1
00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119
This is Living Waters of Grace, 
the teaching ministry of Clark 

2
00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240
Wofford, senior pastor of 
Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 

3
00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400
County of Greensburg, PA. 
Now here's Pastor Clark as he 

4
00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720
continues teaching through God's
Word. 

5
00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,120
So these guys are in one of the 
most difficult places in their 

6
00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,240
lives. 
They don't know if they're going

7
00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,120
to live or. 
Die instead of complaining, 

8
00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:47,960
they're praying, which we should
do when we're in tough 

9
00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,880
situations that we don't like, 
we should pray. 

10
00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:55,520
Cause the power of prayer and 
power of praise is a releasing 

11
00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,360
power and delivering power from 
the things that are in our lives

12
00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,840
that we don't like. 
And I'm sure you've experienced 

13
00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,920
that when you pray, when you're 
in tough situations, things 

14
00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,880
begin to change. 
This life is full of challenges.

15
00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,760
More often than we'd like, we're
faced with situations that are 

16
00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,120
too big for us to handle on our 
own. 

17
00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,560
But those times are 
opportunities for us to trust in

18
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:22,600
God and have faith that He has a
solution for us that we couldn't

19
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,040
have seen coming for ourselves. 
In today's message, Pastor Clark

20
00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,480
teaches you about how Paul and 
Silas praised God even when they

21
00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,520
were put in prison. 
They didn't yet know how it was 

22
00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,400
going to happen, but they had 
faith that the Lord would set 

23
00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:40,720
them free. 
Now, here's Pastor Clark in Acts

24
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:44,800
chapter 16 with today's edition 
of Living Waters of Grace. 

25
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:51,160
When you think about Paul and 
Barnabas and Timothy and Paul 

26
00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:55,200
was eventually martyred, we get 
like this inside. 

27
00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:59,560
Look at what it was like to live
as these pioneers. 

28
00:01:59,560 --> 00:02:02,520
We get to read it and 
participate in it and for 

29
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:04,280
reflect on it and meditate on 
it. 

30
00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:09,080
And perhaps somehow living in a 
small way in the areas that we 

31
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,520
live and where we come from, 
because there's unreached people

32
00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,520
group right in Greensburg, PA, 
There's people, believe it or 

33
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,960
not that know nothing about 
Jesus Christ. 

34
00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,360
And you might say, well, how in 
America could you be here and 

35
00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,360
not know anything about the 
gospel? 

36
00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,840
What's because of where we are 
today as a nation, people and 

37
00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,120
these young people? 
When I grew up as a Pagan, at 

38
00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,320
least I knew that there was a 
God. 

39
00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,080
I believe that there was a 
Jesus. 

40
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,720
I believe that the Bible was 
true, but I wasn't born again 

41
00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:42,360
yet. 
But I had that basic worldview. 

42
00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,200
Now you talk to young people. 
Do you know anything about Jesus

43
00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,440
Christ or the Bible or God or 
the Trinity or the the cross or 

44
00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,360
the resurrection? 
They look at you like deer in 

45
00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,640
the headlight. 
They have no idea what you're 

46
00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:57,160
talking about. 
So you're starting back to 

47
00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,920
square 1 and it can be 
dangerous, especially now if you

48
00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,000
aggressively proclaim the 
gospel. 

49
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,960
There's beginning to be 
persecution in our country. 

50
00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:12,120
In Canada, pastors that preach 
out against abortion or same sex

51
00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:17,960
marriages are being imprisoned. 
How soon will that be here in 

52
00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,240
our country? 
This is all involved in this 

53
00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,640
missionary vision. 
So Paul is going to go to 

54
00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:28,320
Macedonia now. 
And we continue in verse 11, 

55
00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:32,360
this woman by the name of Lydia,
she's baptized at Philippi. 

56
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:38,000
Philippi is a wonderful region, 
opportunity for a new church. 

57
00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:40,680
Not a whole lot of Jewish 
people. 

58
00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,400
There was no synagogue there 
because you needed ten men who 

59
00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,880
were part of the synagogue in 
order to have a legitimate 

60
00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:50,160
synagogue. 
So you'll see, it's interesting 

61
00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,640
here that there is no synagogue.
They're meeting down by the 

62
00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,440
river. 
So therefore sailing from Troas,

63
00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,240
we ran a straight course as a 
moth, and the next day came to 

64
00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,360
Neopolis and there to Philippi, 
which is the foremost city of 

65
00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:05,840
that part of Macedonia, a 
colony. 

