Read the Book: January - MarchSample

Week 8

Acts 16

Worship from a Prison Cell

A deeply dangerous but subtle spiritual disease is to view Jesus as our Savior but not our Treasure. In other words, we can view Jesus as our means to a preferred destination such as heaven, a way to raise our children, or the psychological relief of the forgiveness of our sins. As good as these things may be, they are no match for God being our ultimate treasure. If we are not careful, our worship can focus solely on the benefits of Christ but not on the attributes of Christ. 

A simple way to discern the vitality of our worship is to observe our worship in the midst of personal hardship. This is worship when that thing we’re counting on falls through, when our prayers seem unanswered, or when we are physically or emotionally hurting. In Acts 16, we read of Paul and Silas, who are imprisoned and beaten for freeing a girl from a spirit of divination. They are suffering for being who God called them to be, but what do they do in response? They worship God by singing! What fueled their singing in the face of imprisonment and abuse? 

We know Paul believed that God has ordained all the times and places for us to dwell, even if it is a prison cell (Acts 17:26). He also believed that God is with us, no matter how high or how low we feel (Rom 8). Paul was also deeply content in God’s love for him so that he had no need to fear (Phil 4:11-13). Their praise was so powerful that the other prisoners chose to stay, even when the prison doors were eventually opened and freedom was in reach.

Yes, we must see ourselves as servants of Christ, but let us remember that we serve Him because we treasure Him first.

Family Connection: Having a bad day? Tell your family that even on our worst day we can praise God! Have them open up the Bible and read Acts 16:23-26. Paul and Silas had a bad day - a really bad day! They were beaten and thrown into jail for telling people about Jesus. But how did they react? They praised God! We can praise God no matter our circumstance - He is ALWAYS good!