” [ACTS 16:14-15].
I find it interesting that even though it was a man from Macedonia appearing in the vision, the first convert on the European continent was a woman. It is a point that must not be minimised when I say that the Faith of the Lord Jesus has a place for women. Women are not accoutrements for worship within the assembly of the righteous—women are full participants in worship of the Risen Lord of Glory. Women are not merely tolerated in the Faith—women have an integral place in the Faith of Christ the Lord. This truth is emphatically affirmed when we read, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” [GALATIANS 3:26-28].
I understand that the modern view, heavily influenced by succeeding waves of feminist philosophy, holds the opinion that anything a man can do a woman can do, and likely she can do it better! I am not prepared to argue that a woman cannot do much that a man can do, physical reality notwithstanding. And I don’t deny that in the Faith any woman can perform any task that a man might perform, doing that work as efficiently and as effectively as what any man can perform the given task. Nevertheless, when it comes to functioning in the role of an elder within the assembly of the righteous, it is not a question of ability but rather a question of appointment. Whether one serves as an elder is dependent upon God’s appointment, and God has made it clear that He does not appoint women as elders. Therefore, a woman elder is contradictory to the divine will as revealed in the Word of God.
You will no doubt recall that the Apostle, writing under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, has instructed us who believe Holy Writ, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor” [1 TIMOTHY 2:11-14].
I bring this matter up at this time because we must recognise that eldership is an issue of divine choice if we will honour the Master. Serving as an elder is not dependent on the abilities of those who serve as elders; rather, service as an elder is dependent on God’s sovereign choice.
I do not want anyone to conclude that eldership is a place for indolent people; eldership demands that the elder must labour, always striving to excel in the work because that one functioning as an elder represents the Living God. He must always be working hard for the sake of those over whom he is given charge, and he must work hard for the sake of the work itself. This should be apparent to us when reading Paul’s admonition, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” [2 TIMOTHY 2:15 NASB 95]. Assuredly, I would not want anyone to think that I am wandering afield as though unaware of where I am going with the message. Shepherding the flock of God is demanding work, requiring the one who serves as an elder to be diligent in study and in always working at the task to which he is appointed.
In the church of the Living God, women are encouraged—even expected—to participate in every activity of the congregation save for exercising oversight as an elder. Women are precluded from eldership and from the formal act of preaching. This divine choice is iterated when we read elsewhere, “The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:34].
I would suppose that some will conclude that I’ve wandered rather far afield from the point that I began to make when I noted that God used a vision of a man to bring the missionaries to Europe, though it was a woman who first turned in faith to receive the Saviour. However, the point I am making is that there is no priority afforded by gender in the Faith of Christ the Lord. Salvation is extended to all people as they come in faith to the Son of God. And when anyone receives Christ as Master over her or his life, that one becomes a son of God. When Paul makes that assertion in GALATIANS 3:26, the emphasis is not on gender but upon equity in salvation. All alike receive the inheritance of life in the Beloved Son through faith in Him as Master over life.
This point is sufficiently essential that I am compelled to remind you of a truth that Jesus stated when He was confronted by a group of Sadducees on one occasion. These men, enamored of their own intelligence and wit, imagined they had a question no one could answer, least of all Jesus. Their question had stumped the Pharisees, their rivals competing for the admiration of the people, forever. They were convinced that their question reveals the folly of religion to the people when Jesus, as was true with the Pharisees, would prove unable to give an answer.
The scenario they imagined was framed as follows: “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. And the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife” [LUKE 20:28-33]. You can almost sense the mirth as these scholars related the old saw. They were using the regulations given in the Law to expose the folly of religion.
Surely, they thought they had Jesus on the horns of a dilemma. He can’t say that any one of the seven men has her as his wife in heaven without violating the instructions Moses delivered. These Sadducees just knew that they had the unanswerable question, and they had set the trap so that Jesus would be caught and shown to be the religious fraud they knew Him to be. They just knew that everyone would see Jesus of Nazareth was a phoney preacher.
Jesus answered this nonsensical postulation by pointing to the Word of God. “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him” [LUKE 20:34-38].
