10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

Theology for real life Search this website

The Miracle of Salvation

August 13, 2012 by Guest

gethsemane-grotto
The grotto of Gethsemane, where it is believed that Jesus was arrested following
Judas betrayal. Photo by Gary Hardman

Todays post is by Brandon Smith. Brandon has been a pastor for many years and is currently a
church planting resident at CityView Church in Fort Worth, Texas. He holds a B.A. in Bible from
Dallas Baptist University and is a Systematic Theology student at Criswell College. Brandon
editsProject TGM, a new blogbringing perspective to theology, gospel, and mission and their impact
on culture.Connect with him on Twitter at @BrandonSmith85.

Growing up in a non-Christian home, I didnt know what conversion to Christianity looked like. As
far as I was concerned, my friends were Christians because their parents were, and their parents
were Christians because of their parents. I mean, who would decide on their own to refrain from
watching certain movies or go gather with a bunch of people on Sunday morning and listen to
someone preach at them for an hour?

Christianity sounded like a lame hobby and was de nitely not something that interested me.

The hobby God

I live and work in the Dallas-Fort worth area, and here in the Bible Belt, Christianity is often
assumed. We often assume that people are going to understand and accept our Christian standards.
Im guilty of this. There are times that Im actually surprised to meet a non-Christian, even though I
grew up in a non-Christian home.

What Ive come to realize and have to remind myself constantly is that salvation is not an inherited
hobby, but a supernatural transformation.

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 1/6
10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

No one wakes up godly. No one is born a Christian. Jesus says in John 3 that a person must be born
again to be saved. Sin is not a weak enemy, its a supernatural force that must be dealt with by an
omnipotent, all-powerful God. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 that no one can say that Jesus is Lord
without the Holy Spirit. Belief in Christ takes an absolute act of God.

The miracle of salvation

For some reason, God chooses to use us in His grand plan for redeeming the world. Acts 16:25-34
paints a great picture of Gods sovereignty and our involvement in bringing redemption to the lost.
We are going to see two followers of Christ used by God to bring about incredible change in a lost
man and his family.

Lets take notice of the events of this story:

I. Paul and Silas praise God despite their situation (v.25)

In the passages right before this, Paul and Silas had just driven an evil spirit out of a slave girl. This
was a great thing for the girl, but a major inconvenience for her owners. This demon gave this girl
the power to be a fortune-teller, and this was pro table for them. Without the demon, she was
useless. So, they report Paul and Silas to the civil authorities for practicing a Jewish religion that
wasnt Roman.

Fast forward to their imprisonment, Paul and Silas still bloody from the beating are praying and
singing hymns to God.

It is important to remember that God is still God, regardless of your situation. Suffering well is one
of the most beautiful testimonies.

Paul and Silas did not let their imprisonment rob them of worship. Their situation was secondary
compared to their relationships with God. Just like the apostles in Acts 5, Paul and Silas rejoiced in
their suffering. They couldve sat in their cell and complained or insulted the Roman jailer at the
gate, but instead they gave glory to God.

II. God made sure to get the lost mans attention (v.26)
What better way to get someones attention than to drop an earthquake on them in the middle of the
night? One second the Roman jailer is sleeping while these crazy prisoners are singing; the next
second he wakes up to an earthquake shaking the very ground that he is sitting on.

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 2/6
10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

God does many things to get our attention everything from a subtle hint while youre listening to a
song to a catastrophic event like the death of a loved one. One thing we can be sure of: when God
wants something to happen, its unmistakable.

When God shows up, people take notice.

It was no accident that those men were in that jail cell, and it was no accident that an earthquake
ung the prison doors open.

III. Paul and Silas show compassion (vv.27-28)

In what seemed like a perfect opportunity for escape, Paul and Silas stayed in their cell. They knew
that this was a divine appointment, and seized the opportunity to show the love of Christ to the
Roman jailer.

When you understand that God is in control, you see every second of your life as an opportunity to
live for Him.

