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Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Acts 16:16-26 How to Turn Defeat into Victory 使徒行傳 16:16-26 如何反敗為勝

Tuesday, 27th February 2024

Rev Daniel Xi An Poon

V16-18 奉主名底擋

“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. “

How can we build an intimate relationship with God? We must pray and also pray in tongues, when we pray in tongues, then our soul and spirit will be awaken, and not be easily affected by our physical body and our emotions, and we can hear God more easily. When our spirit is alert, then we can hear God, and we can be revived from within. After the family of Lydia gave their lives to God, Paul knew he needed to be more alert, he did not become proud of himself, instead he continued to pray.

As they continued to pray, there were attacked by the spirit of divination, which possessed the girl and brought much fortunes for her masters. There are also people out there, who make others profitable and claim to make money for people, but what’s the intentions behind there action? We must be alert, do not see money more important than our lives. The world is drawing our souls and spirits away from God, and money often becomes the tools to take us away from what God has prepared for us.

Paul and his disciples knew the importance to pray and be alert. But so often we chose to help people instead of praying. We thought we are doing God’s Works and serving the church, but we forgot to pray and to be partnership with God. The girl thought she was serving God, but instead she was serving the devil. Do we know what really pleases God? Do we know God’s Will in our lives and in people’s lives? Why was Paul annoyed by the girl? He was actually annoyed by the evil spirit, because he wanted to pray but the evil spirit was disturbing him. Paul did not rebuke the girl but the spirit inside her. When we hear preaching and teaching, we might feel offended and upset, but often God is actually talking to whatever is binding us, He is not hurting us but to rebuke the spirit of the world in us.

V19-26 不可受不可行的枷鎖

“But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city; and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.” Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 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.”

The masters of the girl did not thank God for the evil spirit being casted out among them, instead, they were angry at Paul and at God. They wanted the things of the world instead of God Himself.