“Solomon said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” During an earthquake in Chile 300 prisoners escaped. It almost sounds like a story in Acts 16, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Well, it isn’t exactly the same. While Paul and company could have escaped they stayed and the results were terrific. One thing you have to say about Paul is the man was consistent. When he was Saul he was a completely committed member of the Sanhedrin with all their rules. After he became known as Paul his message had a consistent clarity. Salvation wasn’t about all the rules he lived by as Saul. He now gave his total being and future into the hands of Jesus. He truly upset his old colleagues. Once they realized they couldn’t best him in face to face confrontations, they followed him around and when he moved on they moved in and tried to poison the new Christians with their rules,. Thus Paul wrote back to the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no gospel at all.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 3, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org