Evangelism: A Chance to Follow Jesus

It is sometimes hard to follow Jesus!

 

In the book of Acts in the Bible, we find a record of events in the early Church. One story, found in chapter 16, tells of an episode in the life of Paul the Apostle and his associate Silas.  These two preachers of the Gospel were traveling through the city of Philippi, and they were being followed by a group of men who 'owned' a slave girl who had a spirit of divination.  This young girl followed Paul and Silas for days, shouting to anyone who would hear, "These men are bondservants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."  At first, this did not cause a problem. Still, she was so insistent and intrusive that Paul finally stopped her and cast out the Spirit of divination, driving her to speak.  Her owners were enraged, of course, because their slave girl could no longer service and entertain the crowds that she gathered, which had been bringing in quite a bit of income.  The girl's owner got the law involved, and Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten,  and thrown into prison.       

 

Later that night, around midnight, Paul and Silas were singing hymns and shouting praise to God, worshiping Him.  The other prisoners were enjoying the music, and in the middle of this impromptu 'concert,' the ground began shaking, the jail walls trembled, the shackles fell off their bodies, and the jail cell door came open.  The jailer was roused from his sleep and, when he saw that the prisoners were free, took up his sword to kill himself.  (The penalty for failure in the Roman army was death!)  Paul cried out to him, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!"  The jailer rushed in with a lantern, fell at their feet, and, seeing them free and standing, spoke these eternal words, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  The answer to his question was simple and life-changing:  "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household."  16:31  The jailer took them to his house to meet his family, and they all received the Gospel and became baptized believers in the Church!

           

This story exposes us to a few of the tremendous truths of God's message of salvation in Jesus:

 

First, God wants everyone to be saved!  Paul and Silas were on a mission to spread the Gospel message to anyone who would listen, Jew and Gentile alike.  God loves everyone and can save anyone who might call upon Jesus for forgiveness and salvation.  Another truth is simple: Any follower of Jesus can lead others to know Christ as Savior.  Paul was not a "priest" in the formal sense of the word; he was merely a believer in Jesus and could lead the jailer and his family to faith.  Another truth that might not be so welcomed is that following Jesus may bring hardship and suffering into one's life! Paul and Silas simply preached a message of love and forgiveness. They led the jailer and his family to know Christ as Savior.  However, those in power stood against the Gospel message and beat and imprisoned them both.  God delivered them, to be sure, but this was not a pleasant experience for these two preachers!

           

This story from Acts 16 is one of many in the Bible that explains Jesus' life-saving message. Jesus came and lived, died, and lived again for everyone.  Like the jailer, we can be saved by inviting Jesus into our hearts and committing our lives to follow him.  Let me encourage you to follow Him today!

 

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