After they had been… thrown into prison…
Paul
and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God. Acts 16:23-25
WELCOME TO PHILIPPI. Paul’s experience in this
city looked nothing like its tourist literature. He and his company had arrived
for a stay and were leading people to Jesus and starting a church. But the city
leaders were convinced that his message would upset the status quo, so they had
Paul and Silas arrested, beaten, and thrown into a dungeon. Unfortunately, Paul
had experienced several similar tours of Mediterranean jails, so instead of sulking
in silence, he and his buddy considered prison their new mission field. The
Dungeon Choir drew the attention of the other prisoners and even the jailer got
saved. When the anti-Jesus mob couldn’t shut them up, they ran them out of
town. And that was Paul’s introduction to Philippi.
How would you feel about a place that had treated
you that way? It would be understandable if Paul wanted to shake the dust off
his sandals and vow never to return. Holding a grudge or crossing them off his
list would be reasonable. At the very least, he may try to forget it ever
happened and focus his efforts on people who appreciated his message.
But when
Paul was invited to be a guest in another city jail, he wrote a warm letter to the
church at Philippi. Some in that church may have been the very people who had mocked,
arrested, and beaten him. But since that time, they had accepted the message
they once rejected and been added to the church. Paul’s former enemies were
included in his loving letter to the church at Philippi.
Who has been crossed off
your list because of what they did?
What if God wants to use you to bless them?
.
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