New Thoughts: (04/19/24-04/23/24)
A Pastor's Heart (04/20/24)
One interesting feature of this Greek language is the way it
establishes emphasis. As we look at a sentence, we tend to expect a
certain order to the words. Nouns precede verbs, for instance. But
in Greek, word order indicates emphasis. And here, as Paul begins his
message to this church so dear to him, the emphasis is on knowing.
It’s a most curious read. Know, but you I would brothers, that the
unto me rather unto furtherance of the gospel have fallen out. That’s
about how it reads if you simply go word by word. There’s not even a
direct mention of his circumstances. It’s just, the unto me. This,
to my eyes, sets his circumstances in a highly de-emphasized position.
What comes across is this: Paul’s biggest concern at the moment,
even though imprisoned and facing trial before a rather unstable Nero,
is that they not be overly concerned. They need to know to the true
state of affairs. They need to know. I really should have looked
that one up. I generally do, when I come across references to
knowing. Here, it is ginosko, as a
present infinitive. Let me pick that apart briefly, if I can. So,
first off, it speaks to understanding, gaining knowledge of. There is
a sense of being acquainted with that which is known, real
understanding. There is a sense of intimacy to it, such that in
Hebraic usage, it might even speak to the intimacy of husband and
wife. The usual contrast is with eido, in
its oida form, with its ideas of paying
attention to, acknowledging, perceiving the facts. The association of
this latter word with the perception of the senses gives rise to the
idea that oida is more inferred
knowledge, whereas ginosko is
experiential. But then, I’ve seen references that take the opposite
perspective here.
Okay. We have this as a present infinitive, the infinitive being a
verbal noun, perhaps indicative of purpose or result, perhaps used as
subject, or simply as an explanatory point. Being in the present
tense, it has that internal viewpoint to it, the action ongoing,
seemingly continuous. We might apply this, in our case, to wanting
this to be settled knowledge with them. It applies not merely to the
immediate situation, but establishes a framework of perception, a
worldview by which to interpret such trials as might come their way.
And given what we see in Acts as to the opposition faced by those
Christians in Macedonia, this framework was most needful. The
Philippians may have had a better time of it than, say, the
Thessalonians, but persecution was already present due to perceived
connection with Judaism, which Claudius had marked out as unfitting
for Roman citizens. Recall that Paul found the Jews outside the city
for prayer. That, because they were not permitted a synagogue within
the city walls. Such was the pride, and perhaps the fear, of Roman
citizenship in that city. Claudius doesn’t like it, and this place is
packed with soldiers of his command. Best we do nothing that might
offend. We are citizens, but what happens if he should find cause to
disapprove of us?
So, where is Paul in this? Paul is a pastor. He has a pastor’s
heart. He has gone well beyond that training received in his youth.
That training had made him a lion for the law. It had done little, it
would seem, to fashion him for work as a shepherd of God’s sheep. That
had required a different course of training, a crash course in
Christ. But he was an apt pupil, and the lessons took. Now, here he
is in prison yet again, a situation perhaps too familiar at this
point. He had been imprisoned there in Philippi, and most unjustly.
Now, here he was again, and he’d been here some time. It had been in
part his own doing. One supposes he might have shortened the time
while yet at Caesarea Philippi, either by buying his freedom, or by
allowing the case to proceed. But then, we know how that would have
turned out. And so, the Spirit-inspired appeal to Rome; his right as
a citizen, but a right that came at a cost. He would have had to pay
his own fare, I expect, for that fateful passage across the
Mediterranean, and he had to pay for his upkeep while imprisoned in
Rome. It’s unclear what would happen if he had not done so. Perhaps
a more familiar sort of imprisonment was reserved for those citizens
unable to procure better digs for themselves.
But his concern isn’t for his chains. His concern isn’t for the
expense. His concern, at least his foremost concern, is not even with
the outcome of his trial, which appears to be more imminent at this
point than it has been. No, his eyes are on the gospel and its
progress. He may be in chains, but that just means he has a captive
audience. And he has, through these years, been free enough to
welcome visitors, to preach and teach from his prison cell. And so,
as he has done this, his guards have had opportunity to truly gauge
the character both of Paul and of these believers in their midst.
Indeed, as is somewhat intimated here, and is made more explicit by
letter’s end, the guards themselves now have believers in their
midst. There are those even in the household of Nero – imagine that!
And imagine just how stressful that might become as events unfolded –
who have come to a living and resilient faith in Christ Jesus as their
Lord and Savior.
This is Paul’s most fundamental message here. Don’t worry about me,
the gospel is taking root. Don’t worry about those who come against
you up there in Philippi. The gospel is taking root. Don’t worry
about circumstances, period. Worry about seeing the work of the
kingdom pursued in whatever fashion it may be pursued. Don’t let your
care for me, or for your comfort, swamp your trust in Christ or your
passion for His Lordship proclaimed to one and all. Make this gospel
known, come what may.
You can see this message forming throughout these verses. My
circumstances? Hardly worth mentioning, other than that what was
meant to be evil for me has proved to be opportunity for the gospel.
Look at this! The whole of Caesar’s guard know the gospel now,
whether they accept it or not. And either way, they know that this
gospel is at worst no threat to Rome. At best, they are seeing God as
He is, seeing the futility of their own pantheon, and turning to
Christ for forgiveness even as they maintain their position.
And isn’t that in keeping with the message that was proclaimed at the
outset? There were those soldiers who came to John the Baptist,
touched by the message but unsure what to do with it? How are we
supposed to repent? We can’t just quit the army. It doesn’t work
that way. John’s response? “Don’t use your
position to rob others. Don’t level false accusations against
anyone.” And get this, which is right in line with the
message of this epistle, “and be content with your
wages” (Lk 3:14). In other words,
be the most upright soldier you can be. Do your job and do it well,
but don’t abuse your power. Be just.
