The Missionaries In Prison

The Missionaries in Prison

Q: What happened while Paul and Silas were singing and praying in prison?

• a. The jailer was blinded by a bright light.
• b. An earthquake freed them.
• c. An angel appeared to them.

Have you ever gotten into trouble for something you didn’t do? Maybe someone else was talking in class, but you got blamed. Or something got broken, and you were accused. Yesterday, you read that Paul and Silas were thrown into prison because they cast a demon out of a servant girl and she could no longer tell fortunes. Her masters could no longer make money from her, so they told lies about Paul and Silas and got everyone angry at the two missionaries. Paul and Silas were beaten and put into prison.

Paul and Silas were singing and praising God in their cell around midnight when suddenly an earthquake shook the prison. The chains fell off the prisoners, and the doors opened. When the guard woke up and saw this, he wanted to kill himself because he’d be in trouble for letting the prisoners escape. But Paul shouted, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer asked Paul how to be saved. He wanted to be a believer too. Paul told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”

The jailer became a believer. He took Paul and Silas home with him so the rest of his family could hear the gospel from the missionaries. His family became believers too.

Paul and Silas openly praised God even after being beaten and while wrongly imprisoned. Their praise was a witness to those around them, and the jailer and his whole family became believers because of it.

For You

God wants you to praise him even in hard times. Others may be watching you and come to know Jesus because of your actions and attitude.

Answer: b

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!   Acts 16:25-26

(The Whole Story: Acts 16:16-40)