66
00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,640
So they're in Greece now, and we
were staying in that city for 

67
00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,360
some days, and on the Sabbath 
day we went out of the city to 

68
00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,240
the Riverside. 
Now, normally in the Sabbath 

69
00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:20,079
day, Paul and Silas and Timothy 
would have gone into the 

70
00:04:21,079 --> 00:04:23,760
synagogue to preach, but there 
was number synagogue there. 

71
00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,720
So they went out of the city to 
the Riverside, where prayer was 

72
00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,760
customarily made, and we sat 
down and spoke to the women who 

73
00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,240
met there. 
Now, the rabbi said it's better 

74
00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,480
to have the law burned and to 
deliver the Torah to women. 

75
00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:44,360
That's how discriminating and 
discussing the culture was 

76
00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:47,560
toward women at the time, 
especially in Judaism and the 

77
00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:50,000
rabbi's. 
There was a low level of esteem 

78
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:52,560
for women, which Paul certainly 
doesn't have here. 

79
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,520
And now a certain woman named 
Lydia heard us. 

80
00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,560
She was a seller of purple from 
the city of Thyrotyra, who 

81
00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:03,480
worship God. 
Thyrotyra is this community, the

82
00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:07,920
city that's known for 
development of purple and dyed 

83
00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,360
material, garments and clothing.
And so she's probably got an 

84
00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,240
office down here now in 
Philippi, following up that 

85
00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,160
she's a very successful 
businesswoman. 

86
00:05:18,560 --> 00:05:22,160
And they're down there 
worshipping God, but they're not

87
00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,640
worshipping the truth about God 
yet because they don't know it, 

88
00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,680
But they're there in their 
religious form of trying to 

89
00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,000
develop this encounter with the 
living God of Abraham, Isaac, 

90
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,960
and Jacob. 
And then it says the Lord opened

91
00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,560
her heart to heed the things 
spoken by Paul. 

92
00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:46,200
So Paul's preaching the gospel 
and all of a sudden she's 

93
00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,400
recognizing that there's 
something missing. 

94
00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:58,720
And her understanding of God and
her heart became convicted, and 

95
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,640
she began to become drawn to the
gospel. 

96
00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:10,000
And the Lord opened her heart to
heed, to obey, to follow the 

97
00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:14,800
things spoken by Paul. 
And it's like anywhere you go 

98
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:19,560
here today, your home, your 
community, your workplace, you 

99
00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:24,240
share the Lord with people as 
you have opportunity to, and the

100
00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,360
Lord opens doors for you. 
You can't make anybody believe. 

101
00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,600
You can't force anybody to 
understand the truth. 

102
00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:37,120
You have to have patience and 
you have to understand that only

103
00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:40,440
the Lord can open the heart for 
people to believe. 

104
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,440
That's our job. 
We're to pray and pray, Lord, 

105
00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:50,880
open the hearts of those who 
come here to hear your voice, to

106
00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,560
believe Your word, to follow 
you. 

107
00:06:56,360 --> 00:07:00,680
And the Lord will do that. 
His word is not without power. 

108
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,760
It's sharper than any 2 edged 
sword. 

109
00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,400
It's able to divide us under the
soul and the spirit and is very 

110
00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,800
discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart. 

111
00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:13,440
Even today your mind might be 
drifting. 

112
00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,160
You're thinking about all kind 
of things, but God will take 

113
00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:20,440
something from His Word and 
Pierce your heart with it. 

114
00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:24,400
Convict you, challenge you, make
you think about Him more, make 

115
00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:26,640
you love Him more, make you want
to follow Him more. 

116
00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,880
Maybe put a burden on your heart
for someone you care about that 

117
00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,760
you want to tell them about what
He's done for you. 

118
00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,200
A host of things that can 
happen, but the Spirit is the 

119
00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:41,480
one that interacts with the 
Speaker of the Word and the 

120
00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,560
Hearer of the Word. 
There's a divide between me and 

121
00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:46,520
you today. 
I'm speaking, you're listening, 

122
00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:49,320
but there's someone in between 
what's happening here today. 

123
00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,920
And that's God the Holy Spirit 
that knows what it is you need, 

124
00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,880
what it is I need. 
And He's the one will give you 

125
00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,320
what it is you need to know 
about the truth. 