The message is much the same for each one of us. For the most part,
there is no call to uproot your life, walk away from your profession,
and dedicate yourself, Paul-like, to be a wandering itinerate
evangelist. No. The change is not in vocation nor in location, but
in character. But I digress. There’s a surprise.
Come back to Paul’s cell. Observe what he observes. He doesn’t
particularly observe his chains. They don’t matter. People come,
people go. And as they do, the gospel spreads. And he can look out
the window. He hears the reports from those who come. Those who had
been perhaps fearful to declare the gospel given the expulsion of the
Jews under Claudius, and given the uncertainty of the times under
Nero, were growing bolder. It is again a most curious bit of
phrasing. They are, “trusting in the Lord because
of my imprisonment.” It’s a most unlikely bit of cause and
effect on the face of it, which I will consider farther on in this
study. But it’s having God’s desired impact. They see Paul
undeterred by his predicament, and they lose just a bit of that fear.
They see, perhaps, the impact on his guards, and begin to realize the
power of this gospel. It’s not Paul, it’s the message. It’s God.
God is greater than the Praetorian, greater than Caesar. You may not
wish to go shouting that news in the streets, but you can most
assuredly take it to heart.
So, let’s bring this forward to our own time. The truth is
unchanged. God is greater. We look at the insanity that has gripped
western society, and it’s enough to leave one dismayed. We look at
the corruption infesting seemingly every corner of life; government
certainly, not that there’s anything particularly new about that,
education, information, entertainment, even the ostensibly skilled
professions like science, medicine, technology, where one would think
a grip on reason and correctness might be more to be expected are now
not merely touched by insanity, but infested with it. And we are
stuck here, imprisoned, if you will, in the present order. We are
small islands of the kingdom in what appears a rising tide of
antichrist. And this really shouldn’t be a surprise to us, give that
it is the emphatic teaching of our Lord that this would be the case,
and has been all along.
What is our right response? Do we huddle in our homes, keeping our
faith to ourselves? Do we save it for those times when we are
together in worship? This is certainly what we are advised to do,
requested to do, and in many cases coerced to do. But it is not the
answer. Look to your forebears in faith. Here is Paul, chained to
those who, to their minds at least, have power of life and death over
him, and where is his concern? Come what may, his concern is to
proclaim the true gospel of the true and living Lord of all. His
trust is not in his strength. What strength does he have? He’s
getting older. He’s been through a lot. His body has been battered
and beaten more times than he can readily count. And here he is, in
chains, bound to those very individuals who could, if they chose, add
to his injuries with impunity. No. His trust is in the God whose
gospel he was charged with proclaiming. He had, after all, been
warned of this day from the very outset of his ministry. “I
will show him how much he must suffer for My sake.” But he
had also learned this: “He is a chosen instrument
of mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons
of Israel” (Ac 9:15-16). He had a
job to do, and so long as breath remained in him, he would be doing
it.
We need to come to a place of having that same resolve in ourselves.
And we need to come to it by the same means as did Paul. It won’t
come of working ourselves up to the task. It won’t come of long hours
preparing for the occasion, steeling ourselves to have the nerve. It
will come only as God works in us to make it so. It will come only as
He progresses in His work in us, rendering us both willing and able to
the task. This is not, then, a message which should drive us to
despair, or self-recrimination, or to a more strident, more urgent
effort at self-improvement. That game, quite frankly, is never going
to be one we can win. Rather, it’s a call to know, to truly know this
true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a call to know, to
truly know, the enormity of His love for us, the unconquerable extent
of that work He has already accomplished on our
behalf.
It's a call to come into this place of contentment, of resting in
Christ. That resting doesn’t mean we become passive lumps, sleeping
our way through our days. As has been observed somewhere, God, though
he rested on the seventh day, did not cease from the work of
maintaining what He had created. As the song says, “Jehovah
never sleeps.” His mighty hand ever protects us. Bear in
mind, this is no assurance of a garden path lifestyle. Indeed, the
promise is quite the opposite, and well you know it. “In
the world you have tribulation” (Jn 16:33).
That’s not a potentiality. That’s a certainty. You may
have peace in Him, but you will have
tribulation in the world. And there’s that other certainty of his
message. “I have overcome the
world.”
And then, there’s that strangest of sales pitches Paul had used to
encourage those freshly planted churches in Galatia, Cilicia, and such
regions. “Through many tribulations we must enter
the kingdom of God” (Ac 14:22).
Are you not encouraged? Doesn’t this just bring folks running to the
doors to join up? I tell you, it’s hard to imagine a message farther
removed from the so-called prosperity gospel. Your best life now?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If this is my best life
now, then the nihilists have it right, and we should seek to shorten
it as much as possible. If this is the best we’re going to get, why
that urgent effort to prolong the agony? Why so much energy given to
extending lifespans, fighting off diseases, and so on? What’s the
point? A longer period of suffering? Oh, joy. But the reality is
that no matter how vehemently man may deny God, or even the idea of
there being a god, there is something in him knows he is blathering
patent nonsense. There is something in us that knows that there is
certainly more to life than this brief passage on the stage. And what
must come afterwards is surely cause for concern to those who so
insistently reject God’s hand in this present valley of sorrows.
But let us not be like them, as if we were without hope in this
life. We have such a hope as goes beyond our greatest perceptions of
it. He who has us well in hand is able to do exceeding abundantly
more than we ask or think (Eph 3:2). This
is His plan, His kingdom, His
purpose. He will do it. Hear Him, and
hear Him well. “My purpose will be established.
I will accomplish all My good pleasure, calling a bird of prey from
the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have
spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it.
