日期： 09/09/07

經文：《使徒行傳》 16 ： 11-40

題目：福音的能力

主旨：因為神已藉著聖靈與福音賜我們能力，所以我們要作主的見證人。

引言：

生活中有各種各樣的障礙。對于得克 薩 斯州和亞利桑那州的居民來說，和墨西哥之間有天然的地理屏障。生活中也存在性別和語言障礙。有時候，社會中的人與人之間也有隔閡。富人不愿意和窮人為伍。公司高級管理人員和中低層的技術人員也從不往來。在美國歷史上曾經有一段時期，南方的白人和黑人水火不相容：白人和黑人不能共用一個洗手間；甚至不能在同一屋檐下共同敬拜神。我的岳父還記得在加州的一間理髮廳曾經見過這樣的告示：中國人與狗不得入內。這些隔閡令人心生氣餒和恐懼。

在第一世紀的社會里也充滿了人與人之間的隔閡：比如窮人和富人之間，主人和奴隸之間，以及有文化的和沒文化的人之間。在《使徒行傳》開篇，神應許他的子民賜他們力量，去到地極做他的見證人。當讀到第二章以及之后的篇章時，我們看到信徒們都透過 圣 靈得到能力。這樣，使徒和信徒們都成為神的見證人，把福音傳給猶太人，也傳給外邦人。他們勇敢地在熟悉和友善的環境中，也在不熟悉和不友善的地方傳福音。他們的勇氣和果敢為他們贏得了一個昵稱：顛覆世界的人。

在保羅的第一次宣教之旅時，我們注意到：他們每到一個城市，總是先去猶太會堂向猶太人傳福音，然后才向外邦人傳福音。許多人跟隨了耶穌，但是也有不少人反對基督。

上周，我們討論了保羅的第二次宣教之旅。神通過關閉某些門，又打開另一些門，引領保羅一行來到特羅亞和歐洲。起初，保羅想往亞洲布道，然而神將他帶到西方。就這樣，使徒們和福音的好消息第一次正式地踏上歐洲的土地。

今天的經文詳細記錄了他們到達歐洲的第一個城市后所發生的事件。路加描述了在腓利比的兩位信徒在認主的過程中發生的一些事。在這些事件中，我們再次與福音的大能相遇。在這經文中 , 我們會學習 ; 因為神已藉著聖靈與福音賜我們能力，所以我們要作主的見證人。

I •  我們要作主的見證人因為福音能打破社會隔膜。

跨過愛琴海以后，他們來到腓利比。這座城市是以亞歷山大大帝的父親的名字命名的。她是羅馬的殖民地，帝國鼓勵士兵退伍以后去腓利比。腓利比的市民免征省稅。她直屬于羅馬，就像中國的上海一樣是個直轄市，直屬于北京政府。腓利比是羅馬帝國的權利中心之一。隨著保羅一行的到來，腓利比現在又迎來另一股力量。這就是當時的歷史背景。

13-15, “安息日我們出了城門，來到河邊，以為那裡是個祈禱的地方。我們坐下，對聚集的婦女講論。”保羅和他的伙伴們來到河邊尋找猶太人，以為那里是他們聚會的地方。根據猶太人的傳統，組成一個會堂需要至少十個人。當時可能湊不足十個人來組成會堂，所以，他們只能在海邊或者河邊露天地敬拜。

在河邊，保羅遇到了來自推雅推拉城的呂底亞。她是一個賣紫色布的商人。在當時，紫色的東西是很貴的，因為紫色是和貴族相連的。一個賣紫色貨物的商人大概也是一個富商。保羅在傳福音時，聖經告訴我們神打開了呂底亞的心，她接受了主耶穌并受了洗。

我們記得馬其頓的呼召是由一個男子在異象中發出的。我們能否想像由一個女人發出馬其頓呼召嗎？在當時，敬虔的猶太男子在他們的禱告里通常有以下的內容：感謝主，你沒有讓我成為外邦人，奴隸和女人。

在保羅踏上歐洲后的第一站發生了什么事？如果我們是保羅的話，或許會期待一些重大事件的發生。或許整個城市會傾城而出，萬人空巷，聆聽他們的講道，然后接受主耶穌。我們還會想到在家鄉的頭條新聞是：全勝，福音征服了整座腓利比。但是這一切都沒有發生，相反，第一個信主的是位外邦的女人。真是有點諷刺啊 ! 如果歐洲第一位信主的人是個男人或者再好一些是腓利比的市長，那該多好啊。但是，偏偏是個外邦的女人。

