[0:00] Hallelujah. We thank God you've tuned into this message by David Entry at Karis Church. No hand can help you with the fulfillment of your destiny but the Word of God.
[0:11] May God's hand align you further into your destiny through this word. Often times people have various ideas of what the church should be and the church should be doing.
[0:22] Particularly unbelievers, some of whom have some ideas about church activities, tend to usually think they have an expectation of the church. Let me put it that way. And so, which might be right sometimes, you know, but if you don't know what your insurance covers, you might go asking for the insurance to replace your carpet.
[0:40] Because oil has spilled on it. Meanwhile, it's car insurance, not even home let alone content. But here someone made a claim for their carpet. So you also want to go and make a claim thinking all insurance covers everything, including carpets.
[0:55] You know, so you have to know. That's why every time you get an insurance, sign up for insurance, they have to read or they tell you what this thing covers. It's important. In the same way, it's okay to have an opinion, but it's not okay to force your opinion onto something.
[1:11] The church is the church and the church has to be the church, not what people expect the church to be. All right. So the church must be the church, nothing less or nothing else.
[1:25] The church has to be the church. And there are things that happen when the church becomes the church. When the church fails to become the church, a lot of things can, different things can happen.
[1:38] Some, some of them will be good. Some of them will be bad. Some of them will be neutral. Nothing. But when the church becomes the church, there are certain signs and pointers that let us know church is being church.
[1:52] And that's what we saw, we see in the text we have been dealing with in Acts chapter 16. In Acts chapter 16, last week we saw how Pastor Awo masterfully delivered the verse 16 to 9.
[2:06] I was telling her something she said that really touched me was, somebody might be telling you something good. You keep listening to them, but you have to check their spiritual. The information might be good, but maybe it's a witch who constantly speaking into your ears.
[2:19] So the church needs to be the church. One of the things that happened when we gather is there must be order. Someone say order. Order. A pastor who is afraid to enforce order is not pastoring.
[2:31] When the church becomes a church, we saw from the text, they wanted to preach the gospel in Galatia, in the Mediterranean territories. But the Holy Spirit said no. And then the Bible says, a man of Macedonia at night, Paul saw a vision, a man of Macedonia, says that, come to Macedonia and help us.
[2:50] So when he woke up, verse 10, he says that they concluded that God has sent them there. Now, how do you know the release of God? Is the church being the church as God intends it? So they went to Macedonia.
[3:01] When they went to Macedonia, there are a few things that happened that help us to know that the church is on the right track. All right. So number one, we saw discipleship. Oh, sorry.
[3:12] Devotion. They went by verse 13. They went to a place where prayer is customarily made. And it wasn't once. They went. They were in a new territory. Sometimes, some of us, when you find yourself in a new territory, you're a different person.
[3:26] Some of us, we don't even arrive at the territory on the plane. You're a different person. They found themselves in Europe. They've crossed from Middle East to Europe.
[3:37] They finally got into Europe. But Europe didn't change their mission. Europe didn't change their course. When they got to Europe, they were still devoted. So you see, genuine church, which is on the track, is devoted to the core things of Christianity or spiritual things.
[3:54] Devoted to prayer. Devoted to meetings. Devoted to the Word of God. There's definitely devotion. Sometimes people can be exposed to some things. They might even come to church once in a while, but there's no devotion.
[4:08] Devoted to the church. Devoted to the church. One of the reasons why sometimes I am able to say that for about 35 years I've missed church only twice is because of the state of my devotion.
[4:20] Not just to gathering, but it's to God which plays out in my devotion to the gatherings. And so you see devotion. Number two, they met Lydia and they discipled Lydia.
[4:34] So there is discipleship there. When the church is on the right track, people are discipled. They are taught the ways of God and how things are done.
[4:45] There's a difference between discipleship and mentorship, even though you can, in the general sense, maybe it's a kind of mentorship. But discipleship is deeper. A church that doesn't disciple people, help people to understand the dictates of God, the tenets of God, the ways of God, and get closer to God, is not on the right path.
[5:05] Church's job is to get you close to God. The other things that happen in your life is good. Thank God. But the church's core task is to get you close to God. So really, there are things that the church might not offer you yet.
[5:22] Or there are things that the church might offer you if it's at the expense of you getting close to God. It's a red flag. So the church's job is, hospital is for your health.