I will do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, who are
far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness. It is not
far off. And My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant
salvation to Zion, and My glory for Israel” (Isa
46:10-13). I usually satisfy myself with that bold part, but
the whole should bolster our weak confidence. This gospel will go
forth and accomplish all His desire. His children will go forth and
accomplish all that He has purposed for them to accomplish. This
isn’t a lie back and wait for it message. But it is the antidote for
worries. It is the necessary contravention for fear. And it is the
assurance that even in our failures, which are many, God is so working
things out that not only will His purposes be accomplished in spite of
us, but they will be accomplished in us.
Hear, then, your pastor Paul. “You need to know
this, and know it so intimately that it is a part of you.”
Look at my situation, but see God’s work. Look at your own situation,
but trust God to work. None of this is pointless misery. All of this
is purposeful opportunity for ministry. Trust God and get to it. I
don’t know about you, but it’s a message I can stand to hear, and keep
hearing until it properly penetrates my thick skull.
The Praetorian Guard (04/21/24-04/22/24)
In verse 13, Paul begins to turn to the question of
what is happening with his situation. And one thing we must remain
clear about here is that he is not doing this to draw attention to
himself. He is doing this to build up their confidence and comfort.
He launches into this with a reference to his imprisonment, though it
is written in somewhat oblique terms. In the NASB, it reads
straightforward enough “My imprisonment in the
cause of Christ.” But it is more directly, “My
bonds in Christ.” Of course, with ‘in’,
we are translating en, with its potential
implications of instrumentality. But before we get there, we need to
consider the matter of those bonds.
Are we considering actual chains, here? There is some suggestion
that he would have spent his days physically chained to whichever
soldier had guard of him at the moment, and perhaps this was the
case. After all, he was living, so far as we know, in rented
quarters, not a prison. He was not in stocks, as he had been in
Philippi. This begins to get us to the bigger curiosity of this
passage, which is what exactly is mean by mention of the praitorio.
But I’ll get to that. The first question, though, is whether Paul
means to indicate literal bonds or chains, or whether he speaks more
generally of being imprisoned, bonds standing as metaphor. Clearly,
the NASB has opted for the more metaphorical intent, or at least the
less specific. My imprisonment might include chains. It might not.
Either way, he is confined, restricted, prevented from moving freely
about the city. The word itself is fully capable of bearing either
translation.
In similar fashion, en can take on
simpler or more significant meanings. It could be simple statement of
position. But this, at least, seems clearly in the latter category.
The literal sense would simply be ‘in’.
Thus, for example, the NKJV has it as, ‘my chains
are in Christ’. Taken literally, that would incline us to
understand that he is speaking of being bound to Christ, which would
be a true statement, after its fashion, but not really to the point
here. The NASB, with ‘in the cause of’,
indicates the more significant sense of the word is in play,
indicating Christ as the instrumental cause. Thus, Christ is the
cause from which this effect of imprisonment flows. Paul is, in
himself, nothing. He has done nothing to deserve this imprisonment,
as is quite clear from the account of its beginnings in Acts.
He was taken into custody, it is true, because of charges leveled by a
Jewish mob, but by the time he was being shipped off to Caesarea
Philippi, it was more for his own protection than because of any
wrongdoing. And even there, though held over for years by one
governor and then another, the thought of release meant exposure to
Jewish attempts on his life, known to him, known to his captors.
Release would have effectively been a death sentence. And so, the
appeal.
And the message here is that what was plainly evident to the
authorities in Judea some four years ago was equally evident to those
guarding him in Rome. “My chains are in Christ.”
I’m here solely for speaking of my Lord and God. Many a pastor has
languished in prison for the same baseless reason through the years.
Many a pastor has been put to death for no greater crime than this.
Of course, in this they but echo the treatment given our Lord, and
prove His point that the servant is not greater than the Master. “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept My word, they will keep yours as well” (Jn
15:20).
Take that in the reverse. “If they persecute
you, they are persecuting Me. If they keep your word, they are
keeping Mine.” That is the power of true witness. That is
the true situation wherever the man of God comes under persecution.
And in that situation, it is well to remember that you, dear one, are
the apple of God’s eye. And thus says the LORD of hosts, “After
glory He has sent me against the nations which plunder you, for he
who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zech
2:8). This is our story, who are sons of His kingdom. This
is our story, particularly, as we are bold to speak truly in His name,
pursuing His agenda as faithful ambassadors in this darkened world.
“My chains are in Christ.” I do like that
reading. It points to Christ as the cause. And in doing so, it
points to the nobility of this suffering. It is perhaps pointing as
well to the injustice of it, though in this case, Paul has effectively
put himself in his position by choice, though it may have seemed, as I
have noted, that there was no real choice. If he was appointed to
declare the gospel before kings, it needed more than Felix and
Festus. It needed Rome and the emperor. And being killed by Jewish
assassins would hardly see that done. But an appeal to Caesar? I
think we can account this a divine inspiration on his part.
Okay. Let’s turn to the matter of the praitorio.
This is a term with manifold applications. Out in the provinces, it
would apply to whatever palace the local governor had coopted for his
use. Thus, when we find Paul in Caesarea Philippi, he is resident in
the palace of the emperor, formerly Herod’s palace (though I’m not
clear exactly which Herod). It could also be a reference to the
general’s tent in the army encampment, the command center, if you
will. And then, the ISBE brings up this application to those officers
who would gather in that place to take counsel as to the course of the
war. And this, it is suggested, might well have applied to those who
would form the tribunal hearing Paul’s case and offering their
opinions to Nero prior to his passing judgment. Okay. That’s one
theory.
The thing is, there is also that sense of the praitorio
which would apply to the camp of the guard while in Rome.
