Making the Most of Your Chains!
Philippians 1:12-14

Most of us do not like to be bothered with difficult times; we would prefer things moved smoothly in our lives.  Paul had a different attitude; he had the attitude of Christ!

Some of us are shackled by sin (Psalms 107:8-14).

Paul was a prisoner, but it did not hinder him; it helped him.  The word Paul uses for the advancement of the gospel is "prokope", a word that is used for the progress of an army. It is from the verb "prokoptein", which means to cut down in advance. It is a word, which describes the cutting away of trees and undergrowth, removing the barriers, which would hinder the progress of an army. Paul's imprisonment "opened the door" to new areas of work into which he would have never penetrated.

How did Paul get here?

Paul, seeing that there was no justice for him in Palestine, had appealed to Caesar. He had been escorted to Rome under military protection, and

when he had arrived there, he had been handed over to "the captain of the guard" (Acts 28:16-30).

Paul repeatedly refers to himself as a prisoner or as being in bonds. He tells the Roman Christians that, although he had done no wrong, he was delivered a prisoner “desmios” into the hands of the Romans (Acts 28:17).

In Colossians he speaks of being in bonds for the sake of Christ, and bids the Colossians to remember his bonds (Colossians 4:3 & 18).

In (Philemon 9 &13) he calls himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ and speaks of the bonds of the gospel. In (Ephesians 3:1) he again calls himself the prisoner for Jesus Christ.

There are two passages in which these bonds are more closely defined. In (Acts 28:20) he speaks of himself as being bound with this chain, and he uses the same word (Ephesians 6:20) when he speaks of himself as an ambassador in chains. It is in this word halusis that we find our key. The halusis was the short length of chain by which the wrist of a prisoner was bound to the wrist of the soldier who was his guard, so that escape was impossible. Night and day in that private lodging there was a soldier to guard him, a soldier to whom he was chained by his halusis all the time. There would, of course, be a roster of guardsmen assigned to this duty, and in two years one by one the guardsmen would be on duty with Paul.

This was no ordinary guard detail; this was the “Praetorian Guard”. The Praetorian Guard was the Imperial Guard of Rome. They had been instituted by Augustus and were a body of ten thousand hand-picked troops. Tiberius had concentrated them in Rome in a specially built and fortified camp. Vitellius had increased their number to sixteen thousand.

Later they became the Emperor's private bodyguard, and in the end they became a big problem. They were concentrated in Rome, and there came a time when the Praetorian Guard became nothing less than king-makers; for inevitably it was their nominee who was made Emperor every time, since they could impose their will by force. It was to the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, their commanding officer, that Paul was handed over when he arrived in Rome.

Paul was in chains, but he made the most of it!

1.  Paul took this opportunity to witness! (12-13)

What an opportunity! These soldiers would hear Paul preach and talk to his friends. Is there any doubt that in the long hours Paul would open up a discussion about Jesus with the soldier to whose wrist he was chained? His imprisonment had opened the way for preaching the gospel to the finest regiment in the Roman army.

No wonder he declared that his imprisonment had actually been for the furtherance of the gospel.

All the Praetorian Guard knew why Paul was in prison; many of them may have been reached for Christ. Can people see your faith in Christ during the hard times?  Does your light burn brighter in the dark times? Are you making the most of your opportunities?

(Ephesians 5:15-17 & Colossians 4:5-6)

2. Paul took this opportunity to encourage. (14a)

Paul’s attitude gave to the brethren at Philippi fresh courage to preach the gospel and to witness for Christ. Paul's bonds had removed the barriers and given him access to the cream of the Roman army, and his bonds had been the medicine of courage to the brethren at Philippi.

(I Thessalonians 3:7-9 & Hebrews 3:13)

3. Paul took this opportunity to inspire. (14b)

Paul’s attitude inspired new believers to witness for Christ in a more bold fashion, with fearless conviction!  Do you inspire others with the way you face adversity or can you been depended upon to crumble under the pressure?

(I Corinthians 11:1-2 & II Thessalonians 3:7-9)