Prepare For Sunday | September 27th, 2026
This Sunday is a special one for Trinity as we celebrate ten years since our first worship service! A lot has changed since then, but the heart of our church remains the same: we are here because of the grace of Jesus.
And that makes this Sunday’s story especially fitting.
In Acts 16, we meet a Philippian jailer—a strong, responsible man who isn’t searching for Jesus and doesn’t think he needs saving. But in the middle of the night, his carefully ordered world falls apart, and he encounters something he cannot explain: two men who sing when they should despair and stay when they could run.
By morning, everything has changed. The man holding a sword is sitting at a table. The jailer has become a brother. And he and all his household are rejoicing in Jesus.
Join us Sunday as we continue This Is My Story…My Song and ask a simple question: How does the gospel reach those who aren’t looking?
And then stay afterward as we celebrate ten years of God’s faithfulness with our church-wide potluck. Whether you’ve been at Trinity for ten years or ten days, there’s a seat for you.
The Jailer: When a Strong Man Meets Grace
Acts 16:19–40
Big Idea: Jesus can transform even the person who isn’t looking for him.
1. The Man Who Wasn’t Looking
Acts 16:19–24
2. The Men He Couldn’t Explain
Acts 16:25–30
They sang. And they stayed.
3. The Savior He Had to Trust
Acts 16:30–34
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.
— Acts 16:31
Group Discussion | Acts 16:19-40
Read Acts 16:19–40. What stands out to you most in the story of the Philippian jailer? Why?
The jailer seems to be a man defined by duty, responsibility, and competence. What are some good things that we can allow to become the basis of our identity?
At midnight, Paul and Silas are praying and singing after being beaten and imprisoned. What does suffering tend to reveal about what we are really trusting?
“They sang. And they stayed.” Which of those two actions is more surprising to you? What does each reveal about the way the gospel had changed Paul and Silas?
Paul and Silas could have taken their freedom, but doing so may have cost the jailer his life. Where do you see the pattern of Jesus in their willingness to surrender their rights for someone else?
The jailer asks, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul answers, “Believe in the Lord Jesus.” Why is receiving salvation sometimes difficult for people who are accustomed to fixing problems and accomplishing things themselves?
By the end of the night, the jailer is washing wounds, opening his home, serving food, and rejoicing. What does this teach us about the way grace changes not only what we believe, but how we live?
When life “squeezes” you, what tends to come out? What might that reveal about the story you are living by—and where do you need the gospel to go deeper?
Close in prayer: Ask Jesus to make the gospel so deeply rooted in us that, especially under pressure, our lives increasingly look like his.
Call to Worship
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:22–24)
Songs of Worship
King of Heaven
Call Upon the Lord
Yet Not I But Through Christ
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
O Praise The Name
