June 23
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PAUL AND SILAS IN PRISON
A poem by ILMA
One day Paul and Silas were going down to the place of prayer
They met a slave girl who had a spirit that made her tell the future
She earned a lot of money for her masters by doing fortune telling
She shouted to the crowd “These men of God will tell you how to be saved.”
This went on for days until Paul got so annoyed and turned to the demon in her
“I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” was Paul’s words
And then it left her but her masters were angry and dragged the apostles and said
“The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!”, they shouted to the officials.
A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas and they were beaten and imprisoned
The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape and their feet were clamped
The prisoners heard Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns to God about midnight
Suddenly, a massive earthquake shook the prison to its foundations and doors opened.
Chains of every prisoner fell off and the jailer woke up to see prison doors wide open
He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself
Paul stopped him and reassured the jailer that they were all there and he was shocked
He fell down before Paul and asked the apostles what he needed to do to be saved.
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MEMORY VERSE
What must I do to be saved? – Acts 16:30
Read: Paul and Silas had been doing miracles while they preached the Good News of our salvation. It is amazing to hear them confront demons and they run away from them because of the presence of God’s Spirit in them. Those prisoners who witnessed God’s power in opening the prison doors and unchaining them must have turned them to God.
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REFLECTION
• What does it take for us to be able to bring people to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
• Why was the fortune teller servant girl’s master angered when the girl’s demon was sent out of the girl?