Advance The Gospel
Now I want you to know,
brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually 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. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters
have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel
without fear.
It
is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of
goodwill. The
latter do so out of 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.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
Philippians 1:12-22
In Philippians we read how the apostle Paul used his difficult situation – imprisonment – to preach the gospel.
The whole palace guard knew who Paul was and why he was in prison. He was guarded 24 hours a day. But he continued to share the Good News, and some of the guards may have become believers. Just because Paul was confined didn’t mean that the gospel was confined.
As followers of Jesus, we can allow our pain to be a platform to share the gospel. Always look for an opening to share the good news.
Pain can be a platform to share Christ.
Our
Daily Bread –