Read Acts 16:25-34

The Urgency Of Salvation

“What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Is there a more important question when it comes to spiritual matters? Is there a more important question at all? The Philippian jailer may not have even understood how important that question was when he asked it.

Paul and Silas told the jailer the first step on the path to salvation: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Why didn’t these gospel preachers tell the jailer about repentance? What about the good confession? Why not command him to be immersed?

The answer to these questions is quite simple: he wasn’t ready to hear those things. He had to learn about Jesus first. He had to learn what Jesus had accomplished for him at the cross. He had to come to a knowledge of the Savior before he could act on anything else. Once he was told about the Lord, Paul and Silas proceeded to give him further instructions. How do we know this?

Luke tells us about his repentance! “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes” (Acts 16:33). The jailer repented of the torture he had inflicted upon these innocent men by treating their wounds.

Luke tells us also about his immersion, and the urgency of it! “And immediately he and all his family were baptized” (Acts 16:33). Why were they baptized “immediately”? Why not set up an appointment for the next Sunday? The answer to this is also simple: the jailer was not promised a “next Sunday.”

No one knows how much time they have left in this life. If you believe what you have read in the Bible and you trust the Lord to do what He has promised, obey Him without delay! Repent and be baptized to have your sins forgiven forever and live a life of service for the Lord!

Read Acts 16:11-15

What Kind Of Heart Do You Have?

When Paul arrived in Philippi, he went to the riverside on the Sabbath Day to meet with some women. In cities in which there were not ten Jewish men, a synagogue was not erected. Instead, those of the faith met at the river for prayer. Lydia was one of those people.

Luke tells us that Lydia “was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira” (Acts 16:14). Her occupation indicated that she was likely a wealthy woman, as purple was a very expensive dye used in fabrics in the first century. The gospel truly is for all people: male and female, rich and poor. All it takes is an honest heart willing to obey in faith, and that is exactly what Lydia had.

She was already a worshiper of God, but when she heard the gospel, Luke says, “The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16:14). This is the type of person Jesus was talking about in Luke 8, as he explained the parable of the sower. “But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). Sometimes it may take a person a while to allow themselves to believe, but if they possess that “honest and good heart” and the teacher is “longsuffering” (2 Timothy 4:2), they will get there.

There are others, though, like Lydia, who will come to an understanding and acceptance of the truth sooner. When she heard the truth, she obeyed the truth! Luke records that “she and her household were baptized” (Acts 16:15).

Do you have this type of heart? Or have you hardened yourself against the gospel because of bad experiences in the past? I encourage you to allow God to teach you through His Word and through His servants in the Lord’s church. Study with them. Learn what He requires of you, and in humility submit to His commands.

Day 40/260: Read Acts 16

How quick are you to obey when you learn what the Word of God says? How urgent are eternal matters to you?

When Paul and Silas taught the jailer in Philippi, he wasted no time in obeying the message. These men had been whipped and imprisoned, but instead of bemoaning the negatives of their current circumstances, they praised God. “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

An earthquake hit, causing all the doors to open and all the chains to fall from the prisoners’ hands. The jailer knew his punishment would be severe and was ready to take his own life, but Paul prevented him, saying all the inmates were accounted for.

The jailer then asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.”

The jailer understood the urgency of the gospel. Have we lost that sense of urgency today? Souls are at stake; may we urgently teach others to obey God.

Memory (Recite to a friend without looking)

Acts 16:33. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

Pray

Pray for opportunities to teach others the gospel, showing them the urgency of the good news.