Acts chapter 16

vs 31

This is always a touchy issue with missionaries. See, we live in an individualistic society, so we think in terms of the individual, and in terms of individual salvation. But when you go to a communal society (like most tribes, say) then you find that people don't just live communally, they also believe communally! You will have situations where people cannot accept a change in their spiritual reality without it first coming down from the heads of the tribe.

Some people, though, say "Nope, can't do that - it's got to be individual or it's meaningless." But the Bible just isn't quite so clear. We read the church letters, but we read them as individuals, where as they are written to churches! Here, when Paul and Silas talk to an individual, they still talk in terms of immediate family.

vs 32

I think we also read their simple statement "Believe in the Lord Jesus" and think 'Wow, evangelism is so easy!' without seeing here that Luke is just expressing a synopsis of what was said. Remember the jailer could have easily heard sermons, had heard hyms and prayers, and who knows what else. It has to be read in context. They said more than 1 sentence to the guy. From the sounds of it, either the jailer lived on site, or invited them around to his house, or brought his family to the jail, and then Paul and Silas let them have it!

vs 33

You know someone's serious when they go through all this in the middle of the night. That still doesn't make it right to stay up late talking about Christian stuff with kids at camp though. They haven't just had a near-death experience. Not usually, anyway.

vs 34

So he did take them to his house! This is such an incredible story, when you think about it. Imagine a prison warden inviting two criminals into his house to eat because they had shared with him the truth about Jesus?

vs 35

So they were holding them overnight to keep them out of mischief perhaps? Just as a punishment for being rabblerousers.

vs 36

The jailer is happy to see them out of jail, of course. And he wants them to go happily. He probably realises that they didn't deserve their beating and jail-stay, and wants them to be free to go.

vs 37

Uh oh. Being a Roman citizen is cool. It's like being a US citizen. You've got the whole might of the empire behind you when people do stuff like this to you. And Paul wasn't going to let them get away with it. He wants them to fully realise that they screwed up, and that you can't just beat people and chuck them in jail when someone bitches about them. Not if they're Roman citizens :P

vs 38

Because, well, you don't do that to citizens. That's bad. Citizens get fair trials and legal representation and freedom from relentless bashings and imprisonment.

vs 39

Oh yeah, suck up now that you're in trouble.

vs 40

So they didn't even leave immediately. They went and did some Christian work first, then left. Ballsy.