Paul was given a captive audience who otherwise would never have listened. It could be that God has placed someone specifically in your life for the sole purpose of hearing the gospel from you. Paul’s imprisonment impacted his followers as they became emboldened by his example. An arrest that was meant to silence and intimidate actually strengthened countless believers to increase their evangelism. The gospel went forth even stronger as a result of Paul’s incarceration. 

The apostle Paul knew something about challenges. His circumstances in the context of his letter to the Philippians were terrible enough to create confusion and frustration if not viewed from the eyes of faith! Scripture tells us that Paul was an active man. His travel was constant, his work unending, and his time stretched thin. Yet as he penned his letter to the Philippians, he found himself in chains.  

Surely this was a mistake. It had to be. Didn’t God need him traversing the cities sharing the gospel? This just does not make sense from our human perspective. Yet God’s plan was perfect in its timing and circumstance and in the role it played, as the most unlikely converts in that day were now a captive audience. Yes! God planned to advance His gospel in a way no believer could imagine. As Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write these words from a heart that had experienced this truth firsthand.

Some may think Paul’s circumstances indicated that the Lord had relegated him to the sidelines during this most dependent and needy stage of the church age. Jesus had returned to His Father’s side, the Church was in its infancy, and Paul was isolated from his spiritual children. How could this be part of God’s perfect plan? 

Having established that his imprisonment had actually served to advance the gospel (Phil 1:12), Paul went on to carefully explain in what ways this was true.

Paul and his preaching abilities were not wasted, and God was not in error! Something meaningful was taking place despite Paul’s confinement. A small seed of truth was finding new fertile ground in a small prison cell.

Caesar Augustus established the palace guard and maintained peace in the Roman Empire. It was customary that a prisoner would be handcuffed to a guard while confined. This ensured that escape, as well as privacy, was impossible. However, just as Paul could not distance himself from the guard on duty, neither was the guard to have a respite from Paul! Paul literally and providentially had a captive audience as he continued to share the gospel while in prison.  

These men, who otherwise may never have heard about God’s salvation plan, found themselves front and center in Paul’s new ministry. Soon, the whole imperial guard learned that Paul’s imprisonment resulted from his passionate preaching of the gospel.

Read More