that very moment. When her owners discovered that their source of income was gone, they seized me and my partner Silas and dragged us to the market square to face the authorities. Timothy took shelter and hid at Lydia's house.
They brought us before the judges, saying, "These men are causing a lot of trouble in our city, since they are Jews. They are encouraging customs which are unlawful for us to accept or practice, since we are Romans." The mob joined in the attack against us. The judges tore the clothes off our backs and ordered that we be flogged. We were given a severe beating and were thrown into prison. They charged the jailer to guard us and keep us secure. Upon receiving such an order, the jailer threw us into the inner cell and clamped our feet securely between heavy blocks of wood.
The stripes upon my back could not be compared to the stripes that the Messiah received upon His back. I was whipped with a mere rod, a dried out reed while He was whipped with a flagellum, a cat of nine tails. It had sharp pieces of metal and bone attached to it. His flesh was torn from off His back with every lash. He was whipped thirty nine times. Every blow ripping flesh from off His body. Silas and I were grateful that we had received a whipping far lesser than what our Messiah had received. Our backs were bleeding but our flesh was not torn and ripped off from it. Our present sufferings could not be compared to the glory that was being revealed in us.
I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead. I hungered to gain Christ and become one with Him. I rejoiced and was glad that I could share in His sufferings.
So at midnight, Silas and I prayed and began to sing praises unto God with all our hearts. We sang passionately and loudly with all our might. Our praise was harmonious and did not go unnoticed as the prisoners listened attentively to us sing. King David had a custom that he would rise at midnight to give thanks unto the Lord. It is easy to give God thanks when times are good and it is day time. However, it is a difficult thing to give God thanks during your darkest hour, and at midnight. Silas and I sang songs of praise in our darkest hour, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. Together we Sang, making melody in our hearts, with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs in our midnight hour.
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake which shook the prison to its foundations. All the doors flew open and everyone's chains came loose. God does not allow midnight hour praise and thanksgiving to go unnoticed. God takes notice when you sing in your darkest hour. The jailer awoke, and when he saw the doors standing open he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, for he assumed that the prisoners had escaped. Roman Law was harsh and cruel. If a prisoned escaped from a guard, the guard was put to death. If a guard fell asleep at his post, he was put to death. The jailer, by killing himself would have made his ending less painful than if he had been slain by a fellow Roman soldier. They took their time in killing a man, making it slow and as painful as possible.
I shouted to the jailer, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here! No one has escaped" Calling for lanterns, the jailer ran in trembling and fell down in front of me and Silas. Then, leading us outside, he asked, "Men, what must I do to be saved?" I replied, "Trust and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, give yourself up to Him. Take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping and you will be saved. You and your household." We told him and everyone in his household the message about Jesus, the Messiah. Even at that late hour of the night, the jailer took us and washed our wounds. Without delay, he and all the members of his household were baptised in water. He took us up to his house and set food in front of us. He and his entire household celebrated that they had come to trust in God.
The next morning, the judges sent serjeants with the orders, "Release those men and let them go." The jailer repeated those words to me, saying "The judges have sent word to have the both of you released. So come out, and go on your way in peace." But I said to the officers, "We were flogged in public when we hadn't been convicted of a crime. We are Roman citizens and know our rights. They had us thrown in prison and now they want to get rid of us secretly. No way! Let them come and fetch us and escort us out themselves!"
The officers reported these words to the judges, who became frightened when they heard that we were Roman citizens. As Tarsus was a "free-city" in good favour with the rulers of Rome. It had the privilege of self-government. This resulted in Roman citizenship for it's citizens. As I was "freeborn," born to parents who were already citizens of Rome. I gained Roman citizenship by virtue of birth. The judges came and apologised to us, then, after escorting us out, requested that we leave the city. We went from the prison to Lydia's house, and after seeing Timothy and encouraging the other brothers, we all departed together.
I spoke to Cassius about being a citizen of heaven when we become believers. We not only have an earthly birth making us citizens on this earth, but we also have a birth from above, a heavenly birth. Giving us heavenly citizenship. We are citizens of two worlds, heaven and earth, but our heavenly citizenship is the one of greater value.
Alone in Athens. #14
After passing through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia, we came to Thessalonica, the capital city of the Province of Macedonia. It was a naval port city on the gulf of Thessalonica that was overlooked by Mount Olympus. There was a synagogue of the Jews there. So according to my custom and ritual practice of preaching the Good News to the Jew first and then the Gentiles, I went in. For three consecutive Sabbath days I preached sermons and gave teachings out of the Jewish Scriptures. Explaining and proving that it was necessary for Christ, the Messiah to suffer many things first and then rise again from the dead. I preached Christ, and Him crucified. I heralded, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming unto you is the long awaited Messiah!" Some of the Jews believed and associated themselves with Silas and I, as did a great many of the "God - fearing" Greek men and woman.
Again the unbelieving Jews grew jealous. So they gathered together a band of vicious men, ruffians and rascals that hung around in the market square. After they had collected a crowd together, they started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason's house, where we were staying, hoping to bring me and Silas out to the mob. But when they didn't find us there, they dragged Jason and some other brothers out before the city authorities and shouted, "These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come here too! This man Jason has let them stay in his home and has privately protected them. All of them are defying the decrees of the Emperor, because they assert that there is another king, One Jesus!"
There words threw the crowd and the authorities into turmoil. Jason and the other brothers were only released by the authorities once bail had been paid over to them as security. As soon as night fell, the brothers sent Silas and I off to the city of Berea, in a fertile farm country. However our visit to Thessalonica was not fruitless. On the contrary, although we had already suffered a good beating in Philippi, we had the courage, united with our God, to tell them the Good News even under great pressure.
The appeal that we made did not flow from error or impure motives, neither did we try to trick the people there. Instead, since God had tested us and found us fit to be entrusted with the message of the Gospel. This is how we speak, not to win favour with people but with God, who tests our hearts. We did not resort to words of flattery or to conceal greedy motives for selfish gain. Nor did we seek human praise. We were gentle when we were with them, like a mother feeding and caring for her children. We did not put a burden on them. Our behaviour was righteous and blameless in the sight of all the believers there. We treated every one of them like a father treats his children. Not only did we impart the gift of God to them but we imparted our very souls as they were so dear to us. We encouraged and comforted them, appealing to them to live lives worthy of God.
As soon as we arrived in the city of Berea, again we went into the synagogue of the Jews. Always to the Jews first and th
en the Gentiles. The people in Berea were of more noble character than those in the city of Thessalonica. They eagerly welcomed the message, even checking the Scriptures everyday to see if the things that I taught were true. Many of the Jews there came to trust and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, as did a number of prominent Greek men and woman.
When the unbelieving Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by me in the city of Berea also. They travelled down to Berea to make trouble for me and agitate the crowds. The brothers at once sent me away again. I went down to the sea-coast, while Timothy and Silas remained at Berea. My escort went with me as far as Athens, then I left him with instructions for Silas and Timothy to come as quickly as they could. Athens was the capital city of Greece. It derived its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, fertility and war. She was believed to be the founder and the guardian of Athens.
While I was waiting for them in the magnificent city of Athens, my spirit