但是，呂底亞的信主清楚的顯明福音的大能打破了第一世紀無法逾越的性別的隔膜。保羅后來在《加拉太書》 3 ： 28 說“並不分猶太人或希臘人，作奴僕的或自由人，男的或女的，因為你們在基督耶穌裡都成為一體了。”

在五十年代的許多美國南方城市里，白人和黑人是不能在同一個地方敬拜的。但是當葛培理去那里佈道時，他堅持白人和黑人應該一起敬拜，于是他們照做了。

在我們工作的地方是否也同樣存在社會隔膜呢？有時，白領人士和那些工作在廚房和郵件收發室的人或者清潔人員之間就存在清楚的界限。他們之間很少交談，就好象是黑暗中，兩艘船交錯駛過。我們根據工作的性質建立起某些隔膜。但是，當福音臨到我們的時候，我們要打破這些隔膜。作為基督徒，我們要首先熱忱和友善地對待在不同領域工作的人。我們要停下腳步，聆聽他們的故事，和他們交談。我們看待他們仿佛是充滿著神的形象，要滿懷尊敬。 福音打破了人和人之間的隔膜。

II •  我們要作主的見證人因為福音能打開人的心眼

從呂底亞認主的過程中，我們也看到福音的大能改變了人的心。神打開了她的心眼，所以她信了耶穌。保羅在《以弗所書》 2 ： 1 說“你們因著自己的過犯和罪惡，原是死的。 ………. 然而 神滿有憐憫，因著他愛我們的大愛，就在我們因過犯死了的時候，使我們與基督一同活過來。”保羅說，在我們認識主以前，都是死在罪里的。這就意味著我們聽不到也無法明白福音的奧義。但是，神出于憐憫，主動臨到我們，使我們聽到他的聲音，向他敞開心。保羅明白呂底亞接受主耶穌，不是出于保羅巧舌如簧的口才，而是因為神打開了她的心。

有一群基督徒組成了基甸會組織，他們經常在旅店里放置聖經。一個挪威的基甸成員感受到神的呼召，要差遣他去挪威海上一個小島的學校。他知道那里只有三個學生，卻要花他一天的時間才能抵達那里，但是他依然去了。在孩子們得到聖經以后，他和他們的老師交談了一會兒。在談話的時候，有一個小男孩含著淚跑來對他說：“過去幾天我一直在想著耶穌，當我看到你花了一整天的時間就是為了給我們三個人送來聖經時，我想‘耶穌，是你差派他們來這里的。我要成為你的兒女。’”在那個基甸成員離開的時候，那個男孩和他的老師都信了主。

另一個基甸成員嘗試著向一個香港人傳福音，但是遇到了語言障礙。他請一位路過的大學生幫忙翻譯。幾分鐘后，那個香港人走了，但是那個大學生卻留了下來。不久以后，他就信主了。神打開了在挪威的小男孩和他老師的心，也打開了那個香港大學生的心，他歸了主。

有時候，我們說某某人的心腸很剛硬。這個人是無論如何都不會信神的了。你知道嗎，有時候就是這樣的人會向基督獻上一生。不是靠你的口才和能力使他信了主，是福音的大能，神的道打開了他的心眼。保羅在《羅馬書》 1 ： 16 做了總結“我不以福音為恥；這福音是 神的大能，要救所有相信的，先是猶太人，後是希臘人。 ”

III •  我們要作主的見證人因為福音能打敗撒旦的滲透。

在保羅去河邊的路上，他們遇到了一個被巫鬼附著的婢女。如果仔細了解一下這個婢女的話，我們知道她是被一條叫 Python 的蛇附了身。巫鬼借著她的身體向前來占卦的客人預言未來，幫助主人賺了很多錢。當她看到保羅的時候，她大叫：“這些人是至高 神的僕人，向你們傳講得救的道路。”表面上看，她好像是在為保羅一行做免費的宣傳。但是進一步看的話，事實不是這樣的。至高的神可能是他們眾神中的一個，并不一定是指某一個神。這句話表面上看是正確的，事實上是錯的。那是一個很微妙的攻擊。魔鬼以假亂真試圖蒙蔽眾人。保羅看透了魔鬼的伎倆，靠著耶穌的名打敗了魔鬼，解救了那個婢女。我們不知道她是否后來歸向了主耶穌。但我們確知的是福音的大能打敗了魔鬼的攻擊。

