April 23 - Philippians 1:12-18
“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
Many times when I read scripture, I discover myself cringing a bit at what God tries to teach me.
Paul is in prison. While it was real for him, it is metaphorical for most of us. We find ourselves imprisoned by our emotions, our physical issues, things at work or within our families, the list can be incredible.
While Paul is in prison, he has made it clear that he is there because he loves Jesus. This transforms the people around him. When I find myself in chains, many times self-inflicted, I’m fairly certain that I am not necessarily shining with the love of Jesus to those around me. Paul’s guards – the entire palace has learned about Jesus because Paul is there in chains and continuing to witness to the grace of God. When I am in the middle of emotional bondage, everyone around me is subjected to whining and complaining.
Not only does Paul’s imprisonment affect the entire palace in a positive manner, other Christians have found the courage to speak out about the Gospel of Jesus. Some of them do this because they’re jealous, trying to usurp Paul’s power within the small world that has begun exploding with Christians. Others, though, see how important it is to continue his work, sharing his message even when he can’t. They do this because they love him – there is no competition.
But, do you see his response to both sets of preachers? Whatever it is that gets the word of God to the people … works for him. Paul has set aside any worldly emotions regarding the spread of Jesus’ Gospel. Whoever does it, for whatever reason … he rejoices.
In communities where we find churches competing for membership, we find those pastors who preach the Gospel of Jesus out of envy and rivalry. The same thing was happening in Paul’s time. Are we doing things in Christ’s name out of selfish ambition or simply because we want to ensure that everyone is exposed to and knows the love of God? Whether we are in a church or in our regular lives … preaching Christ sincerely with love should be our goal.
“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
Many times when I read scripture, I discover myself cringing a bit at what God tries to teach me.
Paul is in prison. While it was real for him, it is metaphorical for most of us. We find ourselves imprisoned by our emotions, our physical issues, things at work or within our families, the list can be incredible.
While Paul is in prison, he has made it clear that he is there because he loves Jesus. This transforms the people around him. When I find myself in chains, many times self-inflicted, I’m fairly certain that I am not necessarily shining with the love of Jesus to those around me. Paul’s guards – the entire palace has learned about Jesus because Paul is there in chains and continuing to witness to the grace of God. When I am in the middle of emotional bondage, everyone around me is subjected to whining and complaining.
Not only does Paul’s imprisonment affect the entire palace in a positive manner, other Christians have found the courage to speak out about the Gospel of Jesus. Some of them do this because they’re jealous, trying to usurp Paul’s power within the small world that has begun exploding with Christians. Others, though, see how important it is to continue his work, sharing his message even when he can’t. They do this because they love him – there is no competition.
But, do you see his response to both sets of preachers? Whatever it is that gets the word of God to the people … works for him. Paul has set aside any worldly emotions regarding the spread of Jesus’ Gospel. Whoever does it, for whatever reason … he rejoices.
In communities where we find churches competing for membership, we find those pastors who preach the Gospel of Jesus out of envy and rivalry. The same thing was happening in Paul’s time. Are we doing things in Christ’s name out of selfish ambition or simply because we want to ensure that everyone is exposed to and knows the love of God? Whether we are in a church or in our regular lives … preaching Christ sincerely with love should be our goal.
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