There had been quite a lot of news about "migrants" arriving in northern Europe especially around seaports and I felt led to witness at some of the truck stop locations which around here are called lorry parks. The ones we see on televised newscasts don't look too impoverished or feeble and some of them are armed with machetes? Well if I could avoid the machetes, here was an opportunity for me while I'm away from home so I claimed II TIMOTHY 1:7 and set off.
Originally posted by Bob4God
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ACTS 16
BACKGROUND 12a, 13, 16 [In] the chief city of that part of Macedonia, on the sabbath, we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
18b But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
22-23 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And…cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
THE MAIN EVENT 26-30 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
THE CONVERSION EXPERIENCE 31-34 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized he and all his straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. KJV
BACKGROUND 12a, 13, 16 [In] the chief city of that part of Macedonia, on the sabbath, we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
18b But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.
22-23 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And…cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
THE MAIN EVENT 26-30 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
THE CONVERSION EXPERIENCE 31-34 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized he and all his straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. KJV
It would seem that the jailor's household had some opportunity to hear The Good News prior to baptism but there was an earlier example of a businesswoman whose family might not have heard or her household which would probably include slaves as indeed would the jailor's I suppose who would have to do whatever he told them. From the same chapter:
LYDIA 14-15 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us. KJV
God doesn't explain the exact sequence of events. Was Lydia selling her purple by the riverside accompanied by her entire household? This was just before the demon possessed damsel came along and it must have been quite a busy spot really but my question relates to these households. Did they just have a baptism because they were told to? If the family obsessed migrant I was speaking to last night accepted Jesus what would be the status of his family?
When Lydia and the jailor accepted The Word all their households were included. If one of these migrants did likewise, should they dump their families &/or servants and look for something more local? Or would their families be covered on an interim basis subject to accepting Jesus once they heard The Gospel for themselves?
I CORINTHIANS 7 context
14-15b For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: KJV
14-15b For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: KJV
I accept God and Jesus and I follow their commandments! But what am I supposed to do while I am under investigation?
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BIBLE everything: BIBLE is full of simple, easy understandable rules. Only HIS GRACE can save. I am no good and I do not deserve Heaven. I am a wretched one and it is only GOD's decision if he wants to save me.
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