Friday, January 09, 2009

A Heart for the Lost

One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of Paul and Silas in a Roman jail. You can read about it here from Acts 16:16-41.

  • I love how these two men's faith have an economic impact on the master who was using his slave girl to tell fortunes.
  • I love how Paul gets fed up with the girl following them and annoying them and casts the unclean spirit out of her.
  • I love how Paul and Silas after they are thrown in prison sing hymns to God and thereby worship God in the midst of their suffering and witness to the other prisoners.
  • I love how God intervenes so miraculously in the story.
  • I love how Paul and Silas save the jailer from killing himself.
  • I love how the jailer and his family come to know Christ.

But here is something that really blows me away about this story that I had not picked up on before. It happens after the earthquake God uses to free Paul and Silas. These guys are sitting there singing hymns when the earthquake comes and are freed from their shackles and the door is opened- YET THEY DO NOT LEAVE. Why in the heck didn't they just leave? They stuck around. I think they stuck around so they could share their faith with the jailer. By sticking around they saved the jailer's physical and spiritual life!

Can you believe they would stay in jail just to witness to their faith!! I know such a love for those far from God demonstrated by Paul and Silas convicts me. How about you?

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