GodSprings - 29 November, 2016

Can I Preach Christ if I am Jealous?

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Philippians 1:15-18

Two shopkeepers were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other's business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival. One night an angel appeared to one of the shopkeepers in a dream and said, "I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Here is my request: Strike me blind in one eye!"

In trying to deal with false accusation it's important to understand that Paul is not talking about doctrinal difference. He’s talking about something else.  The detractors here were not attacking Paul's theology. It was his person that bothered them.  And so they are preaching Christ.

They are not proclaiming another Jesus, like 2 Corinthians 11:4 and 13.  This is the same gospel and the same Jesus Christ.  They are not the Judaizers of Philippians 3:2, called “the false circumcision.”  They're not “the dogs” or “the evil workers” of that verse.  There's no difference in their content.  There's no difference in their gospel. There's no difference in their preaching.  The difference is in their motive.

It's their motive that messes them up. They were jealous.  Jealous of what? They were jealous of Paul's giftedness, Paul's success. They were jealous that Paul was so beloved.  They were jealous that everybody found Paul to be the touchstone of truth.  They were jealous because more people followed him than them.  They were jealous because he had so eminently upon him the blessing of God. They may have been jealous of the fact that he on three occasions had encountered the living, resurrected, and exalted Christ personally.  They were jealous - jealous of his gifts, jealous of his blessings, jealous of his ministry, jealous of his success, jealous of his high esteem.  He was a menace to their prominence.  He was a menace to the exaltation of their egos.  He was in the seat they wanted to be in, only he was there rightly.  And as a result of being jealous they created “strife.”  Their jealousy pitted them against him and conflict occurred.

Paul is not writing to gain sympathy for him but so that we'll know this is how it is.  And he reminds us in writing this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that the Lord takes note not only of what we preach but of why we preach it.  And to add to it not only what we do and think but of why we do and think. That the Lord is not only into content but the Lord is into motive. 

It’s a sad thing but it is rampant in the church today. Amongst the clergy and the laity. We sometimes turn out to be people who are motivated out of jealousy and envy. We focus our whole life on trying to discredit other people who occupy some kind of place of blessing that creates envy in our sinful hearts. 

We are angry that someone else is more successful than we are, as an evangelist, clergy, writer, doctor, advocate or a teacher.  If we get angry at others success, we too are producers of rivalry.Who were we jealous of in the last one year, month or today. Before we go back to sleep today let this be our prayer dear Lord may I not bring your name down because of jealousy.