Acts: Go & Be Chapters 10-18Sample

What is this passage saying?

This passage of scripture is sad to read. A slave girl who had a spirit of divination followed the disciples around for shouting. After days of this Paul commands the spirit to come out of her and when the owners of the slave girls saw that they had lost their money maker, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the rulers. They rallied the crowd to attack Paul and Silas. The magistrate, without giving them a trial, ripped their clothes off and had them beaten with rods. The Bible says after many blows were afflicted the magistrates ordered for them to be thrown in prison. These circumstances do not contradict what we talked about in the last passage. Sinful man acted in a sinful way. Greedy man, obsessed with money, acted cruelly. God is always faithful. Our hardships do not define God’s faithfulness. We also know that this is not the end of the chapter. Deliverance is coming.

What is this passage teaching?

If you believe that God is faithful only when things are good, then you don’t really believe it. If we are faithful to God when things are good- we are not faithful. We know that Paul has already settled the matter of suffering in this life on earth. Paul’s encouragement to the new believers in chapter 14 was, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Paul’s faith was solid. Not even a beating with rods would make him waver. Is there a limit to your love for the Lord? As we chose to grow in the Lord, doubts are replaced with love for Him. Hardships are the very thing that bring us closer to Him.

How do I respond?

Be faithful to God. That means following and trusting Him not matter what. Hardships are finite, we can’t base eternity on momentary hurts.