Read Acts 16:25-3425And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. 27And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. 28But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. 29Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, 30And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. 33And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts 16:25‑34)
Long ago in the city of Philippi, two men, Paul and Silas, had false charges brought against them. They had been telling the people of this city about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there were those who were against the work of God, and they brought Paul and Silas to the officials. Many of the people spoke against Paul and Silas and convinced the officials that they were guilty. After severely beating them with whips, they were turned over to the jailer who chained them in the inner prison and locked their feet in wooden stocks. The jailer, knowing that escape was impossible, went off to bed.
Poor Paul and Silas! They were in bad shape. Their backs were cut and bleeding from the beating, and they were locked in a cold, dark prison cell. They were probably hungry, too, since it does not say in the account in the Bible that they were given anything to eat.
There were other prisoners in the same jail who had known something of what had happened to them. They probably expected to hear groans and curses from the new prisoners. But the evening hours passed with no complaints. Instead, at about midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God. Imagine the surprise of the other prisoners. They were actually singing and thanking God! The difference was that Paul and Silas served a wonderful God. They found such joy in serving Him that even prison bars and beatings could not upset them.
God had not forgotten His faithful servants. He had His own plan for that prison and its jailer. Suddenly the ground all around them began to shake violently. Even the prison walls trembled and the gates flew open. All of the prisoners’ chains fell off, and the stocks which held their feet came apart. It was an earthquake! Paul and Silas had no intention of running away, and the other prisoners were probably too frightened to escape.
The jailer, when he saw the doors of his prison open, drew out his sword to kill himself. He thought the prisoners would have fled, and he knew that the penalty for allowing a prisoner to escape was death. But Paul, realizing what the jailer was thinking, shouted, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.” (vs. 28)
The jailer more than likely knew about Paul and Silas and what they preached. Perhaps he had even heard Paul preach. He knew that he was a sinner and that he needed a Saviour. After helping Paul and Silas out of the wrecked jail, he asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (vs. 30) Their answer was plain and simple — “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” (vs. 31)
The jailer must have done just that, for we read next of the remarkable change which took place in him. This kind of change takes place by the power of Jesus Christ in the lives of men, women and young people, too. It changes them — it makes them new creatures: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:1717Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In this chapter we read of the change in this jailer who accepted Jesus Christ as his Saviour. This once cold-hearted, cruel jailer took the two prisoners to his own home. There he washed and treated their bleeding backs and then gave them dinner.
Then Paul and Silas talked more to the jailer and to his family, and during that night all of them were saved — all became Christians by accepting Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
What a wonderful change takes place in those who accept Christ as their Saviour. This jailer was shown God’s power through an earthquake which made him feel his own weakness and see his need of a Saviour. Today God speaks through His Word, the Bible, and the message that was given to the jailer almost 2000 years ago is the same message for us today.
Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins and trust Him to forgive and save you and He will!
ML-10/06/1985