Don’t you just hate chain letters? You know what I’m talking about. Some so-called “friend” sends you something that promises ridiculous rewards if you’ll just send it along. These annoying notes have been around for years. They’ve survived the transition from snail mail to email and now to Facebook. I’m beginning to believe that the only things that will survive the apocalypse are cockroaches and chain letters. But there is one kind of chain letter that I love. It’s the kind that Paul writes to Ephesus. He tells the folks opening the envelope that it’s because of the Gospel “for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (v20).
As the apostle wraps up his note to his Ephesian friends, he reminds them of his current situation. He’s in the joint. He’s in prison. He’s behind bars. And the reason he’s there is because he’s devoted his life to telling non-Jews that Jesus has thrown the doors of God’s kingdom party open to them too (Eph 3:5-6). The resurrected Christ mugged Saul outside of Damascus and transformed him into Paul, His number one apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-5, 15). From ambushed to ambassador.
In using the term “ambassador” (Gr. presbeuo), the man from Tarsus describes what it means to be an official representative for a king. It’s to act as an ambassador or envoy sent on special assignment by the government for high level negotiating. In this case, Paul’s an ambassador sent by the King of Kings. Over in one of his notes to the Corinthian church, he lets us know that every one of Jesus’ followers are sent by King Jesus. “We are ambassadors (Gr. presbeuo) for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2Cor 5:20).
There’s a big difference between Jesus’ ambassadors and those serving in embassies and consulates around the world today. Modern ambassadors have diplomatic immunity. That basically means an envoy can’t be arrested or prosecuted when on assignment in another country. Paul didn’t enjoy diplomatic immunity. He’s “an ambassador in chains” (v20). He’s in custody in a Roman prison. The Greek word halusis means exactly how it’s translated. A linked, metal instrument that binds any part of the body, usually the hands. In other words, a chain.
The demon-possessed dude who lived in the Gerasenes graveyard was often “bound with chains (Gr. halusis) and shackles” (Lk 8:29). An angel busted Pete the apostle out of the joint as “the chains (Gr. halusis) fell off his hands” (Acts 12:7). When Roman soldiers took Paul into custody at the temple riot in Jerusalem, the commanding officer ordered that he “be bound with two chains (Gr. halusis)” (Acts 21:33). It can certainly mean an imprisonment. But most likely the apostle is in handcuffs. He wants us to hear the chain rattle and clank as he writes and we read. That’s what makes this a chain letter. Linked In meant something VERY different in the first century!
But being behind bars wearing the latest in jail jewelry isn’t going to get in Paul’s way. He sees this as an incredible opportunity to tell folks in the joint about Jesus, “that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (v20). The apostle uses the Greek verb parresiazomai, which means to speak openly without fear or talk freely and boldly. He holds nothing back. While he might not have earthly diplomatic immunity, he holds the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card. He knows that no matter what happens on this side of eternity, Christ has come to eventually set the prisoners free (Lk 4:17). That’s what allows him to speak boldly about Jesus.
The former Pharisee pulls no punches in sharing the Gospel of grace. This is full disclosure. He doesn’t just tell folks what they want to hear. He tells them what they need to hear. In order for the Good News to be REALLY good, the bad news has to be REALLY bad. And it is VERY bad. We’ve fallen short of God’s perfect standard. We’re more than good people who’ve made a few mistakes. We’re sinners. We’re rebels fighting against His kingdom. As a response, Paul fires both barrels. The bad news. The Good News. And he declares it “boldly” (v20).
This fearlessness has put Paul in prison once again. It’s not his first time. He and his sidekick Silas had the privilege of checking out the inside of Philippi’s correctional institution (Acts 16:24). Jewish leaders cooked up a plan to nab Paul once he returned to Jerusalem. That resulted in his arrest at the temple (Acts 21:33). He probably spent most of the next eight years in custody before appealing his case to Caesar. He was locked up in Judea for a couple of years. He spent over a year sailing as a prisoner to Rome. And Paul finished his bid in Rome for a couple more years. There he had a chance to write a series of chain letters. He wrote to the Ephesian church (Eph 3:1, 4:1), the multisite churches based in Colossae (Col 4:3, 18), as well as his friend Phil (Phm 1, 9, 13). He’ll eventually be released only to be re-arrested and executed. You can read the last letter he wrote before his death to his pal Tim (2Tim).
These chain letters certainly aren’t annoying. But they are convicting. VERY convicting. It’s very difficult for me to comprehend the kind of courage it takes to tell others about Jesus at the cost of incarceration. I’m incredibly convicted by Paul’s passion and commitment to Christ. He’s willing to go to jail for Jesus. I’m rarely willing to share the Gospel with my friends at work. Lord, give me the boldness, the openness and the courage to tell others about You.
No comments:
Post a Comment