About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, ‘Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!’
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’
They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptised. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole household (Acts 16.25-34, NIV).
Acts 16 details the missionary journeys of Paul and his companions, highlighting several key events and their impact on the spread of Christianity:
Timothy Joins Paul and Silas: Paul meets Timothy in Lystra, a young disciple well spoken of by the believers. Paul decides to take Timothy along on his journey, having him circumcised to accommodate Jewish customs and not hinder their mission.
Paul’s Vision of the Macedonian Man: Paul, Silas, and Timothy travel through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit prevents them from preaching in certain regions. In Troas, Paul has a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for help. Convinced that God is calling them to preach in Macedonia, they set sail for Europe.
Conversion of Lydia: In Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia, they meet Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. As Paul speaks, the Lord opens her heart, and she and her household are baptised. She invites Paul and his companions to stay at her house.
Paul and Silas Imprisoned: A slave girl with a spirit of divination follows Paul, proclaiming them as servants of the Most High God. Annoyed, Paul casts the spirit out of her. Her owners, angry at the loss of income, drag Paul and Silas before the authorities, who beat and imprison them.
Miraculous Release from Prison: While Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns in prison, a violent earthquake shakes the foundations, opening the doors and loosening their chains. The jailer, fearing the prisoners have escaped, is about to kill himself, but Paul reassures him that all are still present. The jailer, moved by the events, asks how to be saved. Paul and Silas share the gospel, and he and his household are baptised.
Release and Departure: The magistrates, upon learning that Paul and Silas are Roman citizens, are alarmed at having beaten and imprisoned them unlawfully. They apologise and ask them to leave the city. Paul and Silas visit Lydia’s house to encourage the believers before departing.
Throughout Acts 16, the narrative showcases the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the power of the gospel to transform lives, and the resilience and faithfulness of Paul and his companions amidst persecution.
My release from prison: God answers prayer
The Bible is God’s Word and cannot lie; it must happen as He promised. All the promises of man are meaningless compared to the might and power of God. Did He not release Paul and Silas from prison in Philippi? Did He not also release Peter? Well, was God any different now? Was His power diminished? God never changes, nor do His promises, I, for one, would believe.
Three days after I’d been tried and found guilty of smuggling Bibles into communist East Europe, God gave me a vision and a dream where He showed me the exact day I would come out of the prison!
The dream was that I was out of the prison and speaking to thousands at an Easter Rally that the Elim Churches (to which I belonged) held every year in the Royal Albert Hall, London. But it was not easy to hold on to that kind of faith in those conditions. It was only when eventually, after another five months, I managed to smuggle my own Bible into my cell, (that was in itself a miracle), God confirmed the dream in writing, in His Word. When I got my Bible, desperate to know where to start reading, I chose to read from David’s experiences in the Psalms, since like me, he knew what suffering was. I came to Psalm 35:18 where David himself says, “I will give God thanks in the great congregation, I will praise Him among much people.” I leapt in the air – this is it, the great congregation must be the thousands in the Royal Albert Hall on Easter Monday! So my confirmation of the dream I was holding onto was in the Scriptures! It was in writing! But a few days later, as I was thinking, I realised that my birthday in 1973 would come just three days before Easter! So I began to ask again, “Lord if You can work such a miracle for Easter, why not send me home three days earlier for my birthday?!” Some are surprised why, when God had given me one promise, should I not be content, why dare ask for another miracle?! But my faith was growing. So yes, I did ask, and this is what I prayed, “Lord if you can work one miracle, I want another, send me home for my birthday. But I want confirmation. If You will grant me this extra request, then show me a place in the Psalms where you speak of releasing a prisoner from his chains.” What a challenge… Was there even such a verse? I didn’t know… I picked up my Bible (remember, to have it in my cell was already illegal), I read on… and on, past all my favourite passages until eventually I came to Psalm 68:6, where it says, ‘God sets the solitary in families, He brings out those who are bound with chains!’ What can I say… My joy was unbounded, God had spoken, just as I had asked – I would go home for my birthday, April 17th!
However, in the months which followed, such pressure had built up (you need to have been in a communist prison to understand) – that I failed! My faith failed! I had a heart attack. The prison doctors gave me an ECG; a German doctor who was in prison in my cell went with me and interpreted the results for me. What had happened was that the stress of the prison, and the stress of waiting for the deliverance, had brought me to a minor heart attack…
When I went back to my work bench (I was in a slave labour camp), I cried out to God, I wept before Him, “O God, I’ve let go, my faith has failed, I’m not going to get out now…” I knew in my spirit that if I failed, if I wavered, I wouldn’t get out! That’s what I’m trying to tell you, that’s what the Bible is saying…
I cried out to God! And the Lord reassured me, because He does understand, and I got the peace that, yes, I had confessed and wept before Him over my failure, and He understood me. And yes, I was released on the EXACT day God had promised, on my birthday and to make the miracle even bigger, it was British Prime Minister Harold Wilson who secured my release! Then on Easter Monday I was invited to share my experiences in the Royal Albert Hall. Total fulfilment of what God had said!