In I
Corinthians 14:24-25, Paul writes:
If
an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is
prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged
by all and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God,
exclaiming, “God is really among you!”
What
a bizarre picture! Doesn’t this look
like a scene out of a horror movie?
However, as I reflected on this, I was reminded of another passage of
scripture which may be helpful in looking at this setting differently.
Remember
when Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison (Acts 16:16-36)?
Luke tells us that in the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were praising
God and all the other prisoners were listening to them. While it is true they had a captive audience,
I suspect that the other people were seriously contemplating this bizarre
behavior.
While
Paul and Silas worshipped God, there was an earthquake that was so strong that
it not only shook the prison, but the prison doors flew open and all the chains
of the prisoners fell off. Was this a
coincidence or was God making His Presence known?
I am
convinced that when we worship and praise God even in our most difficult
circumstances, God will not only reveal Himself to us, but other peoples’ world
will be rocked and they will be unshackled from their chains. Just ask the prisoners or the jailer that was
with Paul and Silas. I bet they would
say, “God really is among you!”
