PRAISES BREAK IRON CHAINS

SERIES: THE POWER OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP

TEXT: ACTS 16:16-34

 

God dwells in the praises of His people. Most great men of God have been people who know and practice praises to God. Paul and Silas knew this. Our Lord Jesus Christ also sung and we are given a case where Jesus sang a song with His disciples-Matthew 26:30. Our Lord was a singer too.

Paul and Silas went to Philippi, a city in Greece today, to do evangelism. They were also with Luke. This was Paul’s second missionary journey, between AD 49 and AD 51. This city Philippi is the place where Paul started the church of Philippians, the first church in Europe. Today the town is on the country of Greece. More about the mission to Philippi.

PAUL WAS A MAN OF PRAYER-Vs. 16.

• Paul prayed a lot, that’s why the power of God was manifest in him.
• He prayed in tongues too. He told the Corinthians that he spoke in tongues more than all of them-1^st 14:18, praying in the Spirit (tongues) and praying in ordinary language of understanding-1^st Cor. 14:15.

THEY WERE IMPRISONED BECAUSE OF PREACHING.

• The charges against Paul and Silas were not the reason why they were being beaten and prosecuted-Vs. 23.
• The actual reason was causing deliverance to a girl oppressed by satan.

AT MIDNIGHT THEY SANG PRAISES LOUDLY-Vs. 25

• They sang praises to God loudly.
• There are times loudness will open prison doors.
• Loudness shows seriousness in praises. When they praised God loudly the power of God came down and broke the chains that were binding them.
• The jailers got saved and his house due to the imprisonment of Paul and Silas.
• He could not have received salvation in the middle of the night, they seized the moment.
• The word of God tells us to preach the gospel in season and out of season-2 Timothy 4:2.

CONCLUSION

• Praising God loudly brought the power of God into the prison and the prison chains broke.
• Some chains will not break until we sing praises to the Most High.