How to Maintain Joy in Ministry

How to Maintain Joy in Ministry

Philippians 1:12-18

Main Idea: Paul maintains joy in ministry by staying focused on the gospel and the glory of Christ.

If your church supports missionaries, and if you have a close relationship with these individuals, then you know the value of getting a letter or an e-mail from them. With technology today, missionaries can possibly even Skype with their home church to give reports and pray together. The apostle Paul didn’t have e-mail or Skype, but he was able to write a letter to his supporting church in Philippi, and they were eager to hear from him.

In verses 1-11 Paul thanks God for the Philippians, expresses his love for them, and then prays for them. In verses 12-26 Paul gives the church a report on his present situation and his outlook on the future. The present report is the focus of this study in verses 12-18.

The passage breaks down simply. Paul conveys his positive attitude in the first three verses. He can be positive because the gospel is advancing. He mentions two ways in particular it’s advancing: people are hearing the gospel, and others are speaking the gospel boldly. Both are a result of his imprisonment. Then in the next four verses Paul addresses the motives of two types of evangelists. One group is made up of “envious evangelists,” while the other group is made up of “empathetic evangelists.” Regardless of their motives, Paul concludes, “Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice” (1:18).

Stay Focused

This remarkable, Christ-centered perspective of Paul’s, then, is on full display in this text. He isn’t whining about his situation. He isn’t complaining about not being able to labor in some ripe mission field, like Spain. He’s not even complaining about his critics who are trying to afflict him in his imprisonment. He’s stuck in prison, but he’s able to rejoice. Paul cares about the gospel; he cares about Christ being proclaimed. Because the gospel is advancing and Christ is being preached, he rejoices.

This is one of the most relevant passages in the New Testament on how to maintain joy in the ministry. Ministry, whether vocational or non-vocational, can drain the joy out of you. I used to be a lot more critical of pastors until I became one! Now when I see a sincere gospel minister, I just want to hug him! It’s often said that pastors think about quitting every Monday morning. Sometimes you go through seasons where every day seems like Monday morning. The pastor burnout rate is off the charts. The responsibilities are vast, and the burdens are exhausting. Paul knew this church pressure, and he experienced countless waves of opposition. Yet, while Paul knew these difficulties intimately, he could essentially tell the Philippians, “I rejoice; you should rejoice.” How could he maintain joy in ministry?

Paul shows us that the key to maintaining joy in ministry is simple: stay focused on Jesus. Make the gospel the focus of your life and ministry. Is the gospel being preached? If so, then rejoice. Is Jesus Lord? Yes. Do you know Him? If so, then rejoice. Life may be hard, but when we keep our focus on Christ, we have reason to sing—even on Mondays, even when we’re criticized.

Paul was dealing with critics, with people who were envious of him, and with the pressure of Rome itself, but in Philippians his eyes were fixed on the glory of Christ. We must keep our eyes on Him as well. Don’t get overly concerned with what others are saying and doing. Don’t get consumed with trying to measure up to someone else’s church or ministry. Remember that comparison is an enemy of joy. It makes you unnecessarily distracted, can lead to either despair or pride, and will take your eyes off the King. Take your cue from Paul. Focus on Christ, and treasure His glory above all things.

Let’s look at this passage in its two parts. Paul maintained joy by putting the gospel first and by caring more about Jesus’ glory than his own glory.

Put the Gospel First

Philippians 1:12-14

Having prayed for the Philippians, Paul gives his report. Epaphroditus surely filled the church in on some of the details not mentioned in the letter. Instead of going on and on about life in prison, Paul takes a different approach. He takes a divine perspective on the whole situation, reminding the church that God’s mission is being accomplished, that people are being positively impacted by his imprisonment, and that Christians are being emboldened. His words highlight how he treasures the gospel and thus maintains joy.

God’s Mission Is Being Accomplished (1:12)

Paul starts with a broad statement about how God was at work. When Paul says, “what has happened,” he could be referring to everything that’s taken place from Jerusalem to Rome. This would include a riot, a two-year imprisonment in Caesarea, an appeal to Caesar, the threat on his life, a shipwreck on the way to Rome, his house arrest with restricted freedom, and his impending trial (Melick, Philippians, 70). Whether Paul is speaking of all of these events or just his present situation in Rome, one thing is clear: it has served to “advance” the gospel.

