THE CAPTIVITY LETTERS.

AFTER COMPLETING HIS THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY, PAUL FOLLOWED HIS USUAL PRACTICE OF VISITING JERUSALEM. WHEN A JEWISH MOB ATTACKED HIM, ROMAN AUTHORITIES TOOK HIM INTO PROTECTIVE CUSTODY, AND TRANSFERRED HIM TO A PRISON IN CAESAREA. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS IN CONFINEMENT, PAUL APPEALED FOR HIS CASE TO BE HEARD BY CAESAR IN ROME.  TO ROME AND CAESAR HE WENT.
 DURING HIS TWO YEAR IMPRISONMENT IN ROME, HE WAS NOT REDUCED TO TOTAL INACTIVITY. HE HAD HIS OWN LODGINGS, AND HIS FRIENDS AND CO-WORKERS WERE PERMITTED TO VISIT HIM, ACTS 28:30.  PAUL DID NOT LIMIT HIS WITNESS TO PERSONAL CONTACTS IN ROME. HE WROTE LETTERS TO MINISTER TO OTHERS FURTHER AFIELD. FOUR LETTERS, TRADITIONALLY REFERRED TO AS "THE CAPTIVITY LETTERS" ARE ASCRIBED TO THIS PERIOD. 1.) EPHESIANS, WHICH DEFINES THE NATURE AND LIFE OF THE CHURCH CHURCH). (2-COLOSSIANS, WHICH PROCLAIMS CHRIST OR COSMIC SIGNIFICANCE. (3. PHILIPPIANS, WHICH ENCOURAGES A SUFFERING CHURCH TO WAIT WITH EXPECTANT JOY. (4 PHILEMON, WHICH GIVES INSIGHTS INTO HOW THE GOSPEL CAN TRANSFORM A LIFE. SOME SUGGEST THAT ONE OR MORE OF THESE LETTERS WAS WRITTEN AT EPHESUS OR CAESAREA, BUT THESE SUGGESTIONS CREATE AS MANY PROBLEMS AS THEY SOLVE. THE BOOKS WERE NOT WRITTEN IN THE ORDER WRITTEN ABOVE. EPHESIANS WILL RECEIVE THE MOST ATTENTION, AND COLOSSIANS LESS; THESE TWO LETTERS ARE VERY SIMILAR-- COMMENTS MADE ABOUT EPHESIANS APPLY EQUALLY WELL TO MANY PASSAGES IN COLOSSIANS. EPHESUS WAS A LARGE SEAPORT ON THE WESTERN COAST OF ASIA MINOR, A ROMAN PROVINCE. PAUL SPENT TIME THERE DURING HIS SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY (ACTS 19: 1-21), AND MADE IT HIS BASE DURING THE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY ( ACTS 19:1-20:1),  SPENDING THREE YEARS THERE. IT IS UNUSUAL THAT THE LETTER  CONTAINS ONLY ONE PERSONAL REFERENCE- TO TYCHICUS 6:21; SEE COLOSSIANS 4;7. INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE EPHESIANS WAS INITIALLY A CIRCULAR LETTER DESIGNED FOR A WIDER DISTRIBUTION; THE TITLE, TO THE "EPHESIANS," WAS PROBABLY NOT IN THE ORIGINAL LETTER- IT IS MISSING IN THE MOST RELIABLE MANUSCRIPTS. EPHESIANS
IS A LETTER IN FORM ONLY. IT IS A THEOLOGICAL TREATISE. THE FIRST THREE  CHAPTERS DEAL WITH DOCTRINE, AND OUTLINE WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED AND DONE FOR THE REDEMPTION OF THE UNIVERSE. THE LAST THREE CHAPTERS DEAL WITH PRACTICE, AND INSTRUCT CHRISTIANS HOW TO RESPOND TO GOD'S INITIATIVE. THIS STRUCTURE IS IMPORTANT, FOR IT DECLARES THAT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS A RESPONSE TO WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE FOR THE SALVATION OF HUMANKIND. THE "CHURCH" TOOK OVER THE WORD FOR "CHURCH" (EKKLYSIA) FROM THE GREEK SECULAR WORLD, AND ENRICHED ITS MEANING. IN GREEK COMMUNITIES, THE WORD REFERRED TO THE LOCAL "COUNCIL" WHEN THE WORD EKKLESIA IS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IT IS WITH CONSCIOUS REFERENCE TO THIS OLD TESTAMENT CONCEPTION. ONE CAN HARDLY SAY, THEREFORE, THAT JESUS FOUNDED THE CHURCH. THE TRUTH RATHER IS THAT HE REDEEMED. FOR CENTURIES THERE HAD BEEN A PEOPLE WHO LOOKED UPON THEMSELVES AS SET APART FOR GOD. WHEN CHRISTIANS APPLIED THE TERM EKKLESIA TO THEMSELVES
THEY RE-DEFINED THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN TERMS OF THE NEW ACTS OF GOD FOR THEIR REDEMPTION. IT WAS NOT TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH ISRAEL AFTER THE FLESH, BUT WITH INDIVIDUALS FROM EVERY TRIBE, NATION, PEOPLE, AND TONGUE (REV 7:9,etc). ITS ADHERENTS WERE NOT THOSE WHO WERE STRICTLY LOYAL TO TORAH, FOR CHRIST WAS THE END OF THE LAW(ROM. 1O:4). IT CENTER WAS NOT IN A TEMPLE WHERE SACRIFICES WERE CONTINUALLY OFFERED, BUT IN CHRIST WHO HAD DIED FOR THEIR SINS AND BEEN RAISED BY GOD FROM THE DEAD(1COR. 15:3ff).
