Talk Together
Family conversations with God’s Word.
What’s the most difficult thing you have EVER done? Have you run a long race? Climbed a big hill? Finished a super-hard math problem? The apostle Paul wanted to live a life that pleased God and showed others how amazing God is — even if it meant doing some really difficult things!!
When Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was in prison for sharing the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news about Jesus. While Paul was in prison, he wrote a letter to encourage his friends in Philippi, a place he had recently visited. I don’t know about you; but if I were in prison, encouraging my friends is the last thing I’d be thinking about! I would miss my comfortable bed and hot meals and would wonder when I would get out of prison. Let’s read what Paul wrote to his friends in Philippians 1:12-14. (Families with older children, read all of chapter 1.)
ESV
I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)
Wow! Can you believe it? Instead of feeling sorry for himself or being mad, Paul used his time in jail to speak boldly about Jesus! Because Paul went to prison for sharing the Gospel, the entire imperial guard (soldiers) learned about Jesus. Those soldiers might not have heard about Jesus’s gift of salvation any other way! Even when Paul faced hard times, he looked for ways to obey and honor God. He wanted to tell as many people as he could about Jesus’s love for them.
Did you know Paul wasn’t always a Christian? When he was a young man, he hated Christians. Thankfully, God had big plans for Paul — plans for him to help Christians, not hurt them!
God needed to get Paul’s attention, so He took away Paul’s sight! Then, God also used a man named Ananias to help Paul (originally named Saul, but changed to Paul). Let’s read what happened in Acts. Can you help me find Acts 9:10-14?
ESV
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. (Acts 9:15-16)
God told Ananias that Paul would tell many people about Jesus. God also told Ananias something else. Let’s read what God told Ananias in Acts chapter 9, verses 15-16.
ESV
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)
Oh my! God told Ananias Paul would suffer for sharing the Gospel. Even though Paul would serve God and tell others about Jesus, things wouldn’t always be easy for him.
Things may not always be easy for you either. You may have to do hard things, like following God’s ways even when people around you don’t. But just like Paul, you can rejoice! You can trust God to use the hard things in life to show the people around you just how great He is!