“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.” Philippians 1:15-18
Sometimes when a leader is forcibly removed from power without a succession plan in place, an institution can suddenly find itself without a central authority. Within this void a major power struggle often happens between competing interest groups, and the transition can become quite messy.
While Paul was in prison, a similar power vacuum occurred. Some who were preaching the gospel, who were clearly at odds with Paul for some reason or another, used his absence as an opportunity to build their own reputations and discredit him in the process. With him out of the picture, they could finally enjoy the limelight all for themselves and make light of Paul’s situation.
Or, to put it in a more modern way, they could begin building their own brand.
Paul was aware of what was going on, and he let the church back in Philippi know that despite being in prison, he wasn’t oblivious to it. But he didn’t write them to complain or to be critical of those who were taking advantage of his absence to preach the gospel for personal gain.
He told them these things to remind them that the most important thing was that despite their motives – they were sharing the gospel of Christ, of which gave him reason to rejoice and be glad. In Paul’s mind, it was all good.
How about us? Do we feel the same way? Or are we prone to grumbling and being critical when we suddenly find ourselves having to share the spotlight with someone else? Do we feel slighted when others get recognized for their good deeds while ours go seemingly unnoticed? Or do we rejoice knowing that others are contributing to the same common cause that we support and believe in?
According to the gospel of Mark, one of Jesus’ disciples came to him one day and told him that they had witnessed someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name. “He wasn’t in our group and following us,” he said, “so we told him to stop.” Jesus gently rebuked them. “Do not stop him!” Jesus replied. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:38-40)
Jesus was communicating to them that not all of His followers resembled each other or belonged to the same group. Some would indeed be different, but they shouldn’t allow their differences to interfere with building up the kingdom of God.
Motives certainly matter. But God is ultimately the only one who knows our hearts and true intentions. He will sort that all out in the end. He’s been known to use people who do the right thing for the wrong reasons to accomplish His will.
So when we feel slighted and allow our selfish pride to kick in, let us remember Paul’s selfless example:
Whoever is for God is not against us.
Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 