126
00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:02,160
And this is what he did for 
Lydia here. 

127
00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:07,000
And she believed, and it says in
verse 15, and when she and her 

128
00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:10,560
household were baptized, she 
begged us, saying, if you have 

129
00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,000
judged me to be faithful to the 
Lord, come to my house and stay.

130
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,760
So she persuaded us. 
So a big party here. 

131
00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:23,200
All these people are baptized. 
She wants to bless them, and she

132
00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:26,960
now wants to give of herself to 
them because they have given 

133
00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:28,880
themselves to her and her 
friends. 

134
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,560
And now they're having this 
Christian fellowship. 

135
00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:33,120
And they stayed with her for a 
while. 

136
00:08:33,559 --> 00:08:37,840
And verse 16, now it happened as
we went to prayer that a certain

137
00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:42,120
slave girl possessed with the 
spirit of divination met us who 

138
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,480
brought our masters much profit 
by fortune telling. 

139
00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:49,760
So in between the time of them 
staying at this home, there's 

140
00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:51,520
more work to be done, more 
ministry. 

141
00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,040
So they're praying, they get 
together and pray about, OK, 

142
00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,440
God, what's your plans? 
What's next? 

143
00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,520
What do we do next? 
Where do you want us to go? 

144
00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:04,000
And there was a certain slave 
girl, she's demon possessed. 

145
00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:06,920
And this is what she's doing in 
verse 17. 

146
00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,760
This girl followed Paul and us 
and cried out, saying these men 

147
00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:14,320
are the servants of the Most 
High God who proclaimed us the 

148
00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,240
way of salvation. 
And this she did for many days. 

149
00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,040
Now everything she's saying here
obviously is true. 

150
00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,200
Even though she's demon 
possessed, the Bible says the 

151
00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:28,120
demons know the truth and they 
fear the truth because they know

152
00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:30,040
it's the truth. 
But they've already committed 

153
00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:33,600
themselves to the Prince of the 
power of the air of the devil. 

154
00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:36,760
They're demonic beings that 
serve him. 

155
00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,360
But she's crying out saying 
these men are the servants of 

156
00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,920
the most high God, which is 
true, who proclaim to us the way

157
00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:49,240
of salvation, which is true. 
But Paul and Silas and Timothy 

158
00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:50,840
weren't saying, boy, this is 
great, isn't it? 

159
00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:55,600
We have this marketing person 
here advertising for us, getting

160
00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,720
everybody interested and crowds 
coming, that kind of stuff. 

161
00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,880
And she's doing this, this not 
once in a while, this like over 

162
00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,880
and over and over again. 
And then Paul, it says here, but

163
00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:07,840
Paul greatly annoyed. 
It got to him so much. 

164
00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,600
I can't deal with this anymore. 
He turned and said to the 

165
00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:14,320
Spirit, I command you in the 
name of Jesus Christ to come out

166
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,440
of her. 
And he came out that very hour. 

167
00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:20,720
So this woman no longer was 
going to be saying what she was 

168
00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,280
going to be saying. 
Obviously in her right mind. 

169
00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:27,000
Now the demon is not possessing 
her to cause her to 'cause this 

170
00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:31,240
rift in regard to what Paul's 
proclaiming in regard to the 

171
00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:35,640
power of the spirit versus 
demonic activity, she has no 

172
00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:40,040
ability to do this anymore. 
And so verse 19, when her Master

173
00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:44,520
saw that their hope of profit 
was gone, they seized Paul and 

174
00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,560
Silas and dragged them into the 
marketplace of the authorities. 

175
00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:52,440
These guys owned this woman and 
they made a lot of money because

176
00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,080
of what she was doing. 
And so every time she's out 

177
00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,920
there, she's getting crowds for 
all kind of different reasons. 

178
00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:03,000
Now she doesn't have this 
spiritual power and influence 

179
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,400
anymore. 
So they're upset, their profits 

180
00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,080
gone. 
So they grab Paul and Silas and 

181
00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,960
drag them into the marketplace 
of the authorities and they 

182
00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:16,320
brought them to the magistrates 
and said these men being Jews, 

183
00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:21,200
exceedingly trouble our city. 
And they teach customs which are

184
00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:25,640
not lawful for us being Romans 
to receive or observe. 

