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Themes: "Freedom from Sin, Evangelism KB As he looked around the prison walls, Winston asked himself how he had gotten into such a mess. He had never planned on being held captive. Now, he was thousands of miles from home without a friend around.
It all started innocently when he left England to be a reporter for the Boer War in South Africa. While reporting on a story about the war, he tried to rescue some English soldiers. He was arrested for his efforts. Three weeks passed. The police forgot about him. They were content to leave him in prison.
Tired of waiting for a release, Winston formed a plan that would risk his life. That night, when all guards were out of sight, he scaled the prison wall. Fortunately, no one saw him. Winston knew this was only the beginning. He had over 300 miles of danger between him and freedom.
His plan was to go east to the ocean where he would catch a ship home to England. Once the prison guards knew he had escaped, there would be a full search to find him. Winston had to hurry!
Just ahead, he saw a freight train. He jumped on and rode as far as he could before daylight. Then, he hid himself under some coal in one of the cars. Just before daybreak, he leapt from the train. Because there were soldiers everywhere, Winston decided to hide during the day and travel east to freedom during the night.
As the sun set, Winston headed east once again. Tired, and without food or water he traveled as fast as he could. All that night he struggled through the cold air, thinking only of freedom.
Suddenly, he saw the lights of a town. He thought he might get something to drink and eat without being caught. As he stumbled into town, weakness overcame him and he fell to the ground.
As he struggled to his feet, he saw someone trying to get his attention. He was sure he was going to be arrested. To his surprise, it was an Englishman who was waving. He had heard of Winston's escape and was willing to risk his own life to help him.
The man took Winston to a special hiding place. He fed him and kept him safe for two days. On the third day, Winston hid on a train under bales of wool. Finally, after a day of traveling, the train arrived at the sea. Winston was free at last!
The Winston in our story became much more than a reporter. Years later he became the Prime Minister of England and led his country in battle against Nazi Germany. His full name was Winston Spencer Churchill - the man who loved freedom.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas loved freedom too. However, they loved telling others about the Lord Jesus even more. When the doors opened, they would not leave. Why? There was a man and his family who wanted to be saved. They acted the way the Lord would have acted. After all, He gave up everything to come and provide salvation. As the Bible says, the Lord Jesus is "The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
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Simon Wallace
