Acts 16:25-34How to get to the other side of Midnight

Acts 16:25–34 HCSB

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!” 29 Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

Sub: How to get to the other side of Midnight

Johannesburg, South Africa - In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (1994), Nelson Mandela made a now-famous comment about the conditions in South Africa's apartheid prisons, where, from the 1950s, hundreds of activists in the anti-apartheid struggle were incarcerated for protesting against the white government.

"It is said that no-one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails," Mandela wrote. "A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones - and South Africa treated its imprisoned African citizens like animals."

Mandela drafted in his autobiography while jailed in the notorious maximum security prison of Robben Island, where, from 1964, he spent 18 of the 27 years he was jailed by the Nationalist Party for his part in fighting for racial equality and the eradication of apartheid.

Mandela died, aged 95, on December 5, 2013.

Details about the brutal and horrific conditions for black, "coloured" and Asian political prisoners on Robben Island, which lies just off the coast of Cape Town at the foot of the African continent, are now well known.

Despite these conditions, political prisoners found ways to resist the authorities' attempts to break their spirits and morale through a variety of recreational and cultural activities. One fundamental key to survival and prisoner resistance on Robben Island came in the form of music.

Musical resistance

In April 2013, Music Beyond Borders reunited a group of former political prisoners from Robben Island to sing their songs of survival.

Music already had become an essential part of the anti-apartheid movement, tracing the history of the struggle for democracy and evolving in direct response to the changing political climate and conditions across the country. In essence, the spiritual and human dimension of the liberation struggle was expressed through African vocal music and dance, especially with a rich collection of freedom songs.

I. Start Praying

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying....

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying

Paul and Silas had just been stripped, beaten with rods, imprisoned, and put in chains. Their backs were a lacerated, bloody, swollen mass of human flesh. We can just imagine the excruciating pain. But note: sitting there in the dark, smelly, rat and roach infested dungeon, they bore a strong testimony to the wonderful grace of God.

Prayer associated with corporate worship (; ;

It is also interesting that the word "praying" (proseuchomai) here in verse 25 means Prayer associated with corporate worship (; ;

Paul and Silas lifted up their hearts and voices in prayer to God when in dire circumstances. We may be so bound in the prison and stocks of circumstances that we cannot do anything other than pray. But being limited to prayer is not a limitation. To the contrary, prayer is a mighty weapon to help in the time of trial. There was the strong witness of the disciples through terrible difficulties.

II. Sing Praises

II. Sing Praises

....and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

....and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped.

Paul and Silas were also singing hymns of praise to God while in prison. The tense (imperfect) of the verb singing subjects that Paul and Silas began singing in the past and they never stopped singing, even while locked in prison. Paul and Silas never stopped bragging on God, even while in prison. These men were a testimony for God while in prison. Luke tells us that "at midnight Paul and Silas were praying [worshiping] and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (). The word "listening" is a rare verb. It means "to listen with pleasure as to a recitation or music." It was a new experience for the prisoners and a wonderful testimony of Christian trustfulness and thankfulness.

Luke tells us that "at midnight Paul and Silas were praying [worshiping] and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (). The word "listening" is a rare verb. It means "to listen with pleasure as to a recitation or music." It was a new experience for the prisoners and a wonderful testimony of Christian trustfulness and thankfulness.

LIFE APPLICATION CHOOSING TO WORSHIP

Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, and placed in stocks in the inner cell. Despite this dismal situation, they praised God, praying and singing as the other prisoners listened (16:22-25). Did they "feel" like worshiping? Probably not. They were likely aching, tired, and scared. But they were determined to give glory to God, who they trusted was in control of their situation. They clung to the hard-to-understand truth previously announced by Jesus: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me" ( niv). The radical response to worship was a decision of their will. No matter what our circumstances, we can choose to praise God. Others may even come to Christ because of our example.

There was the movement of God. In this instance God moved through an earthquake. In other instances He will move in other ways.

God can move upon a person's soul through...

• some happening in nature

• a tragedy

• sensing a lack or need

• the reading of Scripture

• some miracle

• some event in the person's life

• thinking about life or death

• the preaching of the gospel

• an innumerable list of ways

God moves events to prepare man's soul for salvation. One of the major reasons for causing the earthquake was to stir the jailer to cry out for salvation

There was the desperate plight of man—his fear, helplessness, and insecurity. In the case of the jailer he felt that he faced a hopeless situation because...

• the earthquake had sprung open the jail doors, allowing the prisoners to escape.

• he had fallen asleep while on duty.

• the penalty for allowing prisoners to escape was death (cp. ; , ).

The jailer, feeling helpless and hopeless, drew his sword to kill himself. He knew the terrible shame and punishment awaiting him and the shame coming upon his family due to his letting the prisoners escape. Therefore, he preferred to go ahead and die the less painful death of suicide. It would look like he was murdered by one of the prisoners when they escaped and this would spare his family the shame of his having been negligent in his duty.

III. Stay Put

28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!”

28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!”

29 Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

Accustomed as we are to prison breaks in Acts, this time the account differs. Rather than escape, Paul and Silas stayed right in their cell and somehow persuaded the rest of the prisoners to do so as well. God’s intent on this occasion was not the physical deliverance of his servants, but the spiritual deliverance of the jailer and his family.

Accustomed as we are to prison breaks in Acts, this time the account differs. Rather than escape, Paul and Silas stayed right in their cell and somehow persuaded the rest of the prisoners to do so as well. God’s intent on this occasion was not the physical deliverance of his servants, but the spiritual deliverance of the jailer and his family.

IV. Start Preaching

30 Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

30 Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

There was the urgent cry for salvation.

Note: the man knew to whom to go. He had heard Paul and Silas praying and singing about salvation.

He knew....

• that salvation was what he needed.

• that he desperately needed to know this God of theirs.

• that he and everyone else needed to be cared for by a God who looks after His followers as He did Paul and Silas.

The jailer cried out "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

The disciples were God's instruments for proclaiming salvation. They were tired and sore and it was the wee hours of the morning, yet they did not put the matter off until morning. They took time right then and there to meet the man's need.

Thoralf Gilbrant, ed., “4195. προσεύχομαι,” in The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Pi-Rho, (Springfield, MO: Complete Biblical Library, 1991), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "4195. προσεύχομαι".

John G. Butler, Bible Biography Series – Paul: The Missionary Apostle, (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 1995), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 337.

George T. Brooks, George Brooks Preaching Commentary – Expositions from the Book of Acts: Volume 2, (Austin, TX: WORDsearch, 2014), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Midnight Miracles in Philippi".

Bruce B. Barton et al., Life Application Bible Commentary – Acts, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1999), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "".