Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:30,31
I am always grateful for the way Scripture leads to interpretation, clarification, and validation of well...Scripture itself. Proper exegesis (critical explanation of a Biblical text) leads to further interpretation of other texts within the Bible. The process goes on and on and as I read a passage here or there and see things repeated, I begin to understand this: the Word of God is powerful.
Today’s blog is an extension or in some ways a continuation of a thought I had recently on my podcast. If you follow the AS BOLD AS LIONS podcast, you may have heard some episodes from a series entitled “Profiles In Courage.” These episodes focus on various major Bible characters; their stories that can serve as models for us as we follow Christ. The last 2 episodes featured Peter and Paul, respectively. In these episodes, I ran across a phrase on various occasions that stood out. The phrase is to the effect of “What must I do to be saved?” This phrase stuck out in recent readings more than in previous times. What hit me was how direct and how pointed these individuals were: “How do I get to heaven?” was the basic premise in each ask.
What I want to do today is dissect a bit more of these conversations in which this question (or a similar expression) is raised. Really there are several accounts throughout Scripture in which we see folks coming to this point. Paul had various encounters (one of which we’ll look at). Peter certainly did at Pentecost. And Jesus had Nicodemus, the Rich Young Ruler, and the woman at the well (among others). There is a longing and a seeking in each of these conversations. Today that longing, despite being 2000 years removed, has not changed. I highlighted the “ripeness” of many for the Gospel in a blog last year entitled “Desperate Enough For Jesus.” I believe that desperation is still prevalent and in many ways, we’ll continue to hear it expressed in “What must I do to be saved?” How do we respond? Stay tuned until the end.
Here are some takeaways we can find through three passages I’ve highlighted:
1.Often a desire for the Gospel comes out of recent calamity or tragedy
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” Acts 16:25-28
I went into this on the podcast dealing with Paul but this story directly applies: the moment the jailer recognizes his need for Christ is a moment that comes out of serious calamity. For the jailer, witnessing an earthquake, prison doors opening, and shackles falling all meant one thing: the prisoners were going to escape. If prisoners ran free, the jailer would be held liable. It would be his life for theirs. This was a moment of great terror as he contemplated suicide. Reading further, one hears the rest of the story: Paul and Silas and the other prisoners don’t leave and the jailer has no way to respond except: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30)
We are witnessing a world that is teetering on calamity and ruin at every turn. Predictions of WWIII, economic/stock market collapse, another pandemic (?). A world without any footing in something real and something unshakeable can and will be shaken. In that shaking, many will come to Christ simply because He is their last and only hope. We must be ready for those situations and not avoid the hopelessness of the circumstances. Rather, like firefighters running into a burning building, we must be willing to go into the fire and save whomever we can.
2.One-on-one conversations can lead to conversions
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” John 3:9
One of my favorite encounters of Jesus is his conversation with Nicodemus in John 3. This is the same chapter in which we get the famous Sunday school verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” This conversation for Nicodemus, just like the jailer, is also one of “I must know…” In other words, he comes truly seeking and realizes that Jesus has the answers to the questions he has. In this passage, we get the term “born again” as this is the phrase Jesus uses for the spiritual birth one must have in order to “see the Kingdom of God.” This knowledge is new for Nicodemus, yet we can’t help but speculate that this conversation made it possible for him to go from seeker to saved.
We underestimate the power of one-on-one conversations and the opportunities we have to plant seeds. We may not be the one who leads someone to salvation. Or we may be in the line of others, perhaps several, who have planted seeds, watered, and finally witness the increase. When we are willing to have tough conversations, God gets the glory and brings the conversion. In this, we never stop praying and we give the matter over to the Lord. Ultimately it’s His child and His creation. The “what must I do to be saved?” question is readily apparent in Nicodemus’ words. Who do we encounter each day that is looking for the same answer?
3.An undeniable move of God will lead many to say “I need Jesus”
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
In my recent Peter episode on the podcast, I go into more detail about Peter’s boldness at Pentecost following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This scene in the early chapters of Acts had to have been amazing. We know what happened at Pentecost: a mighty wind, tongues of fire resting on each individual, different languages (i.e. “tongues”) being spoken. What we sometimes forget is the aftermath of these things. Following Peter’s speech, many cried out in desperation: how can we be saved? In that single day, about 3000 souls were added to the fold (Acts 2:41).
Whether individually or one-on-one, God can use events to speak to people and draw them into a desire for salvation. We see at Pentecost both the event itself and the sermon Peter preached. Peter’s sermon comes with anointing and power. No one can deny this was of the Lord and even if they were once deniers of Christ’s deity, they are now near-converts with softened hearts. When we experience revival, I believe God will use those moments in two ways: both as a refining and recommitment within the church AND as a means to evangelize and reach the lost. Repentance must lead first and the church must be willing to bow and seek its First Love. After that, the Holy Spirit goes out and draws hearts that are ready to respond.
I mentioned that you needed to “stay tuned” in order to get the full picture of today’s message. That’s because I haven’t really answered the initial question and title of this entry, Responding To: “What Must I Do To Be Saved?” What I’ve (hopefully) done is shown how hearts are made ready and the instances in which salvations can occur. But how do we respond in the moment? I’ve addressed it before and here is a helpful resource that I take the following from:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). God has already done all of the work. All you must do is receive, in faith, the salvation God offers (Ephesians 2:8-9). Fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sins. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). God is offering you salvation as a gift. All you have to do is accept it. Jesus is the way of salvation (John 14:6).
I believe we must be ready to answer the question that is on the minds of many unbelievers. On an almost weekly basis, I read or hear news of someone coming to Christ; whether a public figure (celebrity, athlete, etc) or someone locally through the church or community I live in. It’s fascinating to me because it tells me that so many are ready. So many are primed to receive; they just need someone to tell them…to show them.
If that someone reading this today is you and you’d like to connect more directly about your questions, please feel to email me at the address listed below. If you’re a Christian and you just need more encouragement, support, prayer, etc in sharing your faith, I’d love to follow up with you as well. Either way, we must be ready for “What must I do to be saved?” It’s popping up all the over the place and we are in living in a window of time in which we can openly share and lead folks to Christ without risk of life or limb. However, that window may not stay open forever. Use the days wisely. Share your faith!
As always, I love you guys and I love walking this journey with you.
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Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:15-17