Philippians 1:12-21

If it were illegal to preach Christ Jesus, would your pastor be jailed? Should your pastor be found guilty of preaching the gospel, how would you react?

In the Scripture reading in Philippians we find the apostle Paul held in the custody of the Roman government. Paul explained it was “for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain” (Acts 28:20). The apostle was detained for no reason other than his preaching Christ Jesus, the only hope of Israel and all other people.

His freedom to move about at the direction of the Holy Spirit had been stopped, but Paul was concerned that believers would become discouraged. It was as important as ever that the gospel continue to be preached to lost souls.

Even chained to Roman guards twenty-four hours a day, Paul could say, “that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” Those things that, as Paul said, “happened unto me,” were not of his own doing, but they were things that had opened opportunities for the spread of the Gospel.

Paul not only had the ears of the men assigned to guard him, he knew God could use those men to take the Gospel back to the palace. If anything, Paul was excited about the change in his circumstances. Rather than being wrapped up in his own situation, Paul’s heart was for lost people.

Many of the brethren, he said, were found to be “waxing confident” and “more bold to speak the word without fear.” In chains, Paul found believers more zealous for the Gospel.

However, while some people had good intentions in preaching Christ, others preached out of “envy and strife.” The latter hoped to gather their own followers now that Paul was in chains. They used the chains against him and for their own advantage.

Even in that, Paul saw something positive. The preachers whose motives were less than pure were at least talking about Christ Jesus. “Whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice,” said Paul.

The apostle desired that he would not bring shame to himself by giving less than an effective witness for the Lord Jesus Christ. He prayed that he would now be as bold as ever, and that Christ would be glorified in life or death.

Finally, Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Alive, he would continue to preach Christ at every opportunity, and if his life on earth ended, Paul would be in glory in heaven. May Christ be magnified in our bodies, “whether it be by life, or by death.”