The Conversion of the Jailor - George Mueller
The Conversion of the Jailor
On “Good Friday,” March 26th, 1875, according to annual custom, there was a large gathering of the Ashley Down Orphans at a public service at Bethesda Chapel, Great George Street. About 1,600 were present, with their teachers and other workers associated with Mr. Müller. After singing and prayer, Mr. Müller read, expounded, and commented upon the narrative of the jailor’s conversion, as recorded in the 16th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. As in all his addresses, so now in this address to the orphans, his aim was to secure a practical application of the subject. Speaking of Paul and Silas praying and singing praises unto God at midnight in the prison, he said, – They knew they were suffering for well-doing, not for evil-doing, they knew they were the children of God; they knew they were on the road to heaven; they knew that heaven was their home, and that if they never came out of prison again, heaven would be their home. Have you anything of the feeling they had? Some of you have. Have all of you something of it? Do you know your sins are forgiven? Do you know you are the children of God? Do you know you are on the road to heaven? Do you know that if you died this day you would go to heaven? Paul and Silas knew it, and so you may. Anyone having this precious knowledge can afford, at all times and circumstances, to give thanks to God. Now it is that you may be brought to this blessed position, and have this happiness that I built the orphan houses, and that I have had the joy of gathering you under my care; and it is for this very reason your beloved teachers and my beloved fellow-labourers instruct you in the things of God – that you may have this joy and be as happy as Paul and Silas were. There is no reason why you may not be as happy as they were, though you are not apostles, and never can be; for it is the happy portion and privilege of all who are the children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask, beloved children, that you will solemnly and earnestly ask yourselves, in the fear of God, Are my sins forgiven? Am I a child of God? Am I on the road to heaven? Shall I go to heaven? Should I sing praises to God if I were in such a position as Paul and Silas were? And if you cannot, then why not? God is not altered. He is the same almighty God. He is the same loving, good, and gracious God as He was in the days of the apostles. Why are you not happy? You cannot be in the state of mind they were in unless you are happy in your souls. Are you happy in your souls? Are you happy because you know you are the children of God? If not, you have not the right kind of happiness.
Speaking of the earthquake, and the extraordinary circumstances attending It, as an answer to prayer, Mr. Müller said: One or another, if there had merely been an earthquake, might have said it would have taken place if the apostles had not prayed. But what a remarkable circumstance that the earthquake should open the doors and loose the bands of the prisoners! The hand of God was in it. Here was the miracle. Do you know the power of prayer, my beloved children? I have been praying forty years. One proof of the power of it is that I see you here before me. But every one of you might know a little of the power of prayer. And we know not to what an extent we may know of the power of prayer. Try it, try it, beloved children; you must begin in the right way. If on the ground of your own merit or righteousness you ask God for blessing, you will not get it. You must ask on the ground of the merits and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!. It is called in Scripture – asking in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must first be yourself a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of your own soul. Then, further, the blessings for which you ask must be according to the mind of God. For instance, if anyone of you were to ask for many bags of gold so that you might be able to do all your days without work, you might ask a long time without getting these bags of gold to enable you to spend your time in idleness. Prayer must be according to the mind of God. Further: you must have confidence in the power, in the love, and the willingness of God to answer prayer; this is particularly important. We have to believe God does hear us, and is willing to give us the blessing. Then, having asked, we must go on waiting upon God and looking for blessing till it comes. I never in my life, in this way, asked God for blessing without at last getting it; and I expect I shall never ask in this way without the blessing coming. And what God is willing to do for one He is willing to do for another. Have you had any answers to your prayers, my dear children? The answer to prayer brings great blessings to the soul. It makes one so happy when one gets answers to prayer. Ask yourselves, – How many answers have I had to my prayers? If you watch the hand of God you will easily find out if your prayers are answered.
Speaking on the 30th and 31st verses, Mr. Müller said, – Just let every one of these dear boys and girls consider, – Have I ever asked myself “What must I do to be saved?” What is the answer? Some perhaps will say, “We must pray. Prayer never saves, and never will save. Another may say, I must read my Bible. Reading the Bible never will and never can save. Another will say, I must go to a place of worship. But that will not save us. Another will say, I must keep the commandments of God, I try to please God. That never will save. The trying to save yourself by keeping the commandments would only add sin to sin, and increase your guilt. What then is to be done in order to be saved? We have to do nothing ourselves. Salvation depends altogether upon another, upon the Lord Jesus Christ whom God sent into the world to save us. Salvation is wrought out already, accomplished already, and all we have to do is to receive salvation according to the riches of His grace, as provided for the guiltiest, the oldest, the vilest, the most hardened sinner. As the beggar opens his hand when a kind lady or gentleman offers him something, so we should open our hands to receive the blessing God has provided for the salvation or our souls. And the way of receiving the blessing is to put our trust in Jesus, to depend on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls, which is commonly called in the Scriptures – believing. I ask, – Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul? If you do, your sins are forgiven, you are the children of God, you are brought on the road to heaven, you are born again, – you will go to heaven at last, – through believing in Jesus, through putting your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But without trusting in the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ you can never have these blessings. I am afraid there are many who have not yet asked yourselves this question, “What must I do to be saved?” What must I do? The first point is I – I – I. That I am saved – that my sins are forgiven – that I am born again – that I am a child of God. Until this is so, everything else is nothing. It is all very well to learn to read and write, to learn a little arithmetic, a little geography, and a little history, and for the dear girls to understand needlework. All this is right and proper to enable you to fill respectable positions in life, – all very well for this life; but the most momentous matter is this, that your soul is safe. There is not a single child here, there is not a single person in this large city who may not have salvation if they seek it in God’s way, which is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaking of the jailor after his conversion, Mr. Müller said, the change of heart was shown in the manifestation of kindness. Religion does not consist in sweet words and religious sentences. It is a poor thing where it goes no further. Wherever there is real trust in the Lord Jesus Christ it shows itself in the life. Just as our faith is strong or weak, so in a greater or less degree will it be seen in our life that we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The jailor was made happy as soon as he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. As soon as I was brought to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ I was made happy – made very happy; and It is now in the fiftieth year that I am going on as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet I am happy – very happy. And that is why I come to speak to you, because I am happy in my soul, and wish you all to be as happy as I am. There is no reason why you should leave this place without being made happy. Now put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; now pass sentence on yourselves, and condemn yourselves before God, and own you deserve punishment; but at the same time trust in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this very moment you will be forgiven, this very moment you will be changed in heart, this very moment you will be brought on the road to heaven. Just as I left the meeting-place at which I was converted forty-nine years ago, so you, if you put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, may leave this place happy, very happy. Do not remain thoughtless, but be in earnest. I long for the salvation of your souls, and day and night pray for it. The blessing may be had by everyone. There is nothing to hinder. Only God looks for earnestness. Be in earnest, and the blessing will be yours. Only trust in Jesus , – only depend on Jesus, and the blessing will be yours.
George Mueller