When Good Decisions Take Us to the Dungeon

by Kathy Brasby | Mar 5, 2019 | Leadership, Paul

Leaders make decisions that are for the good of their tribe, based on clear goals. But what if those decisions land the leaders in trouble?

We’ve been following the story of Paul and Silas as they were visiting the ancient Greek city of Philippi.* Paul’s goal was to explain the story of Jesus to the people he met. His first encounter was at a prayer meeting. That went well.

Paul later met a servant girl who could tell the future. She was shouting words that were misleading people from what Paul was trying to teach, and so he commanded the spirit to leave her. That didn’t go as well.

The demon came out of the girl, but the servant girl’s masters lost their source of wealth. They were charging people for her fortunes.

Paul and Silas ended up in jail. They were severely beaten, and their feet clamped in stocks. Prisons in those days were miserable places, cold and damp.

Wouldn’t it be easy for Paul to re-examine his decision? The prayer group experience soared. Why had he tampered with the servant girl?

Locked away in a dark prison, Paul felt the bruises and the dried blood from his beating. Was that servant girl really worth this kind of torture?

Clarity of the goal always helps a leader and Paul didn’t forget why he had come to Philippi. It wasn’t for a cushy place to stay and a small group who hung on his every word. It was also for a poor servant girl who spoke words she didn’t understand. Paul had come to be sure people heard clearly the story of Jesus. This servant girl deserved to hear – not to distract others from the truth.

So Paul and Silas remained devoted to that goal. They were in prison, but that didn’t change their aim. Their audience now was other prisoners, and so they prayed and sang hymns to God – in part so the other prisoners would hear more about the nature of God.

God did amazing work that night. A massive earthquake shook the prison, and the doors flew open. Chains fell off. The jailer awoke to a shattered prison and assumed he had lost all the prisoners. That was the death penalty in the Roman empire, but Paul intervened.

“We’re all here!” he told the jailer. That’s impressive leadership in itself: the prisoners had not scooted away like cockroaches when the lights come on. They stayed with Paul.

Once again, Paul stayed focused on his goal. He wanted to tell people the story of Jesus. He wanted to explain the fantastic work of God. He was able to do that with the prayer group. And now he was able to tell a jailer about Jesus.

Talk about a transformation! The jailer listened and believed. He told his household. He cared for the prisoners and washed their wounds. He took them to his own house and gave them a meal.

Had Paul lost focus on his goal, he wouldn’t have taken the risk to free the servant girl. Had he forgotten why he came to Philippi, he could have escaped with the earthquake hit. In both cases, he took a risk.

But when the morning came, people had been changed. They found new life in Jesus.

Whether the immediate results are painful or joyful, leaders make decisions based on their goals. Even if it means time in a cold and painful dungeon.

*Acts 16

Are you prepared to offend?

by Kathy Brasby | Feb 19, 2019 | Leadership, Paul

How do you feel about offending someone? There are trolls in our society who revel in pushing other’s buttons, hoping to offend so they can enjoy the ensuing storm. But most of us avoid hurting others. 

But is it ever necessary for a leader to offend?

Let’s take a look at Paul and Silas. As they traveled through cities in ancient Greece, they came to Philippi where they met a girl who had some sort of prophetic spirit. 

The Ancient Greeks

The ancient Greeks regularly sought out priests for advice. Whether it involved a business decision, a marriage, or even a battle, they wanted to hear from the gods. So this girl would have found many willing to pay to hear about the future.

She began following Paul and his companions, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

Most who heard that daily prophecy would assume that Paul was following Zeus or some great god. They would not have thought that Paul served God. And her words about being saved were not the Christian idea of salvation. Those hearing the girl would have assumed she was talking about rescue from a disaster or perhaps given good health or prosperity. 

In other words, her daily prophecy sounds true to a Christian’s ear, but it would have misled the Greeks around her. They would have expected Paul to serve as the mediator for a great god, bringing them prosperity or other benefits.

Not Paul’s Idea

This was not what Paul was preaching, and he finally had enough. In the name of Jesus, he commanded the spirit to leave her. And it did. 

Paul offended her masters. They had hopes of wealth through her prophecies – and people’s eagerness to pay for what they thought was divine guidance.

What happened next might have given Paul pause. The masters grabbed him and his friends and dragged them to the authorities in the marketplace. A riot ensued. 

False charges were leveled. Emotions were whipped into a hot mess. Angry officials had Paul and Silas severely beaten and then thrown into prison.

First century jails were cold, damp, uncomfortable. Paul and Silas were taken to the inner dungeon, and their feet clamped in stocks.

So, was it worth it for Paul to offend these men? 

Paul’s concerns were:

• A servant girl under the control of a spirit.
• Masters were oppressing the girl, using her oppression for their own financial gain.
• Her message caused people to misinterpret Paul’s message.

Those are good concerns. Would he have proceeded if he’d known the consequences? Of course, if you know the end of the story, God would do more in Philippi.

But for now, let’s stay with questions: is it OK for leaders to offend? Do the goals make the possible repercussions worthwhile?

These are questions leaders have to consider before diving in. What are your thoughts?