Acts 16:16-24 records the arrest of the apostles Paul and Silas after Paul had cast out a “spirit of divination” from a fortune-telling slave girl. “But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.”
Falsely accused of being troublemakers, the two apostles were stripped and beaten. Their backs bleeding, they were taken to a maximum-security cell in the local prison, where their feet were placed in stocks. But at midnight, while the two were praying and praising, the Lord caused an earthquake, which shook off their chains.
While ministering on the southern island of Mindanao in the Philippines, we were asked to hold a meeting under a house in Cagayan d’ Oro. It was night-time when the meeting began, and the house was in a dark alley down by the docks — not the safest place in town.
While listening to team members share their testimony, I was thinking about what to preach. (My message was usually based on what would best suit the situation or circumstance.) Flicking through the Acts of the Apostles, I came to Chapter 16. On the margin of the page, I had written a few notes and a sermon title: “The Church the World Doesn’t Know.” A quick prayer and it was time to preach.
After preaching, the team and I prayed for those who had turned to Jesus, and began ministering to those who were sick. The Holy Spirit worked powerfully in the lives of the thirty or so people present, and those who came in from the dark alley. It was a time of great rejoicing because the name of the Jesus again proved more powerful than sin, sickness and bondage. The Lord Jesus was present in great power.
It was only after the meeting that the pastor approached me, his face beaming, and asked: “How did you know?” I replied: “How did I know what, pastor?” He said, “Well, you preached on “The Church the World Doesn’t Know” and only two days ago a priest from a traditional church nearby told me that he did not accept us as a true church, because we are not known to him!”
Praise the Lord! There we were in a small house church down by the docks, ministering to drug addicts, prostitutes, and people in poverty, in a church that was unknown and unrecognized by the large recognized church nearby; but not unknown to their Lord Jesus Christ!
Your church may also not be as well-known as you would wish. You preach the present and future kingdom of Jesus Christ, and God supplies your need for money to pay the overheads. You fellowship with other churches and support community outreaches. But whether your local church is located in Manila or Melbourne, San Agustin or San Francisco, Bath or Borneo, it’s probably not as big or as well-known as you would wish.
I would guess that although the Spirit of God is very familiar to those in your fellowship, most people in your community think of you — if they think of you at all — as a bit strange. If you are known to clap hands while singing, or to prophesy, or to speak in languages you haven’t learned, most people probably avoid you.
But don’t worry, The Church the World Doesn’t Know works hard at waking up sinners with its prayers and praises, even while it seeks a shaking that will break bondages and open doors of opportunity. It may or may not be hidden in plain sight but it has a powerful message for those who are prepared to listen; and when they ask: “What must I do to be saved?” your answer will be the same as the Apostle Paul’s was to the jailor: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved – you and all your family.”
Works today, the same as it did then!