This was a large force, and emperors were, by and large, a nervous
lot. And rightly so. At any rate, this army as not permitted to come
into the city, even though they were ostensibly the ones tasked to
guard the emperor from harm. All it needed was a general with
ambitions, and the guard could soon become the usurping power. It had
happened before, and steps were taken to prevent its happening again.
They must camp outside the city, and the place of their encampment was
to the northeast, at some small distance. That said, there was also a
barracks in the city, adjacent to Nero’s palace, for that contingent
most immediately tasked with serving as his protection. And there is
some suggestion amongst the historians of the church that in the
latter part of his imprisonment, Paul was taken there to be put under
closer guard.
And here is where we start to face divergent understandings of what
is being said in this passage. If we follow the views outlined by
Fausset, there has been a change in the procuratorship. Where it had
been Burrus, now it was Tigellinus, and as was noted in reviewing the
history around this epistle, this latter procurator was far less
congenial to Paul’s cause. Here was the counselor who had convinced
Nero to have his wife assassinated so that he would be free to marry
another, in this case a Jewess. Now, nothing is said directly as to
her devoutness, but if one supposes there remains a fealty to Mosaic
law, one could see that Paul now has two antagonists with Nero’s ear.
We can add to the picture. Those who would form the tribunal would
in large part come from that guard who could also be spoken of as the
praitorio, i.e. those forces occupying the
camp and the barracks. It’s a question of scope and application. If
Paul is in the barracks, as Fausset suggests, then indeed, his
movements are even more restricted than before. No more visitors, no
more dispatching of his companions. And yet, we find Epaphroditus is
still with him, as is Timothy. That would seem to advocate against
the idea that he was now, as it were, confined to the barracks, I
would think.
So, there’s this alternate view, which the ISBE takes notice of, that
Paul’s meaning here is to speak of those individuals who would be, or
already were, his tribunal. And if that’s the case, then the trial
proper is already in progress. He is already presenting his case, and
a decision must be imminent. Typically, after hearing his case, they
would create a written assessment, whether individually or as a group
I’m unclear, to be presented to Nero. And, at least according to this
article, Nero would give answer the next day. Okay, this also seems
to have issues as a theory. If things were that far along, there
would be little cause for a letter, or at least for one such as this.
Epaphroditus could be sent back because either Paul would be free
shortly, or he would be dead shortly. There was little sense in
hanging about. I suppose maybe he’d send Epaphroditus off to keep him
out of harm’s way should things turn out to go against him. But then,
why not Timothy as well?
No, his reason for sending Epaphroditus at this juncture is much the
same as his reason for penning the current portion: To allay concerns
among his friends and disciples back in Philippi. They needed the
comfort of knowing that their pastor was well, and that Paul was still
ministering, still God’s man, come what may.
So, we have this wider sense of praitorio,
which would suggest that Paul uses it to speak of that contingent who
occupied the camp known by that name. This has less immediate
implications, but makes perfect sense. He has been two years now in
this situation where he is in a house, receiving visitors, teaching
those who cared to listen, penning letters to churches throughout the
empire (and doing so, we might add, by dictation to his amanuensis).
Those who guarded him were getting quite an earful. They were seeing
the real man, and the real impact of the gospel he proclaimed. They
could clearly discern his innocence. And some, we are given to
understand, were receiving this gospel that Paul taught to others.
Did he teach them directly? I’m sure he did, given the chance. Here
is something of the ultimate case of being ready in season and out,
isn’t it (2Ti 4:2)? One suspects Timothy
could think back on this period when he received that letter and take
Paul’s example from it.
Okay, so where do we land, and why does it matter? Well, we know
from elsewhere in the epistle that Paul’s conduct during this time was
indeed having an impact on those who served as his guards. Look at
the final greeting. “All the saints greet you,
especially those of Caesar’s household” (Php
4:22). Indeed, the gospel was unbound by Paul’s chains,
whatever their form. One could argue that Paul was unbound by those
chains. His movements might be restricted, but not his power to
preach, nor his burning desire to do so. And so, we have this picture
of his guards, exposed day by day to the truth of God, and in at least
some cases, that truth finding readied soil. And, one suspects,
whether they believed or not, they could perceive the innocence of
this man. There was a curiosity to his case, after all. You saw it
before he was sent to Rome, as the governor sought to come up with any
sort of explanation as to why this man was a prisoner, and why he was
being sent to Nero for judgment. And those who had accompanied him on
that fateful trip could testify to his upright behavior the whole
time, his unwillingness to even attempt escape, and even to prevent
the desertion of those fearful soldiers. His character was well
established. And nothing in the two years since had dented that
character. Here was an innocent man, a good man. And nothing in his
preaching was other than would prove beneficial to the empire.
If, indeed, the tribunal was drawn from the guard, then news of this
was coming to them from their own men. Here was a most reliable set
of character witnesses, so far as Roman jurisprudence was concerned.
Indeed, Paul had could reason to anticipate release. He is not blind,
of course, to the possibility that Nero could toss the assessment they
rendered and do as he pleased. If his wife was indeed poisoned
against these Christians, (which might help explain his later
activities), then the risk for Paul was still quite real, regardless
of the progress of the gospel amongst the ranks, and even within his
household.
So, why does all this matter? I’m not sure I have a particularly
good answer there. The most I can draw from it is this: If Paul was
undeterred by his circumstances, we have little excuse for reticence
where we abide. We are, after all, called to witness to the goodness
of God, and to make known his actions undertaken to save mankind.
Christ was sent, ‘that the world should be saved
through Him’ (Jn 3:17), at least,
those who believe. And those who believe are not left to carry on in
self-satisfied security. They are called to go forth with this
incredible news and, “make disciples of all the
nations, […] teaching them to observe all that I commanded” (Mt 28:19-20). Those who witnessed Paul’s
actions while imprisoned, we are told, found themselves emboldened to
preach that much more openly of the God Who Is. That’s why this
matters. That’s the impact of a sound example of steadfast faith.
