Tuesday, May 26
I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I commend to you as a faithful brother. My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace. (1 Peter 5:12)
There are many lessons we are to learn from this single verse. While it is obvious Peter states why he wrote the letter, the first lesson we see here is this: “I have written and sent this short letter to you with the help of Silas.” According to history, Peter was uneducated. So, there is a strong likelihood that he did not write the letter himself but dictated it to Silas to write. Peter, despite who he was, was not hesitant to ask for help. We should learn to ask for help from our brothers and sisters in Christ when we need it.
But there’s a question worth asking: Who was Silas? Silas was a leader in the early church, a fellow missionary with Paul, and a “faithful brother.” He was a Hellenistic Jew who was also a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37). The Greek name is “Silvanus.”
The first time we meet Silas in Scripture, he is a leader and teacher in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:22, 32). After the Jerusalem Council, Silas was chosen to help communicate the council’s decision to Antioch, along with the apostle Paul. Soon afterwards, Paul set out on his second missionary journey, and he chose Silas to accompany him (Acts 15:40-41).
On this journey, Paul and Silas traveled to Greece. In Philippi, the missionaries were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. But “around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (Acts 16:25). God then miraculously released them, and the jailer, having witnessed their faith, asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (verses 30-31). The jailer was saved that night, and he and his family were all baptized. The next day, the city officials learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, and they were immediately fearful; their mistreatment of Paul and Silas the day before had violated Roman law. The city leaders immediately released Paul and Silas from custody. The missionaries left town, but they left behind a body of believers—the first church in Europe.
Silas is a great example of someone who used his gifts to serve the Lord and others with all his heart. The apostles called him “faithful,” and he was known as one who encouraged and strengthened the faith of other believers (Acts 15:32). Multitudes in the early church were blessed by Silas, and Paul and Peter were heartened by his faithful companionship.
Doing the Word
Cultivate the kind of heart Silas had.
Prayer
Dear Father, Silas was a great encouragement and strength to brothers and sisters in the faith. Lord, make me a man (woman) like Silas. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Amen.