Acts: The Expansion of the Church
Session 15
Estimated reading time: 20 minutes
Prison Outreach
In this, our final chapter of the Apostle Paul’s saga in the Book of Acts, we will be discussing, his time of “Prison Outreach.” In the previous chapter, we left Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus arriving in Rome with the believers gathering to meet them at the Appii Forum and the Three Taverns after having spent three months on the island of Malta. I think it would be of interest to know some of the believers who were living in Rome at that time.
Romans 16:3–16 APNT
Greet Priscilla and Aquila, workers with me in Jesus Christ,
(We know Priscilla and Aquila were with Paul in Corinth and Ephesus, now we find them in Rome also.)
because these same ones risked their necks for my life. And not only I am thankful for them, but also all the churches of the Gentiles [are thankful].
And greet the church that is in their house. (He then, continues to name a number of other people.) Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first[fruit] of Achaia in Christ.
Greet Mary who has toiled much among you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my brothers, who were captives with me and are known by the apostles and were in Christ before me.
Greet Amplias, my beloved in our Lord.
Greet Urbane, a worker who is with us in Christ, and my beloved Stachys.
Greet Apelles, chosen in our Lord. Greet the household of Aristobulus.
Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet the household of Narcissus, who are in our Lord.
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa who labor in our Lord. Greet my beloved Persis, who labored much in our Lord. (These are the laborers Paul met when he went to Rome.)
Greet Rufus, chosen in our Lord, and his own mother and mine.
(Rufus could possibly be the son of Simon the Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross.)
Greet Asyncritus and Phlegon and Hermas and Patrobas and Hermes and the brothers who are with them.
Greet Philologus and Julia and Nereus and his sister and Olympas and all of the holy [ones] who are with them.
Greet each other with a holy kiss. All of the churches of Christ greet you.
Just look at all these wonderful names. These are the laborers Paul met as he was arriving in Rome. This a lot of people. I thought it would be fun to read these names because they are some of our brothers and sisters whom we will meet at the gathering together. We know very little about most of them, However, we do know they are our brothers and sisters in Christ and they lived in one of the largest cities of the Roman Empire, Rome, which had a population of over four million people. These these were some of the believers who lived there.
We will now look at Acts 28 for the rest of the Paul’s story. When Paul, Luke, and Aristarchus arrived in Rome, Paul was delivered to the captain of the guard.
Acts 28:16 APNT
And we entered Rome and the centurion (His name was Julius. Remember the centurion who had been with them on the “almost” shipwreck.) allowed Paul to lodge where he wanted, with a soldier who guarded him.
The phrase, “he was delivered to the captain of the guard,” which is found in both the King James and the Greek, is omitted, in the Aramaic. However, who was this “captain of the guard?” He was called the Praetorian Prefect, and his name was Burrhus. He was a very famous person at this particular time of the Roman Empire. He had helped raise Nero to the throne and was known for his moderation. Paul went from being in the charge of Julius, the centurion who had so wonderfully cared for and helped him during his entire journey, to now he was transferred to another man who was also a moderate. He allowed Paul to lodge “where he wanted,’ in his own house; probably close to the location of the Praetorian Guard. He was allowed to lodge there having only one guard chained to him.
Acts 28:17–20 APNT
And after three days, Paul sent [and] called for the rulers of the Judeans. And when they were gathered, he said to them, “Men, my brothers, although in nothing I stood against the people and the law of my fathers, I was delivered in bonds at Jerusalem into the hand of the Romans.”
And after they examined me, they wanted to release me, because they did not find any fault against me that was worthy of death.
(Paul gathered the Judeans who were in Rome to tell them about his case.)
And as the Judeans stood against me, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, [but] not because I had anything of which I would accuse the sons of my people.
Because of this, I asked you to come and to see you and to narrate these [things] to you, for because of the hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain.”
At this point, he held up his chain, as if for emphasis. This was their response.
Acts 28:21–27 APNT
They said to him, “We have not received a letter about you from Judea and none of the brothers who have come from Jerusalem have told us anything that is evil about you.
Now we want to hear from you what you think, because we know that this teaching is not accepted by men.”
(They wanted Paul to explain to them on another day about what he has been preaching.)
And they appointed him a day and they gathered together. And many came to him where he was lodging and he made known to them about the kingdom of God, witnessing and persuading them about Jesus, from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning until evening. (I would have loved to have been in that sermon.)
And some of them were convinced of his words and others were not convinced.
And they left him, disagreeing with one another. And Paul said to them this word, “Well did the Holy Spirit speak by the mouth of Isaiah the prophet against your fathers,
saying: GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY TO THEM, HEARING, YOU WILL HEAR AND YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND AND YOU WILL SEE AND YOU WILL NOT COMPREHEND.
FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DENSE AND THEY HAVE MADE HEAVY THEIR HEARING AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, LEST THEY SHOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS AND SHOULD UNDERSTAND IN THEIR HEART[S] AND SHOULD RETURN TO ME AND I SHOULD FORGIVE THEM.”
This is a quotation from Isaiah 6: 9-10, which is referring to hardness of the hearts of many of the Judeans. However, there were some who did believe. From this point on, they placed the case before the court of Nero. Because there were no immediate accusers, they had to manufacture accusations against him, and then find witnesses to build a case against him.
Acts 28:30 APNT
And Paul hired a house for himself at his own [cost] and was in it [for] two years. And there he received all those who came to him.
The building of the case persisted for two years before it came to the point of a decision of what to do about Paul. Nonetheless, this is what Paul was doing in the meantime; and this the theme of this subject.
Acts 28:31 APNT
And he was preaching about the kingdom of God and teaching boldly about our Lord Jesus Christ without hindrance.
This is what Paul did during two years. Philippians, chapter four, expands and explains this time period.
Philippians 4:22 APNT
All the holy [ones] greet you, especially those who are from the household of Caesar.
We are going to see the word started moving and spreading through the Praetorian Guard, and from there, all the way to Caesar’s household. We will go back to Philippians 1. This is really quite a testimony of a man’s life. You recall, in chapter 5 on “Saul’s Conversion,” when Saul was born again on the road to Damascus. This took place around 34 AD. At this point in time, it is between 60 and 62 AD. We are talking about a period of time of approximately 26 to 28 years that the gospel was preached throughout all of Jerusalem first. From there it was preached in Antioch, then Asia, then Macedonia, then Achaia, and spreading from there. Now we are in Italy. There was an astounding number of believers who were already in place here. Because Paul was being held as a prisoner, and guarded by the Praetorian Guard, he then had an opportunity to witness not only to all the soldiers, but to all of the people who are in Caesar’s palace. This is what Paul was referring to in this verse. We will read several verses where Paul, in his own words, explained what happened to him while he was in prison.
Philippians 1:12 APNT
Now I want you to know, my brothers, that my circumstance has increasingly led to advancement in the gospel,
The word “advancement,” in King James is “furtherance” of the gospel. It literally means “to go forward.” It is the Greek word “prokope,” and it means “to cut or strike forward.” “Vincent’s Word Studies” had a really interesting comment about this. “It is like pioneers cutting away before an army and so furthering its march.” It would be like the pioneers or the scouts of an army cutting through the brush to make a way so the entire army could forge ahead. That is what Paul was calling his time in prison: an advancement as a pioneer of the gospel.
Philippians 1:13 APNT
so that even my bonds in Christ are publicized in all the Praetorium and to everyone else.
I wanted to give you a bit of really fascinating information about the Praetorian Guard.
The Praetorians formed the Imperial Guards and they were picked men and there were 10,000 in number, and they were all of Italian birth. They were started by Augustus. They are called the Praetorian because that is what he named them. Under Tiberius, they were assembled at Rome in a fortified camp. They were distinguished by having double pay and special privileges. Their term of service was usually 12 years and even up to 16 years. They all seemed to have had the same rank as the centurions in the regular legions. They became the most powerful body in the state. The emperors were obliged to court their favor. Even though the emperors were the ones who had established them, they became powerful in their own right. Those people who were in the Praetorian Guard were considered to be the elite of the elite of the Roman legions.
It is these people to whom the Apostle Paul witnessed! He was under the charge of these troops. The soldiers would relieve each other of the guard in a rotation. He was linked to at least one Praetorian with a chain called a coupling chain. This chain attached him to the guard. As a result, wherever Paul was, if he was in his house, and someone came to visit, the guard would be right there. They would be hearing everything he was talking about with all the believers who came to visit him; and everyone else to whom he witnessed. Then, of course, he would be witnessing to them also. Because of the number of guards who were part of the rotation, there were many, many people who heard the word. From this, you see the advancement of the gospel came through the fact that he was chained to a Praetorian. Those same Praetorians took the gospel back into their barracks and into their camp, where there were 10,000 guards. That is how it moved from there.
Philippians 1:14 APNT
And many of the brothers who are in our Lord have become confident on account of my bonds and are increasingly bold to speak the word of God without fear.
You see there is the word “increasingly” in both verses 12 and 14. It is like an emphasis, how it was “increasing and increasing and increasing and increasing and increasing.” In less than two years, all of these people were reached in one way or another because of the outreach that was happening while Paul was being held as a prisoner.
