It seems to me that there are more annoyances than ever; pushy salesmen, unwanted sales calls, deceiving emails and last (but not least) opinion disguised as “news”. All this made me wonder: Can anything “good” from all this? Immediately, a resounding NOcame to my mind. However, I can think of something from the Bible where it did…
Acts 16 ( World English Bible )
Act 16:16, It happened, as we were going to prayer, that a certain girl having a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much gain by fortune telling.
Act 16:17, Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us a way of salvation!”
Act 16:18, She was doing this for many days. But Paul, becoming greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” It came out that very hour.
Act 16:19, But when her masters saw that the hope of their gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas, and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers.
Act 16:20, When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,
Act 16:21, and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans.”
Act 16:22, The multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates tore their clothes off of them, and commanded them to be beaten with rods.
Act 16:23, When they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely,
Act 16:24, who, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and secured their feet in the stocks.
Act 16:25, But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Act 16:26, 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 bonds were loosened.
Act 16:27, The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Act 16:28, But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”
Act 16:29, He called for lights and sprang in, and, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,
Act 16:30, and brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Act 16:31, They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
Act 16:32, They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.
Act 16:33, He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household.
Act 16:34, He brought them up into his house, and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, with all his household, having believed in God.
Act 16:35, But when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, “Let those men go.”
Act 16:36, The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore come out, and go in peace.”
Act 16:37, But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”
Act 16:38, The sergeants reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Romans,
Act 16:39, and they came and begged them. When they had brought them out, they asked them to depart from the city.
Act 16:40, They went out of the prison, and entered into Lydia’s house. When they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them, and departed.
Now, I don’t pretend to understand WHY Paul was so annoyed by the girl with a spirit of divination, because she was telling the truth about Paul, but eventually good came out of this. The Jailer was saved (and his household) and all those prisoners were exposed to all the events that transpired. More that these things, the magistrates who had punished Paul and Silas and imprisoned them had to let them go. In all these things God was eventually glorified.
God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. Believe it, because its true!
As for me, I am letting all my messages go to voice-mail!
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