David Bahn – Reflections

A good friend of mine was elected to an important ministry position. He was among some 40 or more others so elected. At the first meeting each of these men chose their seats, claiming their place at the table. The next day he came in and one of his colleagues had taken his spot. When he asked the man to move, he refused. So my friend took matters into his own hands. He took the chair the man was sitting in and moved it aside to another spot, and took the chair from that spot and moved it to his then-vacant spot. I got a chuckle out of that. But it was a very real power play that didn’t work out like the seat usurper had intended. There were dynamics at play that made it necessary for my friend to assert himself. Harmless, really. But necessary.

The stakes are much higher with Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail. When the magistrates send the police telling Paul and Silas to go, Paul will have nothing of it. He is going to make a point of this. He is no wimp. He will not be discarded casually. The people responsible for this injustice will come and apologize. Paul and Silas are Roman citizens by birth. They had rights that were violated. They would not go quietly into the night – or morning for that matter. They demand an apology. And they get it.

Why draw this line? Why make a big deal out of it? Why do they require an apology? I suspect the reason is far beyond Paul and Silas’ bruised egos. I believe it had to do with the way forward for the mission of God. They hadn’t finished their mission. There was more they were going to do. There were more cities to visit – all of which would be in the Roman Empire. Their citizenship would protect them and allow their missionary work to continue. They would not be easily put aside.

All this is made clear by the manner in which they leave the city. They don’t walk out of the jail and immediately on to Corinth or back to Antioch. They go back to Lydia’s house and the other believers there. Once they had encouraged them – and only after doing so – they leave. We’ll see in the next chapter that they go through Amphipolis (now called Amfipoli) and Apollonia (the location of which is not certain, although possible locations have been identified) and on to Thessalonica (now called Thessaloniki). We’ve visited Philippi as well as other cities of Paul’s missionary journey. These are real places.

God’s providence shines through all of Paul’s missionary work. It is for the sake of Paul’s wellbeing and even more for the sake of the gospel message. Followers of Jesus need never be bullied. Standing up for the sake of the gospel is sometimes necessary. Sometimes it may bring trouble. But sometimes even governmental regulations can aid and protect God’s servants. I thank God for those brave men and women who will not be sidelined in their witness to Jesus.

I didn’t feel all that brave. But if only I’d known. Laurine told me, “You’re really brave going to see Bruce.” She had seen him, a Christian counselor. He had a huge impact in her life and the life of her husband. Others testified to his gifts and impact in their lives. “I’ve seen some powerful things happen in that room,” Linda told me. Indeed. So did I. I experienced them. And somehow those things impacted me.

I thought I was OK, a good guy, faithful pastor, loving husband, caring father. And maybe that’s all true. But sometime later I heard someone say, “He’s really changed. I can see it in him.” They were talking about me. The change had come in ways subtle to me, but noticeable to close friends and those two sisters in Christ. Maybe Diane as well. I don’t think I turned from a bad person into a good person. I suppose I was just more self aware. And self awareness enables a person to be more self-giving – if the Holy Spirit is at work in that self-aware person.

I wonder whether the people in Mr. Jailer’s household rejoiced that he had believed in God because that belief shaped his heart differently toward them. I wonder whether there was someone in their household who had been praying that God – the true God – would come into this man’s life. It’s not that God lives in a vacuum afterall. There were people in King Herod’s household who believed.

Perhaps there was a Mr. Jailer’s mother-in-law, or father who was praying that God would touch this man’s heart. And now their prayers were being answered – perhaps even beyond their imaginations. To become a God Fearer meant that a non-Jew would be sympathetic to the Jewish faith. They might observe certain of the Jewish customs, rites, and traditions. But they would not be fully Jewish. They would, however, respect and appreciate the Jewish faith, and morality. There is no evidence of any such person in Mr. Jailer’s household. But it is interesting to me that the whole household rejoiced that they had believed in God.

There may be a lost son, a wayward daughter, a stubborn husband, an estranged mother, or a good friend for whom you would rejoice were he or she to come to faith. Whether or not there was a person in Mr. Jailer’s household who was praying for his conversion we can only speculate. But there need be no speculation as to whether you can be the person who is praying for that certain someone. May God honor your prayers and bring him or her to Himself. Hopefully it won’t take an earthquake or a night in jail to make it happen!

