# Singing Jailbirds - The Book of Acts

An episode of [Kids Bible in a Year with Julia Jeffress Sadler](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1696638708), 23 Apr 2024, 12 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/f8ddd7fd-69c6-48d0-804f-b4d6010c327c/e03feb13-53b8-4c25-82b3-b4d6016983a9/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=14e8ed60-20b2-4d5c-a832-b4d6010c3283

Join Julia Jeffress Sadler as she takes us on an incredible adventure in Episode 202. Sign up to receive Kids Bible in a Year devotionals in your inbox every weekday: https://www.kidsbibleinayear.com/ Get ready to experience the Bible designed specifically for children with the official KidsBibleinaYear.com podcast, led by Julia Jeffress Sadler. This captivating audio series presents the age-old wisdom of the Bible in an engaging format that will captivate your kids. Each episode Julia translates biblical teachings into real-life applications, making Bible comprehension a breeze for young minds. And if you want more Christian resources and content, you can download the Pray.com app. Pray.com is the digital destination for faith, offering over 5,000 daily prayers, meditations, bedtime Bible stories, and cinematic stories inspired by the Bible. For more resources on how to live a successful Christian life, visit Julia Jeffress Sadler's website at https://ptv.org/julia/. This episode is sponsored by Little Passports. Visit LittlePassports.com/blessed and use promo code BLESSED to receive 20% off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:00] Speaker 1: But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing
[0:04] Speaker 1: hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly,
[0:08] Speaker 1: there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of
[0:11] Speaker 1: the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were
[0:15] Speaker 1: opened and everyone's bonds were loosened. Acts 16, 25-26 Dear God,
[0:23] Speaker 1: only you can fill our hearts with joy. When we
[0:26] Speaker 1: are in pain, sad, or having a bad day, Please
[0:30] Speaker 1: remind us of your love and give us the strength
[0:33] Speaker 1: to worship you. As we praise you, we know you
[0:36] Speaker 1: will fill our hearts with the joy that only you
[0:39] Speaker 1: can give. Thank you for the example of Paul and
[0:43] Speaker 1: Silas and for the songs they sang in that dark prison.
[0:47] Speaker 1: Hear our hearts and voices as we lift them to
[0:50] Speaker 1: you today. In Jesus' name, amen.
[0:55] Speaker 2: Thank you for praying with us today. The Kids Bible
[0:58] Speaker 2: in a Year podcast is sponsored by Little Passports, delivering
[1:02] Speaker 2: monthly activity kit subscriptions that help kids explore the world,
[1:06] Speaker 2: cultivate curiosity, and discover new interests with hands-on crafts and
[1:10] Speaker 2: activities in cooking, science, crafts, and more, all with a
[1:14] Speaker 2: unique cultural twist. Visit littlepassports.com slash blessed to learn more
[1:19] Speaker 2: and save 20% with code blessed.
[1:29] Speaker 3: Singing jailbirds. In our last story, we learned about Paul's
[1:34] Speaker 3: letter to the Galatians, urging them in their faith and
[1:37] Speaker 3: to live by the Spirit. In this story, we return
[1:41] Speaker 3: to Paul's journey, where he meets Timothy, baptizes Lydia, and
[1:46] Speaker 3: is thrown in prison in Philippi, as inspired by Acts.
[1:54] Speaker 1: Hey, it's Julianne Thompson, guest hosting for Julia Jeffress Sadler.
[1:58] Speaker 1: Welcome back. I am so excited you're here for another
[2:02] Speaker 1: episode of the Kids Bible in Ear podcast. Today's story
[2:06] Speaker 1: is so fun, it makes me want to sing. Listen
[2:09] Speaker 1: close and warm up your vocal cords.
[2:15] Speaker 3: Paul went one day to meet Timothy in Lystra. Timothy
[2:19] Speaker 3: lived with his Jewish mother and Greek father, and the
[2:22] Speaker 3: believers in the community spoke highly of him. Paul wanted
[2:26] Speaker 3: to take him under his wing and teach him. Paul
[2:30] Speaker 3: then circumcised Timothy, and they began to travel and preach
[2:34] Speaker 3: to the surrounding towns. Because of Paul and Timothy, the
[2:37] Speaker 3: churches in the towns that they preached began to grow
[2:41] Speaker 3: in numbers and faith. Paul then traveled to Phrygia and
[2:45] Speaker 3: Galatia with a group of his friends, being full of
[2:49] Speaker 3: the Holy Spirit the whole journey. They were denied access
[2:53] Speaker 3: to Bithynia by the Spirit of the Lord, so they
[2:56] Speaker 3: continued on to Troas. Paul received a vision in his
[3:00] Speaker 3: sleep of a man begging from Macedonia for help. Once
[3:05] Speaker 3: Paul had seen this, he gathered his group together, and
[3:08] Speaker 3: they got ready and left to head for Macedonia, as
[3:11] Speaker 3: God had called them there to preach the gospel. From Troas,
[3:15] Speaker 3: they went to Samothrace, then Neapolis. and from there, Philippi,
[3:21] Speaker 3: the main city in Macedonia. The Sabbath came, and they
[3:25] Speaker 3: went outside the gates and saw a river where they
[3:28] Speaker 3: believed they could find a quiet place to talk to God.
