Acts 16:25,29: "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying an singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them . . . . (After the earthquake) 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?'"
No matter in what circumstance we as followers of Christ find ourselves, we can know that we always have opportunity to be a witness for Our Lord. Certainly Paul and Silas knew this fact all too well. After arriving in the well-renown city of Philippi on the Macedonian province, the two missionaries from Antioch began teaching certain worshippers of God about Jesus Christ's death and resurrection as the offering of God for the salvation of mankind. Many responded to the gospel with repentance and submission to Jesus as their Lord and were baptized; among those who responded were Lydia, a dealer of purple cloth.
After a few days, when the two missionaries were on their way to the designated place of prayer, they were approached by a slave girl who was possessed by an evil spirit. This spirit gave the slave girl the ability to predict the future, which gave her owners the opportunity to exploit her abilities for profit.
The possessed girl was relentless in bothering Paul and Silas, for she followed them persistently, shouting out to the crowds her vociferous remarks about the followers of the "Most High God." Day after day passed as the girl continued to trouble the efforts of the missionaries. Eventually, an exasperated Paul turned around to the girl and commanded that the spirit within her leave immediately. Miraculously, the girl was freed from the bondage of the evil spirit; however, her profit-minded owners seized Paul and Silas and took them before the magistrates to have them punished for sabotaging their profitable business.
After some false accusations were presented to the governing officials, they in turn had Paul and Silas stripped of their clothing and severely beaten for causing such an uproar among the community; many in the city were stirred with resentment toward these missionaries for they wrongly believed that these men were "advocating customs unlawful for (the) Romans to accept" (16:21).
Paul and Silas then were imprisoned within the local jail, being taken to the innermost cell, which would have been the place of maximum security for inmates. As their feet were placed in stocks in the dark, dank cell, the two missionaries were now at a pivotal point in their lives and ministry. Paul and Silas easily could have viewed their dismal circumstances with vitriolic criticism against God. They could have verbally expressed their dismay at God for His leading them to this end; after all, they had been trying to follow His wishes to propagate His gospel to the Gentile communities of Macedonia (see Acts 16:9-10).
Instead, we find the two imprisoned missionaries praying and singing hymns to God . . . even in the midnight hour. The other prisoners (and I'm sure the prison guards as well) listened to these two men, who seemed to glow with the radiance of their Lord. Whereas these fellow prisoners and guards might have expected to hear caustic criticism from Paul and Silas, they instead heard praises to God.
It was not long before a divinely orchestrated earthquake occurred, which caused the chains of the prisoners to loosen and the doors to open. The jailer feared that the prisoners would escape, and so he drew his sword to kill himself. Paul observed the jailer's intentions and stopped him, assuring this official that all the prisoners were accounted for. The jailer was overwhelmed with the miraculous events and rushed to Paul and Silas, falling before their feet and in a trembling voice cried out to them, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Notice that the jailer knew that these two men had something supernatural that he did not have. This jailer knew this, for he had had opportunity to observe these inmate's inner peace (sustained by their faith in God) before the earthquake occurred. This jailer also knew about his need for salvation, for Paul and Silas likely referred to God's wonderful grace in their hymns of praise and in their prayers of thanksgiving to their merciful Lord.
One's true character is revealed both in times of tribulation and temptation. By responding to their hostile circumstances with praise and worship of the One True God, these two missionaries communicated to their observers that they had something very special. Their behavior as well as their words of praise primed the pump of opportunity to share the gospel with the jailer at God's perfectly orchestrated timing. Whereas God got the attention of the jailer through the earthquake, Paul and Silas gave witness to the truth of God and His grace through their attitude before the event. The jailer knew exactly where to go when he needed God's grace, for he had already seen it manifest in these two men.
Once Paul and Silas saw that they had the focused attention of the jailer, they told him to "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved." The story ends beautifully with the jailer taking Paul and Silas to his home, and at that late hour of the night both the jailer and his entire household surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One of the first evidences of spiritual transformation found in the jailer was his ministry to the missionaries through his washing of their wounds. No longer was the jailer filled with rage or hostility toward these foreigners (like so many of his cohorts within the city [16:22]). Now, he was loving these men by attending to their needs. I'm certain that few in that house got much sleep that evening . . . it was a time of praise to the Lord for His mercy and grace. The once beaten and imprisoned men were now dining at the table of the very man in charge of their arrest and imprisonment.
One of the best verses in the entire chapter is found in 16:34: "he (the jailer) was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God." God had called Paul and Silas to Philippi (16:9-10) . . . they responded in obedience (16:10) . . . they experienced much persecution there (e.g. stripped, beaten, imprisonment [16:23-24]) . . . yet their lives were filled with joy, peace, fulfillment of purpose, and thanksgiving toward their Lord. This powerful presentation of spiritual transformation was the ingredient God used when he got the attention of the jailer; and the jailer (and his entire household) responded to the faith.
This is a tremendous word to us today. We must remember that the way that one lives his life through adversity will say much about his faith in God. May each of us who are surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ rise above the tribulations of life and remain focused upon our Supreme King and Savior. Others are watching us to see if we really believe what we profess. Let us be the resource that God uses to draw unbelievers into the richness of the faith, as He works supernaturally to bring them to the point of salvation.
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