1. OK…so Paul and Silas encounter this slave girl who is basically like a circus monkey, predicting the future and making money. Interestingly, she was right in what she was saying about Paul and Silas. I guess Paul got sick of the circus act, though, because he commanded a demon to come out of her! (Maybe the demon was running distraction, trying to make it harder for people to accept the message.)
2. Isn’t it funny that the save owners were basically trying to “sue” Paul and Silas for making it so their fortune-teller couldn’t tell fortunes anymore?
3. It doesn’t appear that they took that angle with the magistrates, though. They did like the religious leaders did with Jesus– telling them that they were advocating customs that good Romans wouldn’t allow. Oh…so they are insurrectionists, now? I guess they didn’t have a such thing as “motive” in these courts, back in the day.
4. Wow…so everyone was against them, and they were “severely flogged,” stripped, and beaten. No one can say that Paul (or Silas) didn’t suffer for his faith.
5. We’ve seen what happens when Christians are thrown in jail in the Book of Acts…
6. I love the fact that Paul and Silas sang in prison. The other inmates heard them too. And God sends an earthquake. Sweet.
7. Isn’t it crazy that Paul values the life of the prison guard? He doesn’t want him to commit suicide. He throws the lights on, and falls to his knees, realizing that these guys hold the key to salvation, believing in Jesus.
8. Talk about radical. The jailer cleaned their wounds and took him home so that his whole family could be baptized! Wow. And, then, by morning, I guess they were placed back in their cells. Isn’t it crazy that they didn’t leave when the earthquake hit? I would have interpreted that as God’s way of saying, “Get out!” They still took the time to notice and care for the jailer.
9. Their decision paid off in more ways than one. They were set free the very next morning. Shoot, they even wished them well…
10. Paul says that he won’t be punked. They had no kind of due process, so he wasn’t going to let them just leave quietly. He wanted the magistrates to admit that they were wrong. This ought to be interesting…
11. Apparently, they didn’t realize that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens (with RIGHTS). Then they sucked up to them and asked them to leave.
12. They went to Lydia’s house one more time and encouraged everyone, and then they peaced out.
