Slaves Save Slaves

Harriet Tubman was a fugitive from the law. A runaway slave. She could have enjoyed her newfound freedom, yet she choose to help other slaves escape through the Underground Railroad. She managed to help free 300 slaves by making many return trips into slave states, risking her own freedom time and time again.

A slave helping to free slaves was not a new or uncommon thing. Once someone has experienced the humiliation, the despair of being owned by another person, they often had compassion for others in the same situation. Many freed slaves did whatever they could to help family and friends achieve the same freedom that they had acquired.

As we continue our series, Going Viral, we look today at the story of some slaves.

Once, as we were on our way to prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit of prediction. She made a large profit for her owners by fortune-telling. As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation, are the slaves of the Most High God.” And she did this for many days. 

But Paul was greatly aggravated and turning to the spirit, said, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out right away. (Acts 16:16-18, HCSB)

Enslaved for a Purpose

At this point, Paul and Barnabas had gone separate ways. Barnabas went off with Mark and Silas and Luke joined Paul on his journeys. So here we see Paul, Silas, and Luke headed to pray when a girl starts following them around. This girl was a slave. She had been bought by some men because she had the ability to tell the future. It made her very profitable to the men.

This girl was not only a slave to men, but she was also possessed by a demon. This demon gave her the ability to tell fortunes and it was this demon that gave her the ability to recognize just who Paul, Silas, and Luke were. The demon had the ability to see the Spirit of God dwelling within these men and the girl started to proclaim loudly that these men are slaves of the Most High God.

Slaves to God? The Bible is often filled with what appear to be oxymorons. For example, Jesus died so that we might live. In Romans 6-8 we learn that to live for Christ means that we must die to self. Matthew 20:16 says, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” Jesus also taught that the meek will inherit the earth.

Perhaps the biggest oxymoron that we see in scripture is the concept that the only way to be truly free is to let God be in complete control; to understand that we were bought with a price and that our lives are no longer our own. Nobody would voluntarily become a slave to anyone, right? So why would we want to be slaves to God?

Demon Possessed vs. Spirit Filled

Before I answer that, let me share just a quick aside about the difference between demon possession and being filled with the Spirit of God. When a demon possesses someone, the demon tries to control that person, bending them to the will of the demon. They become slaves to the demon. The demons may give the individual some limited ability that is unnatural. The most common that we read about in the Bible is fortune telling, the ability to see other spirits within a person, and unnatural strength.

Demons cannot possess those that are followers of Jesus. Why? Because the Spirit of God already dwells within us. But unlike demons, God does not control us and force us to do His will. However, a true follower of God understands that God is to be our boss and therefore we are to do all that He asks of us. Therefore, a true follower of God is willing to allow themselves to become slaves to God.

The demon that was inside this girl understood that Paul and his companions had fully surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus. They had accepted God as their boss and therefore lived their lives as slaves to God.

Paul, Silas, and Luke understood what 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” God had bought them with the blood of Jesus.

Being a slave to God does not limit our freedom. It increases our freedom. In John 8:32 we see Jesus teach that, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” And later in John 8:35-36, Jesus explains that we are not only bought by His blood, but that we have been adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters. “A slave does not remain in the household forever, but a son does remain forever. Therefore, if the Son sets you free, you really will be free.”

Demons possess to enslave and control. The Spirit of God dwells with us to guide and direct. If we have truly allowed God to be our boss, we will understand that He only wants the best for us so that everything that we do will bring honor and glory to Him. And when He received the honor and glory, others will be drawn to Him.

The Cost of Freedom

So the demon in this girl saw the spirit of God in Paul and his companions and continued to tell others that they were slaves of God in order to show that she had power in her as well. Paul got tired of her following them around and eventually called on the authority of Jesus Christ to remove the demon from the girl. Slaves saving a slave.

What happens when you free a slave? The owners get upset. I am sure that the devil was furious that God had freed this girl that was enslaved by a demon, but the devil has no power or authority over God. But this girl was not only enslaved by a demon, she was also the slave of some men. What happens when you injure someone else’s slave? They get angry and want payment.

That is exactly what happened here. When the demon left the girl, she was free, but she also no longer had the ability to tell fortunes. The owners of this girl were mad that they could no longer make money from her fortune telling. In their eyes, she had been injured. So, they got a mob to surround Paul and Silas, beat them, and put them in prison. Somehow Luke escaped the same fate, but was around to record it.

This girl was enslaved twice, but she was not the only slave in our story. Remember that Paul, Silas, and Luke were called slaves of God. And now Paul and Silas had been injured and imprisoned by men of this town. Do you think that God is upset when someone messes with those that belong to Him? Absolutely.

The Bible describes those that belong to God as sheep and calls God the Good Shepherd. A shepherd stands guard over his flock 24/7. The shepherd will do whatever it takes to protect his flock. If a bear or lion or wolf attacks, the shepherd will get between the attacker and the sheep to protect them.

God loves His sheep so much that Jesus stood in the way of the attacks of the devil. Satan attacks us where we are at our weakest and he enslaves us to sin. Sin digs its claws into us and holds fast to keep us from being free. Jesus died to protect us from the results of that sin and to free us from it. He purchased us with His blood so that we could be free from sin and spiritual death.

Here we see that two of those that belonged to God had been attacked, beaten, and arrested. While in prison, God sends an earthquake that shakes the prison, opens the doors, and releases the chains not only for Paul and Silas, but for every prisoner.

The next morning when the jailer awakes he saw the doors open and the chains loose and assumed that all of his prisoners had escaped. He drew his sword to kill himself, because he knew he would probably be tortured and killed anyway for allowing the prisoners to escape. You see, the jailor, although a free man, was also a slave in a fashion. He was a slave to his duties. And failure to do his duties would result in death.

Paul called out to let him know that every prisoner was still inside the prison. To me, that is a greater miracle than an earthquake opening the doors and releasing the chains. I cannot imagine how Paul convinced these prisoners to stay put. If I were a criminal in prison and saw my chance to escape I know what I would do: run as fast as I could. But God had other plans and He kept the prisoners in place.

The jailer was so impressed that Paul and Silas had not escaped that he fell on his knees before them and asked what he must do to be saved. He understood that the miracle he had witnessed was not from Paul and Silas, but from God. The jailer took Paul and Silas to his home to wash their wounds and they in turn baptized his entire household.

The slaves of God set free the girl that was a demon-possessed slave of men. The slaves of God were set free by a slave to his job. The slaves of God helped this slave to his job see that he could be set free from his enslavement to sin. Slaves saving slaves. When we are set free, we are grateful for the one that freed us.

Harriet Tubman was not just another freed slave to those 300 people she helped to free, she became known as Grandma Moses. Named Moses after the one from the bible that helped to save the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Named Grandma, because she became a part of their family.

We are all slaves to something. Slaves save slaves. Once freed from slavery, slaves save other slaves. Harriet Tubman understood that. Those of us that have been freed from our slavery to sin, understand that we need to go about helping to free others from their slavery to sin as well. Jesus died so that we could be set-free. He bought us for a price. The price was His blood. I choose to be a slave to Christ so that I can help others find freedom from their bondage to sin.