Worship & Persevere

We were created to worship God. Tragically, billions of people on the planet choose to worship someone or something else.

When a person comes to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, their mind and affections are stirred to worship the one true and living God. They realize that even though opposition to their faith or persecution for their faith may come, they will not deny Christ nor stop worshiping him.

A true follower of Jesus is determined to worship him and persevere in their faith, no matter what may come against them.

The apostle Paul and Silas were placed in jail in the city of Philippi for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Acts 16:25-34 tells the story. At midnight, Paul and Silas (who could have been pouting, shouting or silent) were praying and singing songs of worship to God. The sound of their singing resonated throughout the prison. At that very moment, an earthquake shook the building, unlocking their shackles and the prison doors.

Thinking the prisoners had escaped, the jailer drew his sword to end his own life. Paul cried out for him to stop, and then the jailer (who had obviously been listening to the words, prayers and songs of Paul and Silas) asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul told him that he and his entire family could be saved. The jailer took them to his home, where they shared the gospel with him and his family. The jailer and his family trusted in Jesus as Lord and Savior and were baptized. Then they invited Paul and Silas to join them for a fellowship meal as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Wow! Paul and Silas worshiped and persevered, and God showed up in a powerful way. Here are some lessons we learn from this story.

• When we face opposition or even persecution, we must not deny Christ. We must respond by remaining faithful to Jesus.
• Prayer and worship through singing are powerful ways to worship God.
• Our worship and perseverance impacts others.
• In an instant, God can break down walls and bring deliverance. He is the God who works miracles.
• Jesus will save anyone who repents of their sin and believes in him as Lord and Savior, no matter how far they are from him.
• Baptism is our public profession of our faith in Jesus, declaring to the world that we are followers of Jesus. New believers of all ages should declare their faith through baptism.
• Worshipers of Jesus regularly enjoy fellowship meals together.
• Our worship matters. It matters to God, and it matters to others.

All over the world in difficult and spiritually dark places, men, women, teenagers and children put their faith on the line every day, refusing to turn their backs on Jesus, worshiping the one true and living God. Let us be inspired by them and also follow the example of Paul and Silas. Let us worship God and persevere in our faith at all times, even when times are tough.