Philippians 1:15-18; What Really Matters – 1.23.2013

“It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. (16) The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. (17) The 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.”

Just because someone is preaching the gospel doesn’t mean that they are trustworthy.  That is an important truth to remember.  I would like to think that the vast majority of pastors and preachers are faithful servants of the Lord, but I know that there are some who have ulterior motives. 

Some are looking to create their own kingdoms, to earn God’s favor, or just like to be “the man”.  And I suspect there are a very few (hopefully) who are seeking to destroy the church from the inside out.  God will deal with those whose motives are impure, but you and I are still responsible for our beliefs.  As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Test everything. Hold onto the good.”  In Acts there is a great example of this:

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” – Acts 17:11

Paul was sharing new ideas with the Bereans. While they were excited to hear him, they searched the scriptures to make sure what he was saying was true. We should follow their example.

Never assume that everything you hear from your pastor, read from a Christian author, or listen to on a podcast is absolutely true.  As I said earlier, some may be seeking to deceive, but apart from that; everyone makes mistakes.  It is easy to say something the wrong way, or for you to hear something the wrong way.  We need to keep our brains turned on when others are teaching us God’s Word.  If there is something that doesn’t sound quite right, go to the bible and check it out for yourself and ask others what they think about it.  You are responsible for your beliefs.

Paul informs us that not everyone preaches Christ with honest motives; then he tells us that it doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that Christ is preached; that people hear the good news of the gospel. The power of the gospel is in the gospel itself – not the charisma, articulation, giftedness, or even motivation of the speaker.  Paul said in Romans 1:16,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew and then for the Gentile.” 

The gospel is the power – it doesn’t matter if it is preached by a gifted orator or read without inflection by your Economics professor.  What matters is that Christ is preached – God will do the rest. So let’s get busy preaching Christ with our lives and our words!

“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11