Meeting 7/4/20
Phil. 1:15-18
"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."
This is a most interesting fact, isn't it? Paul is imprisoned, but his faith is inspiring other believers to preach more boldly. But he paints quite a portrait of our human condition. We just aren't perfected yet, are we? We all still battle our flesh. We all struggle with issues such as fear, esteem, comparing, pride, selfish ambition, envy, and the like. Our great need and calling is to continually humble ourselves and surrender to the conforming power of the Holy Spirit. May He do a work in our hearts daily. May we have His heart as we go out in His name. The solution is in verse 21, if you want to read ahead. We will touch on it next week, Lord willing.
I don't know about you, but I'm actually a little surprised at Paul's reaction and stance on the issue of some preaching Christ with false motives. I'm pretty sure I would've been angry and disapproving. Paul displays a maturity and wisdom beyond my own understanding. He expects trouble. He's no stranger to hardship. Bring on the persecution. He's living in chains. He knows there is something much greater going on. The kingdom is advancing. The gospel is going forth. So he concludes it doesn't matter by what motives it goes forth. He trusts that it won't come back void and without fruit. He is fully depending on the influence of the Holy Spirit to bless God's Word when it comes out of unclean lips. I'm thankful for that this morning, for I'm made aware that if He didn't allow that kind of grace, I wouldn't stand a chance. Take the coal, cleanse my lips, here I am. Thank You, Lord.