這個故事對于我們有什么意義呢？在現代社會，我們很少看到有人被魔鬼附身。但是，我們四周不是也到處可見真假難辨的歪理邪說嗎？我們總是聽到這樣的信息：如果我們再努力一點，就能成為更好的基督徒；如果我們再自律一些，就好了。這樣的信息意味著只要通過自己的努力，我們就能獲得神更多的認同。就好像在說：如果你再努力一點，就能得救了。這真是大錯特錯的。得救是靠著神的恩典，也僅僅是靠著神的恩典。即使在我們認識主以后，也是靠著信心和神的恩典使我們變得越來越像主耶穌。這一切都和我們個人的行為功德無關。

再舉一個例子。神要祝福我們的健康和財富。因此，如果我們遵守神的誡命，他就會給我們健康和財富。這也是大錯特錯的。神要祝福我們，他已經把一切屬天的祝福賜給了我們。他揀選了我們，稱我們為他的子女。當我們遵守神的教導時，我們還是會經歷生活中的苦難，可能是貧窮和疾病。但是他的應許是：在這些苦難中，他與我們同在。他會賜給我們超越世俗的平安。福音教導我們，生命中最重要的事不是向神求所要的東西，而是學習順服神。

IV •  我們要作主的見證人因為福音能打敗撒旦公開的攻擊。

在這段經文里，我們看到撒旦進攻的另一方面。當那個婢女的主人看到發財的希望破滅了時，他揪住保羅等人，控告他們傳播違反猶太傳統的信息。所以，保羅和西拉（沒有提到路加和提摩太）被眾人攻擊并被下了獄。當傳福音和人們的利益沒有沖突的時候，我們大家都相安無事；但是，一旦福音觸犯了我們的利益，就變得很困難了。

通常來說，雇主喜歡雇傭基督徒，因為他們誠實良善。但是，如果因為基督徒的誠實使他不愿意妥協作些不道德的事，那么就是另外一回事了。如果人人都在接受賄賂，但是你不參與其中，那么感覺就會很不舒服了。如果別人為趕時間而偷工減料 , 你卻堅持作那對的事 , 這會使人轉離你 .

我想到當基督徒的信仰一旦被認為對政府的權利構成威脅時，也會引發麻煩。只要你不給政府搗亂，那么大家都相安無事。但是，如果我感到你對我構成了威脅，那么就不同了。試想一下，如果十萬基督徒在一夜之間靜靜地聚集在國家的權利中心，無論是白宮還是天安門廣場，恐怕都會引發一場麻煩。

保羅和西拉被下到監獄以后做了什么？在半夜，他們祈禱歌頌神。我們認為他們不是在求神搭救他們，因為后來當監獄的門打開以后，他們并沒有出去。他們或許確信如果神愿意，他就會搭救他們離開監獄。他們一定很熟悉但以理的朋友在舊約里說的話。《但以理記》 3 ： 16-18 “沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌回答王說：“尼布甲尼撒啊！這件事我們無需回答你。如果我們被扔在火窯裡，我們所事奉的 神必能拯救我們；王啊！他必拯救我們脫離烈火的窯和你的手。即或不然，王啊！你要知道，我們決不事奉你的神，也不向你所立的金像下拜。”公開的攻擊并沒有打敗保羅和西拉。

后來發生了地震，以致監牢的大門打開了。獄吏非常驚恐，問道：“我應該作甚麼才可以得救？”保羅的回答非常簡單“當信主耶穌，你和你一家人都必定得救。”這是一個非常簡潔的回答。保羅不是在應許那個獄吏一旦他信了主，他的整個家庭都會得救。事實應該是這樣的：當你信了耶穌以后，你會得救。因著你的得救，你會影響你的家人，使他們也能認識主耶穌。我們經常看到這樣的情況：你來了美國以后成為了基督徒，然后你開始向你的家人逐個傳講福音，最后一家六口都信了主。

我們要記住保羅對于一個簡單的問題給出了簡單直接的回答。沒有系統的神學道理和詳細的信仰內容。他僅僅把獄吏指向耶穌。他信了，受了洗禮。當我們向人傳福音的時候，可能要花很多時間來改變他們固有的先入為主的價值觀。如果我們傳福音的對象沒有接受過教育，那么可能沒什么先入為主的價值觀。但是，如果要他們做一個決定，可能要花上好幾個月，甚至幾年。但如果是前者的話，可能不需要花太長時間就能個決定。可是，一旦他們到了這里，回答還是同樣如此：相信耶穌基督。把你的信心建立在主耶穌身上。我記得曾經花幾年時間和一個朋友分享福音，當他最終告訴我他已經準備好接受耶穌時，我們就一起跪下做了認罪禱告。

