2 Timothy 2:⁸ Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, ⁹ for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

When Paul wrote this letter to his protege Timothy, Paul was in in chains. There were people who hoped Paul’s incarceration meant the message of Jesus would be stopped. It wasn’t. Why? “…the word of God is not chained”.

An idea is a powerful thing, in part because once unleashed it can’t be stopped. There is growing hostility to Christianity in many parts of the world, including the US. And in some cases Christians have been our own worst enemy. But today I’m encouraged by this powerful truth. The word of God cannot be stopped!