THE PRISON IS A MYSTERIOUS PLACE

Acts 16

6 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit that enabled her to tell the future. She earned a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.

Can you imagine going to church...and ending up in jail?

Well thats what happens when you actually do the will of God? Sometimes, I. believe American Christianity has peaople in the state of enchantment! Most americans, especially christians, are looking for the white house and a picket fence to signify a life of comfort and ease. However, Pauls experience is closer to the reality of the spirit filled believer. He goes into a city. He is preaching on the street for days. And then, all of a sudden, Paul discerns the demonic presence ruling over the business and trade in the marketplace and he absolutely does not hesitate to disrupt its affluence and control of the city.

Would you do it?

You don't hear stories like this too often..... in fact you hear the opposite. daniel went to the lions den because he refused to stop praying in public. joseph went to prison  because he refused to sleep with someone else's wife. but these types of stories aren't usually on the front of our news headlines. not at all!!!

No, we see church leaders sleeping with multiple women while receiving a slap on the wrist. We see molestors in the pulpit. Tax evasion by defender of the faith is almost normalized by the corruption that continually is perpetuated by the famous line "allegedly".

Yet these believers went to jail for a different reason.

This is why the prison is such a mysterious place. It does punish the unlawful deeds perpetuated by the evil. But not everyone in a jail cell found their way into a cell by wrongdoing. Some people found themselves behind bar by being associated with the wrong person or by mistakenly found themselves in the age old addage..... WRONG PALCE & WRONG TIME...

BUT .... that is not what happened to Paul. He chose to go to prison. He chose to rebuke a demon.  And then...... he chose to stay imprisoned.... Acts 16 says ...

27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

HE STAY IN PRISON TO BRING PEOPLE INTO THE FLOCK OF GOD..... AND CONVINCED EVERYONE IN JAIL TO STAY IN THEIR PRISON AS WELL!!!!!

WHO DOES THAT? TALK ABOUT COMMITTED TO THE COMMISSION OF BEING A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST. HE WAS SO FOCUSED ON HIS MISSION THAT HE REFUSED TO LEAVE THE PROCESS THAT HIS SUFFERING WAS TAKING HIM THROUGH! BUT YOU SEE THIS PATTERN IN SCRIPTURE! DANIEL STAYED THE WHOLE NIGHT WITH THE LIONS THAT WANTED TO EAT HIM! JOSEPH WAS IN THE PRISON FOR POSSIBLY YEARS (THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY)..... ALL I'M SAY IN IS THIS . . .

GOD'S PROCESS TO BRING YOU TO HIS PERFECT END IS BETTER THAN YOUR PERSONAL DISCOMFORT!

YOU MAY NEVER SEE THE FULLNESS OF EVERYTHING IN YOUR PERSONAL TIMING. BUT IF YOU ALIGN YOURSELF WITH GOD'S PROCESS! YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF ON THE OTHER END OF GOD'S PERFECT WILL! PRISON IS JUST A PRISON! IT IS A PLACE OF MAKING, A PLACE OF PURPOSE, AND A PLACE OF PROCESSING! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR PERSONAL PLACE OF PROCCESSING OR PRISON LOOKS LIKE AT THE MOMENT, BUT BE GRATEFUL THAT EVEN IN THE PRISON CELL... THE LORD WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU

YOU MAY BE IN A PRISON, BUT THE PRISON DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE YOU! WORSHIP & USE YOUR CREATIVITY ABILITIES NOT TO GET OUT OF THE PRISON... BUT TO MATURE YOU INTO THE BELIEVER GOD NEEDS TO FORM IN YOU WHILE IN THE PRISON.