結論：

我們時常被生活中的隔膜受到懼怕，對于向上司傳福音，或者向對基督教懷有敵意的人傳福音感到害怕。我們感到生活在某些人的權利陰影之下，無力起來和他們分享福音。如果你確實處于這樣的光景，要記住靠我們自己的力量是無法客服這些障礙的。

當我們感到軟弱和害怕的時候，要記住神已經賜給我們聖靈，使我們能有堅強和勇敢。不僅如此，福音本身也是有大能的。福音的大能將打破一切社會的隔膜，并且打開每個人的心。他也有能力打敗一切魔鬼的攻擊。我們獲得了如此的大能，還有什么好害怕的呢？

Date:   09/09/07

Text:   Acts 16:11-40

Title:   Power of the Gospel

Theme: We are to be Christ's witnesses because God has empowered us with His Holy Spirit and the Gospel.

Introduction:

  There are all kinds of barriers in life. For us living in Texas and Arizona, we're talking about physical barriers between us and Mexico. There is the gender or language barrier. Barriers are often formed when we don't speak each others' languages. There is also the social barriers: The rich don't mix with the poor. The CEO's may have little interaction with the engineers. There was a time in the south where the blacks and the whites were completely separated. They couldn't use the same bathroom facilities, or even worship under the same roof. My late father-in-law remembered the days with such a sign outside a Ca barbershop: Dogs and Chinese Do Not Enter. Such barriers can make us feel belittled, angry and intimidated.

  There were also plenty of barriers in that 1 st century world. Barriers between the rich and the poor, masters and slaves, between the educated and the uneducated. At the beginning of the book of Acts, God promised his people that he would empower them to be his witnesses in all corners of the earth. As we move to chapters 2 and beyond, we saw the empowerment of the first disciples by the Holy Spirit. With this, the apostles and disciples became His witnesses and preached the gospel message first to the Jews and then to the gentiles. They were His bold and courageous witnesses at the familiar and friendly places, as well as foreign and unfriendly cities. Their boldness earned them the nick name: those that turned the world upside down.

  During Paul's 1 st Missionary journey, we noted that in the cities visited, they first went to the synagogues and preached to the Jews. Then later to the gentiles. There were many who came to follow Christ, but also those who opposed them.

  Last week we discussed Paul's 2 nd Missionary Journey. By means of closing and opening doors, God directed Paul's group to Troas, then to Europe. Originally Paul had wanted to preach the gospel in Asia, yet God directed him to the west. Thus for the first time, the apostles and the gospel officially entered Europe.

  In today's passage, is a rather detailed log of events that happened in the first city they came to in Europe. Luke described the events surrounding the conversion of two individuals in the city of Philippi. From these events we are brought face to face with the power of the gospel. In these words we'll see that we are to be Christ's witnesses because God has empowered us with His Holy Spirit and the Gospel

I •  The Gospel message is powerful because it breaks down social barriers

After crossing the Aegean Sea, they first came to the City of Philippi. This city was named after the father of Alexander the great. It was a Roman colony and the Empire had encouraged its soldiers to retire here. The Philippian Citizens were exempt from provincial taxes. It answered directly to Rome. It's like Chungking and Shanghai in China ( ??? ), directly accountable to Beijing. Philippi is one of the power centers of the Roman empire. And now, with the arrival of Paul and his group, this power center was faced with another power. So the stage is set for what follows next.

In vs.13-15, “ 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. ” Paul and his group went to the river to look for the Jews who might be gathering there. According to the Jewish tradition, at 10 Jewish men are required to form a synagogue. It appears that there was not even 10 Jewish men to meet the quota to form a synagogue. Without a synagogue, the Jews could only worship under an open sky, either near the sea or river.

Here by the river, Paul and his group met Lydia from the city of Thyatira. She was a businesswoman, selling purple goods. In those days, things of purple were expensive, suggesting close ties to the royal offices. A woman selling purple goods also suggested that she could be a wealthy person. As Paul preached, the scripture tells us that God opened her heart, then she believed and was baptized.

We remember that the Macedonian call was issued from a man in a vision. Can we imagine if it was issued by a woman? In those days, a pious Jewish man's daily prayer would include this: I thank you Lord for not being gentile, a slave or a woman.

