In the book of Acts, we read of Paul’s missionary journeys. It is fascinating to learn of the spread of the Gospel through the evangelistic efforts of this great apostle. Distinct features of the Roman Empire in the first century made these travels possible which, in turn, helped spread the borders of Christ’s kingdom.
With this great growth and expansion, it seems puzzling at first why God would want to curtail Paul’s traveling and allow him to be imprisoned at Rome. During Paul’s travels it was his intention to visit Rome to preach the Gospel to them (Acts 19:21; Romans 1:10-15). It certainly was God’s plan for Paul to go to Rome (Acts 23:11), but he arrives there as a prisoner bound in chains (Acts 28:16). God had sent his angel to break Peter out of prison before (Acts 5:12-19). Why not do this with Paul? What good was it to have him at Rome if he is imprisoned?
The answer lies in God’s wisdom of knowing what influence Paul would have at Rome by means of his incarceration. Paul was allowed to teach in his own hired house for two years (Acts 28:30-31). This was how Onesimus heard the Gospel and obeyed (Philemon 10). This oral teaching was not all Paul did; he also wrote letters to congregations and individuals during his incarceration. We have four of these preserved for us in the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. In each of these epistles Paul mentions his bonds. Paul asked the brethren at Ephesus to pray for him that he would be bold in his proclamation of the Gospel while he was in bonds (Ephesians 6:19-20). Philippians seems to be the latest of the prison epistles Paul wrote. By the time the words of this letter were penned, Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel had penetrated the palace of Caesar and his household. Notice Philippians 1:12-13, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places.” The salutation of Philippians 4:22 gives weight to this fact as well, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar’s household.” God had evidently opened a door of opportunity in the city that ruled the world. Paul was placed there for a reason: to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel of Christ to the influential personages at Rome.
We may wonder why God has allowed certain things to happen to us. A situation which looks dark to us may hold an opportunity that we never imagined. Often what occurs in our lives is far different from what we have envisioned. One thing that we can count on is God’s providential care of us to use us in ways we never imagined and see us through to the very end.
-Mark Day
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
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