In Ephesians 6:20, Paul states that he is “an ambassador in bonds,” in the King James. In Ephesians 4:1, he calls himself “the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ,” or a “prisoner of Christ.” We will read Philippians 1:14 again: “And many of the brothers who are in our Lord have become confident on account of my bonds, and are increasingly bold to speak the word of God without fear.” Without fear, they were preaching the gospel, in spite of the fact that Paul was a prisoner.
He then goes on to say…
Philippians 1:16–19 APNT
And some are preaching Christ out of envy and controversy, but others with goodwill and in love, because they know that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”
(This is exactly what Paul was doing. He was standing for the gospel of Jesus Christ.)
Now those who are preaching Christ with controversy are not [doing it] purely, but they hope to add pressure to my bonds.
(They are preaching, even though they are preaching out of envy, but they are preaching.)
And in this I rejoiced and am rejoicing, that in every way, whether in pretext or with truthfulness, Christ is preached.
For I know that these [things] will be found for life to me by your prayer and by the gift of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
We will look at Philippians 4 again. This also is a testimony of himself during this time. The famous verse that is always quoted from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Now that we see a little bit about where he was in prison, and what he was doing during the time he wrote Philippians, these verses make much more sense.
Philippians 4:11–13 APNT
Now I do not say [this] because I am in need, for I have learned that what I have will be sufficient for me.
(Yes, it was sufficient. He had enough to pay for a hired house. He had enough to meet his needs and the freedom to speak. These were the main things that were important to him.)
I know [how] to be humble. I also know [how] to abound in every [situation] and I am disciplined in everything, whether in plenty or in famine, in abundance or in need.
I find strength for everything in Christ who strengthens me.
“I find the strength.” It is more than “I can do,” because he could not do some things. He was still chained to a guard. He still could not leave that place. However, he found strength in that. He found a purpose. He found a voice to be able to continue to preach, and to continue to truly herald forth the gospel.
During the two year time period he was in prison, there were three prominent people who visited him. The first one was Epaphroditus, who is described in Philippians also because he was from Philippi. He went to Rome to bring a donation which the Philippian church had collected for Paul while he was in prison. This was an extremely long journey for him, over a thousand miles, to bring the Philippians’ gift. Remember the previous discussion about how generous the Philippian church was? Once again, they sent to Paul, this time when he was in prison.
It was Epaphroditus who brought the gift; then stayed to minister to Paul. During this time he became sick and almost died. This was the occasion for Paul writing the letter to the Philippians; because he was sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi. In it he encouraged them because they knew their friend, Epaphroditus, had been sick and almost died. However, he was well again, and Paul was sending him home with a letter. In the letter, Paul spoke about his love for the Philippian church.
The second person we will spend a little bit more time on is Epaphras; he is from Colossae. Colossae is about 125 miles east of Ephesus. Remember, Paul spent two years and three months in Ephesus, and the word moved throughout Asia. Colossae is in Asia, east of Ephesus. Epaphras was probably one who had helped to found the churches in Colossae, Laodicea, and Heropolis. They are a cluster of cities that are all very close together.
We will look in Colossians to learn a bit about this man named Epaphras.
Colossians 1:7–8 APNT
as you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ,
and who has made known to us your love that is by the Spirit.
Epaphras was in Colossae, and was the minister, or at least one of the ministers in Colossae.
He went to Rome bringing a report to Paul about what was taking place, probably in Ephesus and in Colossae. He was very concerned about a new teaching that had begun in Colossae. Colossae was the center for this new teaching; which was the beginning of Gnosticism.
There were a few main points brought out in Colossians that Paul addresses. It was these points about which Epaphras was very concerned.
Colossians 2:8 APNT
Beware, so that no one will rob you by philosophy and by empty deception, according to the teachings of men and according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ,
The first point of this new teaching was there was a new kind of knowledge that was apart from Christ, a new philosophy. This is why I know it is the beginning of Gnosticism, because “gnosis” means knowledge, and the whole philosophy of Gnosticism is based on this kind of esoteric knowledge, a secret knowledge. This is where it all began; in Colossae. Now the answer to this is in verse 10.
Colossians 2:10 APNT
And in him also you are absolutely completed, him who is the head of all rulers and authorities.
You are complete. You do not need to have any special knowledge. If you have Christ, you have everything. That was the antidote to this new teaching. The second point was, in verse 16…
Colossians 2:16 APNT
Therefore, no one should disturb you about food and drink or about the distinctions of feasts and of new moons and of Sabbaths,
which are shadows of things that are to come. But the body is the Messiah.
The body is Christ. They were beginning to perform different rituals, and recognizing certain days, and months, and feasts, and things that all were to be celebrated in very specific ways. Those kinds of things were being formulated into rituals. The answer Paul gave to that is; “the body is of Christ.” It is every member functioning together in one body, and that body is Christ. There does not need to be a ritual.