[3:31] Speaker 3: When they approached the river, they saw women sitting there,
[3:34] Speaker 3: so they approached them. There was a woman there by
[3:37] Speaker 3: the name of Lydia, who was from Thyatira. As the
[3:41] Speaker 3: men spoke, God began to work in Lydia, and she
[3:44] Speaker 3: responded to the words Paul was speaking. As a result, Lydia,
[3:48] Speaker 3: along with the other people in.
[3:50] Speaker 2: Her house, were baptized.
[3:52] Speaker 3: She then invited them to stay at her house. So
[3:55] Speaker 3: they did. They left Lydia and headed towards a place
[3:58] Speaker 3: where they could go and pray. When they were on
[4:01] Speaker 3: their way, they came across a woman slave who had
[4:04] Speaker 3: the gift of fortune-telling, which earned her masters a lot
[4:08] Speaker 3: of money. For days, this woman would follow Paul and
[4:11] Speaker 3: Silas and shout,' These are men of God. They're here
[4:14] Speaker 3: to tell you how to be saved.' After hearing it
[4:18] Speaker 3: over and over for days, Paul was annoyed by her,
[4:21] Speaker 3: so he called out the spirit in her, saying, In
[4:25] Speaker 3: the name of Jesus, come out. When he said that,
[4:28] Speaker 3: the spirit immediately left the woman. Her owners heard of
[4:32] Speaker 3: this and then came to the realization that one of
[4:35] Speaker 3: their moneymakers was gone. They had Paul and Silas arrested
[4:40] Speaker 3: and taken to authorities, saying, These Jews are here causing
[4:43] Speaker 3: a ruckus in the town and promoting things and ideas...
[4:48] Speaker 3: All the people around began to come into agreement with
[4:53] Speaker 3: the slave owners, and the authorities ordered for them to
[4:56] Speaker 3: be stripped and whipped with rods. After this, they were
[5:00] Speaker 3: imprisoned and put under careful watch in the innermost cell
[5:04] Speaker 3: of the prison with shackles on their feet. When midnight
[5:07] Speaker 3: came around, Paul and Silas began to sing songs and
[5:11] Speaker 3: hymns to God. All the other inmates in the prison
[5:14] Speaker 3: could hear them singing these songs. Then, out of nowhere,
[5:17] Speaker 3: there was a gigantic earthquake that shook the very core
[5:20] Speaker 3: of the foundation. Immediately, all the cell doors swung open
[5:25] Speaker 3: and all the chains were broken off. The guard awoke
[5:28] Speaker 3: and saw what had happened, so he pulled his sword out,
[5:32] Speaker 3: ready to kill himself for letting this happen under his watch.' No!
[5:36] Speaker 2: Don't hurt yourself!
[5:37] Speaker 3: No one has left!
[5:39] Speaker 2: shouted Paul.
[5:40] Speaker 3: Then he fell to his knees in front of them
[5:43] Speaker 3: and asked how he could be saved. Paul and Silas
[5:46] Speaker 3: looked at him and said, Believe in Jesus, and you
[5:50] Speaker 3: will be saved, along with everyone in your house. They
[5:53] Speaker 3: spoke with him about God, and the guard cleaned their
[5:57] Speaker 3: cuts and wounds. After this, he and his house were
[6:01] Speaker 3: all baptized in water, and the guard invited Paul and
[6:05] Speaker 3: Silas to eat with him and his family in their house.
[6:08] Speaker 3: The next morning, Paul and Silas were released. escorted by
[6:13] Speaker 3: the same officers who beat them and imprisoned them. After
[6:17] Speaker 3: they were released, they went to Lydia's home and met
[6:20] Speaker 3: with her and her family and then left.
