Pray
Paul and Silas: Acts 16.22-25- “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
They were not only beaten, they were whipped…many times! Our Christianity will be tested, just as their’s was, sooner than we think. We have gravitated from post-modern, to post-christian, to now anti-christian. We used to say, what would you do if someone stuck a gun to your head and questioned whether you were a believer or not. That is no longer a hypothetical question. We have no more time to play the church games; people are going to start getting whipped. We are watching the methodical silencing of Christian beliefs. Bullying is fronted by the mouth piece of the media. Can you see the perfect storm? I see how many men like Chuck Colson (http://www.colsoncenter.org/wfp-home) are no longer with us. Men like him could defend our faith on the highest levels with ease. I see the rapid movement against older christians in their own churches, which results in lack of experiential wisdom. I see the decline of basic biblical doctrine within our churches from people who grew up with it. I see our preachers oh so concerned for the well being of SELF more than the sheep they should be shepherding. I see a complete lack of understanding among our stripe of faith as to what faith really is in the first place. We are about to fall head-long into a dark place. It could be rather, that we are led to it on purpose. We can blame a lot of things both political and ecclesiastical. The truth is, the Lord knew what would happen and He has a plan way bigger than us. Our responsibility is to shoulder up to the darkness and keep going. When we arrive at the dark place, will we depend on the Spirit to consume our response? Will we willingly be led by the Spirit into these dark places, or chose to bail on our most holy faith? Will we pull small verses out of contexts to prove it is biblical to flee, fight, or fake it? A continual walk with the Spirit NOW is key (“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5.16). Creating the habit now will allow for instant Holy Spirit surrender when the time comes.
They “…prayed…” Have you noticed how prayers in the last 20 years have gravitated from communication with God to more like leaving a voicemail? Paul and Silas were in discussion with their Lord. They spoke with Him and He with them: a live conversation. Some would assume they were praying for release, since the doors flung open in just a couple of more verses. The fact of the matter is, there is no indication of what was prayed, just that they did. Again, this was their habit way before being placed in this dark place at this dark time.
They “…sang praises…”
“…and the prisoners heard them.”
As you know, the story continues and the jailer turns to Christ and his family. Again, God has a bigger plan and He will work that plan. Many souls can be saved, by watching the testimony of believers being led into dark places willingly and dependently by the Spirit of God in them, on them and with them.
The dark times and the dark places are with us… are you praying? Are in you in constant communication with the One who is completely in control of the situation? Or, do you allow your flesh to rule over your souls decisions? Pray. Pray hard. Pray constantly.