1. Pray. Ask the Lord to open your eyes, that you might behold wondrous things out of his Law (Ps. 119:18). 

2. Read Sunday's passage. Feel free to read it more than once, or in another translation.

3. Review the sermon outline. Try to see how the points came out of the text.

4. Answer the questions below. Focus on personal application.

5. Pray. Praise and thank the Lord, then ask him to work in mighty ways. 

Remember, we live not by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of God (Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:4).

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and 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 bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Intro: It's a common question we've all heard: Why do bad things bappen to good people? Underneath this question is a deeper one: Is God fair? And what do you do when it seems like the answer might be "no?" Acts 16 shows us how Paul and Silas responded to an unjust imprisonment. On the surface, it seems pretty bad. But through this trial, they responded in four ways, and we can learn from their example:

I. Turn to God. Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns while in the prison! When bad things come our way, do we instinctively turn to the Lord, or do complain, feel sorry, or look for a way out?

II. Testify about God. When the jailer asked "What must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas shared the good news about Jesus with him and his household. Perhaps the hardship we are going through is an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone else.

III. Trust God. Paul and Silas's faith in Jesus is what enabled them to respond in these ways. By the end of the night, the jailer and his household were trusting in the Lord, too! When hardship comes, don't immediately try to escape it! Instead, trust the Lord. Maybe he's doing something in it. 

IV. Thank God. Having turned to Jesus in faith, the jailer and his household were rejoicing that they had believed in God. God used the hardship of an unjust imprisonment to call this man and his household to Christ!

Conclusion:  We can only turn to God, testify about him, trust him, and thank him if we truly know him. Give God your time, effort, and comunication (prayer) this week, and you will be better prepared to face hardship with faith.  

1. Turn to God.

- What hardships have you experienced? 

- What were your initial reactions to these experiences?

- What is your reaction to hearing that Paul and Silas were praying and singing while in chains? 

- Why do you think they were able to respond like that? 

- What could help us respond more like that when trials come our way? 

- What will hold us back? (Why don't we turn to God?) 

2. Testify about God.

- If you were Paul and Silas, what would you have done the moment the chains fell off? 

- Why didn't they try to escape?

- What does the jailer's question, and Paul & Silas's response, teach us about how to be saved? 

- Has God given you opportunities to share the Gospel through suffering? 

- With whom is he inviting you to share the Gospel in this season? 

3. Trust God.

- Why can Paul & Silas trust God? 

- Was their release ever guaranteed? 

- Did they do something to earn the miracle that freed them? 

- So, if their faith wasn't in their release, what was it in? 

- What does it really mean to trust God?

4. Thank God.

- Re-read the jailer's response to receiving Christ (v. 34). Why was he rejoicing?

- Have you ever had a similar response to Jesus? 

- If not, why not? 

- What are you thankful for? Make a list of what you can thank God for. Do this all the time, but especially when you are facing hardship. 

- It's not hard to thank God on a bright, beautiful day. How will you thank God during the next "storm?" 

1. Praise God for his sovereignty over all of creation, and his providence over the course of this life. 

2. Thank God for how he has used hardships in your life to help you grow and mature in your faith. 

3. Ask forgiveness for any times you have complained or sought the easy way out of trials, instead of trusting God.

4. Ask God to help you trust him in the midst of any hardships you face. 

5. Ask God for opportunities to share the Good News about Jesus with others. 

Thanks for reading the Bible Study Guide! I pray it helps us "continue to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15).

Sincerely, your brother in Christ,

Tom Hansen, Senior Pastor