THOUGH MEMBERSHIP IN THE PEOPLE OF GOD WAS DETERMINED BY A DIFFERENT CRITERIA, THE BASIC CONCEPTION OF A CHURCH GOES BACK TO THE OLD TESTAMENT. THE TRUE REMNANT ABOUT WHICH THE PROPHETS HAD SPOKEN, HAD FOUND FULFILMENT IN THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. THE GOSPELS CLEARLY INDICATE THAT THE CENTRAL MESSAGE OF JESUS DID NOT DEAL WITH THE CHURCH. IT WAS CONCERNED WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE REPENTANCE WHICH WAS NECESSARY IF MEN SHOULD ENTER IT BY THE GRACIOUS MERCY OF GOD (MARK 1, 14-15). JESUS ANNOUNCED THE NEARNESS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, A MESSAGE WHICH GAVE TREMENDOUS URGENCY TO HIS ETHICAL DEMANDS. A CRISIS WAS AT HAND;  MAN MUST STAND READY TO PAY ANY PRICE TO ENTER GOD'S KINGDOM (LUKE 10:14, 25-33).  COLOSSIANS, PHILEMON, EPHESIANS, AND  PHILIPPIANS ARE TRADITIONALLY CALLED CAPTIVITY LETTERS. PAUL WROTE  THEM WHILE IMPRISONED IN ROME. IN EPHESIANS ( WHICH PROBABLY WAS A CIRCULAR LETTER ), PAUL SPEAKS OF GOD'S PLAN FOR THE UNIVERSE IN RELATION TO CHRIST. THE LETTER DEFINES THE NATURE AND MISSION OF THE CHURCH.
COLOSSIANS WAS WRITTEN TO COUNTER A THREAT BEING POSED BY FALSE TEACHERS WHO ATTACHED CONSIDERABLE IMPORTANCE TO POWERS OF THE SPIRIT WORLD, RITUALISTIC OBSERVANCES, AND THEIR OWN BRAND OF "KNOWLEDGE." 
 HEY OBSCURED CHRIST'S GREATNESS AND DENIED THE SUFFICIENCY OF HIS ATONEMENT PAUL CONTERED THE THREAT WITH PROFOUND TRUTHS ABOUT THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST. PAUL WROTE PHILIPPIANS  TO THANK A CONGREGATION WHICH WAS NEAR AND DEAR TO HIM FOR THEIR CONTINUING  INTEREST IN HIS WELFARE. HE ALSO ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE TO WALK IN THE PATHS OF HIM WHO, THOUGH HE WAS GOD, HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME OBEDIENT, EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH ON THE CROSS. PHILEMON WAS ADDRESSED TO THE OWNER OF A RUNAWAY SLAVE. ONESIMUS, WHO HAD COME TO FAITH THROUGH HIS ASSOCIATION  WITH PAUL. PAUL ENCOURAGES PHILEMON TO RECEIVE HIS FORMER "USELESS" SLAVE AS A "USEFUL" BROTHER IN CHRIST.
PAUL INSISTS THAT PEOPLE EITHER LIVE, UNDER THE POWER OF THE "DEADLY"
 TRIO" OF SATAN OF SATAN-WORLD FLESH OR UNDER THE POWER OF THE RISEN LORD WHO IS PRESENT THROUGH HIS SPIRIT AND SPEAKS THROUGH HIS WORD. THOSE WHO LIVE UNDER THE POWER OF THE "DEADLY TRIO" REJECT GOD AS KING AND MAKE THEIR OWN LITTLE MIND THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE LIFE'S MEANING OF A FORGIVING GOD.