“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

When we are young we don’t think about death much. But as we grow older, it is inevitable that we have a brush with death whether in our own lives or that of others. Naturally we think death is a negative thing. But in fact, it can be the most sobering experience that catalyzes positive change in our lives. A few years after college, I had my encounter with death. I had never been to a funeral before then, but that year I went to four funerals, and two of them happened back-to-back in two weeks time. One week I went to a funeral and a wedding Saturday and Sunday, and the second week the same thing happened— I went to a wedding and then a funeral.

The person who died was the sister of one of the leaders of my young adult group at church. She was 33 years old, attractive and had a promising career ahead of her. But one summer she fell, had a brain hemorrhage and never woke up. The funerals were somber, sobering experiences as if someone hit me on the head with a hammer, to wake me up to realize how short and transient our lives are. Death is the inevitable end of every human being.

The day after the funeral, I went to the wedding of a close friend. Everyone was having a great time, drinking wine, dancing. The mood was jovial. But I couldn’t help thinking about the funeral the day before. The wedding, the celebration, it didn’t seem real. I felt like I was watching a Hollywood movie. It felt as if all these partying people missed the point.

This experience forced me to ask, “What is the quintessential thing for us to figure out before we die?” It was to get in a right relationship with God. I came to the conclusion that during our short time on earth, we should be helping people come to grips with this reality. Nothing can motivate us with greater urgency to evangelize than an encounter with death.

Prayer
Give us the wisdom to understand how transient and fleeting our lives are. Let there be an urgency in our hearts to preach the gospel to those who do not know You.

Acts 16:16-34

This is the story of what happened to Paul and Silas after the slave girl was freed from the evil spirit at Paul’s command. They were falsely accused, beaten, severely flogged and thrown into prison. Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.

If anyone could have lost hope and been complaining to God and disheartened, it was Paul and Silas. But they were praying and singing hymns to God. I imagine it kind of went like this: Paul and Silas, because they were human like the rest of us, might have been seriously discouraged, aching, hurting all over their body, physically and emotionally exhausted. They could have easily despaired of the situation. But as they started to pray, the Holy Spirit began to arise in their hearts. The Holy Spirit gave them hope; they encouraged each other (That is why it is important to have a partner when evangelizing). As they continued to pray, the Holy Spirit continued to give them faith, hope, and love until they were finally able to see the goodness of God in the midst of this dark trial. As they were praising God, all of the other prisoners were listening to them. This must have had quite an impact on these prisoners. Paul and Silas were prisoners, but they weren’t prisoners like the rest of them. Although they were chained, their spirits were not chained. As they continued to praise God, their hearts soared on wings like eagles over their chains and jail cell walls. The prisoners listening in saw what Paul and Silas had believed in was real. And the earthquake was God’s way of answering their prayer, saying, “Here I am… I’m setting you free. Freedom lies with me.” It was a symbolic picture of the true freedom available in Christ. As Paul and Silas were singing, the rest of the prisoners heard and knew that this freedom was something only God could give them.

When the jailer realized that the cell doors were all open, he was going to take his own life, thinking all the prisoners had escaped. But Paul and Silas stopped him. This must have been a powerfully catalytic moment for the jailer. In that moment, he saw in Paul and Silas something that he himself did not have— such a power of peace and love more powerful than death— that he trembled before them. He tangibly felt the love of God through them. He probably thought to himself, “Just what kinds of people are they? They sing hymns of praise to their God, thanking Him, even though they are captives and do not know whether they would be set free or what kind of punishment they would receive. If they had only let me slide, I would have killed myself and they could have easily gone free. But they would rather sacrifice their freedom so that I could live? Who are these people?” In that moment the Gospel that Paul and Silas sung about became real, tangible, concrete, visible. In that moment, the jailer saw a glimpse of Jesus. After facing how cheap his own life could have been (he could have killed himself just for losing his prisoners), he was confronted with his own spiritual depravity. In that moment he realized he needed to be saved. He needed what Paul and Silas had, to not lose hope in the midst of a hopeless situation. That is the power of the Gospel. Paul and Silas had such a power of hope that they rejoiced and blessed God in the midst of a severe trial and suffering. The jailer on the other hand, when he found out all the prisoners had escaped, he realized his life was worth nothing and was about to take his life. He saw in Paul and Silas something he didn’t have and realized that he desperately needed this if he were to go on living his life.

How do we respond in the midst of trials and suffering? Do we remain paralyzed by despair and hopelessness? Or despite those initial feelings, do we cry out to God in faith so the Holy Spirit would awaken in us His hope and strength? The world is watching to see how we respond in the midst of crisis. Are we able to show people Jesus in action in this way?