“What Must I do?”

 Acts 16 A common saying goes like this: When one door closes, another opens. In the meantime, more often than not, we are left wondering what God is up to.  Dr. Luke does not tell the how or why; only that Paul and Silas’ journey to Philippi opened the door to suffering, false imprisonment and the beginnings of the Philippian church.

Through a series of circumstances, the Holy Spirit pierced the hearts of two Philippians and they responded to the offer of salvation. First, there is the seller of Purple, Lydia, who accepts Jesus and invites Paul and Silas to come and stay in [her] house. [Acts 16:15] Later their preaching causes an uproar in the city and the magistrates beat and falsely imprison Paul and Silas. But, God has another person on His list to hear the message of salvation. He sends an earthquake to awaken the heart of the jailer by opening the jail cells. The fearful jailer thinking that the prisoners were escaping was about to commit suicide until Paul and Silas assured him they were all accounted for. He took Paul and Silas, washed their wounds, fed them, and asked this all-important question “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” [Acts 16:30]  

We may not know what God is doing but He will direct us to those who need to hear these words. “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” [Rom 10:9]