As you’ve seen throughout this series, Paul had two ministries. His first ministry was all during the Acts period to “the Jew first” and then to the Gentile when the Jews rejected his message of Christ. But still Paul preached “the hope of Israel” – “thy kingdom come” on earth up to Acts 28:20.

This ended when Israel fully fell in Acts 28:28 after having stubbornly rejected; 1) The word of the Lord God by killing His OT prophets, 2) then by crucifying the Son of God, then 3) Rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit in Acts 7 with the stoning of Stephen. Israel was then fully fallen, blinded, and set aside (cf., Rom. 11:10-12, 15, 25) with Paul’s declaration of Acts 28:26-28 (below) which quotes the prophesy of Isaiah 6:10, thus ending the Acts period.

“Saying, Go unto this people [Israel], and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: ²⁷  For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ²⁸ Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear [heed] it. Acts 28:26-28 (KJV)

After Acts Paul took up his 2^nd ministry as he turned from Israel and directly to “the Gentiles,” whereas during Acts a Gentile could come to God only through Israel. Paul then introduced a heretofore unprophesied program of unadulterated grace, which is totally apart from Israel’s Law program with its performance requirements. Paul’s 2^nd ministry was to build up the Gentile “church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22b-23a] which is destined to ascend and forever reign not on earth, but rather in the “far above” “heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3, 21).

Looking back in Acts, there was a significant mark in time that was introduced by the Apostle Paul in Acts 20:22 by saying “AND NOW, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:” Acts 20:22 (KJV) He also uses the expression “But NOW” in Rom. 3:21, Acts 17:30 and in Eph, 2:13. The words ‘And NOW’ and ‘But NOW’ mark pivotal points in time in which a notable contrast is being instituted between two dispensational time periods. We as Bible students must then take note of ‘what was before’ comparing it with ‘what now is’ unto this day.

In Acts 20:18-21 the Apostle Paul gives a summary of his witness since day of his conversion on the road to Damascus, then also saying; “from the first day that I came into Asia ... testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks [i.e., Gentiles], repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” then to say;

“²²AND NOW, ‘behold, I [Paul] go Bound in [or by] The Spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that Bonds and Afflictions Abide [Await] Me. But I make of no account, nor hold I my soul valuable to myself, so That I May Finish My Course, even the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear FULL Testimony To The gospel of the GRACE of God” (Acts 20:22-24).

Notice above that before the literal fetters of Paul’s Roman imprisonment the apostle Paul is already “bound in the spirit.” His resolution to go to Rome of the Spirit was in face of all the warnings in every city, of which Acts 21:10-14 is recorded as an example. This relates to Paul’s intense desire to Finish The Ministry that he had received of the Lord Jesus. We infer from this passage that he was looking forward to a future, 2^nd ministry. Realizing the reader may well object to that inference, let us, therefore, turn to another passage.

In Acts 26 Paul, before Agrippa, makes public what had hitherto been unproclaimed, namely, that at his conversion, the Lord had in fact spoken of THE PRISON MINISTRY OF PAUL. We can quite understand the untimeliness of directly speaking of this second ministry until the first was finished; but in Acts 20, Paul is already ‘bound in spirit.’ Later in Acts 26 he is literally bound in fact, and he is soon to embark for Rome. Then when he could speak in Rome, recounting how he was stricken on the Damascus Road the voice of Jesus came saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?” he said, ‘Who art Thou, Lord?’ and the reply was, “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest” (So far there is nothing new revealed). But then Jesus said to Paul:

“But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness BOTH of THESE THINGS which thou hast seen [till now], and of THOSE THINGS In The Which I WILL APPEAR UNTO THEE; delivering thee [away] from the people [Israel], and from the GENTILES, UNTO WHOM NOW I SEND THEE” (Acts 26:14-17).

The words “THESE things” and “THOSE things” indicate a difference. The word “both” speaks of two; and ‘I WILL appear’ speaks of Future Revelations. Here reference is made to Paul’s new revelatory ‘prison ministry,’ which in no uncertain terms as articulated in his Post-Acts epistles written AFTER Israel was set aside in Acts 28:28. Let’s now look at Ephesians and Colossians, Paul’s first POST-Acts epistles.

