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I want to focus on a somewhat bizarre section of this chapter – the end. It struck me that Paul, after being told he and Silas have been released from jail, demanded that the officials come down in person and lead them out in broad daylight. His statement was a refusal to be secretly run out of town, thus, enabling them to cover their mistake. What the men didn’t realize is that Paul was a Roman citizen. Legally, this was a big deal. Paul knew these men needed to face up to their sinister plan.
Interestingly, we are living in times where Christians are continually being stereotyped, slandered, and mocked. It is hard to know where to draw the line with defiant loyalty and silent submission. On one hand, Paul’s goal was not to be a troublemaker, nor was it to drawn attention to himself. He had a mission, and that was top priority. But he refused to be treated like trash either. He expected that just as he had respected the power of the authorities, they would respect the fact that they made a mistake and needed to own up to it.
I don’t know why this small detail stuck out to me, but I think it has a lot of practicality. As we move into a new era, we will need to rely on the Holy Spirit to know when to accept what is handed down and when to stand up and voice our opinion. It is not an easy decision and it’s not one that can be answered with a blanket statement. In the words of Jesus, “At that time, the Holy Spirit will know and give you the proper words to say.” We only need to trust.