The third thing they were beginning to practice was the worship of angels. This is handled in verse 18.
Colossians 2:18–19 APNT
And no one should desire, by [false] humility of mind, to make you guilty, in order to subject you to the worship of angels,
(There was peer pressure on other believers to worship angels. “You do not worship angels. Why do you not worship angels? We have had angels appear to us. Angels do this, angels do that.”)
by presuming about something that he has not seen. And he is puffed up fruitlessly in the mind of his flesh”
Now here comes the antidote…
and does not hold the head [in honor], from whom the whole body is fit together and established with joints and with members and grows [with] the growth of God.
Jesus Christ is the head of the church, of the body. He is the only one you need to worship, or look to, and give honor. Angels are only servants that work and do the bidding of God.
Christ is the head of the body of the church. He is the one upon whom all the focus and attention should be.
We find out what happened to Epaphras in the book of Philemon, a short one-chapter book. We will see a verse that informs us what happened to Epaphras.
Philemon 23 APNT
Epaphras, a captive who is with me in Jesus Christ, greets you,
Epaphras was also taken as a prisoner in Rome. As a result, he was never able to deliver the letter of Colossians to the people there. There was another man whose name was Tychicus, who ultimately delivered the letters of Philemon, Colossians, and Ephesians.
Now we will take a brief look at Philemon, because was also a man from Colossae. The person who had come to be with Paul in Rome was Philemon’s slave who had run away. His name is Onesimus.
Philemon 1 APNT
Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy, a brother, (Timothy is now visiting in Rome.) to Philemon, beloved and a worker who is with us,
The following verses describe the purpose of the letter.
Philemon 10–12 APNT
And I am begging you concerning my son, whom I have born in my bonds, Onesimus,
in whom at one time you had no profit, but now is very profitable both to you and also to me.
And I have sent him to you. (Onesimus was a runaway slave who had gone to Rome to escape.) So now, receive him as one born by me.
Onesimus had gotten born again directly by Paul’s preaching. We do not know how, but ultimately he became a servant to Paul. Paul wanted to send him back to his owner, to whom Paul had also originally witnessed. Philemon was the owner and he had been born again many years previously. Onesimus was being sent back to Philemon. This is an interesting play on words with the word “Onesimus” because it means “useful.” The word “profitable” is the Greek word, “euchrestos.” The word “unprofitable” is “achrestos.” He turned from being unprofitable to being profitable because he was a born-again believer who had really helped Paul. If you continue reading the rest of book of Philemon, you will see it is a wonderful exhortation to Philemon to accept him back as a brother in Christ.
There is one more thing I wanted to point out in Philemon after what we read about Epaphras. Verse 24 tells who else was with Paul in Rome.
Philemon 24 APNT
and Mark and Aristarchus and Demas and Luke, my helpers.
Now we find John Mark, who was the first helper who traveled with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, and then had left abruptly. We did not hear anything about him until this point when he arrives back on the scene in Rome as a helper to Paul. Later, in 2nd Timothy, Paul commended him for his help and work. At this point, we have Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, and Timothy.
There is so much more that I could share. However to wrap up our study on the Book of Acts, I encourage you to print out the end chapter of “The Harmony of St. Paul,” which is on the website, as I’ve mentioned before. It gives a possible timeline of what happened after Acts 28, because Acts 28 ends so abruptly. Paul was living in his own hired house and he preached for two years. After that, we do not know anything else. According to history and also from 1st Timothy and 2nd Timothy, we know that Paul was released from prison sometime after the two years. He could have been free for possibly up to four or five years more. He traveled back through Macedonia, Achaia, and Asia, and probably did not go to Spain as he had desired. At some point during this time period he was recaptured, probably at Nicopolis and returned to Rome. This time however, he was held in an extremely harsh prison and knew he would ultimately be executed. This is the time frame and circumstances in which he wrote 2nd Timothy, where he states:
2 Timothy 4:7 KJV
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
He knew he was at the end of his life. He asked Timothy to come be with him before the end. But who stays with him through this entire time period? The one who stays with him through everything is Luke. We know this because in 2nd Timothy 4:22 it says, “Only Luke is with me.” There is so much heart in the epistles of 1st Timothy, 2nd Timothy, and Titus. You can piece together from where he was and who he was sending, where Tychicus was involved, Titus, and Timothy, as well as so many of the other wonderful people whom we have met along the way.
I started out the in the very first chapter saying that I had wanted to call this “Adventures with the Family.” I think one of the things we have seen is the many tremendous believers we have met; about whom we know very little. However, each one of them played an important role in the whole outreach of the first century. We have the gospel today because these men and women were faithful and continued to preach even after Paul passed away.
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