This jailer is about to kill himself because he knows the rami cations of allowing prisoners to
escape. Paul and Silas couldve said, Forget this guy! When he kills himself, we can get out here!
Instead of using someone elses misfortune to make their life better, they put aside their own
interests for Gods purposes.

IV. God orchestrated several events to save the man (vv.29-30)

So, we see Paul and Silas do two crucial things for this jailer so far:

1. They showed that God is bigger than anything.

2. They showed that love is bigger than personal comfort.

The witness of Paul and Silas, along with the unexplainable earthquake, gave the jailer a picture of
the gospel. As I said before, I had always believed that Christianity was simply a choice people
randomly made. But what we see here, and throughout Scripture, is that God steps into time and
brings about real miracles in peoples lives.

Remember, Paul and Silas should be commended for their faithfulness, but their faithfulness and
the jailers sudden desire for salvation were both impossible without Gods supernatural work in
their hearts.

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 3/6
10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

The person who brings the gospel and the person who receives the gospel both have one
foundational thing in common: they both need God to do a miracle in their lives.

When dealing with lost people, salvation should humble us, not cause pride.

V. Salvation didnt stop at the jailer (vv.31-34)

These men gave a simple command: Believe in Christ and you will be saved.

Evangelism has become almost a curse word to some Christians. Many people see evangelism as a
chore that involves learning a speech and being rejected. God can and will overcome your
shortcomings to change peoples hearts.

* Evangelism is as simple as what Paul and Silas have done: Praise God in all circumstances, show
the love of Christ to people, and tell them the truth about Christ. No speeches, no programs just
love people and tell them what you know.

God is not surprised by any of this! What seemed like a random set of occurrences Paul and Silas
exorcize a demon, are imprisoned, an earthquake hits, and a man is saved was actually a series of
God-made events to bring salvation to the lost.

God wasnt done yet. Not only did God save the jailer, but He revealed Himself to his entire
household.

The salvation of this man brought Christ to the rest of his household. There is a powerful chain
reaction of God saving Paul and Silas, using them to save the jailer, and using the jailer to save more
people. You can be sure, the gospel-planting in the rest of his household led to more people knowing
Christ.

The gospel advances as God uses Christs disciples to take the gospel to others. Matthew 28
commands that disciples are to make more disciples. Romans 10 says that people cannot know a
gospel that they havent heard.

Imagine if the disciples walked away after Christs ascension, or after He returned and Pentecost,
and didnt want to share the gospel with anyone. Wed all be in trouble.

The great church father Augustine said, I never have any dif culty believing in miracles, since I
experienced the miracle of a change in my own heart.

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 4/6
10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

The fact that anyone is saved is an absolute miracle. If you dont understand that, I dont know that
you understand your sin or understand Gods power. When we understand ourselves, we understand
the condition of the lost around us. We empathize with them. This should propel us into the world,
loving people and watching God work. We do the ministry, God does the miracles.

You might also enjoy

Links I Like Gospel-centered discipleship: 7 Links I like

7Things a Pastor's Kid Needs from questions with Brandon Smith
a Father Barnabas Piper: Pastors,
your position is a demanding one,
and those demands bring unique
struggles on your family. A pastor's

I would love to hear from you on what you've read today. Please share your feedback with
me on Facebook or Twitter, or send it to me directly using this form.

SIGN-UP TO RECEIVE NEW CONTENT IN YOUR INBOXAND A FREE EBOOK, TOO!

Email address:

Your email address

First Name:

Your rst name

Last Name:

Your last name

How often do you want to receive emails?

Daily (sent every morning)
Weekly (sent every Friday morning)
Special updates only (a few times a year)

SUBSCRIBE

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 5/6
10/22/2017 The Miracle of Salvation

THE PODCAST LATEST BOOK REVIEW

What I read in September

THE GOSPEL PROJECT

ABOUT BOOKS AND FILMS BOOK REVIEWS SPEAKING

CONTACT

Copyright 2017 Minimum Pro Theme on Genesis Framework WordPress Log in

http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2012/08/13/the-miracle-of-salvation/ 6/6