When the praises go up the Blessings come down

In the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall), Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), are driving from Illinois to a California amusement park. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with car problems and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, he acts impulsively to get his family to the park.

Acts 16:25–34 NKJV

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. 27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

act’s 16:25

ac 16.25-34

Acts 16:25 NKJV

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Acts 16:19 NKJV

But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.

Act’s 16:25-34

The call to endure in the face of persecution

Act’s 16:25

Before we go any further lets go back to the top of chapter sixteen, now it happened, as they was on their way to prayer and they came into contact with a slave girl who was possessed with a spirit that gave her the ability to tell future events or discover hidden knowledge. She was a slave that made her masters rich in other words her master made a lucrative business out of her abilities. So when Paul and Silas come a lone she began to proclaim who they were and what they was up to, funny thing this did not make Paul boastful or proud it annoyed him, so he turn and exorcized the spirit that possessed her.

ac 16.

The deliverance of the save girl was too much for her owners, however, who realized that, if the evil spirit had gone out of her their hope of making money was gone. When Paul exorcized the spirit that possessed her, he exorcized their source of income as well. Their fury had some very unpleasant consequences for the missionaries, especially for Paul and Silas.

The Message of Acts c. The Roman Gaoler (16:19–40)

The deliverance of the slave girl was too much for her owners, however, who realized that, if the evil spirit had gone out of her (exēlthen), their hope of making money was gone, or had ‘gone out’ too (exēlthen). The repetition of the verb is surely deliberate. As F. F. Bruce comments: ‘When Paul exorcized the spirit that possessed her, he exorcized their source of income as well.’ Their fury had some very unpleasant consequences for the missionaries, especially for Paul and Silas.

ac 16.25

When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, these men are jews and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practise.

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. after they had been severely beaten, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. upon receiving such orders, he put them in the deepest and darkest cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

The Message of Acts c. The Roman Gaoler (16:19–40)

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them

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(v.25) But along midnight Paul and Silas, praying, were singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were attentively listening to them. And suddenly there occurred a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And forthwith all the doors were opened, and the fetters of all were let go.

Passively

The call to endure in the face of persecution

Passively

Passively

f Matt

Luke’s account of what happened in Philippi accurately reflects the situation in a Roman colony. The slave owners dragged Paul and Silas into the agora, which was not only the market-place but the centre of a city’s public life (19). They then brought them before the stratēgoi, that is, the two praetors who acted as magistrates in a Roman colony. The charge was that these men are Jews who ‘… disturb our city and introduce … customs which it is not allowed to us Romans to adopt and practise’. The accusations of causing a riot and introducing an alien religion were serious. ‘Officially the Roman citizen may not practise any alien cult that has not received the public sanction of the state, but customarily he might do so as long as his cult did not otherwise offend against the laws and usages of Roman life, i.e. so long as it did not involve political or social crimes’ (20–21). The slave owners were very clever. They not only concealed the real reason for their anger, which was economic, but also presented their legal charge against the missionaries ‘in terms that appealed to the latent anti-Semitism of the people (“these men are Jews”) and their racial pride (“us Romans”)’ and so ‘ignited the flames of bigotry’.20

The crowd then joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the praetors ordered their lictors to strip and beat them publicly (22). It was a severe flogging, perhaps the first of the three Paul later mentioned, and it was followed by their being thrown into prison, with an instruction to the gaoler to keep them under close guard (23). He therefore confined them in the inner cell and in the stocks (24). It is wonderful that in such pain, with lacerated backs and aching limbs, Paul and Silas at about midnight were praying and singing hymns to God. Not groans but songs came from their mouths. Instead of cursing men, they blessed God. No wonder the other prisoners were listening to them (25).

Stott, J. R. W. (1994). The message of Acts: the Spirit, the church & the world (pp. 266–267). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Matthew 10:22 NKJV

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Matt.10.22

Matthew 10:22 NKJV

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

mat.10.22

Actively

Actively

22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved

Actively

Hebrews 12:1

Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10–20 NKJV

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

2 Timothy 2:3

2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV

3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.