My Chains Are Gone

And his chains fell off…Acts 12:7

For his desire to preach Christ, Peter was put in prison. For his desire to preach Jesus resurrected, Stephen was executed. For his desire to make straight the way of the Lord, John was beheaded. Except for John, all the apostles and many of the disciples died for preaching Christ.

Even so, when in prison, an angel of the Lord told Peter to wake up, rise up, and walk out. And his chains fell off his hands, Acts 12:7. Perhaps this is symbolic of our release from our past? Maybe we are also commanded to wake up, rise up and walk in the Spirit?

Paul was in chains when he stood before Agrippa, Acts 26. Festus had charged him with madness: Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad! Acts 26:24. Even so, Paul’s “madness” had earned him the opportunity to preach to King Agrippa. When Agrippa said, Paul, you almost persuaded me to become a Christian. (Acts 26:28). Paul said, I would to God not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains, Acts 26:29.

This is how one preaches to a king: not almost persuaded but altogether persuaded to be free of the spiritual chains of sin; and the physical chains of persecution.

Jesus came to break the prisoners free, Isaiah 61:1. We were imprisoned in our past. Our sins had us all bound up in chains. One who Jesus released from his chains was demon possessed. And no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he was often bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him, Mark 5:3-4. He did not need to be tamed. He needed to be freed. 

When you were bound up in the chains of your past you did not need to be tamed. You needed to be freed. Only Jesus offers such complete freedom. In the Bible there are two kinds of chains, three if you count spiritual chains. There were chains of iron worn by some who preached Christ. There were chains of gold worn by those who served in the tabernacle. Both were worn by those who answered the call to serve the Lord. 

Thank God our chains that bound us to our sinful past are gone.