Thoughts From Acts 16 - Part 5

  When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” 36 The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”37 But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.  Acts 16:35-40

       Should Christians stand up for their rights, or should they just thank the Lord for their opportunity to suffer for His name knowing that we'll be rewarded in Heaven and God will judge those involved and they are in trouble?

      In this passage Paul stands up for his rights. He didn't deserve the beating and he wanted an apology. This probably protected the believers in Ephesus from unfair beatings and enabled Paul to check on Lydia. Had he not done this and was caught at Lydia's when he had been kicked out of town, he probably would have been re-arrested. Romans 13:5 says that the authorities have authority to protect the innocent and punish wrong doers and Paul was calling on that.

       Remember though that the book of Acts isn't necessarily a prescription for living but a record of how the early church was formed and the actions of the founders, warts and all. Therefore, to claim that we should always follow Paul's example and fight for our rights would be overstepping. Jesus didn't do that - if He had He wouldn't have been crucified. He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. The disciples were beaten in Acts 3-5 for healing and preaching and they left rejoicing for being considered worthy to suffer for the name.

     So each person and situation is unique and we must trust the Holy Spirit to lead our behavior. I appreciate the Christians who are out there fighting for our rights. It's making our lives a lot easier. That being said, we aren't called to live an easy life, nor are we citizens of earth but rather citizens of Heaven. We shouldn't expect fair treatment because our Savior certainly didn't receive it nor are we guaranteed it.