What happened to the title
Contents
1. Words that begin
It is perfectly natural to succeed or win when the conditions are well met. But human greatness and exceptional willpower cannot be seen in a person who succeeds or triumphs because of well-equipped conditions. We can see human greatness and unparalleled willpower in those who succeed or triumph over adverse or unfavorable circumstances. Therefore, we, too, will take on the challenge for success and victory with courage and hope without blaming unfavorable circumstances or unfavorable conditions.
Paul has succeeded in one of the most valuable and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in a very adverse environment, the times and bad conditions. The reason his success shines brighter than the success of others is because it is the success of overcoming endless persecution and tribulation, and the success of overcoming the battle with himself. The greatness of the Apostle Paul's success is incomparable to any other success, not just for himself or his family, but because he brought mortals to Jesus, the Lord of eternal life, at the price of sin.
2. The Progress of the Gospel in Worst Conditions
The apostle Paul, who was arrested while preaching the gospel in Jerusalem, appealed to the Roman emperor by claiming that he was a Roman citizen. He was escorted to Rome after going through ups and downs such as meeting a storm and overcoming death. He was imprisoned in a shackle with a guard who took turns in a rented house.
The feet of the apostle Paul, the great missionary who went to preach the gospel, were tied tightly. Moreover, some church members who heard that the apostle Paul had been imprisoned were afraid to go to evangelism, skeptical about God's omnipotence and care, or even betrayed their faith. Since the apostle Paul, who was known for his theology, gifts, spiritual power, and evangelical missions in the early church, was imprisoned in Rome, where he could die, the idea that the gospel could not be spread any more became widespread. In a common sense, it was a very natural decision and action.
However, the apostle Paul, who was actually imprisoned, had a different opinion. As a great man of faith, he thought by faith, judged by faith, spoke by faith, and acted by faith. The apostle Paul was not a person with a positive mindset or an active mindset, but a person with a faith mindset and a theological mindset that transcends them. Often, instead of rebuking the disciples for being thoughtless, Jesus rebuked them for having little faith. What did the Apostle Paul, who thinks and judges by faith while living in prison where life and death are uncertain, said to the church members? In verse 12, it says, “I want you to know, brethren, that what happened to me has made progress in the gospel.”
Prokopen (προκοπ?ν), the original word for “progress,” was used to pioneer an army to march well. It meant ‘to cut down in advance’, ‘to move forward while removing obstacles in the way’. AT Robertson writes, “Prokope (προκοπ?) is used in Stoic philosophy as progress toward wisdom, and in Paul it is used in the advancement of young ministers in terms of culture and power” (1 Tim. I did.
The purpose of the Apostle Paul was that there was a great barrier to the spread of the gospel, that is, the evangelist himself was imprisoned, but the gospel was not only not confined, but rather spread more widely in barren land. W. Hendriksen said, “When Paul went to Rome as a prisoner, the Gospel was actually to Rome.”
In this way, God's providence is beyond human thought. Isaiah 55:8 et seq., declares, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, saith the Lord, My ways are not your ways, just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” .
Joseph's brothers hated Joseph because he was light-mouthed, so he threw him into a pit and then took it out and sold him as a slave. On the contrary, Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt to solve the worldwide famine and to protect the providence of God for all the unfortunate events of the past. He praised and forgave his brothers. Israel, being pursued by Pharaoh's mighty army in front of the Red Sea, was able to sing a song of victory to the Lord. Job, who had lost all his children, property, and health, received a double blessing, and came to understand the mystery of God's wisdom more deeply than before.
Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died on the cross by people's hands, on the contrary, overcame sin, death, and Satan through his death on the cross, and made all the saints praise that victory. The members of the Jerusalem Church, who were scattered to Judea, Samaria, and other Gentile lands because of extreme persecution, used it as an opportunity to spread the gospel, and thus the gospel could be spread throughout the Gentile regions.
3. Success of evangelism through imprisonment
In the opinion of the people, imprisonment, a decisive obstacle to evangelism, was actually God's providence to preach the gospel to Rome, the center of the world at the time, and also to the heart of Rome, a barren land of the gospel. It was the Apostle Paul who obeyed God's wonderful and mysterious providence.
First, the apostle Paul succeeded in evangelizing through the unfavorable environment and the harsh conditions of imprisonment. The Apostle Paul revealed that his imprisonment was manifested in the demonstrators all in Christ. It is that, despite the injustice in prison, they did not complain or give in to the slightest bit, and boldly preaching the gospel appeared to the guards who numbered nine thousand and sixteen thousand at times in Christ. Among the guards who were monitoring the apostle Paul, there were those who heard the gospel and believed and became Christians. According to Philippians 4:22, even the people of the Roman emperor's household heard the gospel and believed and became Christians. The gospel reached the heart of Rome, where the emperor ruled.
Second, Apostle Paul zealously taught the gospel to those he encountered, especially believers, through unfavorable circumstances and harsh conditions of imprisonment, and gave appropriate lessons on church and faith issues. The indomitable spirit and attitude of the apostle Paul as such a fighter of the gospel made a great impression on the guards who watched. In particular, we should note that many of the brothers in the faith were deeply impressed by the apostle Paul, who preached and taught the gospel zealously while in prison. No matter how deeply impressed they were, they spoke the word of God more boldly and fearlessly through faith in the Lord.
Everyone should be aware that their words and actions will affect others in some way. In particular, our church members should impress everyone, including our brothers and sisters of faith, by saying and doing things that believe in God's providence instead of complaining when they are in unfavorable circumstances or in unfavorable conditions.
Third, the apostle Paul documented the revelation and gospel of God through unfavorable circumstances and the harsh conditions of imprisonment. Words are temporary, but documents are almost permanent. Speech is limited to listeners in the field, but documents can be read anytime, anywhere and in any situation. Words are added, subtracted, distorted and corrupted as they are transmitted, but documents are transmitted as they are written. The importance of documents cannot be compared to the importance of words. Surprisingly, the apostle Paul wrote the books of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while in prison. Even after nearly two thousand years have passed since the documents, which are the Word of God, were released into the world, do we not realize the truth of the gospel and receive grace as we read?
If the Apostle Paul was imprisoned, he said, ‘Is it possible to obey God’s will and preach the gospel? Does God really exist? It is said that God is all-powerful and protects and protects His children. If that is the case, then why am I living in an unfair prison where life and death are uncertain?' .
The Apostle Paul showed his side as a fighter of the gospel anytime, anywhere and in any situation. How are we? For great believers, including the apostle Paul, obstacles, difficulties, and barriers were not obstacles in life, but rather stepping stones to progress and success.
4. Conclusion
The Apostle Paul believed in God's providence and succeeded in the most valuable work of evangelism even in the most unfavorable circumstances and adverse conditions. The reason his success shines brighter than the success of others is because it is the success of overcoming continuous tribulation and persecution, and the success of overcoming the battle with himself. Like Paul, I hope that we can all believe in the providence of God's love, think by faith, judge by faith, and act by faith to achieve success and victory, and further fulfill the fruit of evangelism in any circumstance anytime, anywhere, just like Paul.
(Pungseong Methodist Church. Books: Complete Commentary on New Testament Volume 27/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/ Understanding Paul’s Man/ Prosperity Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermon Books 18. T. 426 -3051)