Even though God’s messengers might be put in chains, the Word of God is never chained.
PCANews - Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear (Philippians 1:12-14).
The opening words of Philippians 1:12 are, in large measure, astounding. For our generation, they are almost incomprehensible. Paul is in prison and his message is that his circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel.
You and I tend to think in the exact opposite manner. If we have a “ministry” we need to have the freedom to be out beating the bush for contributions and support, our speaking engagements, and our writing. How can it serve the gospel if I’m incarcerated? And yet, that is precisely what Paul says.
Much of what the apostle says has little to do with “ministry” and much to do with “mission.” Each of us has a mission field where we labor in the vineyard of Christ. Our Lord reminds us all that, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38, English Standard Version).
What if, for example, you have had an effective ministry for many years and are stricken with an ailment or condition that keeps you from performing what you’re accustomed to doing. Is your task in this life over? According to the apostle Paul, it is not. Wherever we find ourselves in this life, we are ambassadors for Christ and his Kingdom.
Paul tells the young church in Philippi that he is having a remarkable outreach to the Praetorian Guard. Who were those people? They were the official “bodyguard” for the emperor of Rome. They were handpicked, elite military men. The manner in which they watched their prisoners was to be fettered or “handcuffed” to the prisoner. They worked in shifts, but one of those soldiers was chained to Paul all the time.
The irony is that the Praetorian Guard was the captive and captured audience for the apostle! We have two soldiers shackled together. The one is the soldier of the cross and the other is a soldier of Rome, of the world. Paul had the opportunity daily to speak to the Roman soldiers about Christ.
His was not a negative attitude that things were “lousy” for him and that he could do a lot more good for a lot more people if he were free. He ministered to those soldiers. What was the effect of what Paul did? We get a clue at the end of this letter. He writes, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household” (4:22). Do you get his drift? Some of those soldiers had become believers, because even though God’s messengers might be put in chains, the Word of God is never chained (2 Tim. 2:9).
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TE Ron Gleason is pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Yorba Linda, Calif.Ron Gelason
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