And that shall be the matter under discussion in the next portion of
this study.
There is another piece to this that needs to be noticed. Paul adds
to this reference to the praetoria that ‘everyone else’ is likewise aware of his
innocence. Is this referring to others in the guard? If that’s the
case, then the theory that he means his adjudicators when he speaks of
the praetoria gains ground. Or, is he
widening his scope to take in all those visitors come his way? After
all, prior to this point, he was a stranger to those in Rome. They
may have heard of him, and depending who they heard it from, their
views might vary. If they came, for instance, having heard of him
from those Jews in Thessalonica, or in Jerusalem, their opinions of
him would probably have been negative. If, on the other hand, they
were already believers, and knew primarily of his ministry amongst the
Gentiles, then they probably had positive impressions of the man, and
may have been shocked, and even a bit dismayed to find him a prisoner
bound over for trial. Whatever the case, it would seem that his
reputation, his innocence of any charges, was clear to all who had
interview with him in this period.
And I should think his reputation grew, for what they found was a man
still actively committed to ministry. Here he was in prison, and what
do we learn? “For two full years, paying for his
own quarters, he welcomed all who came to him, preaching the kingdom
of God and the Lord Jesus Christ openly and unhindered” (Ac 28:30-31). That’s Luke’s testimony of
events, and it’s reasonable to think it was probably eye-witness
testimony, coming from him. He was apparently gone by the time this
letter was written, sent off on some mission or other, no doubt. But
he had seen Paul’s example, and was struck by it enough to have
undertaken the research needed to form his gospel record, as well as
the historical account of Acts. That was no small
undertaking, and would not really have been possible during the period
when he was with Paul.
The Impact of Steadfast Faith (04/22/24)
So, already we see somewhat the impact Paul’s steadfast faith under
pressure was having. It wasn’t just the immediate effects. These
were, and are, lasting effects. Paul, of course, has the immediate
more in view. How could he know, really, what impact he would have
down the years? And it’s hardly the appropriate motivation for
ministry anyway. That’s the stuff of fame seekers, seeking a legacy
of recognition. Those who make such things their goal are hardly
likely to achieve much for Christ. They’re too busy tending their
brand. Those who do achieve a lasting name, particularly in matters
of ministry, are those who had no thought for themselves, but only set
the ministry of Christ as their focus and their duty. It didn’t
require some exercise of effort to remain nameless and faceless to the
world around them. That just puts the focus back on the operator
again, at least in his own efforts to fade away. No. True humility
does not advertise. True humility does not, I think, come of
exercising oneself to try and at more humbly. It comes of truly being
humble. That’s a bit of a tautology, I admit, but my point is simple
enough. True humility is the expression of true, inward character.
It’s not an act. And it’s not some heroic effort. It just is. And
it is, because God has so worked upon the individual character as to
make it so.
This is the impact Paul had. He didn’t have to work up bold
confidence in himself. Oh, no doubt he had his struggles, his times
of doubt. We get some sense of that as he moves on from Athens to
Corinth. He had need of that reassurance from the Lord that here, in
Corinth, there were many who would respond positively to the gospel,
not the indifference he had met with in Athens, and not the outright
hostility that had driven him from so many places in thus far. Think
about that for just a moment. From the time he had come to faith,
this had been the case. In every city where he preached, opposition
had been so intense, so deadly in intent, that he was forced to flee
for his life. And, as Table
Talk noted the other day, there’s a message for us in
that: You are not required to make a last stand when the opportunity
to flee violent intent exists. There is no call to intentional
martyrdom, when a way of escape presents. Jesus is, after all, Lord
of Life, not head of some suicide cult.
And with all that, what do we find Paul doing with his imprisonment?
We’ve already looked at it. He was preaching. He was ministering to
any who would come to him. And what that message conveyed was that
there is a kingdom of God, ruled by Christ. We saw that in Luke’s
recap at the end of Acts. He preached the kingdom
of God, and Christ our Lord freely; and this, while attended
constantly by Nero’s own guard! This while imprisoned in the imperial
city, awaiting trial before the emperor himself!
It’s a bit less surprising, considering that, to read how his chains
were serving to encourage those believers in Rome to speak the word of
God without fear. I had wondered at this at the outset of this
study. How is this cause for boldness? Were they seeking
imprisonment in their own turn? Were they hoping to somehow goad the
emperor to take action against them as Claudius had done the Jews?
No. This was not some self-destructive pursuit. They saw. They saw
that Paul, here under guard and imprisoned for Christ, was utterly
undeterred by those circumstances. Nor was he suffering any
repercussions for having done so. The guard, after all, were hearing
everything he had to say. They had heard, for all that, everything he
had to write in his epistles to dated. There really wasn’t
opportunity for Paul to be doing anything in secret. That’s rather
the point of being imprisoned under guard. And if, as I believe was
the case, he was physically bound to his current captor, there was not
even opportunity for some whispered aside to escape their notice. I
would guess that even matters of toiletry were not private, under the
circumstances. There could be no secrets.
Thus, that summary to Timothy. I think I mentioned it before, and
this, I should note, would be from that later imprisonment, given that
at present Timothy is right there with him. “For
I suffer hardship and even imprisonment as a criminal. But the word
of God is not imprisoned!” (2Ti 2:9).
