Philippians 1:12-26
We continue reading tonight from Paul’s letter to the Philippians with Chapter 1, verses 12 to 26, and I am reading from the English Standard Version translation:
12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 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
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of 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.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 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. 20 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. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 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! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
In this part of his letter, Paul tells the church in Philippi that the Gospel has gone farther, or reached more people, because of his imprisonment. Even in chains, he is a witness to the power of faith in Jesus Christ. And in these verses, he is rejoicing in the progress of the Gospel.
Paul persuades us that evangelism – sharing the Good News – can happen under any circumstances.
Rob Bell, an evangelical pastor and author, tells the story of going to a concert with some of his friends and hearing a man shouting at the crowd. He catches the words, “burn”, “sin”, “hell” and “repent” and then he hears the word “Jesus”. The man was shouting in a bullhorn and waving paper pamphlets, telling people if they don’t change their ways and do better, they will face eternal damnation and the fires of hell. He was using Bible passages to hammer home his threats.
Unfortunately, whether it’s from our experience at a concert venue, main street, or television, the man who Bell nicknames “Bullhorn Guy” is what comes to mind for many of us when we hear the word “evangelism.” The word that literally means “the Good News” is now associated with arrogance, coercion and condemnation. And even if you have a more benign or neutral view of evangelism, you might think, like one person said in Bible study on Monday, “we’re Lutheran, we don’t do that.”
And while we don’t often canvas neighborhoods knocking on doors or go on beach trips with Four Spiritual Laws booklets tucked into our pockets, we are each equipped as evangelists because of the faith we have in Christ to be witnesses to the Gospel. And, tonight, I want us to reclaim the practice of evangelism, if not the word itself.
In his book about Philippians Because of This I Rejoice, Max Vincent tells a story from when he was in the third grade and a friend on the school bus asked him, “What is your witness?” After a minute of panic, he told the boy that he knew God loved him even though God knew the bad things he had done. That was a new idea to the boy and their conversation continued from there.
Importantly, God has to be the subject when we are sharing the Good News.
Tonight is a great example; you have chosen to gather for worship and for prayer because it means something to you to be part of the Body of Christ, to hear God’s Word spoken and preached, or to take time apart from the rest of your day to encounter God. If someone asked you, “What did you do Wednesday night?” what would you say? Is Lenten worship a joyful practice for you? Why?
Remembering that God creates us for relationship and doesn’t want us to be alone, maybe you could talk about your gratitude for sharing a table with friends or the importance of the relationships you have here.
Or, remembering that God is revealed in the Word and the Spirit gathers us as God’s people, you could explain that worship nourishes you and strengthens you for the challenges you face the rest of the week or how the music lifts your spirit.
Often our personal experiences can be a reference point for our witness of the Gospel, but we can also tell the stories of what is happening around the world remembering that we are one part of the Body of Christ the whole world over. Then we get to celebrate when congregations partner together to provide housing to the homeless or offer disaster relief to flooded communities like those in eastern North Carolina or Nebraska, or we hear about the young adults in global mission working in other countries to share God’s love with the world.
Vincent challenges us to identify where Christ is at the center of our lives and to share why we make the choices we make when we are in conversation with others.
Like Paul who rejoiced despite his imprisonment, invite people to be curious about your faith. Who knows - we may be surprised at the unexpected ways God uses us and our circumstances to further the reach of the Gospel.
Let us pray…
Holy God, We give you thanks for Your Son Jesus and the gift of salvation You have given each of us.
May we always be joyful remembering Your abundant love and mercy for us.
Give us courage to witness to your redeeming love.
We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
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