Episode 35: Before Midnight
People often love to talk about revival and the thrill of seeing God’s glory, but in reality, God’s power is often brought forth through pain and pressure. In God’s Kingdom economy, power is often a by-product of pain.
In Acts 16 we see two men handle pain in a way that brings unprecedented power. Paul and Silas had seen great success in church plants across Asia. In an effort to go back through that territory and check on the churches, God blocks their plans and sets their course for the unreached region of Macedonia (Europe). When they arrive, they go to the river where a group of women started a prayer group. Although they’d never heard of the Gospel, they had faith to gather and learn. One of the prominent women of this area opened her heart to all the Lord was showing and welcomed them into her home.
POWER PRINCIPLE #1: God is always leading us to new and unchartered territory. If we cling to what we know, we won’t grow.
Moving away from their former “church success” and leaning into something new wasn’t easy, but this was the way God planned to bring the Gospel to an unreached continent. While in the city of Phillipi, a young girl enslaved for her ability to tell fortunes, started following Paul and Silas around. She would shout, “These men are speaking of the Most High God…” and after a few days of this, Paul was annoyed (let’s face it, we’d probably be annoyed too!). He looked at the girl and cast out the demonic spirit, leaving her masters out of business. In their anger, they pulled Paul and Silas to the marketplace, and the authorities beat them severely with rods, and threw them into the inner cell of a prison. They even had their feet bound in stocks and chains like hardened criminals. Fortunately, they didn’t go through this alone, they had one another.
POWER PRINCIPLE #2: God puts us with the people we need in the timeframes we need them.
Silas was an encourager. The two of them had been through many adventures in various cities. They were like-minded, equally committed, and trailblazers. In this situation, they needed each other and their life-experiences to gather strength.
Scholars believe they were placed in the inner prison cell early in the evening. About midnight, the sounds of praise and worship reverberated from the prison walls. They were singing so loud that everyone could hear them. But here’s the question: “What happened in the hours before midnight?”
Sometimes we need a minute to get our heads right. Perhaps they looked at each other’s wounds—and even cried a bit together. It might have taken them a few hours to get their minds (and bodies) into a posture of worship.
There were so many unanswered questions like “Who will know to find us here?” “How can God get us out of this situation?” “How can our bodies heal from these dangerous wounds?”
POWER PRINCIPLE #3: Carrying a cross always comes with a price.
In their case the price was physical pain, but about midnight the walls started to shake and the chains of all the prisoners fell. Even the jailer and his household were converted that night, and the whole city of Phillipi was impacted.
POWER PRINCIPLE #4: Our belief brings new belief.
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