185
00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:29,880
So they're basically accusing 
these missionaries as being cult

186
00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:33,320
people, pushing lies, teaching 
things that aren't true. 

187
00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:37,520
Of course, Roman empires 
basically Pagan and they were 

188
00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,840
into mythology, they weren't 
into truth. 

189
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,280
So anything that countered their
worship of of Pagan gods would 

190
00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:49,480
be not received well. 
And so they're approaching this 

191
00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:52,280
from a legal point of view. 
They're saying this is not 

192
00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:57,320
lawful for this to be occurring.
So the multitude rose up 

193
00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,320
together against them and the 
magistrates and tore off their 

194
00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,440
clothes and commanded them to be
beaten with rod. 

195
00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,720
So this problem occurs. 
There's this insurrection of the

196
00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,800
community and these magistrates,
and they are not even listening 

197
00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,640
to anything Paul or Silas might 
say. 

198
00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:18,320
They automatically think these 
guys are evil and that they're 

199
00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,240
bad news and they need to be 
dealt with, so it says. 

200
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,480
And when they had laid many 
stripes on them, they threw them

201
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,840
in the prison, commanding the 
jailer to keep them securely. 

202
00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:33,560
So not even a fair case here. 
This is just ridiculous. 

203
00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:36,000
And this is unfortunately what 
happens in many parts of the 

204
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,440
world even today. 
People just genuinely caring 

205
00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:43,440
about the world, loving people, 
telling them about Jesus Christ 

206
00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:45,480
and the gospel. 
And this is the kind of 

207
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,800
treatment that many people 
receive, missionaries, 

208
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:53,200
especially in these countries 
that are Antichrist. 

209
00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:57,720
And so after they beat them, 
they throw them in jail. 

210
00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:03,200
Having received such a charge, 
verse 24, he put them in the 

211
00:13:03,200 --> 00:13:06,240
inner prison and fastened their 
feet in the stalk so they 

212
00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,920
couldn't even move around. 
They were stuck in one position.

213
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:15,160
But at midnight Paul and Silas 
were praying verse 25, and 

214
00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,920
singing hymns to God. 
What kind of guys were these 

215
00:13:18,920 --> 00:13:24,240
men? 
They weren't complaining, saying

216
00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:29,920
I need legal justice, We're 
treated unfairly. 

217
00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:35,000
Get someone up here immediately.
Take these stalks off of us. 

218
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,200
We're uncomfortable, we're 
hungry. 

219
00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,320
This isn't fair. 
That's normally the approach 

220
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:45,760
that most people would have, but
they're singing and worshiping 

221
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,000
the Lord, praying and singing 
hymns to the Lord. 

222
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,160
So these guys are in one of the 
most difficult places in their 

223
00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,320
lives. 
They don't know if they're going

224
00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,320
to live or die. 
Instead of complaining, they're 

225
00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,800
praying, which we should do when
we're in tough situations that 

226
00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:05,440
we don't like, we should pray. 
Cause the power of prayer and 

227
00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:10,760
power of praise is a releasing 
power and delivering power from 

228
00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:13,240
the things that are in our lives
that we don't like. 

229
00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,200
And I'm sure you've experienced 
that when you pray when you're 

230
00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,920
in tough situations, things 
begin to change. 

231
00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,400
But they're not any praying, 
they're they're singing and 

232
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,200
worshipping God, singing hymns 
to God. 

233
00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,000
God inhabits the praises of his 
people. 

234
00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,480
I sense wherever we've been 
during the week, whatever 

235
00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:36,800
challenge, whatever adversity or
difficulty we might be 

236
00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,040
encountering, when we're 
worshipping God and our eyes are

237
00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:42,800
on the Lord and we're sensing 
the presence of the Holy Spirit,

238
00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,520
things start happening inside of
us that are supernatural. 

239
00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:50,400
They release strongholds, they 
break bondages, they deliver us 

240
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,720
from sin. 
I mean, this wonderful healing 

241
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,160
power because of prayer and 
worship. 

242
00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:58,920
And we want to be known as a 
church that teaches a word, 

243
00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:05,040
praise the Word, and worships 
the Lord so that we can all stay

244
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,560
in a place of spiritual growth 
and spiritual health and 

245
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,240
spiritual development. 
And so what's happening though, 

246
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:15,840
is they're doing this and 
they're not doing this to get a 

247
00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:17,480
show. 
You know, we don't like this, 

248
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,440
but let's like, let's act like 
we like it or we're OK. 