[6:29] Speaker 1: Today we meet a new missionary who became fast friends
[6:33] Speaker 1: with Paul. His name is Timothy. Although he was young,
[6:38] Speaker 1: Timothy was becoming well-known in the town of Lystra. because
[6:42] Speaker 1: he was a strong follower of Jesus. Paul began to
[6:46] Speaker 1: teach him and help him, and they traveled around together
[6:50] Speaker 1: sharing the good news of the gospel. After Paul had
[6:54] Speaker 1: a dream or vision of a man in Macedonia crying
[6:57] Speaker 1: out for help, the group began their journey to Macedonia
[7:01] Speaker 1: to find out what God was up to. As we heard,
[7:04] Speaker 1: they met Lydia, who came to know Jesus, and Paul
[7:08] Speaker 1: cast an evil spirit out of a slave girl... who
[7:12] Speaker 1: was getting on his last nerve. But the people who
[7:15] Speaker 1: owned this slave did not like this one bit because
[7:19] Speaker 1: they relied on her fortune telling to make money. So
[7:22] Speaker 1: what did they do? They told the Romans that Paul
[7:26] Speaker 1: and Silas were causing trouble. And as a result, Paul
[7:30] Speaker 1: and Silas were arrested, stripped, whipped, and beaten. They were
[7:36] Speaker 1: thrown into prison in the very middle of the jail
[7:39] Speaker 1: with chains and shackles. Paul had been here before. What
[7:44] Speaker 1: the Bible says next is truly amazing. Since Paul and
[7:48] Speaker 1: Silas had been whipped, certainly they had lots of cuts
[7:52] Speaker 1: and blood and sores all over their bodies. They were
[7:55] Speaker 1: badly beaten and in terrible pain. They were placed in
[8:00] Speaker 1: a prison with their legs put into stocks, thick shackles
[8:04] Speaker 1: that are placed far apart in order to cause your
[8:06] Speaker 1: legs to cramp. Could things get any worse? It was midnight,
[8:12] Speaker 1: the darkest part of the night. But do you know what?
[8:16] Speaker 1: Paul and Silas were filled with joy, actual joy. How?
[8:23] Speaker 1: They were not happy about all that happened to them,
[8:26] Speaker 1: but the joy of the Lord was filling their hearts,
[8:29] Speaker 1: so much so that they couldn't help but worship him. Now,
[8:34] Speaker 1: picture this. Paul and Silas were not just quietly mouthing
[8:38] Speaker 1: the words to their favorite song, or playing it silently
[8:42] Speaker 1: in their hearts. They were singing out. Do you know
[8:45] Speaker 1: how we know this? Because the Bible tells us that
[8:49] Speaker 1: all of the other prisoners could hear them. It was
[8:52] Speaker 1: then that a gigantic earthquake shook the prison. All the
[8:56] Speaker 1: cell doors swung open and the chains fell to the ground.
[9:01] Speaker 1: The guard believed in Jesus, was saved and baptized with
[9:04] Speaker 1: his whole family. Once again, God showed up for his people.
[9:10] Speaker 1: They may have been beaten and chained, but they were
[9:13] Speaker 1: still on the side of God of the universe. He
[9:16] Speaker 1: would watch over them, comfort them, and show up for them.
[9:20] Speaker 1: He could keep his promise to never forsake them, no
[9:24] Speaker 1: matter what. This is such a great lesson for us today.
[9:28] Speaker 1: The next time we find ourselves in a sad situation,
[9:33] Speaker 1: hurt by others, beaten down, or just having an awful day,
[9:38] Speaker 1: We can remember Paul and Silas. We can hear the
[9:42] Speaker 1: sound of their voices singing out loud with praises to
[9:44] Speaker 1: God in the midst of their terrible suffering. And we
[9:49] Speaker 1: can do the same. There is just something about worshiping
[9:53] Speaker 1: God that uplifts your spirit and fills you with joy.
[9:57] Speaker 1: Try it today and see. In fact... play your favorite
[10:00] Speaker 1: worship song right now as a prayer and offering to God.
[10:05] Speaker 1: Thank him for all he's done for you and for
[10:08] Speaker 1: who he is. Tell him you love and trust him
[10:12] Speaker 1: and see if joy doesn't fill your heart just like
[10:15] Speaker 1: it did for Paul and Silas. I am so glad
[10:18] Speaker 1: you joined me today. I hope you'll be back to
[10:21] Speaker 1: hear about more singing jailbirds. Remember, the Bible is the
[10:25] Speaker 1: best story ever told. It's God's story to you, and
[10:28] Speaker 1: it's all true. Did our podcast resonate with you? Invite
[10:33] Speaker 1: someone you care about to tune in as well. Together
[10:36] Speaker 1: we can uplift kids and parents alike. Thanks for listening
[10:39] Speaker 1: to Pray.com Kids Bible in a Year. For more inspiring
[10:43] Speaker 1: stories and wisdom to last a lifetime, download the Pray.com
[10:46] Speaker 1: app for free today. Thanks for listening to Kids Bible
[10:58] Speaker 1: in a Year. I want to invite our adult listeners
[11:01] Speaker 1: to check out my other show, Unapologetic, God's Truth on
[11:05] Speaker 1: Today's Topics. It's unfiltered, important, inspiring, and we have awesome
[11:11] Speaker 1: conversations and amazing guests such as Candice Cameron Bray, Vice
[11:16] Speaker 1: President Mike Pence, Dr. Robert Jeffress, Shannon Bream, Maddie Pruitt,
[11:21] Speaker 1: and so many others. We are helping you have conversations
[11:26] Speaker 1: that empower you to have bold faith in a broken world.
[11:30] Speaker 1: You'll be excited, inspired, and encouraged in your faith as
[11:34] Speaker 1: you check out Unapologetic. Remember that you can tune in
[11:38] Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts and on pray.com.

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