Darkness Earthquakes Gospel

Acts 16: 21. They are teaching a philosophy and a practice that is not acceptable or even lawful for us to receive as Romans. 22. So the multitude rose up against them while the magistrates tore off their clothing and commanded that they be flogged. 23. When they had flogged them severely they cast them into prison, telling the jailor to lock them away securely. 24. When the jailor heard this he put them both into maximum security and chained them up with their feet secured in timber shackles. 25. At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God and all the other prisoners could hear them.
26. Suddenly there was such an earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors of the prison flew open and all the prisoners’ chains fell off. 27. This woke up the jailor who then saw the prison doors open and drew out his sword to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had all escaped
28. But Paul cried out to him in a loud voice and said ‘Don’t do yourself any harm; we are all still here. 29. The jailor called for a light and ran into their cell and fell down on the ground shaking, at the feet of Paul and Silas. 30. He brought them out of the cell and said to them; ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ 31. They said; ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, as will your entire household’ 32. Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that belonged to his household. 33. The jailor then took Paul and Silas and bathed their wounds from the flogging, and was then baptized, along with all of his household. 34. Then he took them into his home and set a table of food before them. It was a time of great joy, believing in God, with his entire household.

1. The story of God’s reality in Jesus Christ challenged the philosophy and practice of the Roman world and its law.
2. The tellers and doers of this life and practice were punished and silenced and locked away.
3. Paul and Silas sang praise to God in the midst of this midnight hour darkness.
4. God intervened - an earthquake, destruction of the prison, everybody set free – chains fell off.
5. Hopelessness, futility and despair of life fell upon the man with the useless keys of imprisonment.
6. The man with the useless keys heard the voice of Paul, called for light, and shaking, asked to be saved
7. He was told to believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his household would be saved.
8. Paul and Silas spoke the word of God to the whole household.
9. The man bathed their wounds, then he and his household were baptized.
10. There was a great celebration in the man’s home for all, with food shared at table, and great joy in believing in God.

THE REALITY
1 Corinthians 8: 6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we live in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we exist through him.
7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: (Holy Spirit revelation)

Faith that brings the true freedom of salvation here on earth has arrived. Faith is our discovery of God’s reality. We discover, then acknowledge, then commit, with our will to that reality. It is like being in a dark room, then someone turns the light on and we realize we are at a celebration party, and we join in, and hear the music and the laughter (Luke 15:7). Everything can now change.
If we live in the awareness of this reality of the determined fellowship of the Father and the Son toward us we will be swept up in the bigness of their goodness and love, and will be the manifestation of God by His Spirit.
Something true and powerful and loving from God is waiting to find expression in the earth. The soul of man is groping in darkness but it is searching perhaps now more than ever in history. At some point society realizes failure somewhere. And now it is everywhere. Some dreams have become nightmares, and ‘all creation groans, imprisoned, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God’.