An Opportunity for Gospel Advancement
Brad Brandt says that “problems are opportunities to see God’s agenda accomplished.” We see this principle at work in the life of the apostle Paul.
Acts 16 records Paul’s first trip to Philippi. Paul was imprisoned there for preaching the gospel. But even that didn’t silence Paul. In prison he prayed and sang, and God provided the opportunity to proclaim Christ to the jailer, who then believed in God.
From Acts 21 through the conclusion of Acts in chapter 28, we see Paul going to Jerusalem where he is again arrested and brought before various leaders. After appealing to Caesar, Paul eventually ends up imprisoned in Rome where he writes what we now know as the book of Philippians. His words to the church in Philippi provide us with a powerful example of gospel proclamation.
1. Providential Advancement of the Gospel (Philippians 1:12)
Philippians 1:12 says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
The overarching purpose of Paul’s writing to those at Philippi was to encourage them in their faith and partnership in the gospel. Those at Philippi already knew something of what had happened to Paul, which would not only have included some of his sufferings but also his current imprisonment, because they sent Epaphroditus to minister to him. In response, he writes this letter. But rather than put the spotlight on himself and his sufferings, he puts the spotlight on the sovereignty of God in the advancement of the gospel through his afflictions and imprisonment. Often the greatest good springs forth through the greatest suffering.
In considering Philippians 1:12, Thomas Watson, in his book All Things for Good, wrote, “See here the wisdom of God, who can make the worst things imaginable turn to the good of the saints. He can by a divine chemistry extract gold out of dross…. The apostle Paul was bound with a chain, and that chain which did bind him was the means of enlarging the gospel.”¹
Paul sought to advance the gospel message at every opportunity.
2. Faithful Gospel Proclamation Through Paul (Philippians 1:13)
Philippians 1:13 says, “So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ."
Paul didn’t see being held captive in Rome as a problem; rather he saw it as an opportunity to proclaim Christ to a captive elite audience. As Sinclair Ferguson points out, Paul knew “his imprisonment was part of the divine strategy to advance the gospel by bringing it to people who otherwise would never hear it.”²
Giving us some background, Kent Hughes writes: “The imperial guard, the praetorium, consisted of 9,000 handpicked soldiers who were honored with double pay, good pensions, and special duties. Among their not-so-special duties was that of guarding imperial prisoners by an attached chain. So Paul experienced a shuffle of soldiers manacled to him. Certainly few of the 9,000 praetoriani were chained to Paul, but the gospel effect was exponential. As soldier after soldier was chained to him in successive watches, they heard the gospel both directly and from Paul’s conversations with his visitors.”³
The gospel advanced through Paul’s imprisonment according to Philippians 1:13, which says, “the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Who’s all the rest? In part, we see from the end of Paul’s letter that “all the rest” included those who had come to believe—even within Caesar’s own house. Philippians 4:21-22 says, “The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.” Even though Paul was bound in chains, the gospel was far from bound!
Paul's confinement in Rome also had a meaningful impact on other believers, as we see in verse 14.
3. Emboldened Gospel Proclamation through Others (Philippians 1:14)
Philippians 1:14 says, “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” The believers who knew Paul and heard of the Lord sovereignly working good out of Paul’s hardships were more emboldened to also share the gospel.
It seems ironic, but throughout Scripture as well as church history, it has largely been through hardship and persecution that the gospel advances. In China, for instance, there was an estimated one million Chinese believers when Communism came to power in 1949. Rather than suppressing Christianity, today it is estimated that there are well over one hundred million Christians in China.
Sincere Gospel Proclamation (Philippians 1:15b-16)
Philippians 1:15-16 says, “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.” Indeed, Paul affirms some were telling others about Christ no doubt out of their love for both Christ as well as His servant Paul. And to that end we see that Paul “rejoices” (Philippians 1:18). That’s easy to understand, but harder to grasp is that verse 18 says Paul also “rejoices” in light of the others who preach Christ from selfish motivations.
Selfish Gospel Proclamation (Philippians 1:15a, 17)
Philippians 1:15a, 17 says, “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry.… [They] proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.”
I think Warren Wiersbe got to the heart of those “proclaiming Christ” not out of love but out of selfish ambition when he wrote: “Paul’s aim was to glorify Christ and get people to follow Him; his critics’ aim was to promote themselves and win a following of their own.”⁴
Surprisingly, Paul celebrates these gospel proclamations regardless of whether they were made with sincerity or from selfish ambition.
4. Celebrated Gospel Proclamation by Paul (Philippians 1:18a)
Philippians 1:18a says, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”
I found these words by Gerald Hawthorne helpful as I grappled with this text and Paul’s gracious response to those seeking to afflict him:
Although Paul rejoices over the objective fact that men preach Christ, he cannot restrain himself from pointing out the subjective motives, false or true, that prompt people to do so. It is not to be imagined, however, that Paul took any delight in those who preached with impure motives.… The “how” of the preaching is not the object of Paul’s joy; the “fact” of the preaching is.⁵
While I’m not aware of any Christians in America being put in prison yet for faithfully proclaiming Christ, like Paul, we will all face hardships in this life.
How does Paul’s resolve and joy in the face of hardship instruct us in our response to our own suffering, trials, and hardships?
Charles Spurgeon wrote of Paul, “While he looked in the face the evils that surrounded him, he was able to see beyond them, and to believe that the consequences of all his trials would be real and lasting good.”⁶
What opportunities do you have to speak of the significance of the person and work of Jesus Christ?
No doubt, some of you may feel “imprisoned” by your circumstances. If that is the case, remember the sovereignty and providence of God. If you are in Christ, God has not abandoned you—just as He had not abandoned Paul. Rather, God has entrusted you with an opportunity to advance the gospel wherever you are—to shine forth and share the love of Christ!
David Strain encourages us with these words:
Suffering is an evil no one should desire or seek. And yet suffering when it overtakes a child of God becomes an opportunity, first to discover the marvelous and amazing ways in which God works even our trials together for our good, and second, to become useful both in the world and in the church as we demonstrate the utter reliability of the promises of God and the provisions of His grace…. A suffering Christian, at rest upon God, while in the crucible of suffering is a powerful evidence of the trustworthiness and truthfulness of the gospel of grace. May God help us all make such use of our suffering for his glory!⁷
¹ Thomas Watson, All Things for Good (Banner of Trust, 1998), 48.
² Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Philippians (Banner of Trust, 1978), 18.
³ Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Philippians (Crossway, 2013), 48.
⁴ Warren Wiersbe, Be Joyful (SP Publications, 1974), 35.
⁵ Gerald Hawthorne, Word Biblical Commentary: Philippians (Word Books, 1983), 38.
⁶ Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon Commentary: Philippians (Lexham Press, 2015), 22.
⁷ David Strain, The Lectio Continua: Philippians (RHB, 2019), 55.