“THE WHOLE PALACE GUARD”

“THE WHOLE PALACE GUARD”

“So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard,and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ.”
Philippians 1:13 - NKJV

It is remarkable the work for the Kingdom of God done by the apostle Paul while ministering throughout the New Testament churches, including a great deal of the Roman Empire territory.

While in chains in Rome, the apostle wrote the letters to the churches in Philippi, Colosse and Ephesus, and also to Philemon. What a blessing!

In this particular verse the apostle states that the Gospel had been preached to the whole palace guard, which is corroborated by chapter 4, verse 21, where the “Caesar’s Household” sends greetings to the Philippians.

To understand the magnitude of that, we need to comprehend that the palace guards were the elite of the special guard of the Emperor, the Praetorian Guard. Paul was in prison for two years, and the soldiers stayed with him for 8 hours, three shifts a day. When we make the calculation, we come to the conclusion that Paul preached for all the 16,000 men of the highest rank, not counting everybody else in the palace. Now, that certainly puts to shame many of our evangelistic efforts!

The “Caesar’s Household” was a place of sin and corruption, but that didn’t stop the apostle, and he made a difference because the light and joy of the Lord would be evident even through his chains, in a very hostile environment.

We are called today to make a difference in a filthy and broken world. “Caesar’s Household is still a reality in many ways, and only those brave disciples of Jesus will be able to continue spreading the good news of the Gospel.

Let’s use every opportunity to share the love, the grace offered to all through the blood of Jesus, through His sacrifice at the cross, in such a way that more “saints of Caesar's Household may be found among us, because of our obedience to our Lord’s command.

Wishing many blessings to you and your family!

Pastor Joshua