Paul’s bold example moved other Christians to boldness
Daily Scripture
Philippians 1:12-18
12 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel. 13 The whole Praetorian Guard and everyone else knows that I’m in prison for Christ. 14 Most of the brothers and sisters have had more confidence through the Lord to speak the word boldly and bravely because of my jail time. 15 Some certainly preach Christ with jealous and competitive motives, but others preach with good motives. 16 They are motivated by love, because they know that I’m put here to give a defense of the gospel; 17 the others preach Christ because of their selfish ambition. They are insincere, hoping to cause me more pain while I’m in prison.
18 What do I think about this? Just this: since Christ is proclaimed in every possible way, whether from dishonest or true motives, I’m glad and I’ll continue to be glad.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
In his letter to Christians in Philippi, Paul said plainly he was in prison (verse 13). We might think a traveling preacher like Paul would say, “I can’t possibly continue my work in prison.” But not him—”the things that have happened to me have actually advanced the gospel”! But as he went on, you might think, “Really? Some preached Christ to cause Paul more pain in prison?” (perhaps like those he mentioned in 2 Corinthians 10:10). Scholar William Barclay said, “Others were moved by what Paul calls eritheia…. which originally simply meant working for pay. But the man who works solely for pay… is out solely to benefit himself…. there were those who preached the harder now that Paul was in prison, for his imprisonment seemed to present them with a heaven-sent opportunity to advance their own influence and prestige and lessen his.” *
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When Paul said his imprisonment had “actually advanced the gospel,” he seemed to be thinking, “In here, I get to preach to all these Roman soldiers. They might never listen to me otherwise.” Can you, like Paul, find childlike joy and opportunity in events that at first may seem to be a reason only for despair or frustration? The apostle went on to say some people preaching Christ had “jealous and competitive motives.” That’s bad, right? Surely, he’d whine about that, and urge the church to put a stop to it? Scholar N. T. Wright noted, “Paul’s reaction is to celebrate. That’s fine by me, he says. As long as people are going around saying that Jesus is the world’s true Lord, I shall be happy.” ** In short, Paul was far less worried about his status than about God’s mission in the world. How close are you to his remarkable attitude? How can you grow toward that type of childlike trust in God’s ultimate goodness?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I like people looking up to me, and treating me well. That’s not wrong, but Paul’s words remind me that how I’m treated is less important than seeing your message shared. Grow the great apostle’s attitude in me. Amen.
GPS Insights
Cathy Bien
Cathy Bien serves as the Lead Director of Communications and Public Relations at Church of the Resurrection. She and her husband Rick have been members of the church since 1993 and have four adult children and three grandchildren.
What’s the Worst Thing that Can Happen?
There’s a funny television commercial running for a cybersecurity company that asks: “What are the odds of killer clowns being struck by lightning when they win the lottery?” (Aura “What are the odds?” commercial on YouTube.) Their point is that there are a lot of things we don’t need to worry about, but some that we probably should. In addition to considering what are the odds that something bad could happen, we often also ask ourselves: “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”
In today’s scripture passage, the Apostle Paul tells us that God can take what might be considered “the worst thing that can happen” and turn it into a positive opportunity. As Paul writes from prison: “my imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered.” (The Message, Philippians 1: 12-14)
Prison wasn’t part of Paul’s plan, and it might have been foreseen as “one of the worst things” that could happen in his ministry. (Most would say death is the worst thing that could happen, but Paul certainly doesn’t think this, as he says that death will be even better than life in Philippians 1:21) Despite actually experiencing one of “the worst” things,” Paul didn’t feel despair and frustration in prison. Rather, he experienced joy and excitement as he took advantage of the situation to share the Gospel message with the prison guards, and saw others stepping up and speaking more boldly about Jesus.
So what are we afraid of? Unlike Paul, the idea of sharing our faith with others can be very frightening. We imagine the “worst things” that could happen – scenarios where we are rejected and made fun of, where we drive our friends away, where we look foolish and say something wrong or we don’t have the right answers, and much more – and we let this hold us back.
When we look at our list of “worst things,” there really aren’t consequences so severe that they should deter us. Fortunately, unlike Paul, we’re not going to die, or be imprisoned for sharing our faith. And, we have Paul’s example that maybe the very thing that is hardest for us can be used by God. When we share just a seed of faith with someone, that faith to grow in amazing ways.
One of my life verses is “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13). My takeaway from Paul today is that whatever happens, I’m recommitting to share Jesus’ love with others and will be confident that God will use my wholly inadequate efforts to help fulfill God’s mission on earth. What’s the worst thing that could happen? We celebrate God’s amazing love and grace!
Note from Cathy: If you’re in Overland Park this morning, stop by the Resurrection table at the Prairie Fire Juneteenth Celebration and say hello! I’d love to meet you!
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* William Barclay, The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975, p. 24.
** Wright, N.T., Paul for Everyone, The Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 90). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