[5:35] Yeah. If you are going to hospital and they are making you more sick, there's a problem. Hospital, if they don't give you food at the hospital, if, let's say if you are hospitalized, you go, is it outpatient?
[5:47] If they don't serve you food, nice food. You don't have to be upset because that's not a place for food. Yeah. Just in case you are hungry and they sell, they have some grocery shop in the corner, fine.
[5:59] But hospital does not have to have shop. Do you understand that? Yes. So the church's fundamental, primary role in my life, in your life, in our society, in the world, is to bring God to the world and take man to God.
[6:20] And bridge the gap. Discipleship. Somebody say discipleship. That shows that the church is on the right path. Number three, we saw deliverance. As was touched last week.
[6:32] Deliverance. People come in one way, demonic oppression does not stay constant in your life when you are really being discipled.
[6:43] Demonic oppression can be broken. It's the church that can confront demons and set people free from demonic oppression. Outside of the church, anything that purples to give freedom is given bondage in another form.
[6:58] So, the church is on the right path. Jesus puts it this way. If I, Matthew 12, I think 28. If I, by the finger of God, cast out devils, then, by the spirit of God, cast out devils, then the kingdom of God is upon you.
[7:20] So, the manifestation in Luke chapter 11, verse, I think 24 or 22, so says the same thing. He uses the finger of God. That one said, by the fear, by the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God is upon you.
[7:37] So, when the church is on the right path, demons back off. Demons back off. I see someone be set free in the name of Jesus. Set free from addiction. Set free from demonic oppression.
[7:49] Set free from all kinds of attacks in your health. Set free from all kinds of attacks in your sleep. Yes. In the name of Jesus. Attacks on your children.
[8:00] Attacks in your family. Attacks on your finances. We break in the name of Jesus. Yes. Church is on the right path when there is manifestation and demonstration of the power of God.
[8:12] Amen. And it's not very foreign to the early church at all. You see God at work. So, there's deliverance. And number four. That leads us to today's text. Number four is when you see, look at today's text very carefully.
[8:25] It says that after they cast a demon out. Before I even go to that. Verse nine. A man. It's all in a vision. A man of Macedonia. So, they went to Macedonia.
[8:37] Chief city of Macedonia. Philippi. Met a lady. In fact, they met ladies who were praying. Yeah. And then they, they were blessing to Lydia in the house.
[8:51] Then from there, they met another young slave girl. They were blessing. But it's a man who appeared. They, they set the young lady free. Then, that verse 19 is so important.
[9:02] Verse 19, shall we all read it from the screen? Let's go. And when the masters saw that their hope for profit was gone, they see Paul inside and dragged them into the marketplace for authorities.
[9:16] To the authorities. They dragged them into the marketplace. What have they done wrong? Cast out a devil? Set a slave girl free? Well, that, that's not wrong. Yeah.
[9:27] But the, the, the masters saw that this business of Paul and Silas has brought, brought an economic deficit. Yeah. It has affected the economy.
[9:38] Their commercial interest was at stake. Is it not interesting? We live in a generation where commercial interest and commercial lusts can be controlling your life. Sometimes we will buy a car we don't need and put ourselves into feathered bondage.
[9:53] You throw a party you can't afford. You are planning a wedding you can't afford. Why do you go for loan in tens of thousands for a wedding?
[10:07] You have not been properly discipled. Doing things just to put yourself in slavery for your commercial lusts and commercial interests. There are people who will leave place of spiritual health to jeopardize anything good spiritually just to make more money.
[10:27] Simply because they have offered you four times the pay. Simply because the guy has money. Doesn't mean you should stick to him for marriage. Marriage is not because money.
[10:42] You can follow the money but never have marriage. You only have mileage. So it's important that you don't shackle yourselves.
[10:54] It's purely because of economic interest. They beat them because of economic or commercial advantage that is being lost.
[11:07] It didn't the same thing happen in a man full of demons. Full of Mark chapter 5. The gatherings. This man was full of demons and verse 5 says that you put him in the tomb.
[11:18] They put him in the tomb and he will be cutting himself. No one could even change. Verse 4 says when they put him in chains he will break the chains. Until Jesus shows up and Jesus set that man free.
