Unstoppable! 'Beaten and Jailed' — Acts 16:22-25

Some who preach have misled believers into thinking that if they do the right things, then God will never allow difficulty and pain to touch them. Jesus is the most obvious example that this dangerous teaching is untrue. He lived God's will fully, yet many rejected, reviled, and then abused and crucified him. The God who works all things together for our good also said that we would be conformed to this suffering Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). Paul and Silas are clear examples that prosperity and protection do not necessarily come to us because we are good and do the right things. Paul and Silas were severely beaten and placed in jail under agonizing torture. (Stocks were designed to cause pain.) Paul and Silas had obediently answered the call to go to Macedonia, but a string of difficult times began in Philippi and included rejection in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens (Acts 17). However, the Lord did use their hard times to plant churches that were extremely precious to Paul and supportive of his ministry.* Suffering and persecution may very well be in store for us as followers of Jesus. They were for many of the Lord's earliest disciples. However, our struggles won't be wasted because the Lord will use our suffering to plant seeds for a harvest of future believers!

* In addition to 1 Peter - written to encourage believers to do what is right even if they are persecuted for it - our Related Scripture Readings emphasize both the suffering involved with faithful discipleship and Paul's support from and warm relationship with the Philippian and Thessalonian churches in Macedonia.