According to the revelation Jesus provided these pious frauds, we enter Heaven as individuals and not as couples. A man doesn’t drag his wives, nor does a wife pull her husband for that matter, along into some sort of an eternal state of matrimony. We enter Heaven as redeemed individuals, each one saved by grace and destined to serve the Lord eternally as one of His beloved people. There is no such thing as the Mormon concept of “sealing a marriage” thus creating some sort of eternal union. No man has authority over his wife throughout all eternity. And no woman must think of herself as subservient to a husband throughout all eternity. God gives us opportunity to rejoice in marriage in time, but there is no marrying nor being given in marriage for all eternity—and we have the definitive Word of the Master on this point.
Well, I didn’t wander as far afield as some might imagine. Please permit me to employ a bit of sanctified imagination at this point. Paul was a product of his generation and of his culture. Women didn’t really have much of a place in Jewish culture, and Paul was trained as a Pharisee. Paul would describe himself as being, “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” [PHILIPPIANS 3:5-6].
He didn’t recite his pedigree as a mere boast; Paul was thoroughly versed in the Scriptures, and extensively trained in biblical interpretation according to the Pharisaical methodology. Had the vision he received been a woman pleading for the missionaries to come over to Macedonia to help those living there, I question whether the Apostle would have had the same reaction we see recorded in this book. As it is, Paul demonstrated quite an open mind after he had drawn the conclusion that the Lord was directing him to cross the Hellespont to enter the European continent. While he rejoiced in the conversion of Lydia, would he have taken the step of going to find a woman given his background? God was working in the Apostle’s life, guiding him, and opening his mind to the breadth of the message of the Risen Lord.
Without question, jailing the missionaries because some partners engaged in a fraudulent business were threatened with economic loss when a slave girl was freed of demonic powers was a grave injustice. The injustice was compounded when the missionaries were beaten and placed in stocks. That what was done under the guise of legalities was a serious distortion of justice was bad, but that the acts were committed against Roman citizens elevated what had transpired to a breach against Rome herself. The magistrates had just exposed themselves to serious, long-term repercussions.
When they sent the order that the prisoners were to be released, they anticipated that Paul and Silas would slink out of the city because they had been thoroughly cowed, the prisoners stunned their captors when Paul said, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out” [ACTS 16:37]. The magistrates had committed an egregious act against Roman jurisprudence, and it would be impossible to cover over their error! They could only hope that the very people they had humiliated would be merciful and overlook their crime!
The Apostle was not going to overlook such injustice. He had suffered an outrage not only against himself, but also against Roman jurisprudence! And the individuals who had perpetuated the gross injustice needed to have a measure of accountability imposed. While we who follow the Saviour are to speak up against injustice when we see it, we sometimes forget that we are obliged to expose injustice we ourselves may experience, just as we are to expose injustice perpetuated against our fellow worshippers of the Lord Jesus. To be sure, we are taught that we will suffer abuse because we worship Christ Jesus, and we are not to retaliate against those who seek to injure us. Nevertheless, in this pericope we have a model provided that teaches us that we are under no obligation to permit government officials to perpetuate injustice, either against ourselves or against the Faith. The churches that resisted governmental efforts to compel them to cease meeting were acting consistent with the model provided in Scripture. Government functionaries (or flunkies, if you will) were wrong, and the churches were right.
GOD WATCHES OVER HIS OWN — “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 bonds were unfastened” [ACTS 16:26]. When the child of God suffers persecution, some may question whether that one has been deserted by the Father. Nothing could be farther from reality; God has not forsaken His child whom He redeemed through the sacrifice of the Son of God. God has too much invested in you to forsake you. Put the thought far from your mind.
The wicked may mock the child of God, ridiculing that one for daring to believe in an unseen God. And that may cause us to feel as though our faith is shaken. The Psalmist apparently struggled with that issue when he asked,
“Why should the nations say,
‘Where is their God?’”
[PSALM 115:2]
He answered by pointing to God’s sovereignty.
“Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.”
[PSALM 115:3]
And that will be your answer as well. God is reigning on His throne, doing what His wisdom and goodness demand, always working for the benefit of His beloved child. You can rest assured that our God has not deserted you because He will do what brings glory to His Name and doing what testifies of His love for you. God, Who gave His only Son for your salvation, will not desert you to the cruel mercies of wicked people. He will watch over you, doing what is needful and what is best for you.
The missionaries could have answered the question of where God was, testifying that God was in the same place He had been when they sang songs of praise at midnight. And you can answer that the God Who gave you songs in the darkest hour is precisely where He was at that time. He has not forsaken you; He was always standing with you. Elihu testified to this truth when he said,
“Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out;
they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.
But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs in the night.’”
