Integrity, Witness and Care amid Opportunities
The jailer woke up and saw that the jail doors were open.
Thinking that the prisoners had already escaped,
he got his sword and was about to kill himself.
But Paul shouted, “Don’t hurt yourself! We are all here.”
The jailer told someone to bring a light.
Then he ran inside and, shaking with fear, fell down before Paul and Silas.
He brought them outside and said,
“Men, what must I do to be saved?”
(Acts 16: 27 - 30)
It has become very common in this world to "seize the opportunity." We are encouraged never to miss a precious opportunity that may be in our favour. We are told that "opportunity doesn't knock twice at your door." And, with all these phrases reverberating in our thoughts, we may be a generation that has been pushed to go in search of further opportunities. And, we being a product of this era of mass opportunities, how do we receive this message?
We acknowledge the fact we should make use of opportunities. We know that we have also a category called "God-given opportunity." But for me, there is no other category but only this - and that leads me to the belief all favourable opportunities are God-given! Every opportunity filled with goodness comes from the Lord. It is His favour upon those who believe in His name and those who are righteous. Psalm 5: 12 says "Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield." And this promise is also a reminder that we take every such favour from the Lord, every opportunity that is given to us, as a blessing from the Lord and use it favourably for those around us and ourselves.
As I was meditating on our 'integrity, witness and care in the midst of opportunities' I wondered at this incident that happened in the life of Paul the Apostle and Silas who was a member of the early Christian community and accompanied Paul in his journeys. I encourage you to have a brief reading of this incident described in Acts 16: 16 - 40 so that you'll get to know the background of the incident that we are talking about.
Paul and Silas were in Philippi (a former city in present-day Greece), where they were arrested, flogged, and imprisoned for causing a "public nuisance" - they had commanded, by the power of Jesus Christ, a spirit to come out of a girl. The girl had been a source of income for the owners by being a fortune teller using this spirit. With false accusations, they were attacked by the crowd. The Roman officers tore the clothes of Paul and Silas and had them beaten with rods. Then Paul and Silas were thrown into jail, and the jailer was ordered to guard them carefully.
Now something miraculous and amazing happens that night in the jail. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God as the other prisoners listened. Suddenly, there was a strong earthquake that shook the foundation of the jail. Then all the doors of the jail broke open, and all the prisoners were freed from their chains. The jailer woke up and saw that the jail doors were open. Thinking that the prisoners had already escaped, he got his sword and was about to kill himself (Acts 16: 25 - 27). This is the point of opportunity we are talking about. This is, indeed, a God-given opportunity. But was it an opportunity to escape from the jail? If we consider the background of this miraculous opportunity, our human minds would immediately think that this was indeed for an escape - a miraculous prison escape! But not in this case. The same chapter continues to say "But Paul shouted, “Don’t hurt yourself! We are all here.” The jailer told someone to bring a light. Then he ran inside and, shaking with fear, fell down before Paul and Silas. He brought them outside and said, “Men, what must I do to be saved?” "
Sometimes in our life of faith, in the midst of our calamities and troubles, rejection and failures, imprisonment and limitations, God opens opportunities miraculously not to seize it but to use it for the witness and growth of ourselves, and for the blessing of others. I would like to look at the various pointers of this lived-example of the Christian life that we find in Paul and Silas.
An opportunity for the expression of integrity.
I cherish the way how Paul and Silas expressed their integrity by not running out of a dismantled jail, seizing the opportunity. Instead, they stayed back, remained calm, saved the life of the jailer who was attempting to kill himself as a helpless officer, and expressed the confidence that they had in Christ Jesus the Lord by their integrity to the circumstance. Paul and Silas had all the avenues to run away, save themselves and to leave the rest to be dealt with the jailers. But they did not choose to do that. They remained within the shaken walls and bars of the jail that was one of the greatest expressions of integrity we find.
An opportunity to share the witness of Christ Jesus.
We find that Paul and Silas did not preach. They did not have a gospel meeting. They never asked people to listen to them. But they did two important things. That night they praised and worshipped the Lord while others in the jail listened (the verbal expression of their faith) and later, with an earthquake when the jail's doors and chains broke, they remained within (the physical expression of their confidence). The jailor saw these two. Their last's night's worship and this integrity. And, there was nothing else needed. He saw what was verbally said practised in the life of these two Christians. He did not come and ask Paul and Silas "why didn't you run away?", instead he asked them “Men, what must I do to be saved?” It did not take them an hour of preaching to share Christ Jesus. It just took them a time of verbal expression of worship and physical expression of lifestyle!
An opportunity to care and bless a family.
As an answer to the question from the jailer, Paul and Silas said to him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved—you and all the people in your house.” So this opened the way for them to share the message of the Lord to the jailer and all the people in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Then he and all his people were baptized immediately. After this the jailer took Paul and Silas home and gave them food. He and his family were very happy because they now believed in God (Acts 16: 31 - 34). Look at that! Just a moment of integrity, confidence and care brought in the blessing of Christ Jesus into the entire family. The synchronisation of their faith and life became the greatest message for the jailor in this moment of 'opportunity.'
An opportunity to question wrongdoing.
This act of integrity in the midst of a precious opportunity helps Paul and Silas not only to do help but also to question wrongdoing. The next morning, the Roman officers sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let these men go free.” The jailer said to Paul, “The officers have sent an order to let you go free. You can leave now. Go in peace.” But Paul said to the police, “They beat us in public without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens. And they threw us in jail. Now they want to make us go away quietly. No! Let them come themselves and bring us out.” The police told the Roman officers what Paul said. When the officers heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were afraid. So they came and told Paul and Silas they were sorry and took them out of jail and asked them to leave the city (Acts 16: 35-39). I just wondered how the conditions would have turned out to be if Paul and Silas would have escaped that night seizing this opportunity. What a huge blunder it would have been on the witness and example of the early Christian community! Instead, since Paul and Silas made use of this precious opportunity to express the faith and confidence that they had in Christ Jesus the Lord, it also gave them an avenue to question one of the wrongdoings in the official procedure. Just a little integrity amid a huge opportunity led them all the way.
As I continue to wonder at this life of example, I raised these huge questions in my mind. At the end of it all, what was the entire purpose of God, miraculously, shaking the foundations of the jail and breaking the chains of prisoners? Why so much of trouble if it was not utilised? Then, why did this entire miracle? What's the significance? I had my answers and I am sure you have already got them too. The more the magnitude of the opportunity, the more the witness. The more the miraculous it is, the more the example! And it was given in the hands of Paul and Silas to utilise this precious opportunity of great magnitude for the witness that we need to show in this world.
Today, in our lives, I am sure God is opening great opportunities. Sometimes we feel God's favour when we look at some of the ways in which He opens miraculous ways for us. And the example of Paul and Silas on that night within the walls and doors of that foundations-shaken jail reminds us the integrity, witness and care that we need to show in the midst of God-given opportunities.
I pray that the power of God our Father, the grace of Christ Jesus and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will lead us into a life of worship, witness, example, integrity and care that will be a blessing to many others around us.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"Make me a channel of Your peace..."
