To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

TWENTY-ONE

And for many days she cried after them.

Paul was grieved at her, turning and speaking to the ungodly spirit within her, "I command thee in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!"

And it did. That same hour. Her masters were furious, no longer being able to use her to make money, and called the rulers, "These Jews are troubling our city, teaching customers that aren't lawful to receive, or observe, as we are Romans!"

And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them with many stripes before imprisoning them.

The jailor having been told to keep them under close watch thrust them into the inner prison, fastening their feet in stocks. Despite their gaping wounds and discomfort, that very night at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying, singing unto the Lord.

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. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

"Don't hurt yourself! We're still here!" Paul shouted.

"Bring me a light!" the jailer squinted into the darkness, trembling as he fell before the men bringing them out, "What must I do to be saved, Sirs?"

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house," and the immediately shared the gospel with the man and those that were in his house as the jailer washed their strips before all of his family, and he was baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ.

And when it was the day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, "Let these men go."

"Paul, you are free!", the prison guard told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered it. Go in peace."

"No. They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out to save face? Let them come themselves and fetch us out."

And the sergeants reported back to the magistrates who were greatly distressed when they found out that their supposed Jews were in fact Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.

Now Paul had gone ahead to Athens and the Spirit of God within him was stirred up as he beheld the city, steeped in idolatry, not only did the Greeks have many gods but, just in case they had missed one, not wanting to displease it in any way, they had erected a sign, "To the Unknown god." Darkness was heavy upon Athens, a spirit of idolatrous bondage.

Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoicks encountered him.

"What will this babbler say today?

"Hmmm, I'm not so sure he babbles, but he does introduce strange gods."

Despite their knowledge, they did not know what truly matters, that Jesus Christ is God.

"May we know what this new doctrine you teach is? We've never heard of it and we'd love to know what it means."

It wasn't, sadly, so much for them to hear the truth of the gospel of Christ, but that they spent their time, ever learning and never coming to the knowledge of the Truth.

"Men of Athens," Paul stood up among them, "I see you are very superstitious. I even saw your altar to the unknown god. You don't know Him, so I will declare Him to you. God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

"Ha!" many mocked the Truth.

But others didn't.

"We will hear you again on this matter."