What happened in this 1 st city in Europe? If we were Paul, we may have been expecting something grand. The whole city came out to listen to him and was converted. We can then imagine new headline back home: total victory. The gospel conquered the city of Philippi. Nothing like this. instead, the first convert was a woman, a gentile. It was kind of an irony. Wouldn't it be nice if the first convert in Europe was a man or even better, the mayor of Philippi. No, but instead it was a gentile woman.

However, Lydia's conversion clearly demonstrated how the power of the gospel broke down that impenetrable gender and social barrier in the 1 st century. Paul later wrote: Gal 3:28, “ 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ”

In the 50's, in many of the southern cities in this country, blacks and whites could not worship in the same place. When Billy Graham was invited to lead a gospel crusade there, he insisted that Blacks and Whites must be integrated in those gatherings, and they did. The gospel message breaks down the barriers between the blacks and the whites.

Don't we also have some social barriers at our work place? Sometimes, there is a clear distinction between those white collar employees and those working in the service sectors, such as kitchens, mail room or cleaning. We seldom see them talk to each other. It's like two ships passing each other in the dark. We have built up certain barriers based on the nature of our job. However, when the gospel comes to us, we are to break down such barriers. We, the Christians, must take the initiative to be kind, gentle and courteous to those who work in a different sector than ours. We are to learn to pause, to get to know them and talk to them. We are to treat each other as God's image bearers, with respect and dignity. Our gospel breaks down such barriers.

II •  The Gospel is powerful because it breaks open human hearts..

From Lydia's conversion, we also learn of the power of the gospel to change a person's heart. God opened her heart and she believed. Paul later wrote in Ephesians 2:1ff , “ 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, …… 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved….” Paul is saying, before we come to know Christ, we were dead in sin, meaning we could not hear nor understand the gospel message. But God, out of his mercy, first started to work in us, causing us to hear him and opened our hearts to him. Paul knew that Lydia came to know Christ, not because of his oratorical skill and elegant words, but because God opened her heart.

The Gideons are a group of Christians known for placing Bibles in hotels and motels around the world. A Norwegian Gideon felt that the Lord was urging him to go to a school on an island in the Norwegian Sea. He knew there were only 3 children in that school and it would take him all day to get there, but he went. After the children received the Bible, he had a little chat with the teacher. During their talk, one of the boys came with tears running down his face, he said, “I have been thinking about Jesus the past few days, and when I saw you coming all this way just to give the 3 of us the NT, I thought ‘Jesus, you sent them here. I want to be yours.' Before the Gideon left that day, the boy and his teacher had given their lives to Jesus.

Another Gideon was trying share the gospel with a man in HK, but was having language difficulties. He stopped a student passing by and asked for some help with translation. After a few minutes, the man left but the student stayed. Several minutes later, the Gideon led that university student to the Lord. God opened the hearts of the boy and teacher in Norway, God opened the heart of the university student in HK and they believed.

Sometimes we say, So and So's heart is very hard. There is really no way this person would come to know Christ. Do you know that very often, it is individuals like that, with the most hardened hearts that would yield their lives to Christ. It's not your or my ability, or our oratorical skill that will bring an individual to Christ. It is the power of the gospel, the power of God's word that opens a person's heart. Paul summarized this truth in Romans 1:16, “ 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

III •  The Gospel message is powerful; it defeats Satan's subtle infiltration.

  Now, on their way to this river side, there was this slave girl who was possessed by the demon. From a more in depth study of this girl, we learn that she was possessed by the demon called Python, a snake. This demon was speaking through her to tell her clients about their future. And her master was making money out of her. When she saw Paul, she would cry out, “they are the servants of the most high, they are here to tell you the way of salvation.” On the surface, it appeared that she was doing free advertizing for Paul's group. But a closer look reveals it was not. Most high could be just one of their gods, and not the particular God. the message appears to be accurate, but in reality it was not. it was a very subtle attack. The devil infiltrated the truth with half-truths. Paul saw through this and in the name of Jesus, defeated the demon and freed the girl from demon possession. We are not told if she turned her hearts to Jesus or not. What we do know is about the power of the gospel in overcoming Satan's subtle attack.