249
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:22,560
And maybe we can be a testimony 
here. 

250
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:24,200
There was none of this stuff in 
their heads. 

251
00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,840
They were just doing what came 
to them by the work of the 

252
00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:29,440
Spirit, it says. 
And the prisoners were listening

253
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:31,720
to them. 
How about you and me? 

254
00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,840
When you're going through tough 
times, difficult things, things 

255
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,760
that aren't fair or whatever, 
and people who know you or watch

256
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:42,240
your life or you know, examine 
how you handle things, keep in 

257
00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:46,200
mind that people are always 
watching your life and how you 

258
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:48,360
handle what it is that you're 
going through. 

259
00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:51,680
And these prisoners, as they 
were listening to them, 

260
00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:53,840
something was happening to them 
as well. 

261
00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,440
Suddenly there was a great 
earthquake, verse 26, so that 

262
00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,800
the foundations of the prison 
were shaken and immediately all 

263
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,560
the doors were open and 
everyone's chains were loose. 

264
00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,000
Now, how in the world can that 
happen except a miracle of God? 

265
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,440
Right when you pray, things 
happen. 

266
00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:17,120
And the keeper of the prison, 
awakened from sleep and seeing 

267
00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:21,200
the prison doors open, supposing
the prisoners had fled, drew his

268
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:22,960
sword and was about to kill 
himself. 

269
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:24,800
This guy's ready to commit 
suicide. 

270
00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:29,400
He knew that if this went down 
wrong and these people escaped, 

271
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:33,280
he would be held responsible and
they would end up killing him. 

272
00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:36,880
That would be worthy of a crime 
against the government. 

273
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,560
But Paul called with a loud 
voice saying, do yourself no 

274
00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:45,600
harm for we are all here. 
This guy probably can't believe 

275
00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:47,000
it. 
I mean, if you're a prisoner, 

276
00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:49,960
all you're thinking about is 
escaping from jail, right? 

277
00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,600
You read about these guys have 
come up with these elaborate 

278
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,600
ideas of how to dig tunnels and 
get special tools to take 

279
00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,880
handcuffs off or whatever and 
hide, you know, the hole that 

280
00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,080
they're making and work on it 
for months and months and 

281
00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:03,600
months. 
And finally they find a way to 

282
00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:04,880
get out. 
They get out. 

283
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,720
They're usually caught again, 
but it's something inside a 

284
00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:09,760
prisoner's mind. 
They don't like to be 

285
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,280
restrained. 
They're looking to get out. 

286
00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,000
This is what happened, the 
opportunity to get out. 

287
00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:19,720
And Paul says we're all here, So
even these prisoners, no one 

288
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:22,359
left. 
Then he called for a light and 

289
00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:25,400
he ran, and he fell down 
trembling before Paul and Silas.

290
00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:29,320
And he brought them out and 
said, sirs, what must I do to be

291
00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,000
saved? 
That's an interesting question 

292
00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:34,600
There. 
Was he asking them, what must I 

293
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,400
do to be saved so that they 
don't come and kill me if these 

294
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:42,480
people, you know, escape? 
Or is he genuinely asking the 

295
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:46,120
clear question that every human 
being needs to ask that was 

296
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:51,960
without Christ, without hope in 
the world, what must I do to be 

297
00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,760
saved? 
Aren't we glad that Paul didn't 

298
00:17:55,760 --> 00:18:00,160
say, well, first of all, you 
need to be circumcised, That's 

299
00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:05,920
not for me, I'm not interested. 
Paul certainly gave him the 

300
00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:10,600
truth of the gospel. 
He said believe on the Lord 

301
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,320
Jesus Christ and you will be 
saved. 

302
00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:18,120
You and your household doesn't 
mean that the people that were 

303
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:20,920
part of the family were 
automatically saved because this

304
00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,920
guy became a believer. 
But what was going to happen was

305
00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:26,520
the whole family was going to 
hear the gospel. 

306
00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:29,320
And according to this and the 
understanding of this is that 

307
00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:32,480
the whole family became 
believers in Jesus Christ. 

