Title: Paul's Great Desire
Author: Gerald Harris
Text: Phil. 3:10
When Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, he was most likely in prison in Rome; and he was an old man chronologically, a doomed man circumstantially, a weak man physically, but primarily he was a spiritual man who even in his old age wanted to know the person, the power, and the passion of Jesus Christ.
And in spite of his imprisonment, in spite of his weakness, in spite of his circumstances, this letter is known as an epistle of joy. And I think I know why. It is because he has information to indicate that there are people in Caesar's court that have been saved and who have begun to boldly share their faith in Jesus Christ.
Listen to what he says in verses 12-14 of Philippians 1:
12 "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel;
13 "So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places:
14 "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."
Then notice how Paul ends this epistle. In verse 22 of chapter 4 Paul writes: "All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's housed."
I believe what was happening in Caesar's Palace was at least partially responsible for the joyful tone of the letter to the Philippians. Nothing can lighten the burdens of our ministry more than being able to see some of its fruit, and by saving some of Caesar's household Gad gave that encouragement to Paul when he needed it most.
Caesar's household contained the group of people who were closest to the most powerful man on earth. What's truly remarkable here is how quickly God made inroads into the very seat of power in the Roman Empire. Now some of those saved may well have been mere house servants or humble slaves, but yet Caesar's household had already been infiltrated ...
Author: Gerald Harris
Text: Phil. 3:10
When Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, he was most likely in prison in Rome; and he was an old man chronologically, a doomed man circumstantially, a weak man physically, but primarily he was a spiritual man who even in his old age wanted to know the person, the power, and the passion of Jesus Christ.
And in spite of his imprisonment, in spite of his weakness, in spite of his circumstances, this letter is known as an epistle of joy. And I think I know why. It is because he has information to indicate that there are people in Caesar's court that have been saved and who have begun to boldly share their faith in Jesus Christ.
Listen to what he says in verses 12-14 of Philippians 1:
12 "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel;
13 "So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places:
14 "And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."
Then notice how Paul ends this epistle. In verse 22 of chapter 4 Paul writes: "All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's housed."
I believe what was happening in Caesar's Palace was at least partially responsible for the joyful tone of the letter to the Philippians. Nothing can lighten the burdens of our ministry more than being able to see some of its fruit, and by saving some of Caesar's household Gad gave that encouragement to Paul when he needed it most.
Caesar's household contained the group of people who were closest to the most powerful man on earth. What's truly remarkable here is how quickly God made inroads into the very seat of power in the Roman Empire. Now some of those saved may well have been mere house servants or humble slaves, but yet Caesar's household had already been infiltrated ...
There are 22373 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
