One of the most powerful and influential books in the history of mankind is John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. It chronicles the lives and stories of Christians who have been persecuted from the time of Christ up until the reign of Bloody Mary in the late 1500’s. It held such influence that at one time it, along with the Bible, was chained to the pews in many Protestant churches throughout England. (Books were often so rare and valuable that they would chain them to the pews to keep them from being taken). In the introduction to one edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyr’s a man by the name of James Miller Dodds said it well:

"After the Bible itself, no book so profoundly influenced early Protestant sentiment as the Book of Martyrs. Even in our own time it is still a living force. It is more than a record of persecution. It is an arsenal of controversy, a storehouse of romance, as well as a source of edification."[1]

It is evident from the great influence Foxe’s Book of Martyrs (or even the modern Jesus Freaks) that people giving their life for the cause of Christ is a great motivator towards evangelism and a great source of edification. Something stirs deep within me whenever I read these stories of men and women who gave their lives for the cause of Christ. I am always inspired to ask myself two questions whenever I read these accounts; do I love Christ so much that I would suffer for Him and do I love Christ so much that I am willing to live every moment for Him?

Apparently the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment had the same impact upon those Christian’s who had heard of his situation. The way that this sentence is worded helps us to know that it is not as if the Philippians had been not preaching the word at all—it is more that they are no more passionate and bolder than they have ever been and because of this Paul is rejoicing.

So, we see the mighty influence that Paul’s chains are having. Even though Paul is chains the gospel is not. The great truth that Paul is proclaiming to us is that even though Christian’s might be killed or chained their message (the gospel) cannot be fettered (chained). The great gospel of the glory of God cannot and will not be stopped-and for this Paul (and we) will rejoice. As John Eadie eloquently puts it, “though they might grieve at the confinement of the man, they would be comforted that the cause with which he was identified had not been arrested in its progress.”[2]

Today:

• Rejoice in and worship the Lord who will not be thwarted
• Be emboldened in the cause of Christ and continue to advance the gospel without fear
• Ask yourself, “Do I love Christ so much that I am willing to suffer for Him?
• Ask yourself, “Do I love Christ so much that I am willing to live for Him?

For your benefit Foxe’s Book of Martyrs can be checked out of the youth library (as can Jesus Freaks). Also you can read Foxe’s Book of Martyrs at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/foxe/martyrs/files/martyrs.html

[1] Taken from http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/foxe.html but can also be found in the Forbush edition of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
[2] Eadie, John. The Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians. Taken from http://www.biblecentre.net/

• If I were chained to a guard would they consistently here the gospel and see the gospel modeled in the way I lived my life?
• Does the gospel go with me wherever I go? Meaning: Am I a witness to the greatness and glory of Jesus Christ no matter where or in what circumstance I am in?

Tomorrow we will learn about the second way the gospel is advancing through Paul’s imprisonment. Today we learned that Paul’s chains are advancing the gospel into the community at Rome. Tomorrow we will see how the gospel is advanced inside the Church through Paul’s imprisonment.

[1] Arnold, Clinton. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary. p351
[2] Hendriksen, William. NT Commentary: Philippians, Colossian, Philemon. p69
[3] Ibid, p68

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me…”

Around 57 AD Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome. In it Paul says this, “I long to see you…I want you to know, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you…” We learn further from Acts 19:21 and 23:11 that Paul’s longing was to preach the gospel in Rome. Perhaps he knew the impact this would have upon the world. If the gospel can spread to Rome then it can spread throughout the world. Paul had longed to go to Rome as a freedman and preach the gospel.

But something happened shortly after Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. He was imprisoned in Caesarea. It certainly would have appeared that this evangelist’s days were over (and perhaps he would never be able to preach the gospel in Rome). But God in his great wisdom actually used this circumstance to further His kingdom and fulfill Paul’s passion; this imprisonment would lead Paul to Rome. Gerald Hawthorne in his commentary to the Philippians says it well:

“When Paul was arrested in Jerusalem (Acts 21) and shut away in prison in Caesarea (Acts 23, 24), one could easily imagine that this was the end of his ministry, especially as his imprisonment dragged on month after month (Acts 24:27). But in the providence of God the place of his imprisonment, the Praetorium of Herod (Acts 23:35), and the length of his imprisonment, both served to thrust the gospel up into higher levels of Roman society than it had ever reached before.”[1]

We are going to learn in the coming days that this seemingly crummy circumstance has really served to advance the gospel. What I really love about this story is that Paul is dying to get to Rome—and in the wisdom of God he sends Paul to Rome as a prisoner. As we are going to learn in the coming days Paul was able to minister to people and places that had he not been a prisoner he probably would have never won an audience.

Before applying this I also want to mention another possibility of Paul’s circumstances. As one commentator noted, “Verse 12 does not seem to be a reference to his imprisonment, about which previous communication with the Philippians had informed them, but to more recent developments. Perhaps Paul had been moved from his hired house (Acts 28:30) to the Praetorian camp or to some place more accessible to the trial scene.”[2]

So, it is quite possible that it is not only Paul’s imprisonment that is causing concern. Paul certainly would have understood what James meant when he said, “you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that”. For Paul each day was up in the air. He had to live each day by faith.

Think upon this today:

• What “crummy” situations in my life could be used for God’s glory?
• Would your attitude be the same as Paul’s if things did not work out quite like you planned?
• Do you live each day by faith or do you plan out your entire life?

[1] Hawthrone, Gerald. Word Biblical Commentary. Taken from http://www.biblecentre.net/
[2] Kent, Homer. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Taken from http://www.biblecentre.net/

Last night you were challenged to give your life to something far more significant than a blade of grass. I really hope that you caught the significance of what is being said. My prayer for you is much the same as Paul's...I pray that your love might abound more and more...I pray that your love might be grounded in knowledge and discernment...I pray that you might approve that which is vital...I pray that you might be presented to Christ as pure and blameless.

It is significant to note that Paul is "praying" for these things. One of the areas that I think I failed in last night is portraying that your "approving that which is vital" comes from our relationship with Jesus Christ. All of these things come as gifts of grace to us from God. You can not do this on your own. Remember John 15, "Apart from me you can do nothing". Not wasting our lives on a blade of grass is a lifelong endeavor. It is a constant struggle. Our sinful nature and our enemy the devil are constantly waging war on us. We will always struggle with this until we are finally made whole in Christ Jesus. But struggle we must! In the near future I hope to do a series on spiritual warfare.

The full-text for last nights sermon can be found at the following address:
http://uncutsermons.blogspot.com/2007/03/essentials-to-gospel-advancement-focus.html

However, it will be a little different than the actual delivery. That is why we are working on taping each service. We were able to get the music aspect of the worship service last night on video (I am still working on formatting it and figuring out how to effectively put it on the website).

A new WHO AM EYE will be posted today (Thurs.) a new quiz will hopefully be posted tomorrow (Friday) and a new devotional will either appear tonight or tomorrow!