The Slammer!

The impact of imprisonment on Paul's ministry for the gospel is huge. I'm not certain how many times he was imprisoned, but it was more than a couple to be sure. I do know though, from the account from Acts 16 that Paul and Silas were both imprisoned for a short time in Philippi. I also know that the Philippian jailor and all his household were saved as a result of that. It's also apparent from Paul's letter to the Philippians (Phil. 1:12-14) that due to his imprisonment, many of the saints were emboldened to proclaim their own faith.

Past that, it's plain to see that Paul's time in prisons had a big impact on other people, even on us, today. Being imprisoned prevented Paul from visiting and teaching at various fellowships. This made Paul send out others in his stead, and so his ministry was expanded through guys like Timothy and Titus. Paul had no choice but to communicate by sending word with his ambassadors and also by writing. If Paul hadn't written while he was imprisoned, several books of the New Testament would probably not exist.

The other thing Paul did while in prison was spend a lot of time ministering to others through prayer. In 2 Timothy 1:3, see that Paul prayed for these saints on regular basis. Prison may have limited Paul physically, but it could not limit him spiritually, and it could not limit the gospel. When the Lord spoke to Ananias concerning Paul (then Saul) in Acts chapter 9, He made it clear that Paul would have to suffer. It was through Paul's suffering and imprisonment that the Lord's purposes for Paul were accomplished.