And this has been the story of the church consistently. The enemies
of the church seek to suppress its ability to proclaim the truth, but
those efforts only serve to cause the church to grow. They only serve
to embolden those servants of Christ to speak more boldly. It’s
entirely counterintuitive, isn’t it? It puts me in mind of Peter
Gabriel’s line in ‘Biko’. “You
can blow out the candle, but you can’t blow out the fire. Once the
flame begins to catch, the wind will blow it higher.” Now,
that was penned in response to the abuses of the South African police
during apartheid, and was something of a social justice anthem early
on. It remains a powerful song, in my view. But here, we are looking
at something beyond earthly injustice. We are looking at matters of
eternal consequence. Indeed, we are looking at matters of heaven’s
justice, and heaven’s proffer of mercy.
And those who have come to know the mercy of God granted us in Christ
Jesus, and who have found in Him a call to ministry must surely feel
this same fiery urgency to speak the truth in love, come what may.
You can imagine how the message of our Lord resonated with Luke, who
had experienced the realities of ministry with Paul. Jesus had warned
His agents, the Apostles. “Before all these
things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They
will deliver you to the synagogues and imprison you, dragging you
before kings and governors for My name’s sake. But it will lead to
opportunity for your testimony” (Lk
21:12-13). There is much more in that passage, as it
considers, at least in the nearest fulfillment, events surrounding the
fall of Jerusalem, and history shows that those believers in Jerusalem
at the time heard it thus, and took heed to get out before the worst
of it.
But it’s a longer-term message to the Church. This is what you can
expect, but understand the purpose. Understand the opportunity, and
take it. Don’t deliver canned speeches (as that instruction of our
Lord continues), but know that I Myself will give you words and wisdom
such as will be irresistible and irrefutable. And this is exactly
what those around Paul were witnessing in him. He had, admittedly,
been uniquely prepared for this ministry, with his experiences growing
up in the college city of Tarsus, out there at the junction of so many
different societal groupings. And he had the best rabbinical
training, having learned from Gamaliel. If ever one was well-equipped
to defend the gospel to whatever populace he met, it was Paul. He
knew their language. He knew their thinking. And he knew his God.
And knowing his God, our God, the only God, he recognized that even
the hardest of providences, coming from God’s hand, are intended to
serve God’s purposes. Even those things men clearly meant for evil,
God works for good. If ever one had the life experience to back his
statements, it was Paul. When he writes that all things work for good
to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose (Ro 8:28), he is writing his own life
experience. We know this because we are living it
daily.
So it is that those believers coming to visit Paul, and then
returning to their freedom, did so with more courage, a greater ‘indifference to the consequences’, as the
Amplified Bible explains the case. They have Paul’s very present,
very current example. They could see how he preached without
consequence, even their in his imprisonment, chained to guards who
could clearly hear his message, and they learned not to fear
consequences. Whom God calls to preach, God has in hand. Does this
guarantee safe passage? No. Can you blithely waltz into a war zone
and be assured you will escape unscathed because you’re preaching?
No. That’s the false assurance of, ‘the temple,
the temple, the temple!’ all over again. What you can be
assured of is that God’s purpose will be fulfilled. What Paul’s
confidence exudes is not that he holds a ‘get out
of jail free’ card. No. His confidence, as he states
plainly enough later on, is that whether he lives or dies, it will be
to the purpose of God’s glory. That’s what matters. The kingdom
purpose shall be served. And honestly, death would simply mean
opportunity to rest at last. Is it any wonder he could look forward
to that outcome? And all the more because he saw the eternality of
it. To be with Christ is immeasurably better. Your best life now?
Far from it! If anything, for the believer, it is and shall be your
worst life now. “You will have tribulation.”
Or, to take Paul’s stunning encouragement to the church, “Through
many trials we must enter the kingdom of God” (Ac
14:22).
We in the West could stand to relearn the veracity of this. We face
a limitation on our choice of products and count it a trial. We face
indifference to our message and count it a trial. Shoot, for many of
us, we encounter fellow believers who differ over certain fine points
of doctrine and count it a trial. I will not downplay the trial of
living in the sort of society we find rampant around us. It wears on
a Christian soul to have flagrant sins flaunted in one’s face, lauded
by one’s government, and even encouraged by it. “Woe
is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Too long has my soul had its dwelling with those who hate peace. I
am for it, but when I speak, they are for war” (Ps
120:5-7). This is life for the believer in the present
culture. Even amidst the ostensible church, the tide rises.
I read of this Christian men’s gathering that brought in a male porn
star to provide entertainment between sessions. First off, who ever
thought it needful to have entertainment at a gathering for ministry.
Second, who vetted this guy? And lastly, when the obvious incongruity
of it was pointed out by a minister who still took his ministry
seriously, why was he ousted, and the party left to go on? And why
did those in attendance remain still in attendance? This was so very
off that the stench of it should have had them gagging as the fled the
scene. But we’ve become accustomed, I suppose, to the offense. It
fails to offend anymore. And that’s not as it should be. Rather, we
should take courage to speak the truth. Speak it in love, yes, but
love does not consist in suppressing the message because we fear a
poor reception. No. The love of God is not like that. It’s not a
giving in to the wishes of those we would love. It’s that same
sacrificial giving of oneself in doing what’s needful for that loved
one even when said loved one rejects us for our efforts.
And so, we come to the Goodspeed translation of this verse. “And
so most of the Christian brothers have been exceedingly encouraged
by my example to declare God’s message without any fear of the
consequences.” The consequences don’t matter. Not on an
eternal scale. “Do not fear those who kill the
body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who is able to
destroy both body and soul in hell” (Mt
10:28). And you, who believe, “Take
pains with these things. Be absorbed in their doing, so that your
progress may be evident to all” (1Ti 4:15).
What things? “The public reading of Scripture,
exhortation, teaching, being an example in speech, conduct, love,
faith, purity.”
Does suppression and persecution come our way? Praise God for it.
Praise God for it, and make it your firm intention to play the man.
