By S. Lee Homoki
“And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25)
I suspect that most believers will agree with me that we are living in the eleventh hour of human history:
- Time rushes on! Every breath, every tick of the clock, every heartbeat brings us closer to the end of this dispensation of grace. We are fast approaching the midnight hour – a point of no return. How much time is left? Only God knows.
- We don’t know the exact time of the Lord’s return. As these words are being penned on the 25th of 2013, we are only hours away from the beginning of a new year. If you listen carefully you can hear the hours ticking away. No man “knows what the day will bring forth.” Eternity lies ahead. Will there be hope for a new and prosperous year or will hope be deferred? Only God knows, but this may be is our last opportunity to get our friends and loved saved. We are living in perilous days, and the Body of Christ needs a spiritual awakening.
Paul and Silas were fruitful soul winners (16:25). When they came to the city of Philippi they turned every home into a chapel and every street corner into a pulpit. They were preaching Christ saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved; thou and thy house” (Acts 16:31). They were described as the “servants of the Most High God, who proclaim unto you the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17).
As they preached, the crowds grew and grew. The dynamite of the gospel began to have its effect. It was wonderful! It was a powerful display of faith and the power of God to the saving grace of God. Many people listened and followed the preachers; many converted to Jesus Christ – Lydia was saved! – The “soothsaying” young woman was saved! However, some animosity and resistance arose against Paul and Silas which resulted in these bold preachers being arrested and drawn into the market place. There were lies and false accusations against them. They beat Paul and Silas with whips and threw them into the city jail.
No doubt, the wicked unbelievers thought that the fire and power of the gospel was defeated when Paul and Silas were put out of circulation. It was a very dark hour for Paul and Silas, indeed! We can only imagine how terribly unsanitary the dark, damp and filthy the prison was. Knowing something of the history of the prisons of those days, it was probably filled with the groaning of dying men. But, did Paul and Silas complain and become discouraged? NO not at all! At the midnight hour they continued their soul winning ministry!
They began to sing, pray and preach. The prisoners no doubt heard them. They were amazed and tuned in to what was happening. All they had heard before were moans, but never singing; they had heard cursing, but never praying. Even the jailor heard; but more important than that – God heard! God always responds to His servants when the message of His grace and salvation is in their hearts. “God is not willing that any should perish” (2 Pet. 3:9). God made the jail house rock! God had apparently sent His angels to bring an earthquake and rock the jail. This loosed the chains, opened the doors, and set prisoners free.
When the jailor rushed in and saw the doors opened, he thought that Paul and Silas, and the other prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword and would have killed himself – which was Roman law. But, Paul cried, “Do thyself no harm” for every man was still in his cell. The jailor could not believe it. He called for a light and came trembling to Paul and asked, “What must I do to be saved?” This is the most important question a man could ever ask. And, Paul gave him the most important and only answer he could have given. He told the jailor, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ…” The jailor was saved! We don’t know, but perhaps, in the future, every prisoner got saved! We do know that the family of the jailor was saved too! The unbelieving mob that thought they could stop the spreading of the gospel in the streets and market place were wrong! The gospel meeting just changed locations!
Friends, God can give us souls for our hire – even in the Midnight Hour! If men are available, no condition can stop the power of the gospel. We are living in one of history’s darkest hours; yet, God is equal to the situation. This is illustrated by looking at the life and ministry of such men as Martin Luther, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Evans Roberts, Jonathan Edwards, and Dwight L. Moody. God is still in the soul saving business and the “gospel is still the power of God unto salvation.” Oh, how much it is needed!
We need more Soul Winning in this Midnight Hour! Millions of people are living in the valley of the shadow of death. There is spiritual darkness all over the world; nation is against nation; there are wars and rumors of wars; pruning hooks are turned into spears; plowshares to swords; marrying and giving in marriage – 2 out of 3 marriages end in divorce. There’s drunkenness and dope; violence and crime. educational philosophies prove bankrupt; Church memberships are growing by the use of gimmicks, “clap trap” and feel good-false gospels but, Christians are not. Here are some sobering statistics about the health of American Churches:
- During the past ten years
- There are 90 million USA church members, but only 8 out of 100 attend church in the morning, and only 2 out of a 100 attend at night.
- All Protestant denominations declined 9.5%
a loss of 4,498,242 people.
- While the population increased 11.4%
a gain of 24,153,000 people.
- 80% of American churches are plateaued.
- 80% of Americans are unchurched.
- America leads the developed nations of the world in every category of violent crime
Highest divorce rates.
Highest suicide rates.
Highest abortion rates.
Largest incarcerated population.
Behavior indicators identical inside and outside of the evangelical church.
- In the past 50 years Bible Believers have failed to gain an additional 2% of the American population.
- Not one county in America has a greater churched population today than it did ten years ago.”
- Last year 1/2 of all American churches:
- Failed to grow by adding one new convert.
- Meanwhile Americans convert to Islam…at a rate of 25,000 per month.
- 3,500 – 4,000 churches close each year.
- 1,100 – 1,500 new churches planted each year.
