Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. – Philippians 1:12-14
When reading Paul’s letters, it is often helpful to consider the setting in which he is writing. Paul is obviously in prison, and although there is some debate among the scholars about whether he is being held in Caesarea or Rome, the more popular thought is the latter. Also, a definitive timeline of this particular period of imprisonment is absent from the text. But most agree that it was a period of one to two years.
In times of war, soldiers will naturally think about death sometimes. But in their letters to their families back home, their thoughts attempt to maintain a positive attitude. After all, who would want their loved ones to be consumed with worry and fear for their safety? So it’s not unusual for them to express gratitude and words of encouragement and guidance to those back home.
In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, I think we see a bit of this perspective. During his time of hardship and imprisonment, Paul wrote to the people he cared for deeply, conveying a heavy yet compassionate and positive message. He found no need to alarm them with his real concern regarding his own desperate life-or-death circumstances. So going forward as we continue reading this epistle, it might be fruitful for us to consider that, as far as Paul himself knew, he may have conceivably been writing his last words to his brothers and sisters in Christ.
With that out of the way…
After the initial greetings in Paul’s letter, what was one of the most significant things he wanted them to know about his current dire situation? Answer: That he was using it as an opportunity to do the very thing that landed him in prison to begin with!
Paul was essentially saying, “They thought that by bounding me in chains and throwing me in a prison cell that they could shut me up. But they’re finding out that it has had just the opposite effect! Everyone, including the soldiers and the guards – they’ve become an audience for me to share the gospel with! And they think that I’m chained to them? They’ve become MY prisoners! And some of them, all glory to God, are actually listening to what I tell them.”
When we think of some of the more comfortable settings in our own stations in life to share the gospel message to others, being beaten and confined to a cold, dark and damp dungeon doesn’t register with us. But that’s not how Paul chose to see his situation. He saw this as an awesome opportunity to shine the light of Christ in the darkest of places. But he goes even further in saying that his imprisonment has not only given him an opportunity to spread the Good News, but it has inspired others to become even more confident and zealous in their own opportunities to share the gospel without fear in their own stations in life.
What an incredible testimony from a man who refused to blink in the face of incredible hardship!
As we navigate our own challenges in life, are we encouraged by Paul’s example? Do we recognize that God is capable of using even our most difficult situations for His glory and our good? May we embrace Paul’s perspective today as we go about our business, confidently trusting that God is at work and will use every circumstance to bring glory to Himself. Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 