Rejoice In Adversity (Philippians 1:12-26)

Bible Passage: Philippians 1:12-26

After his customary greeting to the Philippians, a warm recollection of God’s work in their lives and a prayer that this would continue, Paul gets into the main thrust of his letter in this passage. The context is that he is in prison, most likely in Rome or Ephesus. It would be easy to look at Paul’s circumstances and conclude that the plan had been derailed and the gospel had been thwarted. Paul’s assessment of the situation is very different, and he sees even the adversity that he is facing as a means by which the gospel advances.

The gospel advances even in hard times (v12-14): Paul spells out two ways in which his time in prison is proving beneficial to the gospel. Firstly, it has been made clear to the entire guard that he is there because of his faith in Jesus. Paul used the fact that there were guards assigned to stay with him as an opportunity to speak to those men and to share the good news with them, and word spread from them to the whole palace. Secondly, Paul’s imprisonment has led other believers to step up and become more bold in their own evangelism. The point is not that we should seek after difficult circumstances or adversity, but we should open our eyes to the opportunities that hard times offer, and see how God is at work even when our circumstances are less than ideal.

The gospel advances even through false motives (v15-18): Another element of Paul’s circumstances that could cause despair was preachers who were sharing Christ with bad motives, particularly selfish ambition and envy. They are looking to exploit Paul’s circumstances to make a name for themselves. This is pertinent for our own day, with a mix of true and false motives present in those who proclaim Christ. Nevertheless, for Paul the important thing is not his own position or reputation, but that Christ is being proclaimed and so he can rejoice in the fact that the good news is being heard, even if the motives are not entirely good.

Applying this point does not mean we should give a free pass to false shepherds or abusive leaders, but it does mean that we refrain from seeing other gospel proclaimers as rivals and instead celebrate wherever we see Jesus being made known.

The gospel advances through life and death (v19-26): Paul knows that people are praying for his deliverance from his circumstances, but is contemplating whether this will come as a result of his death or his life. Either way he sees the gospel benefit. Should he die he will be with Jesus, which is far better than this life. On other hand, if he lives, he will be able to go on doing gospel ministry and see God work through his to do good. Paul’s ability to see everything that happens through the lens of Christ is refreshing, and one that we should seek to apply to the circumstances we face in our own lives.

Potential Applications:

• There will be people in the congregation in all sorts of circumstances. Invite them to ask God how he is working in what they are going through, and praise him for any way they can see the gospel advancing.
• Challenge people to consider whatever issues they are facing through the lens of what will most advance the gospel.