[11:29] In the verse 15 it says that and when it was thought the demons went into pigs. Now when the information was sent into town and when they came and found that demon possessed, the man who has been demon possessed and had legions sitting clothed in his right man.
[11:47] They were afraid. And they were told, verse 16 tells you, and those who saw it told them what had happened. Verse 17, they said leave us go. They began to please, just leave this, you are spoiling business here.
[12:00] They saw someone free but they said no go. They said no go. They said go. Simply because there are some, the pigs that have been lost is too costly. When they told him that the pigs were all gone.
[12:12] He said ah, just for one man. The enemy has put a worldly commercial system in place to keep people in shackles. To keep people in shackles.
[12:24] Don't let us raise our children only to make money. We will put them in permanent shackles. Let's raise our children to live for a purpose and a cause and a godly one of course.
[12:37] Praise God. And we saw as well in Acts chapter 19, yes. Verse 24. Demetrius. Demetrius. He says that these guys, there's a guy called Demetrius.
[12:48] He was silver smith. And look, he says that who made silver shrines of Dinah brought no small profit to the craftsmen. Prophets. Now this guy, he called together with the, he called them together with the workers of similar occupation and said, Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
[13:11] Moreover, you see that not only even here, not only in Ephesus, but throughout everywhere in Asia, this Paul has persuaded them to turn away, to turn many people away.
[13:22] Away many people. Saying that there is not gods which are made with hands. And that's how we get our prosperity. We let the people know that what we are making with our hands are gods.
[13:33] So if Paul is saying there are no gods made with hands, that means that in fact, he's collapsed our business. And the franchises are all gone.
[13:44] And he said, no, no, no, this is no good news. So look at the next verse. So not only are the trade of ISIS in danger of falling into this ritual, but also that he adds spiritual terminologies.
[13:58] Also, you know, the worship of great Diana and the steady people, they went for Paul and beat him. It drove them out of town. Why? Because of commercial interests.
[14:11] So it's not new. It's happening in our times. It's interesting how you are laughing. But commercial interest has weighed your commitment to the things of God. Commercial interests.
[14:24] It's likely we are not different from those who arrested Paul. They knew what he did was good because they saw the impact on the girl. But for the sake of their prosperity, for the sake of the new house they want to buy, for the sake of that car they've targeted to buy.
[14:41] You know what? Let's say tithe is not even important for the sake of a big holiday. You know, God understands. So, what we see in this text is that because of their commercial interest, they spark great opposition against the church.
[14:59] Opposition is not always a sign that you are doing something wrong. Church! Opposition, criticism, attacks is not necessarily a sign that we are on the wrong path.
[15:13] It's not a sign that we are on the wrong path. See from the text. You can see from the text that opposition arose. Jesus told us they will oppose you. In fact, Jesus said, a servant is not greater than his master.
[15:27] If they hated me, they will hate you. In Luke 6, it says that woe betise you if all men speak well of you. In fact, if everyone speaks well of the church and the church doesn't have problems at all in society, it's likely there's something wrong going on in the church.
[15:47] The church is likely to be on the wrong path. Because there's something called contramundus. It's a Latin word. Contramundus is against the norm.
[15:58] Usually, the commission of the church is such a way that it's usually against the norm.
[16:10] It's not like the church targets to be against. The church doesn't have to be antisocial. The church just have to be on the right path and society might be having some clash with society.
[16:21] Contramundus. Contramundus. For us to be true and not be on the right path, we shouldn't be afraid to be contra. You know contra. Contramundus. Opposition will arise.
[16:33] Enmity or criticisms will arise. Attacks will come. In fact, one of the things I found out that, look, discipleship was, devotions was happening. Discipleship Lydia was happening.
[16:45] Deliverance was happening. How many of you know that's good success? This is success. So most of the time, when you are succeeding, people will rise against you. Most of the time.
[16:57] Most of the time, when you are successful, you can never be big without big opposition. Big opposition.
[17:09] It will always happen. When you are successful, when you have some level of success, expect another level of opposition. It should come. Some of you had peace of mind until you got married. You lost a lot of friends after that.
[17:20] You are doing well. You know, I said some time ago, some people will only call you when they hear trouble around you. Oh, sorry. We heard about it. But when things are going well, no!
