The Prison of Freedom

by Don Hatfield

commune with my creator. Of course after doing this for a while I again began to peek to see if Paul was done and of course he was not. Again I tell you that if I could not see that his body was there I would have thought that he was someplace else for his face seemed to have a look of rapture and contentment on it.

  Paul finally finished praying and about the same time one of the guards brought us our food and water for the day. We were both hoping that it would be Gregory that we might speak again to him of Christ. Sad to say it was not as a matter of fact the guard that came this day was surly and gruff. Paul asked about Gregory but the guard did not even speak or acknowledge our presence. He just left the food and walked away. The sun had begun to give more light through the window and after eating Paul said let us get started writing again to our fellow believers in Ephesus. We had finished one page yesterday so we began another today. Paul began to write the following words,” and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” He then stopped and said, “Tychicus, just as we are beginning a new page of writing to our friends at Ephesus you too are beginning a new life, a new page, a new chapter for you were dead before you met Jesus. Yes, my boy, we all were dead in our trespasses. We all had wandered from the truth of God and His righteousness. We were all dead in our sins, we all had violated Gods law. Tychicus, do not listen to men when they declare all the good that they have done. Listen to see if they proclaim all of the grace that God has given and then you will know whether or not if they have come to know the Savior.” Paul, dipped his pen and began again to write, “Wherein time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.” Paul said to me, “Tychicus, this sentence makes me very sad. I am afraid that many of God’s children are still walking as they walked in times past. They are still caught up in the things of this world worrying about their earthly goods, their riches, their pleasures. Those things that are hollow and frail which seduce and lure them from the cause of Jesus.” Paul took a deep breath and sighed. “Tychicus, we must ask God to open their eyes and let them see that they are following the prince, the commander, the ruler of the air. Tychicus, they are following the ruler of earth when they ought to be following the God of the Heavens not the god of the earth. Many of our fellow saints are following the same spirit that they followed before they met the Savior. They are still behaving as if they were the children of the one who is obstinate to and opposed to God. They are acting the same as the children who have never met the master.” Paul stopped and turned to me, “we must pray for them right now Tychicus.” With this he bowed his head and poured his heart out to God for believers everywhere that their eyes would be opened to see the things of heaven and to forgot the things of earth. After praying Paul got up and took a drink of water. Then he put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Tychicus, I pray that when you leave this cell that you will not be caught up again with the things of this world.” I silently prayed the same thing for I wanted to live the rest of my life as I had begun to live it in this prison. This thought came to me. This is a prison of freedom for I have never felt freer from myself than I felt right now in this cell.

  Nest discussion, Paul went over to the chair, sat down and said, “We will remind our brothers and sisters of what they were. Then we will proclaim to them what they are now. That will encourage them.” I again watched as he wrote, “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.” Paul turned the tables on me for he said to me, “what do these words mean to you Tychicus.” I read and reread them. I then tried to put them into my own words. I looked at Paul and said, “Up until a few days ago I was walking and conversing with this world. Living my life as I pleased, not caring whether I pleased God or man. Any desire or craving that my body had I would try to fill it without regard for anyone else. In a way my thinking was no different than the animals for I desired only to meet my own needs in any way that I could. I followed my nature, my impulses. I guess I was a child of the prince of the power of the air.” I stopped and looked at Paul for a thought had come to me I said, “Though I was created by God I had become my own god. I was filled with pride and self will.” As I said this tears filled my eyes as I realized that for so many years of my life I was defying the one who created me.

  Next discussion, Paul in his wisdom said, “wait a minute Tychicus before you get too down hearted and read what I am about to write next. But God who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us. Even when we were in sins hath quickened us together with Christ. Tychicus, our fellow saints need to be reminded of what God did for us when He took pity on us. He looked down and saw our miserable and afflicted condition. His abounding love then reached out to us when we were spiritually dead. Jesus came and made us alive, alive with Him, alive to our creator. What a blessed thing Tychicus, we have been born again from above.” I thought, oh the blessed mercy of God to look down on one who defied Him and instead of giving me what I deserved He reached out His Son to me. Paul was still writing as I was thinking so I looked at his next words, “and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” I stopped Paul at this point and said, “Paul we are here on earth in this cell. How can you say that we are seated in heavenly places?” Paul replied, “Christianity begins with a done Tychicus not a do. I write this because in Christ it is already done. In God’s eyes we are raised up sitting together in the heavens with our Savior for eternity” Maybe my next sentence will help you see that a little clearer. That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” At this I let out a gasp because that word “ages” seemed to jump right off of the page. I realized that this kindness, these riches, this grace would never end because of Jesus. It was just one little prayer that I prayed on a starry night. But that prayer I prayed when I asked Jesus to save me would last an eternity.

  My thoughts came back to earth as Paul cleared his throat and said, “Tychicus, can you read these words. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.” Paul then stopped and said, “You must get this sentence rooted firmly in your mind and spirit for you will come across many who will be teaching other things Tychicus. They will be telling people that they must be baptized, or they must look, or dress like they say. Yes, Tychicus some will even tell others that they can buy their way into grace. But read what I say it is by grace, it is by the merciful kindness of God that you are saved. You are saved or rescued from Hell, from perishing for eternity because you believed on the one God sent to save you. Always, always, remember that you cannot buy this gift, you cannot work for this gift and you cannot deserve this gift. We will never have any reason to glory about it except that we glory in His grace. Do you understand?” I just nodded my head because Paul’s voice had become so emphatic that he came close to scaring me. I think he sensed that for he said, “I am sorry if I unnerved you my young friend but it irks me when I think of men trying to demean the grace of our God.” We decided that it would be a good time to take lunch and relax a little bit. We sat down together only to be interrupted by a sound outside the window. We got up and ran over to the window and looked out. All we could see was a crowd that had gathered and it looked like they had gathered around one man. We could only catch glimpses because of all the people. Paul said, “Pharisees” then he said that these men were the supposed spiritual leaders of the Jews. I could only make out a few of the words that they were shouting because of the chaos. But they were saying, blasphemer, infidel, away with him. I even heard one say crucify him. Romans soldiers arrived and broke the crowd up. When the crowd parted there was one man left in the middle of the street with the guards around him. Paul exclaimed, “Peter over here.” The man named Peter looked
up and caught Paul’s eye and with a sound of triumph in his voice shouted, “Glory to God who has raised Jesus from the dead.” With this the guards led him away. We went back to our lunch and Paul had a great time telling me about Peter and the times they were together. Although the crowd and there viciousness towards Peter frightened me I found myself wanting to be like him. I prayed silently to myself that I would for the rest of my life stand for Jesus as I saw Peter stand. We finished lunch, got up and went back to the table for some more work. Nothing seemed to faze Paul or deter him from the things that he knew God was leading him to do.

  Next discussion, I read as Paul wrote the next sentence, “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” I said to Paul,” there are those words again the done instead of the do. We have already been made, we were created the moment we met Jesus.” I stopped a little embarrassed that I was explaining