308
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,920
These are adult people. 
This wasn't a, a special little 

309
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,560
verse in here now that we're 
going to say, well, the babies 

310
00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,160
will be baptized and they'll be 
saved and all that kind of 

311
00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:43,680
stuff. 
No, there's one Lord, 1 faith, 

312
00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:47,240
one baptism, one God and Father 
who is above all and in all 

313
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:50,200
through all. 
And you have the one baptism, 

314
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:55,560
which is the water baptism that 
adult believers, people who are 

315
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,880
at the age of accountability to 
understand their need of a 

316
00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,600
Savior. 
They're believing in Christ and 

317
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:07,120
then obedience to the Bible and 
what Jesus said to baptize them 

318
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:09,480
in the name of the Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. 

319
00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,760
So this is a move of God's 
Spirit in this whole family. 

320
00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,080
And then they spoke the word of 
the Lord to him and to all who 

321
00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,000
were in his house. 
So everybody got to hear the 

322
00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,200
gospel and he took them the same
hour of the night and wash their

323
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,800
stripes. 
So this man was so thankful for 

324
00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:29,200
what Christ had done to save him
that he wanted to, you know, 

325
00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,680
help this bleeding and bandage 
him up and clean, make sure 

326
00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:36,200
there's no infection and, and 
the beating that Paul and Silas 

327
00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,480
had received. 
And immediately he and all his 

328
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,040
family were baptized. 
So after he ministered to Paul 

329
00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:47,120
and Silas, then Paul and Silas 
baptized the whole family and 

330
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:50,800
the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, because now they 

331
00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,240
were part of the body of Christ.
And now when he had brought them

332
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,760
into the house, he set food 
before them, and he rejoiced, 

333
00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,800
having believed in God with all 
his household. 

334
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,080
And So what a beautiful thing it
says. 

335
00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,200
This is the end of this chapter.
And when it was day, the 

336
00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:12,120
magistrate sent the officer 
saying Let those men go. 

337
00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,560
So the keeper of the prison 
reported these words to Paul, 

338
00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:19,920
saying, the magistrates have 
sent to let you go now therefore

339
00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:23,840
depart and go in peace. 
But Paul said to them, they have

340
00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:28,120
beaten us openly, uncondemned 
Romans and have thrown us into 

341
00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:30,720
prison. 
And now do they put us out 

342
00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,680
secretly? 
No, indeed, let them come 

343
00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,280
themselves and get us out. 
These guys are freaking out. 

344
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:41,440
It's a crime against the Roman 
Empire and the truth of the 

345
00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,920
Roman government that you do not
beat Roman citizens. 

346
00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:48,600
And so they're already culpable 
of a crime. 

347
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:53,440
These magistrates, Paul's making
it clear now what you guys did 

348
00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,840
to us was unlawful. 
And he said, no, we want these 

349
00:20:56,840 --> 00:21:02,960
guys to come themselves and 
recognize their wrongdoing and 

350
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,920
get us out. 
So the officers told these words

351
00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,920
to the magistrates, and they 
were afraid when they heard that

352
00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,800
they were Romans. 
Then they came and pleaded with 

353
00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,920
them and brought them out and 
asked them to depart from the 

354
00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:17,240
city. 
So they went out of the prison 

355
00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:20,000
and entered the House of Lydia. 
So they didn't leave right away.

356
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:23,480
They want to fellowship more 
with Lydia at her house. 

357
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,120
And when they had seen the 
brethren, they were with the 

358
00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:29,400
rest of the new believers. 
They encouraged them, and then 

359
00:21:29,400 --> 00:21:32,800
they departed. 
So I just find it so encouraging

360
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:35,760
to read these truths from the 
book of the Acts. 

361
00:21:36,560 --> 00:21:40,320
The work of the Holy Spirit in 
the lives of the apostles and 

362
00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:44,200
the believers and the work of 
the Holy Spirit continues today 

363
00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:48,680
in your life and mine. 
God's called everyone of you for

364
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,960
a purpose, everyone of you, and 
you have the authority and the 

365
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:56,720
anointing of God to do the 
ministry and the work of God 

366
00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:58,600
with the truth of the Word of 
God. 

367
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,680
Because you have the Word of God
in your hands, you have it in 

368
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,920
your mind, you have it in your 
heart, and God is looking for 

369
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:09,120
opportunities to use your life 
as you just step up and make 

370
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:11,120
yourself available to Him. 
Amen. 

371
00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,440
Christianity is not a spectator 
sport, is it? 