  What does it mean for us today? In our society we don't often see individuals being possessed by the evil spirits. However, isn't it true that we are still surrounded day in and day out by half truths? We are bombarded with the message that if we would only try harder, we'll be better Christians. If we just be a little more disciplined that we're ok. These messages of self help suggest that by our own effort, we can gain more acceptance by God. It's like, if you try a little harder, you'll be saved. Nothing is farther from the truth than this. no, salvation is by grace and grace alone. Even after we come to know Christ, it is by faith, and his grace that we become more Christ like. It has nothing to do with our merit.

  Or take another half truth. God wants to bless us with health and wealth. Therefore if we follow God's principle, he'll make us wealthy and healthy. Again, nothing is farther from the truth than this. God wants to bless us, and he has already given us all his heavenly blessings. He has called and chosen us to be his children. When we follow God's principle in daily living, we'll experience hardship in life. it may be sickness and poverty. But his promise is that in the midst of such hardship and difficulties, he is with us. he will give us peace that transcends all human circumstances. The gospel tells us that the most important thing in life is not to ask God to give us what we want, but to learn to obey him. (sometimes, out of his mercy, he would give us the desires of our hearts).

IV.   The Gospel message is powerful because it defeats Satan's open attack.

       In this passage, we see another aspect of Satan's attack. When the slave girl's master realized that his source of income was being cut off, he brought Paul to the magistrate and accused him of his teaching being anti-Jewish tradition. So Paul and Silas (no mention of Luke and Timothy) were beaten and imprisoned. You see, as long as the gospel leaves people's interest alone, we can all coexist peacefully. However, when the gospel touched human interest, it then became a different story.

  Generally speaking, employers like to hire Christians for their kindness and honesty. But when Christian honesty refuses to compromise with unethical behavior, then it is a different story. If everyone is taking some kind of bribery and you won't, it is a very unpleasant feeling, right? Or if others are cutting corners to meet a deadline, but you insist on doing the right things, this could cause others to turn against you.

  I also think of times when the Christian faith is perceived as a threat to the political power, it can also lead to outright persecution. As long as you don't bother the government, the two can coexist peacefully. But once we perceive you're a threat to us, then it can be very nasty. Imagine, if 100K Christians overnight quietly gathered around a country's political center, the White House or Tiananmen Square, it will create quite a stir.

  What did Paul and Silas do when in jail? At midnight, they sang praises to God and prayed. It was the songs of midnight. We don't think they prayed for rescue, because when the prison doors were opened later, they did not move at all. Yet, they were certain that if God so desired, he would rescue them from prison. They must have been familiar with the words of Daniel's friends in the OT. Daniel 3:16-18, “ 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” The frontal attack did not defeat Paul and Silas.

  There was an earthquake that evening, causing the prison doors to open. The Jailer was so afraid that he asked, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul's answer was simple, “believe in the lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” It was a very simple answer to a simple question. Paul was not giving them the promise that when you believe, your entire household will be saved. It was more like this: when you believe in Jesus, you will be saved. Because of your salvation, you will also affect your family to the point that they will also come to know Christ. We have seen this happen over and over again among us. You became a Christian after you come to this country or this church. Then you start sharing Christ with your family members, and one by one, eventually all six of them came to know Christ.

  It is also important for us to remember that Paul gave a simple answer to a simple question. There was no systematic theology nor the details of the Christian faith. He just pointed the jailor to Jesus Christ. He believed and was baptized. Later in Athens, Paul gave a complete presentation of the gospel message. There are times it may require months or even years to clear up someone's doubts, questions and confusion about the Christian faith. On the other hand it may take a very short time, several minutes or hours to clear up the question. However, when we come to the point of decision, the answer is always the same: believe in the lord Jesus. Put your faith in him as your lord and savior. I remember sharing the gospel with a friend over a period of several years. When one day he told me he was ready, we just knelt down and prayed the sinner's prayer together. Then there was also a couple, after a 20 minutes presentation and explanation of the gospel, they were ready to accept Christ.

Conclusion:

  We can be intimidated by all kinds barriers in life. we may feel intimidated when we try to share the gospel with our boss, or someone who is openly hostile to the Christian faith. We may feel intimidated to speak English to an American friend, or to someone whom we're afraid may not understand us. Therefore we don't have the courage to share the gospel with them. When you find yourself in such situations, it is wise to remember that we have no power whatsoever within ourselves.

  However, we don't stop here. We're to remember that God has already given us his Holy Spirit so we can be strong and courageous. Not only this, but there is power in this gospel message. It has power to break open social barriers and individual hearts. It also has the power to overcome demonic attacks. We are granted such power, so there is really no reason to be afraid.