They Accepted the Message With All Eagerness

Paul heads into Macedonia after having a vision in Acts 16:9 a certain Macedonian man was standing there and imploring him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”. In Philippi some were saved, Lydia and her household, the jailer and his household. Then in Thessalonica in Acts 17:4 “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and also a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women”. And in Berea, in Acts 17:12 “Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men”. But in every place, there was also opposition, in Acts 16:19 “when … their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas” and in Acts 17:5 “the Jews were filled with jealousy and, taking along some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace and forming a mob, threw the city into an uproar”. The message of the kingdom sets people free and those losing control react to preserve their positions of wealth and power.

Praying and Singing Hymns to God

Acts 16:25-34
Paul has a new partner, Silas, and in

Acts 16:25 Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Accusations had landed them in jail until their case could be heard the next day. This isn’t prison like we might have today, they were not only behind locked doors, but they were also in the stocks. Later in Acts 16:33 it mentions their wounds, which was likely from the beating they had taken in Acts 16:22-23 then in

Acts 16:26 “there was a great earthquake … And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened”.

It is easy to imagine an earthquake happening. And with an earthquake, maybe the doors would open, but all of the bonds unfastened?

A jailer in these days was responsible for the prisoners and “knowing that his life was forfeited in that case (Ac 12:19; and compare Ac 27:42)”¹, the jailer was in

Acts 16:27-28 “about to kill himself, because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul called out … we are all here”.

When the jailer found that they were there, he said in

Acts 16:29-30 “what can I do so that I can be saved”.

and they answered in

Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household!”

Here is where the real miracles occur in Acts 16:32-34, the jailer takes Paul and Silas to his house, wakes the household, washes their wounds, hears the gospel message, they are all baptised, and they have a meal together. But then, in the morning, the jailer is back at his post, Paul and Silas are back in their cell in

Acts 16:35 And when it was day, the chief magistrates sent the police officers, saying, “Release those men.”

Paul understood the legal system and the jailers life was forfeit if Paul walked away. Paul was confident enough in the Lord that he put himself back in jail to protect the jailer.

Come Out Now and Go In Peace

Acts 16:35-40

And Some of Them Were Persuaded

Acts 17:1-9
Paul was teaching in the synagogue in Acts 17:2 “as was his custom” and in

Acts 17:4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and also a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.

When the Jews were not able to prevent people from being persuaded in the synagogue, they went to find people they could enlist against this message. This is a common tactic when someone doesn’t get what they want, they pull together a crowd of people and make noise as in

Acts 17:5 ”But the Jews were filled with jealousy … forming a mob threw the city into an uproar … to bring them out to the popular assembly”.