[JOB 35:9-10]
The Psalmist Asaph answers the troubling question of where God is when he writes,
“Why should the nations say,
‘Where is their God?’”
[PSALM 79:10a]
And he answers with a prayer to the God Whom the unbelievers ridiculed, praying,
“Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!”
[PSALM 79:10b]
Consider that the Lord has brought His child, or even His people, into trouble to purify them from their persistent wandering. At such times, the godless may laugh and scoff, saying, “So much for your good and loving God! He is nowhere to be found! Where is your God now?” And the answer, as we know in our hearts is, “God is preparing a day of vengeance on those who mock His beloved people. God stands before the brash mocker, preparing justice for those whom He loves.”
Asaph concludes that Psalm with a plea that the Father shall not ignore, writing,
“Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbours
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”
[PSALM 79:11-13]
There is a difference between the redeemed of God and the lost of this world, as the Psalmist has seen in this Psalm. Though they may seem to have been deserted, God’s people will at the last see His goodness, and the wicked shall be held to account, even in this life. I fear for the nations of the West when I see the testimony of David, who wrote,
“The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.”
[PSALM 9:17]
I dare not neglect to say for the benefit of any who hear me in this hour and who yet are lost, just as I must speak to remind the people of God of the mercies of the Lord extended even to the wicked. When the wicked taunt the saint, mocking and ridiculing God’s dear child, they need to know that God stands in front of them, always ready to forgive them of their wickedness, ready to free them from the chains of arrogance that bind them and that also blinds them.
Recall an exchange between the Master and some religious people who were mocking Him. Jesus had said, “I am the one who bears witness about myself, and the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” At this, these religious Jews demanded, “Where is your Father?” And upon hearing their arrogant demand, Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also” [JOHN 8:18-19].
What was true at that time is true to this day. When unbelieving people laugh at the pain of the saints, asking, “Where is your so-called Loving Father?” the answer is that He is right there in front of them. His people are His witness to the world that God is!
One Roman tyrant, notorious for persecuting the saints, on one occasion taunted one of the multiplied Christians he sought to extirpate. As the Christian suffered under the heavy hand of persecution, the tyrant gloated, “Where is your God, now, Christian?” With calmness born of spiritual courage, the suffering saint replied, “He is driving nails in your coffin.”
An ancient prophet named Hanani testified, “The eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him” [2 CHRONICLES 16:9a]. Indeed, as the Psalmist has observed,
“Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
“The LORD sets the prisoners free;
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
[PSALM 146:5-9]
THE POWER OF CHRISTIAN COMPASSION — “Paul cried with a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved’” [ACTS 16:28-30]?
When Paul called out, the gaoler was incredulous at learning the prisoners had not escaped. Surely, men who are incarcerated would flee if given the opportunity, but Paul’s shout arrested this man startling him out of his fear. Was it possible that no one had fled! And if that were the case, why would these men act in such a strange manner?
It is obvious that the Apostle was genuinely concerned that the jailer must not kill himself; nothing would be gained through him taking his life. Moreover, as becomes evident, the Spirit of God was at work bringing that man to new life in the Risen Son of God during the moment of seeming spontaneity. What we witness in Paul’s expression of concern is nothing less than a demonstration of Peter’s admonition for each one who follows the Saviour, “Set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess” [1 PETER 3:15 NET 2nd].
While I do believe in availing ourselves of sound training leading us to gain efficiency in our witness, just as I also believe in planning that will lead to sharing our testimonies, I suspect that more is accomplished in those times that are spontaneous and unplanned when we are given opportunity to tell others what the Lord has done for us and we tell them of His grace. God is always working in the life of His people as He guides them so that they are placed in critical areas where they can have an impact in the life of others. I cannot help but wonder whether those times that we thought were impromptu and unexpected are not more effective than our planned efforts precisely because God overruled our plans and circumvented all our efforts just so He would gain the glory and we would honour Him. Such times are evidence or Him working in our lives.
One of the great demonstrations of compassion was provided by our Lord at the time of His arrest. You may recall the incident as recorded by Doctor Luke. “While [Jesus] was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’ And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, ‘Lord, shall we strike with the sword?’ And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched his ear and healed him” [LUKE 22:47-51].
