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The Deliverance of Paul and Silas
Read Acts 16:25-34
“And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (v. 26).
In the 1950s, Chinese Pastor Li was arrested and sentenced to hard labor in an iron mine. During that winter in Northeast China, the temperature dropped to minus twenty degrees. The work was backbreaking. The rations were meager. Three months after arriving at the camp Pastor Li died.
When Mrs. Li and the children heard the news, they lost hope. Mrs. Li could not get a job because she had to care for the small children. Finally, the oldest child, a twelve-year-old girl, went to the prison to ask the director for a job. She told him of her father’s innocence and the present situation her family faced. The director realized the truth and had a moment of compassion.
He took her to the area were 3,000 prisoners were mining below the surface. “Do you see this red button? A siren will sound if it is pushed. Never push it unless you are told to do so. This is your job.”
One afternoon she heard a voice. “Push the button!” She was confused. The command was repeated. Again she saw no one. A third time she heard the urgent voice, “Push the button NOW!”
She realized it must be the Lord, so she pushed the button. The siren sounded deep in the mine. Men poured out of the mine. The prison director came running from his office angrily demanding why she had pushed the button without his order. Just as the last of the 3,000 men emerged from the mine, a strong earthquake shook the ground. The mine collapsed.
When it was finally quiet, every eye turned toward the little girl. Climbing on a fruit box, she said, “The Lord Jesus told me three times to push the emergency button, and finally I did. Jesus loves you and saved your life today. Now, you need to repent of your sins and give your lives to him!”
Upon hearing this, the prison director and all three thousand men fell to their knees asking God to forgive them of their sins. (L Gayle Woods)
*God has many ways to deliver His people.*
This devotional is the Saturday, January 13, 2018 entry of Opening the Word.
God's Provision
Ask several class members to read each of the following verses and to comment upon them with respect to the way that God provides for His children. “Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24). “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things” (Gen. 9:3). “The young lions . . . suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing” (Ps. 34:10). “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).
Trusting God in the Dark (Act 2)
Lesson 7 - January 14, 2018
Focus Text: Isaiah 37:8-20, 36-38
Central Truth: Praying to God is not an act of desperation, but an expression of deep trust in God.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students will be able to identify three ways that imitating Hezekiah’s actions in the dark gives us hope in our dark times.
Lesson Outline:
- "When Darkness Surrounds Me" (Isaiah 37:8-13)
- "I Will Trust in God" (Isaiah 37:14-20)
- "And He Will Deliver Me" (Isaiah 37:36-38)
Perfect in Our Weakness
What is it that weighs us down in our spiritual walk? Why do we expend a tremendous quantity of energy in an attempt to “prove” that we are godly? While the manner in which we live our lives impacts others, it seems Jesus is the one we need to impress. Is it confining social expectations or a fear of being judged by others that motivates us? What if we stopped “trying so hard” in our own efforts and began to trust the Lord to make us the spouse, parent, or friend that He designed us to be? God is “enough,” and He will supplement what is lacking. Can we allow our shortcomings to be the areas where our Father pours in His grace and power to make up the difference? Discover that your Savior will be “made perfect in [your] weakness,” and He will receive the glory.
The Glorious Hope
Lesson 6 - January 7, 2018
Focus Text: Isaiah 11:1-12
Central Truth: In a world of darkness, Christians must be known as people of hope.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students will be able to identify three ways they can be known as people of hope in a world of darkness.
Lesson Outline:
- The Glorious Hope: Righteousness (Isaiah 11:1-5)
- The Glorious Hope: Peace (Isaiah 11:6-10)
- The Glorious Hope: Victory (Isaiah 11:11-12)
Calling: The Fruit of Cleansing
Lesson 5 - December 31, 2017
Focus Text: Isaiah 6:1-10
Central Truth: Cleansing from sin should always produce a passion for proclaiming the Word of the Lord.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to identify ways the passionate Christian can proclaim the Word of the Lord.
Lesson Outline:
- The God Who Calls (Isaiah 6:1-4)
- The Hindrance to Hearing God's Call (Isaiah 6:5)
- The Hindrance Removed (Isaiah 6:6-7)
- The Call of God Explained (Isaiah 6:8-10)