Philippians 1:12-18

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.  And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.  Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Paul’s priority in life was the advancement of the Gospel.  It did not matter to him what price he had to pay for the Gospel to advance or even the motives behind the advancement of the Gospel.  His greatest priority was for the advancement of the Gospel.  It is not that motives don’t matter; it is that there is always reason to rejoice whenever the Gospel is advanced.  The priority of Gospel advancement should mark every aspect of our lives.

 

THE GOSPEL ADVANCES IN SUFFERING: We cannot always control our circumstances.  However, we can control our attitudes and actions in those circumstances.  Many would see imprisonment as an impossible place to do ministry.  Paul refused to make such excuses and was faithful to evangelize the guards as well as other prisoners.  He had a “captive audience” and took advantage of that fact to preach the Gospel to them.  Instead of using suffering as an excuse, we should realize that suffering is often a means of opening doors for the Gospel.  Illness an imprisonment can be seen as opportunities to evangelize healthcare workers and people in the prison system.

 

THE GOSPEL ADVANCES IN BOLDNESS: Courage is certainly a key to effective evangelism.  Paul’s willingness to go to prison for preaching the Gospel helped others to be more courageous as well.  Fear is a great hindrance to the advancement of the Gospel.  We don’t enjoy being rejected or made fun of.  Paul’s example of courage in the midst of imprisonment inspired others to be faithful as well.  Be bold in sharing the love of Christ with others.

 

THE GOSPEL ADVANCES IN AMBITION: Paul recognized that there were some people who preached the Gospel for self-serving motives.  They were more interested in their own fame than in the cause of Christ.  It is impossible for us to judge the motives of others.  In fact, it is often difficult to discern our own motives.  God know everyone’s motives perfectly and will hold us all to account based on those motives.  However, we should not be in the practice of judging the motives of others and give them the benefit of the doubt.  If the Gospel is being proclaimed, we should rejoice even if we are skeptical about the methods used or the motives behind the ministry of others.

 

THE GOSPEL ADVANCES IN GOOD WILL: The ideal motive for preaching the Gospel is our love for God and others.  When we love God, we long to see others join the family of God and fulfill their God-given purpose in life as His worshipers.  When we love people, we desire to bless them by proclaiming about how they can be forgiven and freed from sin.  Evangelism is the ultimate expression of love for God and others.

 

APPLICATION: Use suffering as a springboard for evangelism.  Ask God for courage and observe carefully how others exemplify boldness in evangelism.  Avoid judging the motives of others but constantly evaluate our own motives.  Develop and demonstrate love for God and others by sharing our faith.

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