PULPITMAN.COM "My whole intent in living here is to make God smile." (Gianna Jessen)
Toward the end of his life, the apostle Paul was put under house arrest by the Roman Empire. While he was in Rome and in chains, he wrote four letters (that we know of) to the church. The four letters are known as the letters to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Collectively, they are known as Paul's prison letters.
The series included here (to be preached through the summer and fall of 2011) is entitled "Note dal Carcere." Loosely translated, that means "Letters from an Italian Jail." For some reason, I thought it would be cool to get my ethnic background in there somewhere.
Besides being written in Italy, these letters are important because they were written in a time when Paul was a mature Christian. He had developed his theology and formulated his arguments for the faith over years of debate, teaching, study, and experience. In addition to that, he knew he might die soon.
Because of those factors, what he had to say seems to rise in validity and importance. So, in taking a look at what he had to say in that time seemed to be a good way to place his life in context. Hopefully at the same time, we can do the same to ours.