I remember vividly the feeling of relief that washed over me on that spring late morning. We had taken our youngest son for a test to determine whether he had Cystic Fibrosis disease (CF). He had been born with a condition that 99.999% of the time indicates CF. After several weeks, when the child is old enough to sweat, the sweat chloride test is given. The results of that test in our case were negative. And when medical tests come back with a negative result, it’s almost always good news. This was remarkably good news. And I was greatly relieved and deeply thankful. We said a prayer of thanks then and there. Heartfelt. Sincere. Joy-filled.

Perhaps you can remember a time you were deeply thankful. A birth of a child. A family gathered around the table at Thanksgiving. Everyone together at Christmas. A much needed raise or promotion. A wedding or baptism. A home sold. Your prayers ascend to God in sincerity and truth.

When was the last time you’ve been thankful for your faith and belief in Jesus? This is the response of the Philippian Jailer and his family. Luke tells us that “he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”

I recall the joy of a former Mormon who was brought to faith in Jesus. She couldn’t wait to be baptized. She knew she was saved by grace through faith in Jesus. She also knew that baptism seals the promises of Jesus for her. When she was baptized, she was also both relieved and thankful. It was so obviously important to her. And she was so obviously joyful and thankful.

This is the attitude of the Jailer. It must have been so obvious that Luke noticed. But it’s more than the fact of joy and thankfulness. They were thankful that they had believed in God. I might qualify that a bit. They were thankful that they believed in the living God, the true God, the in-your-daily-life God, the present God, the real God. Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury were not just names of planets. They were gods to whom the Romans would look depending on their circumstances and needs. Furthermore they sought to ingratiate themselves to these gods by sacrifices or rituals designed to earn their favor.

The true, living, gracious God did not need to be manipulated or bought off. His favor came to people by his grace. And just as the jailer discovered, he wanted nothing more than their faith. And even that was not a matter of his need, but of our blessing. For to believe in his goodness, grace, love, and salvation aligns us with the gifts he offers. We’re saved by faith because the gift is already there. Faith receives it.

I’m certain I don’t often enough give thanks to God for my faith, for his salvation, for coming to me, for showing me himself. This jailer and his family are good reminders and examples for us all.

Throw a stone into a calm pond. Throw a stone into a raging ocean. You’ll see the ripples on the pond’s surface. You’ll likely not notice even a single ripple 2 seconds after the stone hits the waters of the raging sea. The evidence of the impact is commensurate with the calmness of the waters. “For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength’” (Isaiah 20:15). 

That’s all well and good – except on this occasion. I cannot imagine a more tumultuous situation than that in which Paul and Silas are imprisoned – together with all the reasons that led to them being thrown into the inner jail. Then comes an earthquake. Then comes jailer who is ready to kill himself, fearing the prisoners had escaped, and Paul’s reassuring “We’re all here!” Tumultuous times indeed.

But this stone the builders rejected is the chief cornerstone. And his message is a bigger bolder than all this tumult. In the midst of all the turmoil swirling around him he asks what he must do to be saved. The answer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” overwhelms the bedlam, and the ripples of this simple answer reach into his family.

The jailer believes and is baptized. So also is his family. And to be clear “all who were in his house” most certainly included not just his immediate family. Households in those days included multiple generations, slaves, servants and their families. We don’t know how many there were, but Luke makes it clear it wasn’t must Mr. & Mrs. Jailer. “All his family,” and “His entire household,” is a clear indication of the impact of the gospel message reaching farther and farther into the lives of more and more people.

Maybe you can identify the place and time the Gospel message impacted you and your loved ones. Perhaps it wasn’t a whole family event. It might have been. Be sure of this, however, the stone the builders rejected has made quite an impact in many people’s lives down through the ages. And the ripples continue to spread.

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.