History shows the result. Seek to suppress the church, and she rises
up stronger. Suppress the message, and she proclaims it all the
more. Imprison her leaders, and new leaders are seeded, arising to
not only fill the gap, but pour through it. From the outset it has
been so. They persecuted the church in Jerusalem, even killing James,
and trying for a repeat performance with Peter. What came of it? The
church expanded into the country. Saul sought to stamp out this pesky
group who kept preaching Jesus, even traveling into Damascus to
further his efforts. It must be stopped, this message! And what came
of it? Saul met the living Lord, found himself truly touched by the
Holy Spirit, and became the foremost evangelist of the very Way he had
come to eradicate. Rome would try. They made Christianity illegal,
put every Christian they could find to death, choosing ways they
thought sufficiently gruesome as to deter the others. But those
others only sought the honor of being likewise martyred for their
Lord. And in the end, Rome did not defeat Christianity, Christianity
occupied Rome. China is, perhaps, learning the same lesson. As to
Europe, who can say? Perhaps they are too far gone, but God is still
the God of impossibilities. Things could shift again, and faith be
reignited. For us here in America as well, the need for a renewal of
faith is clear. We need it in our churches, and we need it even more
beyond our churches. But the candle is lit, and God supplies the
wind. This fire does not die. Ministry continues, and grows
stronger, however it may appear to us in the trenches.
Look again at Paul. Here he is, in his fourth year imprisoned. Does
he despair? Does he cry out, “why me, Lord?”
No. He preaches. He holds fast to the truth of God, and he sees that
God is producing the most unexpected results. Even those soldiers who
come to serve as his guards are, at least some portion of them, coming
to faith. Even in Nero’s own household there are now those who have
set their trust on Christ alone. One wonders what became of them as
Nero’s madness grew, but whatever became of them in the present order,
we have this same assurance, that their souls are even now with Christ
our Lord, and they shall know the same eternity with Him as shall we.
Take courage! Grow bold. The darkness may increase. Indeed, it
seems the darkness must increase. But this Light
of Christ, having come into the world, cannot be consumed by darkness
(Jn 1:5). The light yet shines, and we,
who have put on the armor of Christ are set upon the ramparts of the
kingdom to reflect that light, to shine forth that light, that those
sitting yet in darkness might see it, and rejoice in the Lord who is
most assuredly coming to take full possession of His kingdom.
In the meantime, does the church scatter, or does it grow the more
invigorated? I pray God it is the latter. May we, who feel the
oppressive darkness, remember the light in us, and shine brighter.
May we, who see our Lord so roundly rejected, become only that much
bolder to proclaim His true majesty. May we look upon the lost not
with fear, not with anger, but with compassion. And may God be
pleased not only to ignite our efforts, but to make them fruitful by
His own power to the glory of His great name. Amen.
The Takeaway (04/23/24)
I started this study by observing the emphasis Paul placed on knowing
not his circumstances, but the purpose God had in them. The gospel is
going forth. It isn’t in spite of his circumstances. It is because
of his circumstances. It is not, however, because
Paul is something special, though I dare say he is. It is all to
God. God has arranged this. God has purposed this. And beloved, He
knows what He is doing.
I could take the same perspective to our sense of self. I feel it a
most pertinent and much needed reminder to those more under the
influence of the current worldly madness. God made you. He purposed
you to be created as you were. And, He is good. His purposes are
good. He has a good reason for you. There are, as Ephesians
2:10 reminds us, good works for which we were created,
things prepared beforehand for our doing. We have seen how Paul was
created for his mission. We’re not just talking that first combining
of genes at conception. Throughout his youth, he was being prepared
for the works ahead of him. By his exposure in youth to the thinking
of Greek and Asian, he was being prepared. Certainly, by his training
as a rabbi, he was being equipped with the depth of knowledge of
Scripture needful to his task. Even in his misguided efforts to
eradicate the Christian faith, he was in fact being prepared for his
mission as defender and promotor of that very faith.
I say this is pertinent to our age in a new and visceral way, because
we have so many who urge us to self-define. You are not what you were
created to be, you are what you wish to be. That’s the thinking that
is promoted today. You may have been born thus, but if you feel (even
if it is a passing phase) like you were supposed to be something else,
then go for it. You think you’re a woman trapped in a man’s body, or
vice versa? Well, let that inner person out! Clearly, mistakes were
made. You think perhaps you were even born the wrong species? Why
not? We can pursue that as well. Just a slip up in the species
assignment department. We’ll get right on it. It’s madness, pure and
simple, a symptom of serious issues in the individual and in the
society that chooses to aid the madness rather than treat it. And the
biggest issue, the one that goes untreated and unaddressed, is the
emptiness of soul that comes of rejecting God. Honestly, I think even
the Canaanites had a hand up on this present order. At least they
believed in something. We don’t find them under such delusions as
pervade the culture today. They may have had their effeminates,
pursuers of sexual perversion, but they did not delude themselves into
thinking they could truly take on the opposite function entire. I
don’t think you would have found those who spoke of ‘lactating
persons’ amongst the crowds of Baal worshipers.
My point is this: As with those purposes, so with your person. God
made you. Yes, I understand the science, at least sufficient to have
recognition of how conception works. Yes, there were two individuals
involved in your conception, a mother and father come together, under
whatever circumstances, to bring about your conception. But the fact
remains that God made you. The fact remains that God knew you before
the beginning. The fact remains that He Who orchestrates the universe
and keeps every planet and star in its proper course, also attends to
the movements of these creatures who populate His lands. He so moved
upon your mother and father that they found one another desirable. He
orchestrated the timing, bringing them together at just that moment
when the right egg and the right sperm were available to combine.
That may sound too mechanical for you, or too fatalistic. It is not.