The Greek term for “advance” was used of blazing a trail before an army, progressing in wisdom, and the progress of a young minister (Melick, Philippians, 70). Paul could survey the situation and see that the good news was making its way into new territories. The Romans thought they would quiet Paul down, but they only gave him a captive audience that he might not have otherwise addressed. Not only were the guards and Roman officials hearing the good news, but due to Paul’s presence in the great city of Rome, many others were also being impacted by his witness. See the providence of God at work here. Instead of living freely and heading to places like Spain, the most powerful Christian missionary was allowed by God to be imprisoned. But it was through Paul’s imprisonment that the Sovereign Lord was making the gospel known in Rome.

We never know how God might use suffering to advance the gospel. For example, I recently heard about the faith journey of Peter O’Brien (renowned Bible scholar—quoted often in the present work) in a sermon preached by D. A. Carson on the story of Joseph. When he was a youth, neither of O’Brien’s parents were Christians. But his mother became greatly impacted by the faithful witness of a neighbor. This neighbor was a simple lady with sincere faith in Christ, who unfortunately lived with an incurable disease and suffered day after day. But she never complained. Her attitude and witness made a tremendous impact on O’Brien’s mother, who eventually trusted Christ as Savior. Humanly speaking, it was because of this simple lady’s faith that O’Brien’s mother became a Christian. Because of that, O’Brien later believed. He would then go to seminary and get a PhD. Then he would go to India and make the gospel known for years. Then he would go to Australia, teach, and write several extraordinary commentaries. Now, suppose you had said to this simple, suffering woman: “Here’s the deal: If you will glorify Christ in your suffering, then as a consequence Indians will be converted, pastors will be trained to teach the Bible, and countless sermons will be preached. Will you now suffer faithfully every day?” I’m sure she would have said, “Yes! Of course! I can endure for these reasons!” But she didn’t know all of this would happen. When we’re in the middle of our suffering, we never know what will happen, but we must trust that God is sovereign and that He can and often does advance the gospel through great personal hardships, such as imprisonment or cancer. Our job is to stay faithful, joyful, and Christ-centered through the suffering, confidently trusting in His wise, sovereign will (D. A. Carson, “The Temptation of Joseph”).

Because God is sovereign and is advancing His gospel, we should also view circumstances as opportunities to share the gospel. Do you somehow think that where you live is only a stepping stone to what’s next, and therefore you have no need to speak to your neighbors and really be on mission? Think again. Where you live is no accident. See your circumstances as God-ordained opportunities.

I heard of Matt Chandler coming to faith in Jesus in high school through a football teammate whose locker was providentially placed beside Matt’s. The teammate said something like, “I’m going to share the gospel with you; just let me know when you’re ready.” When I (Tony) was in college, I went simply to play baseball and graduate with a degree. I had no spiritual life. But God used my double-play partner, the second baseman, Stephen, to lead me to Jesus. You may well have been converted through someone who was near to you. Embrace this pattern. Perhaps you will be used by God to make the gospel known to someone this week. See your circumstances as opportunities to speak the gospel.

In light of Paul’s view of the providence of God, he could go on rejoicing. Live on mission in view of God’s sovereignty, and experience this joy.

People Are Hearing the Gospel (1:13)

Paul can also rejoice because he has a captive audience. The first result of his imprisonment has to do with the gospel’s impact on the “imperial guard.” It’s hard to know if Paul is talking about a place or a group of people. O’Brien notes several options. Possible places include (1) the prisoner’s barracks, (2) the royal palace, or (3) the camp of the imperial guard. If he’s referring to a group of people, then he’s referring to (4) the elite imperial guard (Epistle, 93). Of the four options, most modern commentators go with option four.

As Paul lived and taught, the Roman guards were hearing the good news. There were about 9,000 of them (O’Brien, Epistle, 93), and Paul’s message apparently impacted many of them, and probably many others in Rome, including officials and pagans. In this short book the term gospel appears as a noun nine times (Bruce, Philippians, 82, n. 47). Paul is consumed with the gospel. He has put the gospel first in his affections and priorities. What a lesson for us! Put the gospel first in your relationships, in your circumstances, and in your love for your neighbors. Talk about the good news of Jesus’ death, resurrection, reign, and return all the time. Because Paul prized the gospel, he could praise Christ with joy despite being imprisoned.

