For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles. Ephesians 3:1
Nobody could argue about the success of Paul as a preacher and missionary. Because of his preaching, untold thousands heard the Gospel, and thousands were saved. Through his efforts, local testimonies for Christ were established in dozens of places far and wide. When we consider how much he contributed to the spread of Christianity, we may well be amazed that God would have allowed this powerful and dynamic preacher to spend so much his life as a prisoner. But God makes no mistakes in any of our lives, and we can be thankful today for the prison portion of His plan for the apostle Paul.
What was the basis for Paul’s prisonership? The Jewish leaders were determined to have him silenced, by death if possible. As a former Pharisee trained and steeped in the Jewish traditions and Scriptures, Paul had become an expert at refuting the claims of Judaism. So they were glad to see him in chains, even though he used those chains as a means of reaching kings and governors with a Gospel that they would otherwise never have heard or considered. But our text tells us that he was a prisoner for the Gentiles, not the Jews. It was the Gentiles who benefited the most from Paul’s imprisonment. Because, as far as Paul was concerned, the basis of his prisonership was the glory of God in reaching the Gentiles. Us.
So, what were the benefits of Paul’s imprisonment? As already mentioned, he was able to reach people who would never otherwise have heard the Gospel. We will never know the long-term implications from that, although the fact that there was a vibrant Christian community even within Nero’s palace indicates that far more was accomplished than we might guess. But the real benefits to us today from Paul’s imprisonment are the epistles that the Holy Spirit guided him to write during that time. Included in that are the many lessons God taught him through his bonds and afflictions. Paul’s unique background and experiences made him an ideal vessel to convey to the Scriptures the doctrines that we have received from his hand. As we read the epistles, and take note of the circumstances surrounding them, we must be amazed at what we would be missing if not for the apostle’s imprisonment. And what was true for Paul should be true for us. Like Paul, we don’t enjoy uncomfortable conditions, perils, and the loss of liberty. But like Paul, God can use these things in our experience to bring blessing to ourselves, to other Christians, and glory to God.
Paul had no regrets or complaints about being a prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles. Nor should we regret or complain about whatever God requires of us. -Jim MacIntosh