The Fruit of Advancing the Gospel

Today we take a look at Paul’s circumstances and his response to that. From the very top, you remember that Paul is under house arrest. He spends all day and all night chained to a Roman guard, unable to leave his house. He doesn’t have a Nintendo Switch to keep him busy, or even an iphone. Some of us in this audience don’t remember life before the iphone. Some might say it was a little more boring, but others might say it was a little more full before we were constantly distracted.

And in the midst of a hard punishment for preaching the Gospel, Paul is seeing his imprisonment, not as a defeat in his lifelong battle, but as another circumstance to be leveraged for Christ.

Let’s look in.

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All Circumstances are For Christ

The first thing that I want to draw out is Paul’s language surrounding his circumstances. The key phrase here is, “My imprisonment is for Christ.”

Let’s get something straight from the outset. Imprisonment is not something lighthearted in the Roman world, just as it’s not something lighthearted today. This was a very difficult situation for Paul. He could die in imprisonment. He was stuck, not able to see all the people he wanted to see, unable to do all of the things he wanted to do.

You could say that his circumstances were quite limiting. He had very small boundaries of things he could do.

It’s kind of like the person who just had surgery, right? What is it with people and not listening to their doctors after surgery? Tell me if this situation sounds familiar: Surgeon comes in… “Hey, we just gave you a new knee, that thing’s gonna take a while to get comfortable, so don’t go lifting heavy objects for the next 4 weeks.” Then, week 2, what do we find ourselves doing? “Oh, it’s no big deal, I can lift this refrigerator by myself.”

Hello. We don’t like to be limited by our circumstances, do we?

Paul refuses to let his circumstances overpower him. But he doesn’t do so like a stubborn post-op patient, either.

Philippians 1:13 ESV

so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

The first key to understanding how Paul goes about his life with such joy in prison is that he sees all of his circumstances as being for Christ. Including his imprisonment.

Notice! The deeply limiting and increasingly difficult circumstance of being in prison is not concluded with a “Why, God!” but an “Okay, Lord.”

This is the difference between Paul and the average person. Paul knows that he is not limited by his circumstances. Instead, he knows that all of his circumstances are put into his life by Christ, and Christ seeks to make his glory known through him.

In his commentary on Philippians, Tony Merida shares a story of a woman with terminal cancer…

I think a lot of us can’t come to peace with our circumstances because we haven’t come to peace with the fact that the Lord allows those circumstances into our lives.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

As Christians, we cannot ignore the fact that God brings about all circumstances that come to pass in our lives. And it’s not our jobs to try to explain those circumstances away, or explain God’s intentions away. It’s our job to press hard into those circumstances, receiving them, understanding that they are reality… And then asking the Lord, “What would you have me do?”

Because, you see, nothing that happens in your life is a surprise to God. I think we approach life like that sometimes. Even prayer, we approach God like that… God, can you believe this happened to me? Well, of course He can! It’s part of His plan!!!

Psalm 112:6–7 ESV

For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

The sooner we realize that God HAS a plan, the sooner we can join Him IN HIS PLAN. And the sooner we can come to peace with whatever circumstance swings our way, because God has a plan for us in all our circumstances… It’s really quite simple. Let’s look back at v. 12.

Advancing the Gospel in All Circumstances

Philippians 1:12 ESV

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

“What has happened to me has served to advance the Gospel...” This is the fruit Paul is seeking with his life.

Why? Because Paul lives his circumstances in such a way that each and every one of his captors realizes that it’s not ROME that’s keeping him imprisoned. It’s Christ. Jesus has Paul in that prison! “Look, Rome just THINKS they have me in this prison. Rome Just THINKS they’re the ones in control! Truth is, imperial guard, your employers don’t have a CLUE who’s in charge here.”

See, we look at our circumstances like they’re in control. And the truth is, your circumstances don’t control you… God does! God is your leader! So as much as you think you’re limited in your capacities by your circumstances, you have to stop and realize that, NO, God is in control of your circumstances!

In other words, Christian… You are not responsible for changing your circumstances. I can’t harp on this enough in a “control your own destiny” society. Our society sells little kitschy signs that say, “She thought she could, so she did,” and we EAT. THAT. UP! Come on, people, recognize the lies that this world is trying to sell you, and throw that junk out! Recognize that God is your only strength. Self-reliance is not following Christ. As a matter of fact, it’s the exact OPPOSITE thing Christ calls us to do.

