Open Doors from Quarantine (2) Paul Acts 16

 

 

The Philippian Jailer Saved

²⁵   But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

²⁶   Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.

²⁷   And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

²⁸   But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”

²⁹   Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.

³⁰   And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹   So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

³²   Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

³³   And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.

³⁴      Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.

Paul knew his purpose and embraced it. He was committed to preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles at all cost, willing to spend and be spent for it. And he constantly sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit (as we should all do) and had tremendous success.
However in his attempts to go to Phrygia, to preach the Gospel, the Holy Spirit said, “No!” Acts16:8
He then tried going to Bithynia but the Holy Spirit again refused. Now, while he was at Traos, he had a vision in which he saw someone saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us. V9
This gave him the confidence that he had heard from God and he proceeded there to the major city, Philippi with Silas.

The Macedonian Call

⁶      Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

⁷      After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.

⁸      So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.

⁹      And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

¹⁰   Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

There he preached the Gospel and Lydia and her household believed and were baptised. V14-15
This was the first open door.

¹⁴   Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.

¹⁵   And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Later they saw a woman possessed with the spirit of divination being used to make money for masters.
She said many good things about Paul and Silas but with the wrong spirit. Paul discerned and  confronted her and cast the devil out of her. V17-18
This rattled the cages of her handlers and they were enraged and falsely accused Paul and Silas, bringing them before magistrates.
They were condemned and brutalised, badly beaten, broken and bleeding and then thrown into a dungeon of a prison with their  feet in strait jackets.v17-24

However at midnight, Paul encouraged Silas for Church Service in jail. They prayed and sang loud such that the other prisoners heard them.
God enjoyed the aroma of their praise so much that He tapped His feet in heaven. This resulted in an earthquake which rocked the foundation of the prison, so much that all the doors and windows were flung open. And their chains fell off.v25-26

The prison warden heard the tumult, commotion and cacophony and leapt out of his bed hurriedly and came out with a lantern. As he saw the doors opened, his heart sank, thinking all the prisoners had escaped. He wanted to kill himself. But Paul and Silas quickly stopped him, saying, “Don’t do yourself any harm. We are all here.”
The warden was flabbergasted, wowed and so overwhelmed with awe that he said, “What must I do to be saved?”
Paul told him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household shall be saved.”
He led him and his household to salvation and there was a great joy and feasting to the glory of God.
God led him, allowed what he suffered but rewarded him with a great open door for the salvation the prison warden of household.
Open door came from quarantine and there was a great addition to the Kingdom of God.
Paul and Silas did not complain or moan for their quarantine but prayed and praised  God and God gave them a great exploit and made their joy full. They could not have asked for more. God exceeded their expectations.
Therefore, in your quarantine arising from COVID19, it may look like a midnight hour. Do not complain but find a song of praise in the night. God gives songs in the night. Sing, dance, praise and pray a prayer of worship, adoration and thanksgiving to God. And God will give you  unprecedented breakthroughs. He will cause others around you to marvel and be convicted to surrender to Him and you will be an instrument of reconciliation. Seize the moment when it comes. Be ambitious. Go for broke. Maximise the moment.
Your open doors could be great innovative ideas for business, teaching online, setting up a charity that will help others or reaching out to people in unique ways or writing best-seller or acquiring new skills that make you head-hunted. Go for it. Make all things, including this quarantine work for you. Because you love God and you are the called according to purpose.
Determine that at the end of the lock down, you will come out better than you went in. Make up your mind that weeping may endure for the night but joy is coming in the morning. Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph. Praise God who enables His children who go through the valley of Baca (the valley of weeping) and make it a place of spring, going from strength to strength and from glory to glory. They may be hard pressed but they are never crushed; perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but assured that they are not abandoned. They are trees of righteousness, His treasured possession and destined to be forests. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit not only in old age but in all seasons, locked down or unlocked down. They will not know when heat comes. When others are saying, “There is depression, hypertension, post-lock down depressive, traumatic syndrome.”, you will be saying, “There is refreshments, revelation, harvest, lifting up, elevation, promotion, innovation and creativity.” Glory to God!
Open doors from Quarantine is mine! in Jesus’ Name.
Open doors from Quarantine is yours! ,in Jesus’ Name.

Take it by faith and run with it and it shall be yours.