No doubt, the servant of the high priest, the man who had suffered an involuntary reconstruction of his head, was in considerable extreme pain. Perhaps some tender-hearted souls are prepared to argue that he had it coming. He had, after all, come out as part of an armed mob intent on taking Jesus captive after which they intended to deliver Him into the hands of His enemies. However, despite the evil these men intended to perpetuate, the Master was concerned that the man should be shown mercy. Don’t rush past the fact that Jesus is merciful even amid evil and wickedness! In acting as He did, Jesus provides all who follow Him a model for how Christians should act, even when the followers of Christ are provoked. The Master disarmed the evil intents of those wicked men who would have done harm to all that were in the garden that dark night.
We who name the Name of Christ will do well to learn the reality of the instructions Peter has given when he wrote, “What credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” [1 PETER 2:20-23].
Telling another of the salvation offered in Christ our Saviour is an act of compassion. To be sure, the one telling another of the salvation that is freely offered as we receive Christ as Master over life is showing obedience to the Master, but in pointing to Christ as Saviour that one is revealing compassion for the lost person. We do not want anyone to die without salvation, without the forgiveness of sin. We know the teaching of the Word, which tells us, “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” [1 TIMOTHY 2:1-4]. And if our Father desires all people to be saved, it is only natural that we who are called by the Name of the Risen Saviour will also wish the lost to be saved. In refusing to act with choler at some slight you may have suffered or at some act of mistreatment another has perpetuated against you may provide you opportunity to point some dear soul to the salvation that is found only in our Master.
Followers of Christ are compassionate. This doesn’t mean that we are unaware of evil or that we are prepared to shut our eyes to the wickedness perpetuated by those living only for this dying world; it means that we grieve at the hurt the wicked experience and we will treat them with compassion though they seek to injure us because of our faith in the Risen Saviour. We will do good even to the wicked because our goal is to glorify the Master and to show kindness even to those who clamour for to harm us.
We are convinced of the veracity of the admonition delivered by the Apostle to the Gentiles, who has written, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” [ROMANS 12:14-21]. Amen.
THE HOUR OF DECISION — “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” [ACTS 16:31]. This is the message each one who follows the Saviour must deliver in the hour of decision. And the lost are facing their hour of decision, even though they are often unaware of the peril in which they stand. We who follow the Saviour must look to the Lord Jesus, and not to the church or to the ordinances practised by a church; we must point the lost to the Risen Lord of Glory, urging them to believe Him, receiving the grace that He extends to all who come to Him in faith. Assuredly, we must not imagine we can look to our own puerile, pitiful efforts as somehow capable of bringing us into the blessed condition of salvation.
And that brings us to the vital question that each one must ask at some point: “What must I do to be saved?” If you wait, the answer will have been decided through your inaction. For failure to act means that upon death you, as was true of a rich man of whom Jesus spoke, will find yourself in hades. How tragic the account that Jesus told, saying, “The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes” [LUKE 16:22b-23a]. To fail to settle the issue of your eternal condition is to choose separation from God for all eternity.
In “The Great Divorce,” C. S. Lewis writes, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in hell choose it. Without that self-choice, there would be no Hell.” And this is the great tragedy for you if you choose not to receive the gift of life offered in Christ Jesus the Lord.
The offer of life is extended to all who will receive it today. My God promises, “The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” [ROMANS 6:23b]. The Son of God died because of your brokenness, but He conquered death and rose from the grave. Therefore, the offer of life is extended to you even now. God promises, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and thus has righteousness and with the mouth one confesses and thus has salvation” [ROMANS 10:9-10 NET BIBLE 2nd].
When you at last ask, “What must I do to be saved,” God answers your question with the divine promise, “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [ROMANS 10:13]. This is the promise of God offered to each one who receives the sacrifice of Christ in their place. Do this now. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ? 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] John Mecklin, “A moment of historic danger,” Current Time - 2024 - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (thebulletin.org), accessed 10 April 2024
[3] “Man Handcuffed in Front of Daughter at Colorado Park for Allegedly Violating Social Distancing,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYWFQH7VXwo, accessed 8 April 2024
[4] Hannah Fry, “Paddle boarder chased by boat arrested in Malibu after flouting coronavirus closures,” Los Angeles Times, April 3, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYWFQH7VXwo, accessed 8 April 2024
[5] “‘An Unjust Arrest!’: Street Preacher Arrested by ‘Tyrant’ Cop During PA Pride Rally,” CBN News, June 6, 2023, 'An Unjust Arrest!': Street Preacher Arrested by 'Tyrant' Cop During PA Pride Rally (youtube.com), accessed 8 April 2024
