Making decisions

[An all-age talk based on Acts 16:16-39]

How do we know what God wants us to do?

Sometimes it's obvious – someone's needing help and we can give it to them.

Other times, decisions can be more difficult. There are situations where telling the truth can get someone else into trouble. Or what happens when two different people need help at the same time? At what point does lying around playing computer games all day stop being a relaxing break and just become a bit lazy?

Which is better? Daddy or pizza?

Yep, decisions can be difficult. It's important we try our best to make the right choices, though. That we think about what we're doing, pray, ask other people, think about all Jesus has taught us.

I'm going to give you an example by telling you about a couple of people called Paul and Silas. A long time ago, they went to lots of different places and countries, telling people about Jesus. One town they went to, they met a slave girl who could see the future. You'd think seeing the future would be handy but it had driven her a bit crazy. She kept following Paul and Silas and shouting, "These men are servants of God and are telling you how to be saved!"

Again, you'd think that would be quite handy. You're new in town, got something to say, local girl who can see the future points out you're really who you say you are. Good eh?

Well, have you ever followed anyone around saying the same thing over and over again? Has it ever gone well?

Paul got annoyed and asked God to make her better. This was good for her but not so great for her owners who made money out of her fortune-telling. They accused Paul of Silas of all kinds of things. They were arrested, beaten up and thrown in jail.

The jailer was given instructions to keep a special eye on them and make sure they didn't get away. So, there they were, locked up in the most secure room in the jail, chained, sore. It wasn't a good situation. Despite that, they prayed and sang hymns. Then in the middle of the night, there was an earthquake – the doors opened, their chains fell off and they were free.

What do you think they did then?

You'd think they would have escaped but they weren't in town simply to get out again. They were there to tell people about God.

The jailer rushed out of his house, very upset. He'd been told to take special care of them but the doors of the jail were lying open. He knew he was in enormous trouble. He was just about ready to kill himself, he was so upset.

Then a voice came out of the jail. "Don't worry. We're all still here."

The jailer was amazed Paul and Silas hadn't run off. He invited them into his house, bandaged them up, fed them and listened to everything they had to say. That night, all his family became Jesus' friends and got baptised.

Not because of the fortune-teller or the earthquake but because Paul and Silas made the decision to stay. They helped the jailer out because they knew God cared for the jailer just as much as for them. They knew this because they stuck together, they prayed and they remembered what they'd read and been told.

Making decisions can be difficult sometimes but it's important we make the right choices. God can help us do that in all kinds of different ways.

Oh, and if you're wondering what happened next to Paul and Silas, they got set free in the morning anyway and the bosses who'd had them thrown into jail without a trial were the ones who got into bother....