That never would have happened had Paul been free on the streets. And, Paul says in this text that the brothers and sisters now spoke with new courage. The confidence of Paul comes from knowing that the gospel is God's business and God will not be thwarted. There is no fantasy here. I love the realism of the Bible.
Evil is real.
Shootings in a Texas church or lootings after the storm in the Carolinas remind all of us that dark forces abound. But through it all God's Truth has its way of seeping into our lives regardless of the pressures to destroy it. From Within There is a third kind of trouble that arises in this text and once again Paul's response is equally surprising. Paul is unusually big-hearted with these people. It seems that their intent was to make it harder on Paul in prison by making the Christian Church look larger and stronger so Paul would be more of a threat.