Practicing Principals In All Our Affairs

Practicing Principals In All Our Affairs

Coming into the Light is not easy. Sometimes we are living in a prison, that we built with our hands, and don’t even realize it until, or if, we are able to escape. If you have never had the opportunity to cry out “Sir, what must I do to be saved?” there are no words to describe what happens and how Jesus appears before you.

When you go through the 12 Steps of AA there is no feeling that can even come close to what happens to a person. If you can imagine the feeling, the awe and Spirit filled moment of baptism lasting, for me, about 4-5 weeks – that’s what happened. The deeper into the Steps I traveled the closer to God I came the more the Holy Spirit filled my days, filled my heart and filled my life. This is what is happening right now, except it is a more meaningful, deeper and beautiful than with the Steps. The Holy Spirit is here now filling this space, filling my heart and telling me to share with you.

This is what we are suppose to do, everyday of our lives. Help another lost soul find the doorknob that they may open the door to escape the prison they created and be filled with the Holy Spirit, meet Jesus Christ and be born again through baptism.

This is exactly what happened to Paul while in prison in Philippi. Paul and Silas did not get upset, even though they had been beaten with a rod, no, they shared the Gospel with someone that needed to hear about Jesus so that in turn the prison guard would find the doorknob and scream out for Jesus Christ. This is the full circle of mercy into salvation into grace into mercy… – Paul, who was Saul, persecuted, killed Christians, Jesus came to him, saved him and told him to go out and save others and we see below what that looks like.

Acts 16 NKJV

23 And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself.
28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.”
29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized.
34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.