Sing that one again, boys!

Saturday 10-22-16  Martínez, Argentina

Today we read: Job 11 – 12 and Acts 15 -16

S.  Acts 16:9-10 That night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia in northern Greece, pleading with him, "Come over here and help us." 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, for we could only conclude that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

Acts 16:29-34 Trembling with fear, the jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down before Paul and Silas. He brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with your entire household." Then they shared the word of the Lord with him and all who lived in his household. That same hour the jailer washed their wounds, and he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. Then he brought them into his house and set a meal before them. He and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God. NLT

O.  Who actually did the cruel beating of Paul and Silas with baseball bats?  It probably was either this jailor or one of his cohorts. And they surely did it with all their might, making a bloody mess and deep wounds.  So this jailor was not being kind to these two enemies of the people.  They were jammed into the inner cell and their feet secured in the stocks.  But at midnight Paul and Silas held Holy Ghost Pentecostal worship service, praying and rejoicing in song.  Nobody was going to get much sleep with that going on.  And suddenly the doors started to rattle and things started shaking.  Paul and Silas feet were released from the stocks and all the prisoner’s chains fell off and the front door was wide open.  Maybe this jailor was the man in Paul’s vision.  He is the only male convert mentioned in Philippi.

A.  I prefer not to be beaten and thrown in jail.  Did the Lord have to set up all of these circumstances to save one hungry heathen and his family?  I have learned to never question God’s way of doing things.  When things are out of my control, I always try to “fix” it.  But I finally am made to know everything is still under His control.

P.  Yes, Lord, without the beating and bleeding backs, there may never had been a midnight Pentecostal hoedown. Lord, I guess You could see these boys needed some rhythm with their songs, so You called in Your chief heavenly drummer who apparently got carried away and shook the whole jail with his bass drum.  Now that’s music!  At least it was music in the ears of all the prisoners whose chains feel off.  Hey, boys, sing that one again!  And everybody became Quakers.  Amen.

Ralph