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Acts 16:16-31
As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.
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 inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
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 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.”
What’s the most important question you’ve ever asked? Was it urgent as well as important? Did you receive a reliable answer? Were you happy with the answer? For me it was a somewhat clumsy version of “Will you marry me?” It was vitally important. Somewhat urgent (although we were under no duress to marry, if you get my drift). I did receive a reliable answer. I was not initially happy with the answer, but later I received the answer I wanted: Yes!
The Philippian jailer asked a vitally important and urgent question. It was borne of fear, inspiration, and of the Holy Spirit’s influence. Fear because the jailer thought his prisoners had escaped and he would pay for that with his life in an extremely unpleasant manner. Fear because he realized that something eternal was at stake.
Or could it be that he was asking only an urgent question. Maybe he only wanted to know how to get out of his current jam. He might just have wanted to know if Paul and Silas could grant him safe passage to a new home, life, and occupation. In other words, he didn’t know what he was asking.
The Jailer could have thought he was asking for an out. But Paul was offering him far more. He might have been asking for a temporary tent. But Paul was offering him an eternal mansion. And all the evidence shows that he realized there was something more than his earthly safety at stake.
“What must I do to be saved?” Whether or not the Jailer was asking for a worldly salvation, Paul was offering him an eternal one. And in the end the jailer believed and was baptized. Rather than believing in Caesar’s power, his superior’s control, or any of the many false gods of his day, Paul told him to put his faith in Jesus.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” is still a good message for us. We can look to false gods, fear, money, sex, power, or a myriad of other demigods. None of those will give life, much less eternal salvation. The question is not whether we fully understand the depth of our need for Jesus, or the full meaning of being saved. That will come only in the life of the world to come. Here and now, when we put our faith in Jesus we will be saved. And there’s no question about that.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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