[17:32] They can't call you. Because their faith will be frozen. They can't! But when they hear, you've lost your job. They heard, oh, that your house, something happened to your house, so it's going back on the market.
[17:46] They call you, oh, we've just heard about... That's when they will call. That's when they will check on you. I'm not saying everybody who checks on you when something wrong appears is wrong. But I'm just trying... You know what I'm talking about.
[17:58] Yeah, there are people, some of us, since God started showing us some levels of favor, we never heard about them! And today, oh, this one has left the church.
[18:09] Acts chapter 12. He killed... Herod killed James. When he saw that this thing works online, it's trending. It's trending. He went for a carriage to... So he took a trend, so that they can get more views.
[18:24] But it's not like they have anything to say. They have to make something up. Look at the person talking to you. Some people, when they are demon possessed, you can't just tell. This is demonic possession.
[18:36] In what way is this Christ like? In what way is this possession? Demons possessed people! So, you saw how Jesus was treated. Not because he did anything wrong.
[18:47] When you are successful, people will rise up against you. Remember that. When God started putting his spotlight on Caris, reverence to preach a message. But as I'm growing, I'm beginning to understand it more.
[18:59] He said, how to deal with envy. Many years ago, he came to preach. Well, what has that got to do with us? But he said, Father. We said, we want revival. You don't know what you are putting yourself into.
[19:12] So, when you see opposition, it doesn't mean the church is not on the right path. We can be on the right path, but opposition will be accentuated. But God doesn't leave us because of opposition.
[19:23] So, you see what? He beat them. Put them. Look at what happened. But the verse 20 says that. And brought them into the magistrate saying, these men, being Jews, have exceedingly troubled our city.
[19:37] In what way has they troubled the city? In what way? They rather relieve the city. Exceedly troubled. And teach. Ah, talking about teachings. Teaching customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither observe.
[19:49] Being Romans. But Paul should have also said, we are also Romans. But they didn't say it. Because they were ready for prison they didn't deserve to bring somebody out of prison.
[20:03] Who deserved it. Somebody was in prison and deserved it. And they said, we don't deserve to go into prison, but we want to go there. We're ready to go there.
[20:14] So, he who the son sets free, will be free indeed. That's why they went into prison. Because they, they, they had the accusations. They could have said, look at verse 37. We didn't read it earlier on, but look at verse 37.
[20:27] But Paul said unto them, they have beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans. He knew the law. You can't beat a Roman. It was a major crime punishable by death to beat a Roman or imprison a Roman without trial.
[20:44] And there was no trial. They beat them. The magistrate was shaking. How could we have done this? What came upon us? Commercial interest.
[20:55] So, he couldn't even think. What came upon us for us to do this? So, they knew their lives were at stake. Paul knew what they were doing was wrong, but they weren't ready to go to prison. Because there was an assignment there.
[21:09] So, they, and then let's look at the text again. They beat them. And the multitude rose up together against them. And the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them.
[21:27] And when they had laid many stripes upon them. Normally, Jews, you don't beat anybody more than 40 stripes. In Judaism, among the Jews, you don't beat.
[21:38] But this is not Jewish territories. Roman, so many. You just beat them as many as they could. When they had beaten them with many, when they had received, and when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison.
[21:53] Say prison. Prison. Luke 21 verse 12 says, But before all this, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, and deliver you up to the synagogues, and into prison.
[22:07] Being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. Jesus has told them that part of the deal is potential prison sentence. You don't have to be wrong to be in prison when you are on the right path.
[22:19] When they arrested Paul, the plan was to stop this thing. They beat them, put them in prison. And they gave the prison warden a strict instruction, make sure you keep the place very safe, so that they don't go out.
[22:35] So they need to, after receiving such instructions, put them in the secured cell, fastening their feet to stocks. Stocks, those stocks have a lot of holes. So if they want to make sure you are really secured, they put your legs, stretch it from one hole, and then they stretch the other one to another hole, and they lock it and you are there like that.
[22:53] But at midnight. But at midnight. So, when the church is on the right path, there's devotion, there's discipleship, there's deliverance, and there will be a proposition.
[23:07] And then number six, there's prayer. At church that prays is on the right path. At midnight, it doesn't matter the condition.
