The Word of God Is Not Quarantined
“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:8–10, ESV)
Seeing Things In A New Light
It’s interesting how you see things in a new light as situations change. Many of us have spent a week in the new normal of social-distancing. We are not interacting with people as we typically would. We are not going out into stores like we normally would. States are increasingly implementing “stay at home” policies, encouraging people to stay home unless they absolutely have to go out to buy necessary supplies. People are feeling trapped and couped up.
Paul Couped Up
As I reflected on this, I couldn’t help but realize the Apostle Paul spent a lot of time couped up. There were times when he was chained up in jail for extended periods of time. There were also times when Paul found himself under “house arrest.”
When Paul was brought to Rome to present his case before the emperor, he was on house arrest. In the book of Acts it says, “And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.” (Acts 28:16, ESV). Basically, he was locked up in a house with a soldier guarding him. People could come and go to provide for his needs, but he was couped up in a house for a long time. At the end of Acts, it says Paul was in Rome for two years. I don’t know if Paul was under “house arrest” for this entire two years, but I’m sure he was couped up in that house for a long time.
Paul Wrote Letters
So, what did Paul do while he was on “house arrest” in Rome? He wrote letters—lots of letters. Actually, Paul wrote many of the letters in the New Testament while on house arrest in Rome.
One of those letters was 2 Timothy. As Paul wrote the letter of 2 Timothy, he makes a remarkable statement: “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:8–9, ESV). Paul may be “bound” or “couped up” in a house, unable to get out into public. Yet, the Word of God is NOT bound! Paul was writing, sending the Word of God out to the churches. As a result, the Word of God was spreading from church to church—person to person. Acts ends by saying that Paul kept on “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31, ESV). Without hinderance.
The Word of God is Not Quarantined
So, as many of us feel couped up in our houses, wondering what we CAN do, we must remember that the Word of God is now couped up in our houses. As pastors struggle to understand how to do ministry in these unusual times, we must remember that the Word of God is not quarantined. We may be trapped in our homes, but the Word of God cannot be hindered from spreading throughout our communities and nations.
Write In Your Own Way
So, I want to encourage everyone to start writing. I realize not all of you are “writers,” but that doesn’t mean you don’t write. Write cards to people and share some scripture with them. Write a short note to someone in need and encourage them with scripture. Try to write some short devotional reflections and share them.
There are numerous ways we can continue to proclaim the Word of God in helpful ways—even while we are “quarantined” in our homes—because the Word of God is not quarantined, and will never return void.