Jesus, I will follow you.

Read and mediate on Philippians 1:15-18.  

 ¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ 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.

   Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…

What does this mean?

The main point of this passage is that God, in his gracious sovereignty, turns even prison and bad motives into the advancement of the gospel. But the most surprising thing is the way Paul’s celebration of gospel truth overrides his sorrow at defective motives. He rejoices that Christ is proclaimed. But some of the proclaimers are sinning as they proclaim, trying to afflict Paul by making him feel jealous that they are free while he is in prison. What’s even more surprising is that this sinful behavior is the complete opposite way the gospel itself would incline a person to act. So, it’s safe to say, they’re hypocrites. They preach the gospel and then contradict in their very motives the gospel they are preaching. Lastly, in Galatians Paul calls down a curse on bad preaching:

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).

So what’s the difference here? Why is there celebration in Philippians and cursing in Galatians? The difference is that there is no evidence in Philippians that the hypocritical preachers were actually saying false things when they preached the gospel. They preached the true gospel. But the preachers in Galatians were distorting the gospel. In other words, Paul is more agitated when the gospel itself is defective than he is when the people who preach the true gospel are defective.

Initial Thoughts:  

1. What are some motives for preaching the Gospel?  

2. Make a list of people who need to hear the Gospel from you.  

3. What inhibits you from sharing?  

4. Pray for these people one by one, then bring yourself to God asking to be strengthened by His Spirit that you might share with each.  

Two Lessons:

1) Rejoice that God can override prison and poor motives to advance his cause.

2) Value the truth of the gospel even more highly than you value the attitudes of those who preach it. That can be a very difficult thing to do, but ultimately the Word of God and saved souls are what truly matters, not our petty differences.

Read and meditate on Philippians 1:7-11.  

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Initial Thoughts:  

1. What does Paul’s prayer for the Philippians believers include?  

2. Take a couple of minutes in quiet mediation and ask: “How does this prayer apply to me?” Jot down your thoughts.  

3. Think of a specific way you can express love to someone today, then write it down.

What are the four things that Paul prays the Philippians receive?

-Love that may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

-The ability to discern what is best.

- To be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.

 -Filled with the fruit of righteousness.

This doesn’t only apply to the Philippians, it applies to us as Christians today. Pray that God will shape you into a person that possesses all of these things. God has a plan for you, but in order to fulfill that plan accordingly, you must be willing to let God change you. It can be painful at times, and it definitely isn’t always easy, but it’s so, so worth it.