June 24, 2015 (Wednesday)
Tonight we shall visit a very familiar passage of Scripture as we continue our study of the Book of Acts at Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside.
Paul and Silas were on Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, and Paul had a vision in Troas in which he saw a man who said to him, “Come over into Macedonia and help us.” They soon found themselves in Philippi, a Roman Colony in Macedonia.
Paul and Silas and Timothy, who had joined them at Lystra, met with a group of women for prayer beside a river there. Paul urged them to accept Jesus as the Messiah, and some of them believed, among whom was a lady whose name was Lydia, a wealthy merchant from Thyatira, who made her home available to the missionaries.
One day, as they were going to the place of prayer, Paul became annoyed by a young fortune-telling girl who followed them for several days, publicly acknowledging the presence of Paul and his companions, and he commanded the spirit by which she predicted the future to leave her. Immediately those who had been making money from her activities seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities, calling them Jews who were undermining Roman law and custom. A crowd formed, joined the attack and the magistrates had them stripped, flogged and thrown into prison where they were placed in an inner cell in stocks.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the 
foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, ‘Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!’ The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved–you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God–he and his whole household” (Acts 16:25-34 NIV).
“At daybreak, the court judges sent officers with the instructions, “Release these men.” The jailer gave Paul the message, ‘The judges sent word that you’re free to go on your way. Congratulations! Go in peace!’
“But Paul wouldn’t budge. He told the officers, ‘They beat us up in public and threw us in jail, Roman citizens in good standing! And now they want to get us out of the way on the sly without anyone knowing? Nothing doing! If they want us out of here, let them come themselves and lead us out in broad daylight.’
“When the officers reported this, the judges panicked. They had no idea that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. They hurried over and apologized, personally escorted them from the jail, and then asked them if they wouldn’t please leave the city. Walking out of the jail, Paul and Silas went straight to Lydia’s house, saw their friends again, encouraged them in the faith, and only then went on their way” (Acts 16:36-40 MSG).
Next stop: Thessalonica, where new adventures awaited these men who were on a mission to tell the world about Jesus.