Prison House

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Acts 16.21-31

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, 'These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.' The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, 'Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.' The jailer* called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They answered, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'

Questions

  • What does this passage tell us about the dangers of preaching the gospel?
  • How do you think Paul and Silas felt in prison?
  • In your life can you think how adverse circumstances could become opportunities to share faith and preach the gospel?
Continue: Hebrews 13.1-6
© CTBI and MTAG 2012

Navigating the pathways

From here, you can travel as a visitor through a number of pathways through the various cell-spaces finding out what it is like to be an inmate here.

You can mix and match your journey through the different spaces depending on what you would most like to explore, study or do.

Yellow Blue Green Pink

Holding Cell

  • Welcome and warning
  • Guantanamo Bay

Solidarity through Scripture

  • Psalm 107, 142
  • Isaiah 42
  • Matthew 25
  • Acts 5,12,16
  • Hebrews 13

Art

  • Images of imprisonment
  • Game – free the prisoner

Detention

  • Gift giving/Baggage
  • Dumping
  • Confession

Trial

Voices from and about imprisonment

Hope in time of darkness

  • Prayers
  • For those in prison, justice authorities, hostages, condemned

Resources

  • Websites for research
  • Amnesty

House arrest

  • Diary/blog
  • Review journal entries

Conviction

  • Excerpt from Unreconciled?
  • News article about Liu Xiaobo

Finding a way to Freedom

Music - Songs, Hymns, Classical music

DVD

Films, books, CDs

Parole

  • Footsteps of Jesus
  • Passion of Jesus in John's gospel

Condemned cell

  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • Fr Maximilian Kolbe

Room 101

Reflections
  • Woza
  • Fr Kolbe
  • Brian Keenan
  • Andy McNab

Rations

Porridge

Release

Empty your rucksack, and fill it with what? Will you be able to leave?
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