Guilty as charged?

I want you to know, my friends, that the things that have happened to me have really helped the progress of the gospel. As a result, the whole palace guard and all the others h re know that I am in prison because I am a servant of Christ. And my being in prison has given most of the believers ore confidence in the Lord, so that they grow bolder all the time to preach the message fearlessly.  (verses 12-14)

Read Philippians 1:12-30

One of the most sobering things I ever read was the question, ‘If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to find you guilty?’

Paul shows there was no lack of evidence in regard to the church in Rome. Paul himself led by example, making sure that everyone – even his jailers – knew who he was and what he was in jail for. And so, in a society where it was illegal to be a Christian (a crime punishable by death), more and more Christians spoke out boldly about their faith.

We will not be executed or martyred for our faith. The most we face is possible ridicule from those who have no time for anything Christian – or possibly anything religious. But the need for the gospel to be heard is as great now as it was in Paul’s time. People are dying without hearing it. Can we allow this to go on?

The church grew and the gospel was spread despite the best efforts of emperors to suppress it. This was because those who believed were grateful for what God had done for them, and they wanted others to know Jesus too. I hope we can be equally bold.

Father, thank you for the wonderful examples, through the centuries, of people with strong faith and the courage to share it. Help me to be one of them. Amen.

by Robert Turnbull, in ‘Living Water for each Day’ (LCA, Openbook, 2001)

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