- That’s a loss ratio of 3:1
We can have more Soul Winning in this Midnight Hour but, we need to get serious about our ambassadorship! As members of the body of Christ we are accountable for our faithfulness to both the Word and ministry of reconciliation! God is still on the throne. I know of no reason not to believe that, in this dispensation of grace, we cannot see or expect a harvest of souls. In fact, because this is the dispensation of grace, we have every hope of praying and working in anticipation of fruitful harvest. What God has done in the past, He can do again. Paul and Silas won souls at Midnight and so can we! Based on the account given in the Bible about the conversion of the Philippian Jailor we observe some of the ingredients that have historically promoted evangelism.
- The Soul Winner must have a SONG: In the case of Paul and Silas, even in a time of intense tribulation, a song was indicative of a contented and spirit filled heart. What was in their heart and soul was manifested by “praying and singing praises” to God. This is a challenge to all of us who would-be soul winners! I must ask myself, “What is in my heart?” And, I humbly ask, “What is in your heart?”
This we know; music and singing are inherent to and a natural manifestation of the soul that has been set free from sin. Again, this can be illustrated historically and scripturally by calling attention to such stories as: Moses and Miriam; David the sweet singer of Israel, Jesus at the last supper; and a new song of the saints – all are in the context of revival. Psalm 40 says, “He brought me up out of the miry clay … He hath put a new song in my mouth.” The great religions of the world have no hymn book: Buddhism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Islam, or Confuciousism. The forgiveness of sins is the cause of singing. The prospect of Heaven is cause for singing.
Music and singing in the church allows everyone to become preachers. Preaching is a one-way street but singing joins our voices in testimony of the truth of the Word of God! A singing church will be a revived, soul winning church. Every saved person ought to sing because of love and appreciation for what Christ has done for them. We are going to sing in Heaven – so get tuned up here. There is no promise of preachers in Heaven – but there will be singing – sing by note – sing by letter – sing beautifully – make a joyful noise. (I have no trouble carrying a tune, but I have trouble unloading it!) Paul and Silas sang at the midnight hour and got a sinner saved!
- The Soul Winner must make SUPPLICATION: Paul and Silas prayed for the antagonists – for the persecutors – for those who whipped and beat them – for the unsaved in jail – and for the unsaved jailor and his family. Soul winning, they say is “rocked in the cradle of prayer.” A passion for the lost is not something you work up, but rather prayed down. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). The Apostle Paul said, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph. 6:18). We must talk to God about men before we can talk to men about God. Like Peter, we are often unwilling to pray, but willing to fight.
- Prayer is essential because of what it does to us: it turns a searchlight upon our own sins and inconsistencies. In the Kingdom Church, they prayed for ten days before Pentecost. Peter confessed his denial and blasphemy; Thomas confessed his doubts; and the rest confessed their cowardice. The Church got right with God – then souls were saved!
- Prayer is essential because of what it does for God – it gives God an opportunity to exercise His will on our behalf. When a believer prays, he unlocks the door of his heart. Paul and Silas prayed at the midnight hour and got a sinner saved!
- The Soul Winner must be SURRENDERED: Paul and Silas were living a Spirit-filled life; they had surrendered to the will of God. They could have complained to each other and to God. They could have written letters, but they didn’t! With open wounds and bleeding backs, they concerned themselves with the need for God’s presence and blessing on their lives and witness.
If we are going to see souls saved, we are going to have to get right with God. Repentance (a change of mind) is necessary if we are going to have the power of God to rescue a sinful world that’s on the mad rush to Hell. Christians must go back to the mourner’s bench if we are going to win the world back to God. Paul and Silas were surrendered at the midnight hour and got a sinner saved!
Many believers of today are more apathetic than evangelistic! Paul and Silas, in all probability, gave the gospel message to every inmate that night in the Philippian Jail. We know how he dealt with the jailor. We, too, must be busy in this matter of soul winning. It appears to me that most Christians complain about the non-church-going people. But, it is high time we condemn the non-going church. We have lost a consciousness that a lost world will spend eternity in Hell, unless we win them to the Lord.
Paul warned people of “The terror of the Lord,” “…in tears day and night,” and “…ceased not to go from house to house.” We need to remember how someone came after us and brought us to Christ, and then challenged us to “go and do likewise” – mom, dad, preacher, friend, S.S. teacher, neighbor, and evangelist – if we did, we’d have no trouble getting someone to go. We must not be indifferent about the indifference of the unsaved. Paul and Silas were soul winners in the midnight hour!
- The Soul Winner must be prepared to give the SERMON: The jailor asked the question – Paul gave the answer. This is the gospel – this is the sermon. Preaching the gospel is essential to salvation (Rom. 10:17). The Word will not return void. “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe” (I Cor. 1:21). See also Acts 4:12 and John 14:6. Paul and Silas preached a sermon at the midnight hour and got a sinner saved.
Conclusion:
For this midnight hour we need passionate men and women like Paul and Silas who have a song, who will make supplication, who will surrender to the will and plan of God for our lives, who will exercise their soul winning duties, and whose sermon will be true to the gospel of grace.