For His Glory

Moments with Jesus today.

I woke up with a song on me today. (Chris Tomlin, I Will Rise ). While listening and worshipping Jesus, Paul and Silas was dropped into my Spirit, and then well Jesus took over..

Scripture. —

Acts 16:22-26 (22)The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods, (23) After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. (24) When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks, (25) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them . (26) Suddenly there was a such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison was shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

Follow me if you would, while I allow Jesus to take over and lead.

Back story. Paul and Silas had been preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus. Acts 16 16-19 tells of an account where Paul and Silas were on their way to a place of prayer, where they encountered a female slave who had a fortune telling spirit in her. That female slave then began to follow them around announcing who they was. — She was shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” — She kept saying this, and finally after many days Paul got annoyed with her and rebuked that Spirit in the name of Jesus, it left her and her owners became upset that she was no longer able to make them money, so they seized up Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketplace to the magistrates. Basically complaining and making a riot, saying “Look what these men did!!,” Can you imagine, how bothered the owners of that slave was? They was upset, they threw a fit, and said this goes against our customs!, They wanted Paul and Silas to stop preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus.

In verse 22, the crowd joins in on the attack. ( Think angry Mob that had Barabas released from prison instead of Jesus)…. the magistrate then orders them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

The Greek term for “Beaten with Rods” translates “Rabdizo”(found 2x in bible as a verb means, and it means to hit with long stiff sticks, “Rabdos” found 12x in bible as a noun means staff, scepter, stick, branch, (tree limb).

verse 23 in KJV reads , And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:

There’s no doubt in my mind that these Roman soldiers were trained in how to beat someone, and Paul and Silas received more than enough strips to kill them, and then were placed into the inner room of the prison, where a guard was placed there to watch them and make sure nothing happened to them. (or that no one tried to escape, or nothing went on) The people ordering them to be placed inside the prison were no strangers when it came to knowing what happened to Jesus, and they didn’t want Paul and Silas to get back out and continue preaching and teaching the Gospel, but also they knew Jesus wasn’t in the tomb the next morning and they wanted watch on Paul and Silas to make sure they didn’t go anywhere… They knew Jesus body wasn’t stolen, (Matthew 28:13), so they knew anything could happen.. So they placed watch on them, to make sure these men who they made an example out of didn’t just walk away.

However—–

verse, 25-26 Tells of a whole new level of praise.–

I promise I am going somewhere with this.. I just got to give God his way.

25. About Midnight Paul and Silas they were PRAYING and the other prisoners were listening to them.

26. Suddenly, there was such an earthquake. that the foundations o the prison were shaken and everyone’s chains fell off..

I feel Jesus on this.

LISTEN. 2 men who had just been beaten and should have died, were in prison, naked, bound in shackles, no doubt it was dark, cold, they were freezing, shivering in the darkness, BUT.. JESUS, BUT JESUS. These men’s heart’s were set, and focused, it was all worth it for Jesus. so THEY PRAISED HIM ANYWAYS. They praised him so hard with their whole hearts, and they sang hymns to him anyways, even though they had just been beaten for him. They praised him anyways, their heart’s and minds were in ONE MIND AND ONE ACCORD. (did you catch that, THEY WAS IN ONE MIND AND ONE ACCORD) and they praised him despite their circumstances, then what happened.. the earthquake came and the chains fell off the other prisoners who were listening!!!

I want to preach a minute.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

No doubt God was in the midst of Paul and Silas, and just like the upper room when they began to praise him, the holy ghost came down and shook the very foundations of the prison! and Chains and shackles fell off not only them but everyone in the prison!

THIS AINT JUST PHYSICAL CHAINS!

AMERICA NEEDS A REVIVAL LIKE THIS

We need to be in one mind and one accord despite our circumstances and despite what we have gone through. Life is not easy. It rains on the just and the unjust. Bad things and good things happen to all of us. And I get it its hard at times, but now is not the time to go slack on God, now is the time to feel the rumbling in the spirit and let it rumble you until it begins to rumble the next person. Now is the time to press in, press on, and let God elevate you.

Valleys are hard.

Depression is hard.

Sin is hard.

Sickness is hard.

Backsliding is hard.

Being Cold on God is hard.

BUT LUKEWARM won’t be accepted. Get on Fire for Jesus. Roar until your shackles fall off.

GET A HOLD OF THIS REVIVAL THAT’S BREAKING OUT!!

God is moving in the midst of his Children, and guess what HE WANTS YOU. He wants you to join this mighty mighty crusade of his warriors that are going forth with his message of redemption, authority, goodness, chainbreaking miracles, authority, goodness. I repeat it because it comes back to me to repeat.

GET ON BOARD WITH JESUS.

Be a Paul and Silas in the midst of the trouble.

There is healing in his word, his love and his power.

How do you get that healing?

Cry out to him. Even if you can’t pray and all you can say is, “Help me Jesus, then do that. He wants you, you are special to him, and he loves you so much. He wants you to know he is for you, not against you. This world is telling you God hates you, but the Devil is the prince of this world, he’s the prince of Darkness, and he’s trying to keep you in a place of despair because he know the minute you breakout of the chains, and you step into your anointing, that God will use you to break the chains off others!

Zechariah 4:6-7 6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. 7. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

THIS IS THE SEASON GIANTS FALL.

I love you all.

Jesus loves you more!

Amen