What a good class and discussion Wed. In these passages we see God revealing His love for the saved and the unsaved through what we call persecution. Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into jail for casting out a "spirit of divination" from a slave girl who was used to raise money for fortune telling. Paul was annoyed when the girl cried out (vs. 17) "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." We questioned why Paul would be annoyed by a statement of truth and we determined that he was annoyed, because the truth was not spoken to glorify God, but was being used for profiting evil people. Paul was so in love with Christ, that he could not stand silently by when the gospel message was used for evil gain. Of course the crowd, probably incited by the slave owners, were upset because Paul was disrupting their way of behavior and commerce..."disturbing our city" (vs.20). This reminded us of the reception Jesus got when he overturned the tables in the temple in Jerusalem. He also could not stand by and ignore evil gain, instead of glorifying God.
As we moved through verses 25-35, we see how loving God is and how He orchestrates all things in order to redeem us and reveal His love for us. Paul and Silas, having been beaten and in jail, locked in the stocks, were worshiping God in the midst of their persecution. They had no doubt that God deserved their praise and worship even then. God's response to their circumstance was awesome...an earthquake, all the prisoners set free, and the jailer seeking salvation. The prisoners, although free, chose to remain; a testimony to their faith and hunger for God. Paul and Silas witnessed to the jailer...(vs. 31) "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.", and through baptism the jailer and his family were welcomed into the family of God.
After all this, the next day the magistrates set Paul and Silas free. God transformed what we label persecution, to actually be an act of love. Paul and Silas shared their love with those around them and God revealed His love by His words which were delivered through these followers, to save the lost.
Discover and Proclaim the Truth of The Bible which is: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." (John 3:16 NRSV). Jesus came to humanity to proclaim and give evidence to that love and He has commanded us to do the same. We, who believe, must not merely be followers, but we must be proclaimers of the Gospel Message and we can only do that by being filled with the love of God.
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