Rejoicing in the
Proclamation of Christ
"What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." (Philippians 1:18, ESV)
I love sports, especially football. One of the things that piques my interest in the world of professional sports is when an athlete sacrifices personal wealth and glory for team success. The reason it piques my interest is because it's something you don't see everyday in the professional sports world. The majority of today's athletes are more self-absorbed than in generations past because the money to be earned is so much greater than in generations past. When an athlete is willing to put team success before personal glory it usually means one of three things: 1) The athlete has already achieved personal success, but has not achieved a championship, so they're willing to take a pay cut or a lesser role to get on a winning team; 2) The athlete is never going to be a "top-dollar" athlete, so personal glory isn't even an option; or 3) The athlete is genuinely humble (as I said, a rarity).
Now, what is true in the sports world is also true in the spiritual world. The Apostle Paul could be considered a "spiritual" super-star. He was a highly trained member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (their governing body). He was a rising star among Jewish religious circles who cut his teeth by persecuting the early church. He had everything going for him from a human perspective. Even after his conversion, he had a lot one could boast about. He started more churches than any other apostle. He had direct revelation from Christ (cf. Galatians 1:12). He was extremely gifted from a spiritual gifts point of view (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:18). The point being that Paul could make a killing if he wanted to profit from his calling.
However, Paul was not interested in turning a profit from his evangelistic efforts. All he wanted to do—all he felt called to do—was preach the gospel. In fact, Paul felt compelled to preach the gospel: "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Corinthians 9:16). Paul was definitely a "team" player despite his success. His only concern was the advancement of the gospel. That was where he derived his greatest joy!
A little background on today's passage. Paul was under house arrest in Rome. While under arrest, others were preaching the gospel with growing boldness. Some were doing it for noble reasons. They felt emboldened by Paul's example and wanted to emulate him. Others, however, were preaching for the wrong reasons. They were crowding in on Paul's "turf" and were criticizing Paul by trying to discredit him as a washed up apostle. How did Paul respond? "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." Paul didn't care what the motives of the people preaching were. All he cared was that Christ was being preached. He found his joy in the spread and proclamation of the gospel!
Application time. Can you find joy in the gospel being proclaimed despite your personal circumstances? If you are being severely persecuted because of your faith, can you find joy in the fact that others are proclaiming Christ without persecution, even when they are slandering your name to enhance their reputation? Bottom line, can you rejoice at the advance of the gospel even when your whole world is crashing down around you? Paul could, and did! Remember, a Christian's joy is never due to external circumstances. The Christian's joy is in God and the advance of His causes. As long as the gospel is being preached faithfully and truthfully, we should take joy in that.
Have a joyous day!