2 Corinthians 3:5 ESV

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,

Jeremiah 17:7–8 ESV

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

When we rely upon our selves in the midst of trials, or in our daily lives, we should consider what that tells the world about our God. We live lifestyles that tell the world, “Christians are Christians because they can forge their own way.” “Christians are so strong because they have the mental fortitude to withstand anything that the world throws at them.” “Christians are so great because Christian men are REAL men. Hoo-ah.”

Folks, if these statements appeal to you, just know that it appeals to your flesh, not your spirit. The Scriptures tell us that without Christ, we are nothing. Therefore we are fully reliant upon the Lord in all things. And that’s what our lifestyles ought to show. That Christ is made powerful in our weaknesses. That even though we live the most selfless lives of all people, we are still cared for by God. And when we tell people of the goodness of God in the midst of all of life’s circumstances, they can see it because our lives display so boldly.

It’s all about positioning and leverage of those circumstances.

Archimedes once said, “Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.” What Archimedes, the Greek philosopher meant had to do with the usage of tools and positioning to accomplish great feats. How do you think the ancients built such great structures before cranes and heavy machinery? It was through the invention of the lever.

In mechanical work, there’s something that guys like me who grew up in the middle of nowhere learned to call a “cheater bar.” Y’all know what a cheater bar is? It’s a pipe that you stick on the end of a wrench to give you more leverage and to make tightening or loosening something that much easier. Here’s an example…

In our lives, we often have to do the same thing. We try to tackle life’s circumstances with “I can handle that,” and we are SEVERELY under-equipped. What would happen if we began approaching our lives with the right tools? Instead of living in the defeat of self-reliance, we can live in the victory of God-reliance. We need a new tool. put the tool of self reliance down, and take up the leverage that comes with relying on God. All it takes is a new perspective and a commitment to stick to it.

And this kind of lifestyle, as we emulate Paul, will help us to accomplish what Paul lays out as happening in v. 14…

Advancing the Gospel through Bold Proclamation

Philippians 1:14 ESV

And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

See this? Wow. The people who know of Paul’s situation, BECAUSE OF HIS JOY IN HIS CIRCUMSTANCES are that much more encouraged to follow hard after God in proclaiming the Gospel to the people around them!

Christians! If we can get out of the lifestyle of defeat and begin viewing our lives in light of the joy of the resurrection, what would it do for the Christians around us? You don’t know what awful circumstance God has placed in your life so you can shine brightly and encourage someone else to live faithfully!

Part of that lifestyle of seeing all circumstances as belonging to Christ is an outward understanding that what affects me… doesn’t just affect me. Those circumstances that are plaguing my life? That sickness? That chronic pain? That legal battle? That job loss? Through all of it, I can be joyful because I know those things are temporary. I can be joyful and praise God because I know those things are not indicative of the end for me!

And finally, as I live that life, live victoriously through the Cross… I can make Christ known through proclaiming that the joy of my life does not come because I have great circumstances. It comes because I have Christ! And ONLY because I have Christ! Everything else is just, as we said in Louisiana, Lagniappe!

Just think of the generations of Christians that follow you who will remember the saint who could maintain their joy in the midst of their deepest and most difficult trials. Perhaps YOU remember someone who was joyful despite their obviously bad circumstances. How did that affect your faith? The way you live? Did it inspire you?

And most importantly, did it inspire you to proclaim the Good News? A prominent pastor I appreciate tells the story of how he came to faith in Christ. It was because when he was in High School, playing football, the guy who had the locker next to him on the first day of practice leaned over and said, “Hey man. I’m gonna share the Gospel with you; just let me know when you’re ready.”

Consider your own boldness to share the Gospel, too. Do you suspect that the people in your lives are there for a reason? In particular, that you can show them a different way of life? That you can share the difference Christ has made in your life, and how He can change their eternity forever, too?

I think too many times, we think sharing our faith is something that involves anger and bullhorns, but listen. You can be a Christian without being angry about it… Just know that being a Christian means sharing your faith by default. Let’s get going on the happy business of telling the world of our Christ.