372
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:19,520
We're all to be active 
participants in the work of the 

373
00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:22,440
ministry. 
The purpose of the church is to 

374
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:26,320
equip the Saints, and that's you
guys for the work of the 

375
00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,560
ministry. 
You'll go out, you'll rub 

376
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,800
shoulders with people. 
Many of them don't even know 

377
00:22:31,800 --> 00:22:34,880
what you know. 
Pray and ask the Lord to give 

378
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:39,240
you an opportunity, an open door
to plant a seed, to give a 

379
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:42,640
testimony, to tell someone what 
the Lord's done for you. 

380
00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,440
And you never know what God 
might do. 

381
00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,760
He might open their heart like 
he did for Lydia and they might 

382
00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,040
become believers, right? 
And I'm sure most of you guys 

383
00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,600
have encountered that. 
You shared your faith with 

384
00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,720
someone and because of that, 
they've become believers in 

385
00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,120
Jesus Christ. 
So if you've never put your 

386
00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:04,800
faith in Christ, the word says 
to you, you can say the same 

387
00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:07,200
question, what must I do to be 
saved? 

388
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:13,880
Believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, believe on him, and you 

389
00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:16,960
will be saved. 
Lord, I'm a Sinner. 

390
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,720
I've messed up. 
I've done things I wish I 

391
00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:23,440
wouldn't have done. 
I'm still a Sinner and I still 

392
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,680
mess up. 
But God Forgives us, doesn't He?

393
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,680
He forgives us. 
He's the only perfect one. 

394
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:35,720
We're all imperfect, but God's 
perfect, and He chooses to use 

395
00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:39,600
imperfect people to accomplish 
His perfect will. 

396
00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:43,520
Isn't that awesome? 
You or I? 

397
00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:47,400
None of us have a right to stand
up here and proclaim anything 

398
00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:51,880
about ourselves. 
We preach Jesus Christ and Him 

399
00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:54,280
crucified. 
Amen, because He's the 1:00 we 

400
00:23:54,280 --> 00:23:58,800
put our trust in. 
Thanks for joining us on today's

401
00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:02,480
edition of Living Waters of 
Grace, a ministry of Calvary 

402
00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,800
Chapel, Westmoreland. 
Today, Pastor Clark is teaching 

403
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,960
about the book of Acts. 
And as we learn more about Acts,

404
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,360
it becomes clear that the early 
church didn't miss a single 

405
00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:16,920
opportunity to share the gospel.
In nearly every chapter, you see

406
00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:20,640
apostles like Peter and Paul 
stepping into conversations, 

407
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:25,040
crowds, and crises with 
boldness, ready to proclaim the 

408
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,520
name of Jesus. 
Their example challenges us to 

409
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,520
consider how we might step into 
gospel moments in our own lives.

410
00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,600
What doors might God open this 
week for you to speak truth, 

411
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:40,040
offer hope, or live out your 
faith in a way that points 

412
00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,160
others to him? 
The story of Acts reminds us we 

413
00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,320
are part of the same mission. 
Today, let's live with eyes open

414
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:51,000
and hearts ready to respond. 
We hope you are challenged by 

415
00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,000
today's message. 
If you're in the Greensburg, PA 

416
00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:58,280
area, we'd love to see you in 
person this Sunday at 10:30 AM 

417
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,320
at 400 E Pittsburgh St. 
Unit 6B. 

418
00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,480
For more information, visit 
calvarychapelonline.com. 

419
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:10,320
You could also join our e-mail 
list, give online or submit a 

420
00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:12,320
prayer request right from the 
site. 

421
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:16,000
If you can't make it in person, 
be sure to tune in on the 

422
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:18,600
Calvary Chapel Westmoreland 
YouTube channel. 

423
00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,680
Subscribe so you never miss new 
teachings. 

424
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,840
If you were in the Greensburg 
area, you can listen to Grace FM

425
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:31,000
on the new 91.7 frequency. 
Pray about helping financially 

426
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,360
support the new station that 
will reach thousands more 

427
00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:37,280
listeners. 
Send financial gifts to Grace 

428
00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:43,600
FMPO Box 716, Greensburg, PA 
15601. 

429
00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:46,800
Once again, we're so grateful 
you joined us today to be 

430
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:50,800
inspired by God's Word. 
Please tune in again for more 

431
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:52,600
Living Waters of Grace.