Note the words “For you Gentiles”

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ For You GENTILES, ² If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:” Ephesians 3:1-2 (KJV)

“Whereof I [Paul] am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you [Gentiles], to fulfil [Gk. pleroo, COMPLETE] the word of God; ²⁶  Even [that is] the MYSTERY [secret] which hath been HID from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest [revealed] to his saints: ²⁷ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of This MYSTERY [secret] among the GENTILES; which is Christ In You, the hope of [heaven’s, Col. 3:1, 4] glory:” Colossians 1:25-27 (KJV)

Paul is completing the word of God by inserting these never-before revealed truths. Paul’s last recorded statement during Acts on the matter of his imprisonment was to the effect that he was bound with chain “FOR THE HOPE OF ISRAEL” (Acts 28:20) just BEFORE the FALL of Israel was sealed in Acts 28:28. Then note that after Acts that the very same prisoner (Paul), who was bound by the same chain in the same prison now binds him for ‘the hope of the GENTILES.’

Continuing in Ephesians 3:2, the apostle says: “If ye [Gentiles] have heard of the dispensation of the GRACE of God which is given me [Paul] to YOU-WARD.” Note that Acts 20:24 spoke of Paul’s 2^nd ministry as “the gospel of the GRACE of God.” It is fitting that such should be the gospel of the dispensation so named as “the GRACE of God.” The apostle, however, has not reached his point. With Paul as a “prisoner For You Gentiles” (3:1); his stewardship is UNTO YOU GENTILES. Then he adds,

“³How that by revelation He made known unto me As I Wrote Afore In A Few Words [cf. Eph. 1:9-10] ⁴ Whereby, when ye [now] read, ye may understand my knowledge in THE MYSTERY [secret] of Christ).”

“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: ¹⁰ That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in [union with] him: Ephesians 1:9-10 (KJV)

We have not exhausted the unique claims of the apostle yet, but we ask; can we find any passages that speak so definitely and so clearly of the special character of any other ministry in the New Testament? Paul again calls himself “the prisoner of the Lord” in Ephesians 4:1 (KJV) Then in Eph. 6:19-20 Paul asks for prayer for himself, that utterance may be given unto him, that “I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, FOR WHICH I am an ambassador in BONDS.” Philippians speaks more than once of the apostle’s imprisonment; “my bonds” (1:7, 13); Colossians 1:23 “the hope of the gospel ... whereof I Paul am made a minister.” Notice the personal emphasis, not merely ‘I,’ but “I Paul …” Notice also Col. 1:24-27 below:

‘²⁴Who now rejoice in my sufferings FOR YOU [Gentiles, cf. v27], and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His BODY’S sake, which is THE CHURCH: whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for YOU, to fulfil [Gk. pleroo, ‘complete’] the word of God; even the mystery [secret] which hath been HID from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of This Mystery [secret] Among The GENTILES; which is Christ in [or ‘among’] you, the hope of [eternal] glory.’ Colossians 1:24-27

“The MYSTERY of Christ, for which I am also In Bonds” (Col. 4:3).

One other Pauline epistle is written from prison, namely, 2 Timothy:

“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner,” “Onesiphorus ... oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of My Chain”( 2 Tim. 1:8,16).
“... my [unique Gentile] gospel: wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto Bonds” (2 Tim. 2:8,9).
“At my first answer [defence] no man stood with me ... (notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me); that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the GENTILES might hear” (2 Tim. 4:16-17).

2 Timothy 4 contains the answer to the wish he expressed when “bound in the spirit,” Paul was finishing his FIRST ministry During the Acts Period (Acts 20:24) and approaching his SECOND ministry. Of his first ministry Paul said, “that I may finish my course” (cf. Acts 20:24); but of the 2^nd ministry here in 2 Tim. 4:7, Paul says, “I have fought a good fight, I have FINISHED MY COURSE [i.e., career], I have kept the faith:” 2 Tim. 4:7.