Acts 16:25-40

Sermon Discussion Questions

1. Read Acts 16:25 - 16:40. What is the main point of this passage of Scripture?

2. In v. 25, we get a glimpse into the response of Paul and Silas to the difficult circumstances that befell them in Philippi. When have you faced opposition and difficulty in your own life? How do the promises of God that we see articulated in passages such as Romans 8:28 help ground your faith in such circumstances? How might our response in these situations hinder or help our gospel witness?

3. Consider the jailer's question to Paul and Silas in v. 30. What did the jailer most need to be saved from? How are we in the same boat as the jailer in this regard? How did Paul and Silas answer his question in v. 31? How would you summarize the message of the gospel to someone who asked?

4. In v. 37, Paul refuses to leave prison quietly and insists that his and Silas' rights as Roman citizens be publicly vindicated. Why didn't Paul raise the issue of their Roman citizenship when they were falsely accused, unjustly beaten, and imprisoned in vv. 20-24? Was Paul wrong to change course and demand justice now? What might explain his change of tactics?

5. Living in a country with laws that guarantee fairly robust rights and personal liberties, how should Paul's example in these two instances inform how and when we, as Christians, should make use of our rights and when we should accept the curtailment of certain rights and liberties?

6. How is God calling you to respond to this message from Acts 16:25 - 16:40?