[23:18] Can I tell you about midnight? I heard a certain person say something about midnight that was quite nice. Midnight, it says something about midnight which was nice. Midnight means you have made it into a new day.
[23:32] Midnight. Yesterday is just gone. Midnight means you, um, midnight means that, it means the middle of the night anyway.
[23:43] Very middle of the night, that's what midnight means. Very middle of the night. A midnight marks a transition. Transition from yesterday to today. Yesterday to today.
[23:56] Midnight means yesterday died. Midnight means today is born. Midnight means tomorrow is coming. Does that make sense? Midnight. Midnight.
[24:07] Even though it's dark. It's the beginning of the day. Ah, somebody. It, let me. You see, it's, midnight means it's a new day. Even though it's still dark. I don't know who I'm talking to. It still looks dark.
[24:18] But you've stepped into a new day. Come on. It's still, listen. God works, still, still works even when it is dark. I don't know who I'm preaching to. Everything around you might seem dark. But it doesn't mean God is not working.
[24:31] Yes. Even your physical anatomy, your life was dark. Even, God works, still works even when it is dark. I don't know who I'm preaching to. Everything around you might seem dark. But it doesn't mean God is not working. Everything around your finances, around your family, around your work, your health, around your career, business, it might seem dark, but it doesn't mean God is not working.
[24:57] Yes. Even your physical anatomy, your life was formed in the, in the darkness of your mother's womb, God was working.
[25:09] God was working. Whilst it was still dark, no light, God was working. Midnight means God is still working. Amen. If I were y'all, shout a living hallelujah.
[25:21] Hallelujah. One of the things you have to understand about midnight is that the darkness of midnight didn't start midnight. It started from yesterday. The darkness of midnight started from yesterday.
[25:34] But you have entered a new day. Things are changing. I don't know what started from yesterday, which seems to be casting a shadow on today. But it doesn't mean the story hasn't started turning.
[25:45] The story has started turning. But just because of yesterday's darkness, it seems to have cast a shadow on today. But that's okay. Because yesterday is gone. Yesterday is dead. I don't know who I'm preaching to.
[25:57] But I came to announce to you that yesterday is dead. Yesterday is dead. At midnight. At midnight. At midnight.
[26:09] At midnight. At midnight. At midnight. At midnight means it doesn't have to be bright enough to know a new day has started. midnight means it doesn't have to be bright enough to know a new day has started.
[26:24] started. I'm just telling somebody, it still looks gloomy, but I knew they had started. Oh, one wise man said some time ago, I read this about 20 years or 25 years ago. He said, faith is the bed that sinks whilst it's still dark.
[26:41] They sang at midnight. Hallelujah! Midnight. Don't be afraid of the midnight. Don't be afraid of the midnight.
[26:52] It means God is up to something new. It means God is up to something new. At midnight, they prayed. Acts chapter 16 verse 13, they went to where prayer was customary made.
[27:06] So they didn't pray only in the good times. Oh boy! But even at prison, they still prayed. They were praying when times were good and they continued praying when times seemed bad.
[27:18] At midnight, they prayed. Do you know that church is on the right track? When prayer is offered in the church and the church is praying. Number seven, you know the church is on the right track. When praise is going up, you are crying, but still you are praising. You are tired, but still you are lifting your voice.
[27:35] They put them in the prison, but they praised so loud, the prisoners heard them because they were not there for themselves. Mmm. Mmm. I don't know who is hearing you as you speak.
[27:47] Because sometimes you are in the state so that how you comport yourself in the state will release somebody from prison. Yes. Others might be going through what you are going through and they don't know what to do.
[27:58] But when they see how you handle your own, that would be prison break for them. I don't know who I'm preaching to. But you are, they were not in prison because they were criminals.
[28:10] They were in prison because some criminals had to leave prison. Paul and Silas at midnight prayed and praised some praises unto God. In the book of Job, you will see how the Bible says, Job chapter 35, verse 10, it talks about, I sing at night, or God give me a song at night.
[28:29] Yes. But no one says, where is, where is God my maker? Who gives, oh, I don't know who I'm preaching to. God gives songs at night. In Psalm 42, verse 8, in Psalm 42, verse 8, the Lord will command His loving kinder in the daytime and in the night His song shall be with me.
[28:49] Hallelujah. Faith is the bed that sings whilst it's still dark. Psalm 77, verse 6, Psalm 77, verse 6 says that, I call to remember my song in the night.
