The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1962-11-23
Yes" 10 God
Lesson for November rs, 1862

Christian religion. we would be
all the time astonished by it
Here for example IS a church
full of people who have come to.
gether to worship God. The mar
who leads the worship reads to
them out of an ancient book
centuries old in fact, the holy
book of all these people. And
what is the minister reading
reading about this morning?
S o m e VI here in the $4,000
churches of America, it is a
safe guess that every single
week some congregation listens
to a story about something thai
happened in a Jail. That jailer
has been to church Tor his story
has been read in church, oftener
than many a respectable citizen.
Unlikely Case
We know for a fact that many
more respectable people than
this jailer became Christians
during the first years Of the
Christian religion. Then why is
space given to the tale Of this
miserable man? Besides, why
is this story of the jailer told
and re-told so often? One rea-
son is. this IS the story that
shows how simple a thing it is
to be a Christian. If it was posi-
BILE for that jailer, it is possible
for anybody.
Can you imagine that jailer
coming to your church and ask
ing to join it? What would peo-
pie say? They would say he
couldn't find congenial friends in
your church. How many jailers
are on your church roll. by
the way, how many pris o n
guards?) People would even say
he was too old a man to change
that he beats his prisoners, he
doesn't even provide them with
meals, he doesn't let them lie
down at night. A brutal. cruel,
ignorant. low-grade character,
this particular city jailer.
eyes" to Jesus
Like a good many others, this
man didn't set out to be q
Christian. The question he ask
ed, in excitement and terror,
What must I do to be saved?"
was not a religious question for
him. Under the law, he was re-
sponsible for his prisoners, and
he was sure they must have all
escaped. This meant losing his
job. it would certainly mean
that he would be beaten. and
probably mean that he would be
sentenced to death. He had seen
too many men tortured and kill
ed to want to be a victim HIM
self. So he cries out, What must
l do to be saved? Paul knew,
Paul had been saved. He had
heard Gods call out under the
sky. Now this jailer was going
to hear Gods call in a dark
Jail smelling Of rats and human
blood. Paul knew the man need
ed to be saved from something
worse than being executed. He
needed to be saved from his
sins. saved from himself. So he
tells him a real piece of news.
It was something that had to be
explained; and Paul went on to
explain it. Tut the thing was
simple: Believe in the Lord
Jesus" AS we can put it in
other words. that meant saying
Yes" to what Jesus was and
did. 1t would mean more and
more as life would 60 on. But
the jailer could begin where all
Christians begin: by saying YES
to Jesus.
eyes" q God
Paul's own Christian life had
begun with two questions. and
we may suspect that he led that
jailer to ask them too. who art
Thou?" and What wilt Thou
have me to do?" Saying Yes to
Jesus means accepting him as
the very grace of God in per-
son-the love of God walking on
two feet. Saying Yes to Jesus is
accepting him as the One who
gave Himself for us all. and that
includes jailers and jailed, it in
cludeS the worst of men and the
best of men. Saying Yes does
not mean doing this or that to
attract Gods notice and to get
Him over on our side. It means
just taking hold of the hand of
God, it means accepting, not
forcing. not buying. just accept
ing as a free and marvellous
Gift. the mercy of the eternal
God.
But how much of this could be
explained to the taller il less
than an hour? How can we be
so sure he became a Christian?
The writer of Acts never does
actually say that the jailer was
saved. But he certainly was. Let
the reader study the story in
Acts is once again: why can we
be sure?
Biased on outlines copyrighted
BY the Division Of Christian Edu-
cation. National Couucil of tho