Are we in the way?

Are we in the way of others finding Christ?

Are we in the way of others knowing the eternal joy of God’s salvation?

We must get ourselves out of the way so that God can have His way—in us!

We must get ourselves out of the way so that God can use us!

We must become a “captive audience” of God’s plan for our lives!

We must!

Brothers and sisters are so important within the church because the “family” is stronger because each member provides an essential, necessary part of the whole “body” of Christ.  The apostle Paul knew the importance of the effective body of the local church, and as a called church planter, this apostle spent his entire life after his Christian conversion to that end.  Jesus was born a martyr;  Paul became a martyr (for the cause of Christ).

As an imprisoned man, chained 24-7 to the praetorian guard, Paul lost his ability to live alone.  As we consider that for a moment and allow the weight of Paul’s situation to sink in, we will understand exactly what Paul’s days and nights looked like.

• Dose off to sleep—feel the guard moving his leg, which causes Paul’s leg to move as well due to the chain that connects the two bodies.
• Awake during the middle of the night—sense the guard there beside Paul, moving also in his sleep, as he feels the weight of the chain.
• Opening his eyes to the new day (earlier than he might want) to find his nightly guard already awake and tugging on the chain as the guard and the apostle Paul begin the new day.
• Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner—if Paul is given three meals, then he eats when the guard eats OR Paul watches (close by due to their chained together bodies) as he eats and Paul is denied food.
• Day-after-day, night-after-night, week-by-week, and month-by-month—once Paul is chained, the closeness and lack of privacy remains.

This situation of house arrest continues until Paul arrives in Rome, Italy where he faces his execution.

“Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, . . .”

The missionary and apostle Paul wants those at Philippi to know that his circumstance (of being chained to the praetorian guard) has turned out to be a GREAT opportunity.

“the greater progress of the gospel, . . .”

The missionary and apostle Paul wants those at the church of Philippi to realize that his situation (of being incarcerated under house arrest) has become an opportunity to witness for Jesus.

“so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else, . . .”

The missionary and apostle Paul wants those seeing his imprisonment to see the GREATEST possible outcome for his suffering during his imprisonment.

“and that most of the brothers and sisters, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, . . .”

The missionary and apostle Paul wants those at Philippi to know that his circumstance (of being chained to the praetorian guard) has allowed other believers to—

“have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”

The truest definition of a “martyr” is to be a WITNESS!

We must get ourselves out of the way so that God can have His way—in us!

We must get ourselves out of the way so that God can use us!

We must become a “captive audience” of God’s plan for our lives!

We must!

• Maybe the LORD has given us something to endure, and in doing so, in living within this life-situation, we have become a “captive” audience to what God is accomplishing through us.
• Maybe today is the day when we begin to see just exactly the GOOD that may come from what seems like an unbearable struggle.
• Maybe today is the day we begin to see how GOD CAN USE ALL THINGS FOR HIS GOOD PLAN!

Our faith grows through our testing, through our situations, through our trials in life.  May we not grumble when life becomes hard but may we ask:

“LORD, how will YOU use this tough situation for YOUR GOOD?”