As I thought about the exemplary response to suffering for the sake of the Gospel by Paul and Silas today, I was most impressed by not their bravery and faithfulness during persecution for preaching the word of the risen Christ, but how they responded when they were delivered from their imprisonment and vicious beatings. Rather than take personal advantage of the earthquake that broke their chains to escape the prison, they stayed put, taking advantage instead of an opportunity to bring the jailor and his family to faith.

That does not sound like most of us, certainly not me. When I find myself in difficult circumstances, I do call on the Lord to deliver me, but it took me a long time to acknowledge how effectively the Lord uses my travails to build up strength within me. The lessons today remind me that instead of just getting me out of a rough spot, the Lord has always expected my involvement in my deliverance to further the Gospel message. The key verses to remember, for me are “when I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me;” and “I will send to you the Spirit of truth, says the Lord; he will guide you to all truth.”  I feel very sure that is a big part of the Gospel message that we all must share. Jesus said as much to his disciples. Jesus is saying to me that it is better for all of us to go out into the world with the Advocate of truth guiding us than expecting Jesus to continue to walk this earth and do everything for us. Jesus is also assuring us, that all of us together, guided in our actions by the Spirit of truth, have an Advocate. We do not go alone. That makes us immensely powerful. And I trust that the more we call upon the Lord to share the good news of our salvation, even if we are persecuted for it, the stronger we will become.

I am confident that it works this way because I share the Gospel with others in the on-line ministry at Creighton University. The Daily Reflection writers recently gathered at Creighton University to celebrate the work we do with this ministry and to honor the leadership of Fr. Andy Alexander in developing and coordinating its efforts. As the first of its kind, this on-line ministry is an example of how lay and clergy, men and women, and diverse Christian faith perspectives go out into the world with the Advocate of truth guiding us. With over one million hits a month in 120 countries, together, we are an enormously powerful witness to the Word. I give thanks for Fr. Andy, his staff, my colleagues, and our faithful readers who support us and pray with us as they share our work with others. But most importantly, I give thanks to the Lord, with all my heart, for working through us.