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b'The gospel is often perceived to tackle mostly spiritual or religious topics, but for today\\u2019s reading, it actually deals with real-life issues: slavery and economic justice. We love how this verse focuses a lot on the human side of the disciples of Jesus. That even those who were closest to Jesus, are still, human \\u2014 and therefore, can be annoyed.\\nRead the transcript (PDF)\\nThis episode\\u2019s highlights:\\n\\nWe focused on a different aspect of this passage when we covered it five years ago here\\nWhat freedom might look like for others\\nThe antisemitism in some parts of Christianity\\nThe real meaning of salvation (read more here)\\nHow the gospel deals with issues of the actual, physical world and not just the religious aspects of our lives\\nHow people easily provide spiritualized responses to direct questions\\n\\nActs 16:16-34\\nOne day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. She began following Paul and us, shouting, \\u201cThese people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!\\u201d She did this for many days.\\nThis annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, \\u201cIn the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!\\u201d It left her at that very moment.\\nHer owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, \\u201cThese people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews who promote customs that we Romans can\\u2019t accept or practice.\\u201d The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks.\\nAround midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison\\u2019s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone\\u2019s chains came loose. When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted loudly, \\u201cDon\\u2019t harm yourself! We\\u2019re all here!\\u201d\\nThe jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He led them outside and asked, \\u201cHonorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?\\u201d\\nThey replied, \\u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\\u2014you and your entire household.\\u201d They spoke the Lord\\u2019s word to him and everyone else in his house. Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God.\\nPhoto by\\xa0Dev Asangbam\\nThe post What Does it Mean to be Saved? \\u2013 Acts 16:16-34 appeared first on Queer Theology.'