3. PROCLAIMING CHRIST SINCERELY (PHIL 1: 12-17)

3. PROCLAIMING CHRIST SINCERELY (PHIL 1: 12-17):

Paul writes that he wants the brothers to know that what has happened to him has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the imperial guard and to all the rest that his imprisonment is for Christ. Paul conveys his personal experiences to the Philippians and acknowledges that everything is for a purpose, even his imprisonment, as it has enabled the progress of the gospel and reaches the people who are in prison. The people who were the rulers, the guards, and even the fellow prisoners knew that Paul had been imprisoned for the sake of proclaiming Christ as the redeemer.

Paul continues to write that most of the brothers had become confident in the Lord because of his imprisonment, and are now much bolder to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. Since many people saw God’s work even in the imprisonment of Paul, they became strong and efficient in proclaiming the word of God without any hesitation. Not everyone preaches the gospel of Christ with a good heart, though some of them do. Some people had preached Christ because of their own selfish reasons that caused division among people and rebellion within groups, which needs to be abandoned.

Paul conveys that those who preach Christ from goodwill do it out of love, knowing that he was put there for the defense of the gospel. Those who proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition do it not sincerely, but thinking to afflict him in his imprisonment. The people who preach Christ for the common good don’t do it for their emotional gratification or for any other hidden reasons that benefit them in any way but purely out of love towards God and others, with a clear conscience to stand for the truth of the gospel. Those who preach the gospel out of envy and strife do it based on their selfish interests, but not for really following the commandments of God and wanting others to taste the love of God. Here, the people preached to stir the rebellion amongst people and cause division so that the accusation against Paul would gain more vigour, so that he would be made to face more condemnation.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.      What does Paul want the Philippians to know? Why?

2.      How do the things that happened to Paul really serve to advance the gospel?

3.      What does Paul mean that his imprisonment is for Christ?

4.      What happened to most of the brothers during Paul’s imprisonment?

5.      What did the brothers do after becoming confident in the Lord?

6.      What are the different reasons for which Christ is preached?

7.      Why do the people who preach out of goodwill do that?

8.      Why do the people who preach from envy and rivalry do that?

9.      How can we preach Christ with love?

10.  How should we deal with our sufferings and continuously preach the gospel? 

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