Philippians: Just Do It!

This blog is about pages 147-149 in the book The Smart Guide to the Bible: Paul and the Prison Epistles.

Philippians 1:15-18a says, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached;” (NKJV)

Paul didn’t care if people bad-mouthed him. All that mattered to Paul was that God’s Word was preached. Only God can truly know the motives of those who preach and spread the Word. Some may have obvious motives behind what they are doing, and some may have just lost touch with the original love that was in their ministry. And some, like Paul, preach with sincerity and love. It isn’t for us to judge. We should rejoice, no matter what, that the Word of God is being preached, and Jesus is being lifted up.

Sometimes we spend too much time worrying about “damage control,” trying to validate or disqualify the things that other people, churches, and ministries say. We fight and bicker over little details because we think that it is the right thing to do to present a “pure” Gospel to those that are not saved. But fighting over it is not the answer. When we fight over the little details, condemn, and call each other names, that is the image the world sees of the church. Many friends of mine that are unbelievers don’t believe or want to be a part of the church because of the fighting that goes on over stupid things. Jesus calls us to love each other, so why don’t we love each other completely? Why don’t we just forget our little differences and take the world by storm? Let’s rekindle the flame in our own hearts, and use that flame to set the hearts of the entire world on fire!