Thursday September 17, 2015

Read Philippians 1:15-17; Acts 15:1-5; Galatians 6:12-13

Unfortunately there are many reasons why some people and some churches preach the gospel. As Paul sits in gaol he reflects on some of those reasons. In Philippians 1:15-18 we read of some negative and positive reasons. In V 17 we see the several negative reasons.

“The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.”

Selfish ambition is a desire to promote oneself above and beyond someone else. While Paul languishes in gaol, some believers think that they can gain an advantage over Paul by preaching the gospel. Perhaps they desired to make more disciples for themselves. They also want to stir up trouble for Paul while he’s in prison. Their goal may have been to have Paul removed from the scene and to elevate their own position at the expense of Paul.

Acts 15:1-5 and Galatians 6:12-13 expands on this somewhat. From the first passage it is clear that many in the early church taught that Judaism was the only means to becoming a Christian. One had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be a true believer. In Galatians we see that these Judaizers, as they were called, preached a watered down gospel to avoid being persecuted (presumably by the Jews) and so as to be able to boast in the flesh of the new believers. Paul reveals in Philippians 1:15 that their motives are impure or insincere. Their true motives are hidden behind the preaching of the gospel. They seek to build themselves up and to make life even more difficult for Paul.

While I doubt that any church or individual believer would be so callous today, it’s still plausible that many have an insincere motive and approach to gospel preaching. How many across the Christian spectrum preach the gospel out of selfish ambition and rivalry, wanting to be as big as that other church or to have music like the other church or to….? How many are jealous of the “success” of that other church or preacher? How many young in-training preaching students secretly desire to be the next globally known and recognised preacher whose sermons are read on the internet world wide? How many pastors secretly yearn for the fame and renown of these worldwide preachers?

Yet there is another group preaching the gospel out of love, knowing that Paul was imprisoned for the defence of the gospel. That love is contextually both a love for Paul and a love for the Lord. These believers continue to preach the Word week by week, month by month, year by year. They continue serving and giving, preaching and teaching even if no one thanks them or even if only small numbers turn up to hear them.

As both individuals and as congregations and even as denominations we need to look long and hard at ourselves, engaging in some helpful and healthy self evaluation to make sure that we are preaching the gospel out of love and goodwill. We need to make sure that our motives are pure and holy, pleasing to the Lord.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that both your congregation and your denomination would have a pure heart in preaching the gospel. Pray that it would do so in love - love for God and love for all mankind.

· Pray that many people would see the love of your church and your denomination and that they would be drawn to Christ in repentance and faith because of that love and because they hear the gospel being preached clearly and powerfully.

 Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What are good motives to preach the gospel?

2. What are some bad motives to preach the gospel?

3. If someone asked to explain the gospel, what would you say?