I’ve been watching Wicked Tuna, a TV series about tuna fishermen on the Outer Banks. Some of these beasts weigh as much as 500 dressed. Some of them bring $22 per pound. Do the math; a big fish and a good price can bring $10,000. That’s real money. Even when they have one on the hook, it’s not assured that they will land these giants. Once they have successfully landed the tuna they must keep it safe and well cared for. Otherwise their payday will be greatly diminished. There’s a huge difference between $22 and $9 per pound – especially for a 400 pound fish!

When Paul and Silas are thrown into prison, they were instructed to keep them safe. But it wasn’t so that they could be paid top dollar for their catch. I suspect they were to be kept safe for other self-serving reasons. Maybe it was so that they were able to maintain the peace and avoid a riot. Could be that they would get in trouble from the higher-ups if a prisoner was harmed. Or it might be that keeping them safe meant keeping them from escaping.

But when it comes to man’s plans and God’s prerogatives, God always wins. Keeping these servants of the Most High God safe and engaged is vital to the success of God’s mission to seek and save the lost. But the mission in this case is not only out there. It is about to be in there, as inside the jail, not outside.

All this makes me think of how and why God keeps us safe. It’s not always just for our convenience. And although I’m sure Paul and Silas were glad no longer to be in prison, their release was not only for their benefit. It opens the door for the jailer and his family to encounter the grace of God. It provides them with the opportunity to witness to their fellow prisoners.

Diane and I have gone on several foreign mission trips. Most of them have been to teach pastors and their spouses about effective ways to expand their work in the Mission of God. Many of these pastors and church leaders are completely committed to sharing the message of Jesus Christ. They put into practice what they learn about multiplying disciples, leading change in their churches, and doing this with character and integrity. We consider that time well spent.

But we spend much more time and energy pursuing God’s mission right where we are. Thankfully, we’ve  been kept safe here and in our mission travels. It is important for us to remember that safety isn’t just so we can live easy lives. So, while thanking God for “quiet and peaceful lives” (cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-4), we delight to be part of God’s work in his mission field wherever we may be.

No, that title isn’t either an email string of apologies, nor a text string of take-backs. It’s actually known as the Lowry Loop. Eugene Lowry was a student of Fred Craddock, a noted professor of preaching: Bandy Distinguished Professor of Preaching and New Testament Emeritus in the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He was an ordained minister of the Christian Church from rural Tennessee. And could he preach a sermon. He told stories that brought you into the plot, made you laugh before making you stop and realize you were laughing at yourself, and in need of a dose of Gospel reality. I attended a few of his lectures when I lived in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

Eugene Lowrey built on what Craddock taught, teaching homiletics (preaching) and influencing many pastors, including yours truly. I don’t always use Lowry’s Homiletical Plot, but I often recall his advice: Get Jesus into as much trouble as possible and then see how he still saves the day. I’ve included a link below to a lecture/sermon he gave at Drew Theological School in 2008.

But you don’t have to work too hard to find Jesus in trouble here – or at least Jesus’ servants. First they’re mocked. Then they’re beaten. Then thrown into prison. Then comes an earthquake! Seems like lots of trouble for these servants of the Most High God. Then – just as the jailer is about to kill himself in fear of having lost his charge – these servants call out, “Don’t harm yourself. We’re all still here.”

What’s going on here? Is God orchestrating all this just so that Luke has something interesting to report? Is this just the makings of a Christian cinema offering? No. And no. Luke will write about it; we’re reading his book even now. And this would make a great movie. But this isn’t about books or movies – plotline or not. This is about the grace of God and his desire for all people to be saved. It’s about helping us understand that through faith in Jesus we are saved. That’s true whether we’ve lived a life totally apart from God from our birth, or claim a lifelong commitment to Jesus and a front pew in the Church on the Corner of Grace and Truth Streets.

I love how this story unfolds. That’s especially true because the ending of this episode sets the stage for even more of the story of God. No matter how much trouble Jesus and his followers get into, there is always hope for a new chapter of his grace and goodness to be lived. Yeah…

Lowry is also a jazz pianist. The opening minutes of this video show him playing a jazz rendition of What a Friend We Have in Jesus. He uses that to help illustrate that just when you think you know where the music is heading, you discover a nuance or an unexpected beauty. He says that’s the way it is in our life with Jesus.