Following the conversion of Lydia and her household, Paul and his partners in evangelism continued to answer the Macedonian Call in Philippi (Acts 16:16-40). For many days, a slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination followed them as they preached the gospel. She would incessantly cry out: "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17 NKJV). Yes, it was true that they were the servants of God. Yes, it was true that they preached the way of salvation. However, they certainly did not desire nor require the testimony of a demoniac. Paul, "greatly annoyed," exorcised the spirit (Acts 16:18).
The exorcism of the spirit of divination from the slave girl greatly angered her masters (Acts 16:19-24). With the spirit, she had "brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling" (Acts 16:16). Without the spirit, their "hope of profit was gone" (Acts 16:19). They did not care about the welfare of girl. They did not care about right and wrong. They cared about the money! How many today become indignant when their source of ill-gotten gains is taken away?
The masters dragged Paul and Silas to the authorities. Once they were brought before the magistrates, the masters of the slave girl falsely accused Paul and Silas. The said: "These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe" (Acts 16:20-21). There was no fair trial. There was no opportunity for a defense. The mob was filled with bigotry! One recalls the travesty of justice before Pilate as the crowd cried out for the innocent blood of Jesus. "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" (Luke 23:21). The magistrates tore off the clothes of Paul and Silas. They commanded the officers to beat them with rods (Acts 16:22). Paul wrote how they were "spitefully treated at Philippi" (1 Thess. 2:2).
After the officers had beaten Paul and Silas, they threw them into prison. They commanded the jailer to "keep them securely" (Acts 16:23). The jailer obeyed, putting them into the "inner prison" and "fastened their feet in the stocks" (Acts 16:24). Contrary to the situation, Paul and Silas worshiped! At midnight, they were "praying and singing hymns to God" (Acts 16:25). Luke noted that "the prisoners were listening" (Acts 16:25).
During the night as Paul and Silas prayed, there was a "great earthquake" (Acts 16:26). The doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed! The Most High God acted on the behalf of His servants. The jailer awoke from his sleep and saw that the prison doors were open. He thought that the prisoners had escaped. In his mind, it was better to take his own life rather than to shamefully suffer death at the hands of the officers (Acts 16:27). Paul said, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here" (Acts 16:28).
What a remarkable night for the jailer! Falling down trembling before Paul and Silas, he asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved" (Acts 16:30)? Perhaps he had heard how they preached "the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). They told the unbelieving jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). That night, Paul and Silas "spoke the word of the Lord" to the jailer (16:32). Belief was not the only condition of salvation. The word also included the conditions of repentance and baptism as indicated by the penitent jailer washing their stripes and being "baptized" (Acts 16:33). Confession is also implied (Rom. 10:9-10). Luke wrote that the jailer rejoiced, "having believed in God" (Acts 16:34). Will you become a Christian today?