“And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14).
It’s like a scene out of “Locked up Abroad.” You’re a long way from home. A VERY long way. More than a thousand miles. You’re held captive in the the capital of a brutal dictatorship that has a zero tolerance policy on insurrection. If that’s not enough, you’re in the slammer because of your faith. Persecuted for what you believe. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t exactly sound like a situation that’s going to win friends and influence people. Not a time when you think others would be standing in line to take a similar stand. But a funny thing happens when Jesus gets involved. He turns Paul’s time in the joint into a time of overflowing joy. And if that’s not crazy enough, people are coming to faith in Christ left and right precisely BECAUSE he’s doing hard time. They have big time boldness to tell others the Good News precisely BECAUSE the apostle’s behind bars.
That’s exactly the scene Paul’s describing to his friends back in Philippi. As his teammates in the Gospel, he wants them to know exactly what God is up to in Rome. Despite being in prison for what he believes, that hasn’t stopped Jesus from using His apostle right under the nose of the emperor. He’s just told the Philippians “that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ” (Phil 1:12-13). Paul’s made a habit of writing to various churches to either warn them or correct them. But not the letter to Philippi. The apostle might be in prison but he’s just so full of God’s joy he’s gotta tell somebody. That just happens to be the Philippians. They just won’t believe what’s happening in Rome. People are placing their faith in Jesus and courageously sharing the Gospel because he’s in jail. You probably know folks who drink liquid courage when they go to bars. Not the case here. Christ followers have courage because Paul’s behind bars.
Nearly all of his spiritual brothers and sisters in Rome have apparently come to place their trust in Jesus because Paul is in the big house. Most of them have “become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment” (v14). The apostle describes this confidence using the Greek verb peitho, which means to be convinced, to be persuaded, believe, or assured. Their courage grows faster than the crabgrass in my front yard. But it’s NOT because of Paul. It’s because of what Christ is doing THROUGH Paul. These Roman believers are trusting in what Jesus has done for them that they could never dream of doing for themselves. He’s lived the perfectly obedient life that they’ve failed to live. He’s died the death for their sin that they should have died. He’s risen to a glorious new life that they don’t deserve. They’ve come to follow the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter because He alone wants God’s best for them. His love has convinced them. His mercy has persuaded them. His grace has won them.
So what sort of goofy stuff is going on in a cellblock of Caesar’s supermax to convince correction officers and convicts to come to Christ? It’s something you just don’t expect to find in a place where hope and happiness go to die. It’s joy. The man from Tarsus has the joy of Jesus. This little letter oozes with it. Every time you turn the page, you read of the joy can only come from above. He prays prayers of joy (Phil 1:3). He rejoices because folks all around him are falling in love with Jesus (Phil 1:18). He knows his readers back in Philippi have a joyful faith (Phil 1:25). He loves the fact that they’re full of joy because they’re unity (Phil 2:2). He’s stoked when these Philippian followers sacrifice joyfully (Phil 2:17-18). He wants them to know the joy of seeing their pastor in the flesh after nearly dying on his prison visit to Rome (Phil 2:28-29). At times he just can’t contain his joy and wants his friends to join in (Phil 3:3; 4:4). He even calls this church as his joy and crown jewels (Phil 4:1). He’s full of joy because their continued concern for him (Phil 4:10).
It’s this overwhelming and overflowing joy of Jesus that’s sloshing all throughout this particular Roman prison. A few hundred years back, two guys named Ezra and Nehemiah told the citizens of Jerusalem how “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10). The incredible gladness God gives you and me when He ambushes us with His grace provides an immovable confidence that refuses to be swayed in the nastiest of circumstances. That includes the particular dungeon Paul currently calls home. It’s the joy of the Lord that’s rockin’ the joint. It’s the joy of the Lord that’s changing lives. It’s the joy of the Lord that’s transforming the Roman Empire from the inside out.
This Jesus joy is also having a strange effect on those who have placed their faith in Him. It’s seems they can’t shut up about their Savior. They “are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (v14). By using the Greek word tolmao, Paul lets us know of the courage, bravery, and guts they display in telling others about Jesus. They demonstrate the willingness to step out into potential danger. Getting the word of God out is that important. Remember, it’s the reason the apostle is locked up. But this is a time to step up. It’s a time to speak up. People’s lives are at stake. Their eternities are on the line.
What makes a follower so gutsy for the Gospel? Jump back about 30 years from the days of Paul’s imprisonment to the very first church in Jerusalem. Their founding pastor Peter is a prime example. One moment he denies even knowing Jesus when confronted by a rough, tough middle school girl (Lk 22:56). Six weeks later he’s not only preaching a sermon that God uses to convert 3,000 people (Acts 2:14-41) but telling religious heavy hitters they murdered their Messiah (Acts 4:8-12). What’s the difference maker? I’m glad you asked. His name is the Holy Spirit. Once the Third Person of the Trinity falls and fills Pete as well as every other believer, they suddenly become the brave and bold. The Spirit-powered courage wasn’t limited to the dude Jesus called Rocky. The entire church was audacious when it came to telling people the Gospel. “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). That’s the very same Spirit who empowers the apostle formerly known as Saul (Acts 9:17-18).
Guess what. That very same Spirit that brought boldness to believers in the Bible is available to you and me, here and now. God gives Him to each and every person who places their trust in His Son (Rom 8:8; Eph 1:13). Let’s face it, if the power of God’s Spirit has the juice to raise Jesus from the dead (Rom 8:11), He’s got the goods to give us the grit to share the Good News. Remember that when we freak out just thinking about it, that fear doesn’t come from God (2Tim 1:7). Something incredible happens when God’s Spirit goes to work among His people. Take the situation in Rome. Followers of Jesus have big time boldness to tell others the Good News precisely BECAUSE the apostle’s behind bars.
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