[29:01] I see God giving somebody a song. Amen. And in Psalm 119, verse 62, Psalm 119, verse 62 says that, at midnight, I will rise to give thanks to you because, did you say hallelujah?
[29:18] Hallelujah. Don't be afraid of the midnight when God is with you. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for thou art with me, for thou art with me.
[29:32] So at midnight, they sang and praised the Lord. And then, so you saw what happened. Bible said there was an earthquake. The prison was damaged. The prison was damaged.
[29:43] Now listen, if you are in deeper prison and God wants to deliver you, would you expect an earthquake? Earthquake rather is more detrimental. You are more in danger because the things will break on you. The whole structure will break on you.
[29:54] There was an earthquake and it damaged the prison but not the people. That tells you there is a supernatural dimension. Maybe you might think maybe it's just the tectonic place just happened coincidentally to shift.
[30:08] Oh yeah, maybe, probably. But the miracle is not just the earthquake but the people who none of them was hurt. Their prison chains, all the prison chains fell off. God was not going to damage them.
[30:20] He was damaging the prison to make a statement that you can't keep a devoted person. You can't keep a church on the right track. You can't keep the church bound. So the prison doors were open.
[30:33] Then the jailer who was giving instruction to keep them safe knows the implication. If the prisoner escapes, you remember when Peter came out of prison? That's not the first time prison doors were open.
[30:44] In Acts chapter 5 verse 90 prison doors were open. In Acts chapter 12, I think verse 10, the prison doors were open. So this is not the first time. Verse 19, when the doors opened, the angel told them, go and stand.
[30:57] Verse 12, Peter left town, went to the people and then left town. Almost like he flees. But this is when the prison door opened, they stayed. Did you get it? They were not there to escape from prison.
[31:08] They were, a man in Macedonia said, come and help us. So they were there for a mission. Even after they had been beaten. Yet, they didn't lose sight.
[31:19] They didn't lose sight. They were beaten. They were bruised. They were broken and busted. Locked them up. But God was still with them.
[31:31] Am I preaching to somebody at all? So let's look at the text again. It says that, verse 29, okay, let's go to verse 26 again.
[31:42] They praise, verse 27, verse 27, it talks about how the man woke up from his sleep and supposing the prisoners had fledged. So he took his soul to kill him. He said, why would you do that? Yeah, because in those days when someone is charged with any charge and you are the one to keep you in prison, if the person escapes, you will save their punishment.
[32:03] And these guys are escaping and sometimes just execute you. So in Acts chapter 12, when Peter escaped from prison, check the Bible, they went for the wardens, the prison, and they killed the heralds, they killed all of them.
[32:14] So this man, instead of waiting to be killed, because all the prisoners, not only Paul and Silas, all the prisoners kaput. But wasn't it Timothy, Luke, Paul, and Silas?
[32:27] Why was it only Paul and Silas? Because potentially, they thought that these guys being Jews, but Timothy and Luke, they were Greeks. They had this Greek, so they only were taking advantage of the Jews.
[32:39] They were, listen, they were not in trouble with God. That's why they didn't go to prison with God, they were in trouble with God. They went to prison because they were in trouble for God. Would you want to try that?
[32:52] It's okay to be in trouble for God. It's okay to be, I'm telling, talking to a Christian, the church on the right track doesn't fear being in trouble for God. Being in trouble for God. Anyway, so they were, the prisoner, the jailer wanted to kill, he said, and Paul, because they were in the dark, he couldn't see them.
[33:08] Paul screamed, it was night. By day I started. The previous day was gone, he didn't know. It's a new day for the man. So he screamed. Paul said, don't do yourself any harm, we are all here.
[33:21] We didn't flee. We are, that's all. And look at what the man did. When he heard that, then he called for light, said, give me light, light. He ran in and fell down, trembling, trembling before the prisoners and called themselves.
[33:34] Before Paul and Silas, he trembled, went down, trembling, says, says, and then he threw, threw in the big question, what? Luke chapter 3, verse 12.
[33:46] Luke chapter 3, verse 14. In fact, verse 10, verse 12, verse 4. They came to John, the Baptist, they said, what? What shall we do? Did you see that? Look at verse 12.
