Forming Faith Blog

Paul and Silas in Prison (Acts 16)

Posted on April 14 2026 by Gregory Rawn
  • Date: April 26, 2026
  • Bible Reading: Acts 16:16-34
  • The Point: God can even use the imprisonment of the faithful to bring about change in people.
  • Unit Theme (April 5—April 26): Good News Spreads

This series of events in Philippi began with Paul’s irritation and ended with the spread of the gospel. When else has a flawed action led to a blessed outcome?

An open prison door. Paul and Silas did not leave when an earthquake opened their prison door.
Photo by Mark Stebnicki from Pexels
About the Story

When Paul was on his second missionary journey, he traveled with Silas to share the good news of Jesus and establish new churches. Paul, Silas, and Timothy visited Philippi, a city in Macedonia north of Greece, which had a very small Jewish population. Their ministry was intended to be mostly among Gentiles. After several days of annoyance from an enslaved girl with a spirit, Paul cast the spirit out. The girl’s owners were furious that their money-making scheme was gone, and had Paul and Silas thrown in prison. This would not be the only time Paul was imprisoned for his faith. 

While in prison, Paul and Silas did not despair, but instead sang hymns and prayed such that the other prisoners could hear. At midnight, there was an earthquake that opened the prison doors and unfastened the chains. The guard, assuming he had failed his duty to keep the prisoners contained, was about to kill himself, anticipating the punishment that would await him. However, Paul and Silas called out, telling him that they had not run away. Instead, all the prisoners were still there. Amazed, the jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved. They replied that he must believe in Jesus, and soon his entire household believed and was baptized. 

While Paul and Silas could have seen their imprisonment as only a negative and a disruption to their ministry, God turned it into a moment that helped a whole household to come to know Jesus. Paul and Silas kept the faith that God was stronger than any spirit they had cast out and stronger than any prison walls or chains. Even times of difficulty can be moments when the good news of Jesus spreads to others. (Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Linguistics: In Acts 16:16, the “spirit of divination” (Gk. pneuma pythōna) is literally a “python” spirit. The “python” refers to the mythical dragon that guarded the Oracle at Delphi, a famous ancient site of prophecy.
  • Geography/Setting: Philippi was a city in Macedonia, north of Greece. It was unique among the cities to which Paul wrote for two reasons: 1) Philippi had a special status in the Greek provinces of the Roman Empire. Founded by Caesar Augustus, it was treated legally as though it were in Italy. This gave the city the strongest Roman character of the cities that Paul visited before his final journey to Rome. 2) Philippi did not have a strong Jewish community. Therefore, instead of first visiting the synagogue before engaging the wider populace, Paul’s ministry there took place almost entirely among Gentiles. 
  • Literature/Genre: This passage serves as a foil to the earlier story of Lydia (Acts 16:11-40). Lydia was a prosperous woman who openly accepted the gospel. However, in this story, Paul and Silas encounter opposition and imprisonment. In the end, their imprisonment ultimately leads to new converts.
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary curriculum resources for all age groups (see also our 2026-2027 NL resources!). Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted.

  • Kids: Introduce the activity by referencing Paul and Silas’ chains that were released by the earthquake in today’s story. In small groups (or the large group) of five to 12 players, challenge them to figure out how to “release the chains” (untangle) a human knot. Search online for more information. (From Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th))
  • Youth: Create a simple “escape room” game. Gather a series of riddles (many are available online) and create a final riddle, the answer to which points to a hidden key. Print riddles on strips of paper, one set of riddles per team. Teams will work together to solve the first riddle, run to the leader to quietly say the solution, get the next riddle, etc., until the final riddle is given. The first team to find the key wins. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational worship: Choose special effects, such as those experienced in a 4D movie theater, to be used while the passage is being read. Examples might include sound effects of a whip or clanking chains, worshippers stomping their feet for the earthquake, a short praise song to sing while the apostles are in prison, water sprinkled on worshippers for the jailer’s baptism, etc. (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship)
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary Year 4. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

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