Famous  Church Planter  Arrested

Such was the case in AD 57.  Paul the famous apostle (church planter, preacher & writer ) was imprisoned for the last four  years of his life.  Two of those years were in Caeserea chained night & day to a Roman guard. The last two were spent under house arrest in Rome.  His contact with others was limited.visitors were few. Many who had supported him deserted him in time of need.

His ministry as preacher and apostle was truncated.  He was aging.  He knew that the time of his death was near.

His eyesight was failing. In some of the later letters he wrote all he could do was sign his signature. His words were transcribed by others onto tablets (a precursor of the iPad?)  made of papyrus.

He was cold and  tired and  often alone. In one of the latter letters he pleads:  “Come before winter. Bring my cloak and my books”.

I would be tempted to become introspective; questioning God as to why. I would  begin to doubt God’s call on my life. Had I missed the mark so badly that He had to remove me? I could easily fall into depression & bitterness.

Not so with Paul.

Called

He knew the call to be an apostle; an authoritative messenger sent forth as an advocate of a new principle or system or way of living.

The call remained firm until the end. Only the vehicle changed.

From prison Paul still

• established churches
• exposed error
• defended truth
• mentored others
• revealed our design and destiny as children of the Father
• demonstrated how to live in relationship with Holy Spirit
• wrote  many of fourteen  books of the New Testament

Grace and Peace 

In prison Paul continued to preach and teach.

Word by word and line by line he wrote. God breathed the words and  Paul wrote.

Paul knew isolation.He lived in a virtual world. All he had were his thoughts and his words.

Paul shared his heart, his struggles and  his prayers through writing.He encouraged, he exhorted, he challenged. Paul revealed  his needs and his longings.

Response from the recipients of his letters was limited and mostly anecdotal.Paul aging and ill had to trust the abilities of others to transcribe his words written on papyrus.

His focus was Jesus .

His longed for others  to experience Grace and Peace.

He demonstrated living as a child of God between salvation and destination.

The Bedrock of Faith

His words are the bedrock of the living Christian faith throughout the ages.

His words were preserved with the same care as the writings of the patriarchs, prophets and psalmists.

Paul wrote in utter isolation in pain and even in tears.

You and I are the fruit of his words. Our changed lives are his reward.

Paul never knew the impact that an old man’s letters written from prison  have had.

Even now in heaven I suspect he doesn’t focus on the impact but his focus is only on Jesus.

His shame is gone, the regrets and failures  are forgotten.

He sits with the millions and millions of those who have been changed eternally by his story and his writing.

Someday Paul will sit & have a long chat with you & with me.   Our  story is because of his House Arrest.

 Your Story

Do you feel as if  you are under House Arrest right now?

Maybe you are in a place of isolation coming from illness or aging or family circumstances.

Are you a young mother feeling trapped by the demands of pre-schoolers?

Has the current economic downturn put your career on hold? Are you a recent college grad who can’t get a job in your field?

Are you confused about God’s call on your life or maybe doubting that you heard Him correctly?

Let me give you this assurance from Gods Word  .

 For you are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Eph 2:10 AMP

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Pet. 1:3

Today:

• You are right in the center of your destiny.
• You were designed to do exactly what you have to do today
• You have everything you need to meet today’s problems

A Question for You

How will you do life differently today if  these verses are true?

• Take time to sit quietly & read each verse slowly 10 times.

• Write down the thoughts that occur to you as you read those verses.

Virtually yours

linda