By: Tyler Montgomery
In Philippians 1:15-18, we are given two different reasonings behind preaching and/or teaching. We have those who preach from envy and strife, and those who preach from goodwill. This presents the question: Why do we preach? Throughout the Bible we are given examples of men teaching and preaching to those who wish to hear and learn, but why did they teach or preach? We could take an example from the prophets of the Old Testament as they were given that gift of prophecy and God would send them to cities to preach what He had shown them. Jonah is one of the best examples of preaching for the wrong reason. In the book of Jonah, we read about a man who unwillingly preached to the Ninevites; bitter enemies of Israel who harbored deep hatred toward the Israelites. We read in the first chapter that as soon as he heard that God had told him to go into Nineveh, “Jonah arose to flee” (Jonah 1:2-3). It says at the end of the verse that he sought to leave the “presence of the Lord”. After he was “persuaded” into going to Nineveh to preach to the people there, the Bible says at the end of chapter 3 that “God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). Holy Writ then reveals that this “displeased Jonah exceedingly” (Jonah 4:1). You, see? Jonah preached unwillingly to those who were in Nineveh because of his bitterness towards them! Is it good that he preached to them, which led to their salvation from the disaster that God had planned for them? Yes! Did he do it out of the goodwill of his heart? No. Let us go back a bit further in time, because the story of Noah (in my opinion) is one of the best examples to use on this topic. In Genesis 6 we are given a description of how wicked the world had become, so wicked in fact that God said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them” (Genesis 6:7). Noah then is introduced saying, “but Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). Noah is then given the plan constructed by God to destroy “all flesh” and instructs Noah to build an ark and take his family and “two of every sort” onto the ark with him (Genesis 6:13, 18-19). Do you think that was all that he did? Peter calls Noah “a preacher of righteousness” (2nd Peter 2:5). This alludes us to the thought and idea that as Noah worked (built the ark), he preached as well to at the very least try and save those of his world. Those that lost their lives did so because their wicked ways caught up to them. Noah had no reason to be doing this out of selfish ambition; he was truly worried for those people. Noah truly loved each and every person that he had spoken to about his God. In the book of Acts we are told of one of the most influential preachers throughout all of Christianity; Paul. Why did he preach the gospel of Christ? What drove him to teach? Once Paul had been converted to Christianity he did 2 things. First he ate and then, as it says, “immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). Immediately! But what was his drive? Let us go back to Philippians 1:12-18, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:12-18). Look at the wording here. After Paul had given his life for Christ he was as Christ had said, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Act 9:15-16). At this point in Paul’s life, he had lived that life that the Lord had professed that he would. He had preached, taught, and suffered. So, what drove Paul to teach? The knowledge that every time he taught the Gospel, every time those he taught the Gospel would continue teaching others, he was doing the will of God, this brought him joy. Knowing that his teaching brought him closer to God, knowing that those he taught were now his family, that had kept Paul pressing onward. He exclaims this at the beginning of the Philippian epistle proclaiming, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, you are all partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:3-8). He holds this thought throughout the entire letter as he writes, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9). Therefore, why do you preach? Why do you wish to teach others about the Gospel of our Lord? Every time you do, ask yourself this question and keep in mind the words of the apostle Paul who wrote, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:3-8). Amen.