[33:57] What shall we do? So just also came. Verse 14. What shall we do? John chapter 6, verse 28. They asked, disciples asked Jesus, what shall we do to do the works of God?
[34:09] What shall we do? The what has always been there. In Acts chapter 2, verse 27, 37. Men and brethren, what shall we do? What shall we do? This what is the biggest what in your life.
[34:22] I was, I've been bringing on, bringing on this for a long time. What made the jailer say, what shall I do to be saved? Because salvation is a biblical and a Christian terminology.
[34:36] Pagan religions don't talk about salvation. They talk about better life. They talk about mysticism, spiritual. They don't talk about salvation. So for him to speak up, who told him about salvation? You see what happened to the jailer.
[34:48] The jailer was saying that these are the men who are telling us the ways by which we might be saved. So for some reason, the people within the jurisdiction knew about their certain salvation.
[35:03] This man wanted to kill himself. No, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live for Christ. So he was asking the question, what must I do? You guys have got something.
[35:14] Tell me. Seth, what must I do to be saved? If you don't come to that position of asking, what must I do to have salvation? Every human being who thinks, one way or the other, begins to think, what is life about?
[35:30] Why am I even here? If you are growing, that's one of the things. Right from adolescence, you begin to think, why am I even here? That's when, if you don't have good exposure to sensible information, you might even think, there's even no point for my life.
[35:44] I might as well die because fools have been talking to you. I might as well die. Life is too, this midnight, I can't handle it again. It's a major question that comes to everybody as you mature. Why am I even, after all the money I'm looking for, after all the friends I'm looking for, the online following I'm looking for, after all that, why?
[36:04] What's the purpose of my life? In fact, I think James spoke about what is life. What is life? So they kind of asked him, tell me, what must I do to be saved?
[36:15] Because I believe his head, he said, and that girl who Pastor Will spoke about, the slave girl who was delivered, I believe he followed them. He understood Christianity or she began to practice the ways of God.
[36:31] Lydia then should go for her and help her because she's not free and they won't have any use for her again because anyway, she's not bringing money now, just throw that girl away. So, all right, quickly, so there's prayer, number six, there's number seven, there's praise, number eight, there's revelation or perspective.
[36:49] Don't go in prison and think that everything is over. When you walk with God, you interpret the affairs of your life differently from those who don't have God to do. So even when things, when you are in the middle of the night, you don't see it as the worst time in your life.
[37:07] You see it as the beginning of the end of the past, at the beginning of the, you see they had, the church must have a better perspective about life, about politics, about racism, racial matters, we must have, about finances, we must have a better godly perspective about it, about these things, social issues.
[37:29] So they had perspective or you can call it revelation. Number, number nine, number nine, the man said, what should I do to be? Saved. Everybody say saved. Saved. Remember the Bible says there's no salvation in any man except Jesus Christ.
[37:42] Acts chapter four, verse 12. For whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. All right? So we're talking about salvation and then he said, what must I do to be saved? And they said, believe in it.
[37:53] They didn't talk about go to church, they said, believe. It sounds simplistic but it's profound. First John chapter five, verse 10, the Bible talks about how as we believe in Jesus Christ, he who believes in the son of God has witness in himself.
[38:07] John 3, 16, remember what's there? Oh, some of you know. Wow. Okay. Let's give it a go. What's there? So loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but that's salvation.
[38:23] And verse 36, John 3, 36, says that he who believes in the son has saved. That's believing. They said, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 13, verse 30, 39, it says that now salvation outside.
[38:38] He said that and by him anyone who believes is justified from the things which the Lord could not, you could not be justified from. So this thing is about believing in Jesus Christ.
[38:49] It's like, what does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? It's not just, oh, I accept that he died. No. I commit myself to that truth. I commit my living. My decisions are hinged on the fact that I believe in that.
[39:01] Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. So they preached salvation. Every true church and the church that is on the right path talks about Christ Jesus to bring salvation. Our message is Christ Jesus and then the impact of our message is salvation.
[39:17] Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. We pray you have been strengthened and enlightened. You can connect with David Entry on all relevant social media platforms including Instagram and LinkedIn.
[39:30] You can also hear more messages from David Entry on all relevant streaming platforms and the Caris Church app. Don't forget to like and share the message. Be blessed. you