Romans 1:9-11
In the closing chapter of the Book of Acts, we learn that Paul was placed under house arrest for two years in the city of Rome while awaiting trial at the Court of Caesar. No longer being able to be with those he so loved, he was compelled instead to write to them from his place of imprisonment, exhorting and encouraging them in the faith. The letters that he wrote during this time of imprisonment are called the prison letters of Paul. There are four of them in number — Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and the tiny letter to Philemon. In all four Epistles, Paul speaks of his chains for Jesus Christ. For now, Paul’s travelling journeys were curtailed, but his ministry of prayer was not! What he could no longer do in person, he could do via proxy by means of prayer!! You see, the heart of Paul was not only to plant Churches but to see those Churches blossoming. Paul’s business was not only the saving of souls but the discipling of those same souls unto maturity! Thus, to this end, he gave himself to prayer that the Churches he so loved might be established in the faith.