This was the title of my message this past Sunday. It came from Acts 16:30. The jailer had seen and heard Paul and Silas react to being beaten and imprisoned. He heard them as they prayed and sang songs of praise. Then he experienced the shaking of the earthquake that opened the doors of the prison. He fully expected to find the jail empty. Why wouldn’t the prisoners run for their lives? But they did not and Paul stopped the jailer from taking his own life. What happened next is amazing. The jailer asked “What must I do to be saved?” I hear in his question the desire to have what Paul and Silas had; to have meaning and purpose beyond immediate circumstance; to have faith in the face of persecution. What must I do to have that?
We may forget that those around us watch us. We are followers of Jesus Christ. We have been born again, filled with His Holy Spirit, part of a community of faith. We are not perfect but we are to be different. How do we handle adversity? How do we treat others, especially others who are not like us? What comes out of our mouths and hearts when we are wronged the way Paul and Silas were wronged? The prayer and praise was powerful and had an impact.
What must I do to be saved? That is a great question with an eternal impact. Today people may ask that question using different words. They might ask questions or comments like these: “How do you remain so calm under these circumstances?”, “How can you survive such a devastating loss?”, “I could never do what you did!”. We want to be open and sensitive to the questions they might ask. It could be a question with an eternal impact like “What must I do to be saved?”
Just for fun: Did you know that most questions are not questions?
See you Sunday, good Lord willing. By the way, we have room for you at Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. Would love for you to join us for your first time or for a refresher. Just let us know if you are coming.
Pastor Tom
