Soul Surgery: Changing Your Desires - 1 John 2:16 Series

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Introduction: Joy

"These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved. … These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."

Every time the servant girl shouted that, it made Paul a little more upset. What she was saying was true, but this girl had a demon and was involved in fortune telling, and the last thing God needs or wants is publicity from the Devil. So finally Paul just turned around and let that demon have it.

Acts 16:18 "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.

(So much for that whole “all truth is God’s truth” idea. Not all truth is God’s truth.) Paul is not interested in joining forces with a demon in any way no matter what that demon is saying, so he sends that evil spirit packing. The thing is, the owners of that girl had been using her as a fortune teller, and now that the demon was gone they were out of business. And when they realize that, things turn violent.

Acts 16:19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

It does not say they escorted them – it says they dragged them. It sounds to me like there was some resistance. Before you can drag someone somewhere you have to overpower him. I don’t know what kind of scuffle took place, but it does not sound to me like Paul and Silas are going willingly at all. Most likely they are outnumbered, and so they get dragged away. Paul knows it will not go well for him before the authorities, so he struggled to get out of the headlock, trying to free himself and escape, but he cannot get loose.

20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

Then it really gets ugly.

22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas

I cannot imagine the terror of being attacked by an angry mob. I know the terror of facing one single bully – I remember that from when I was a kid, and that scared me to death. But to be beaten by a savage, angry mob that wants to kill you – I cannot even imagine. You are on the ground getting punched and kicked and smashed in the head with clubs or rocks or whatever the people had. And you are just trying to cover your face the best you can, but you are getting blows to the side of the head and the ribs and all over, and the whole time you are praying, “God, please – let the magistrates step in!” Well, finally they do step in. But that did not go well either.

22 … and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

You are crumpled up on the ground, bruised and bleeding from the beating, struggling to get your breath, and the next thing you know the officials are pulling you to your feet, and ripping off your clothes. Then they tie you to a post naked, and then the real beating starts. Being beaten with rods was an especially painful ordeal. They are already tender from the beating they just took and this is on top of that.

23 After they had been severely beaten, they were thrown into prison

Literally it says, “After they had inflicted many blows.” They just kept whacking away with those rods. Agonizing pain with every single one. And then they are thrown into prison.

23 … and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

No medical attention. Just thrown into the maximum security inner cell and placed in stocks as well. The stocks were used both for restraint and for torture at times.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God

Now let me ask you something – can your joy source do that? Each one of us, when we get down or discouraged or bored or anxious or depressed – we all do the same thing. We try to find something that will give us our joy back. That thing you look to – can it give you this kind of joy?