Acts 16:19-40
From Biblos.com English Standard Version (ESV)
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19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the innerprison and fastened their feet inthe stocks.
The Philippian Jailer Converted
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and 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 bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer[a] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And 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 wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.
Gratitude and Mindset
Saints we are approaching Thanksgiving — my favorite holiday. One of the reasons is because it sets the tone for a mindset of reflecting on what we have been given. Ultimately Christmas and Easter are — rather should be — holidays of gratitude and reflection as well.
As I reflect on the scripture passages above, I come away convinced that I have work to do in regards to my attitude. The saints in the early age of the church were in conflict with the devil, the religious leaders of the day and the nation states they belonged to. Defiant, rugged and wonderfully compliant toward the Father, are some of the ways they could be described. In contrast, we have been trapped and seduced by the institutions of the day: religious, commercial and political. When these things are stripped away — and the scriptures tell us they will be — where will we stand, and upon what will we stand? Paul and Silas stood with God. And most amazingly, they did all of this without one visible complaint or recorded act of grumbling against God. They stood with one another as James has instructed us to do. (“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” James 5:9 ESV)
Grumbling: The Inverse
Grumbling reveals a sense of powerlessness and ignorance. Powerless in the sense that you have been deceived into believing something or someone is working against you and you have no options, so you vent in a way that is neither helpful or instructive. The truth is God is for us and if you don’t sense this, you are out of alignment. Ignorance is simply the unknown. (Which by the way is a condition everyone other than God is subject to.) It frustrates and paralyzes some people and they refuse to trust the Creator or others so they constantly harass with questions and sabotage godly work. Although they are seeking to assuage their fears, they are instead fortifying them. These approaches are signs of insecurity and cowardice. God never leaves us powerless in regards to how to do things or ignorant in regards to what we need to know. He gives us his power and wisdom as we trust in him. God was seeking to address these things early on and gave the people instructions regarding how to worship him and how to relate to one another.
“How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.” Numbers 14:27 (ESV)
The Lesson for Us
God grew intolerant of the self centered ways of his newly freed people. They preferred the predicable life of slavery to freedom, and viewed both the Liberator and the instruments of liberation as new chains. Gratitude was far from them and their minds yielded to all of the negative influences presented to them. They proved ill equipped for the challenges ahead, and so they never entered into the promises. In fact the people wilted under just about every challenge, preferring to indulge their fears and doubt.
Gratitude as a Fortress
Gratitude will prove to be a fortress to your mind. I’m not suggesting the maxim, count your blessings alone. I am emphasizing bringing into remembrance the things God has done and recounting them in His presence and the presence of others. In this way we magnify our God and minimize our concerns. As always, we have to make sure we are in his will and not simply presuming favor for our own actions. Leaders expect opposition, internal and external. They deal with it and continue to move on until they accomplish what they have set out to do. Armed with gratitude, they insulate themselves from the idolatry of self-seeking. They have learned to appreciate all things that come from the Father, including the difficult lessons he has made part of their training exercises. If we realize this early on in whatever journey God assigns us to, we not only embrace opposition, we will give thanks when it comes and be honored we were entrusted with the task. If we succeed or fail — we will learn something from it.