Philippians 1:15-18

It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

I've been thinking about this passage recently. I've realized that quite often Christians (myself included) complain about how other Christians (or Churches in general) are pursuing the gospel. In my experience, the concerns are rarely about something as blatantly sinful as false motivations, yet we worry as if these groups and individuals were undermining all of Christ's power.

I find Paul's response, however, to be quite surprising. Rather than be upset or worried, he rejoices! Even though the preacher may be evil, what does it matter if Christ is shaping the evil for his own good? I think that there is something quite deep here, and that the Church would grow much closer to Christ if we understood and practiced this principal.

There are quite a few little details that I could hash out, having to do with things like this, but I'm not aiming for this to be a book, nor even a sermon, so I will let this be enough.