Sunday we heard from missionary Tim Shamala regarding the work God is doing in India through him. He challenged us to hear from Paul in Romans 15 the three Ws regarding wild conversations we can have. We are to preach the Word of God, we are to be witnesses for God, and let the wonders of the Spirit speak to the people. When those three Ws are in our wild conversations, people will come to the Lord, believers will be built up in Christ, and we will experience God in our own lives.
Now Paul knew what would happen when we have wild conversations with those around us. People will get uncomfortable. The Word of God challenges us and disrupts our comfortable lives. When we preach the Word of God, witnesses for God, and let the wonders of the Spirit speak to the people we may run into opposition. Maybe not the opposition that Paul experienced, being stripped, beat with rods, and thrown in jail, but, it can be awful. Yet it can lead to something wonderful.
Paul and Silas did the unexpected. Instead of whining about being thrown into jail they were singing. They had been preaching the Word of God, witnessing about Jesus, and performed a wonder of God and it certainly made the people a little more than uncomfortable. They were beaten and thrown in jail. But after singing and worshiping God, two more wonders of God took place. They were miraculously freed while in jail. The jailer’s life had been distrupted in the most horrific way which led to Paul having to call out, “Stop, don’t kill yourself!” Paul gave the man a better way, life in Christ. We then see the third and most important wonder, the jailer and his whole household believed in Jesus.
This is the call we all have, disrupt people’s lives by proclaiming the Word of God, witnessing to them, and allow the Spirit to work through us that wonders of God may happen. Things may seem bad after distrupting others, we may find ourselves in a pickle, but God will speak through His Holy Spirit into the lives of those we disrupt and some may be like that jailer and believe. Wonders abound when we but trust in Jesus.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. -Psalm 146:6-8