Your parents, like yourself, acted with full free agency. They came
together to bring you into being because it was their desire to do
so. They may not have had you intentionally in mind, but they had one
another, certainly. And, in the end, whatever their desires and
motivations, the greater matter is that God had His purpose in it:
You. And God has His purpose in you: To do those good works which He
prepared beforehand, and for which He prepared you beforehand.
You are as God intends you to be. I am not speaking now in moral
terms, but physical. You were born as you were designed to be born.
I don’t alter that view because of any malady you may suffer. I don’t
alter that view in light of chronic illness, or crippling disease. I
have known too many who shine in righteousness in spite of such
things. I have known others, as well, who make these issues central
to their being and become so focused on their handicap that it comes
to define them. And such as these give witness to nothing but
sorrow. They baste in their sense of offense. To some degree, I
think that here, too, we as a society have fed the issue rather than
address it. That probably comes across as harsh, and I don’t intend
it to be such. But we must learn that coddling those who so incline
to turn inward and settle into resentment for how unfair life is to
them does them no good at all. Far better we should encourage the
spirit of an overcomer in them, not demanding change, but demanding of
themselves to shine the more for having such challenges. This, to my
mind, demands awareness that indeed, even in such a state, you are as
God intends you to be. It’s not some cosmic joke of which you’ve been
made the butt. It’s to a purpose, and a good purpose – at least this
must surely hold if indeed you are a child of God, called according to
His purpose and loving Him.
And I am, at present, far more concerned for those who fit that
definition. This is, after all, a message to the church. Here it
is. God is with me. God is with you! We live amidst a world of
chaos, and amidst wave after wave of impinging desires. We are urged
constantly to desire what we don’t have. “All
this and more could be yours!” Look at the way of things.
Even as we have looked into a roof replacement, that siren song is
sung to us. Why shingle in the same fashion as has served for
generations? You could have all these whizzy new high-tech
materials. Do the make a difference? Who knows? Haven’t really been
around long enough to find out. Oh, and they cost a small fortune.
But you deserve it.
It's everywhere, and we know it. And still, its temptation to take
on more than we need or can rightly afford is there, isn’t it? We
deserve better. It’s the song of the tempter. It’s the same lie told
Adam and Eve. And there is that within us, as fallen people, which
resonates to the lie. And it is that resonating response that we must
mortify. God is with us, and that is all that matters. That was all
that mattered back in Eden. Can you imagine? These two had the
inordinate pleasure of walking with God, fellowship with God so close
they could chat as friends. They dwelt in this place of perfection,
fully supplied and without a care. But came that whisper in the ear,
“You deserve better,” and a hunger arose
that refused to be satisfied with the wealth of their present
situation. Fellowship with God was no longer enough. They had heard
of equality with God, and that must now be theirs. And so, the
richness of their current state was lost.
But even that, awful as its continuing fallout is, was to God’s good
purpose. Even that was accounted for before ever the grand experiment
of Creation was begun. And even before Adam had been formed from the
dust, already the coming of Christ, at the right time, was on course,
covenanted as the plan and purpose of Creation by the Persons of the
Godhead. Jesus, Who was there at the beginning, and apart from Whom
nothing that was created was created (Jn 1:2),
was going about this creating fully aware that it must inevitably
result in the Cross. And still, He was with them. Through the long
history of Israel’s vacillations and failures, He was with them. The
Rock in the wilderness, from whence the waters flowed, Who was this,
but Christ Himself (1Co 10:4)? The One Who
sustained the truth of God in spite of all man’s failings, and all
those efforts to erase it from the record was this same Jesus. The
one Who is with you, in you, confirming you in faith and sustaining
you in trial, is this same Jesus.
That’s the message Paul is shouting from his imprisonment. God is
with me, and that is all that matters. The rest is just noise. I
face Nero? Noise. I may die? Noise. The gospel is being
proclaimed? Now, that’s significant. Some preach in hopes of
antagonizing me? Fat chance! The gospel is being proclaimed, and I
could wish for nothing better. What happens to me is, in the end,
immaterial, for whatever happens to me, I know where I shall be.
Whether sooner or later, I shall be with my Lord Jesus, to be with Him
and delight in Him for eternity. Nothing else matters.
Beloved, is that your mindset? Is it mine? I suspect that like
myself, the best you can manage in answer is, “Sometimes.”
But know this, and know it to your core. He Who alone matters is with
you. He is always with you. Even to the end of the age, He is with
you. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will never let go of
you, for you are His. Whether you’re feeling it at the moment or not,
it remains the case. And He has given you purpose. He has given you
a part in His purpose. Rejoice, therefore, and get on with it. Let
His word have its perfect work in you, and let it stir in you a
boldness such as this, that even from the most constraining
circumstances, your life and your words will proclaim that Jesus is
your Lord, and you are his glad servant.
Lord, I know that this is spoken primarily to me. Again, I am
keenly aware that it is highly unlikely that any other should ever
read what I write here. It’s You and me, in spite of the way You
have caused me to write. I need to hear this. I need to be stirred
by this. I need to attain to such boldness as this, that I would
gladly speak of You and Your goodness and mercy (and yes, Your wrath
and judgment of sin), to any who will sit still long enough to hear
it. I have to ask, Lord, why it is I grow so agitated with those
who are already in such a place? Is it resentment? Is it untamed
worldliness fighting my own spiritual maturing? Whatever it is, it
puts me the more in need of You. And I know You shall provide for
my need. I know, too, that You have left me a free agent, though a
bondservant of Your own possession. So, I ask that You would so
work in me, that I would work in You, boldly and gladly, with no
thought as to consequences. That is, after all, the call. Help me
to answer as I ought. Keep me faithful to Your purposes, and let my
love for You both grow and show. Help me tune out the noise.