But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. {Phil 1:18 NLT}
In the days of apostle Paul, the motives of some brethren for preaching the good news about Christ was wrong but the message was right. Our scriptural focus for today states – But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. Apostle Paul was a man with amazing spiritual virtues, Christ and the interest of His kingdom was always first in his life, he never placed his own personal interest above that of Christ and the kingdom. No Wonder he can still rejoice in his imprisonment, even though it was obvious that the motives of these brethren for preaching was wrong but the message was right. It is also clear that these brethren were properly discipled by Paul in the gospel but they choose to allow other virtues that are not righteous to grow in their lives and form their new ideology for preaching the gospel.
The bases for apostle Paul’s rejoicing, was that either way, the gospel of Christ was been preached and the kingdom was advancing. That is why the Bible says – And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, {Matt 11:12a NLT}.
As believers, we can learn to rejoice like apostle Paul when we see other believers preach the gospel rightly even with a wrong motive. We can also work at prayerfully correcting such wrong motives because of the future consequences. If you as a matured believer does not put the interest of Christ and His kingdom first, by working at correcting such wrong motives, one day the message will turn heretical. It will interest you to know that the heretical messages that are gaining grounds in the church today began as preaching the gospel of Christ with the wrong motives.
Correct the wrong motives today and save the future of the gospel
Have a Grace filled day – Good News awaits you.
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Last modified: December 2, 2015