Paul is putting the gospel first in this letter as he writes to Christians. We can easily talk about other things and fail to address this most important message. D. A. Carson writes,

What ties us together? What do we talk about when we meet, even after a church service? Mere civilities? The weather? Sports? Our careers and our children? Our aches and pains?

None of these topics should be excluded from the conversation of Christians, of course. In sharing all of life, these things will inevitably come up. But what must tie us together as Christians is this passion for the gospel, this fellowship of the gospel. On the face of it, nothing else is strong enough to hold together the extraordinary diversity of people who constitute many churches. (Basics, 19)

Perhaps our failure to talk about the gospel to unbelievers is tied to our lack of talking about the gospel to anyone, including one another! Paul is consumed with the risen Christ, and he is always talking about Jesus to the Roman guard and to his friends in Philippi—yet another way we should imitate him. While you may be involved in many noble and just causes, be a gospel person first. If you are fighting slavery, feeding the poor, or caring for AIDS patients, do it with the good news of Jesus on your lips. Take all of your opportunities to serve and love as occasions to speak—wisely, winsomely, compassionately, and fearlessly.

People Are Speaking the Gospel (1:14)

Speaking of fearlessness, Paul says that when others heard about his brave witness in the Roman prison, they were inspired to greater faithfulness. This is the second time in three verses that Paul mentions “the brothers” (v. 12). The first result of Paul’s imprisonment related to those on the outside, but now Paul mentions how God has used his situation for those on the inside—the body of Christ. The family of faith was being built up by Paul’s afflictions. Persecuted Christians often inspire otherwise timid believers. After Jim Elliot and his four missionary friends were brutally killed by the Auca Indians, a high number of Wheaton College graduates offered themselves as missionaries in the years following (Carson, Basics, 24). A similar thing was happening through Paul’s sufferings. Christians were becoming more confident, more bold, and were speaking “fearlessly.”

Don’t miss the focus on courage and boldness in this verse, as well as in the rest of the chapter. In verse 20 Paul says that he will represent Christ with “all boldness,” and in verse 28 he tells the church not to be “frightened.” The book of Philippians should cause us to pray and pursue several Christian qualities, and one of them is courage.

I (Francis) had a pastoral staff member do something that I’ve only dreamed about. As my colleague was driving one day, the car in front of him accidently hit a guy on a bicycle and knocked him down. The cyclist got up. He then pounded on the hood of the driver’s car. In his rage he then went over to the driver’s side door, opened it, and began kicking and punching the driver—who happened to be a 75-year-old man! My friend was sitting behind this scene and was faced with a decision. What should he do? Should he get out and help? To make things more complicated, he also had a little baby in the back seat! Determined to help, our pastor proceeded to get out of the car and pull the cyclist off of the older man. As he did, the cyclist wouldn’t stop. He got physical with our pastor, too, and even tore his shirt off in his effort to get back to assaulting the driver. So our pastor had to make another decision. Should he punch this guy? He decided yes. And with one upper-cut punch, he knocked this guy out! When the police came and verified the story from all the witnesses, who honked and clapped when this originally happened, the policeman asked our pastor, “How many times did you punch him?” He said, “Honestly, just once.” The policeman said, “That’s what everyone else said.” Later, I told my wife—who knew I was impressed—that I’ve dreamed about doing this!

As I told this story, our congregation erupted into applause. Their excitement wasn’t due to his mighty punch (though it did amaze many!) but the fact that he took up for this older man. So I asked our church, “How many of you would have gotten out of the car and tried to stop this assault, even if the guy was bigger than you?” Most nodded in affirmation. Most would get out and do something. They would have courage to intervene. Then I asked, “How many of you would go speak the gospel to a 75-year-old man who is sitting alone at a restaurant, if you knew that he was not a Christian? Would you even engage in spiritual conversation with him?” Why is it that we find it easy to be courageous in physical matters but difficult in this spiritual matter? Why are we cowards when it comes to speaking the gospel? Could it be because there’s a deeper conflict going on? Could it be that speaking the gospel is warfare? I think so (see 2 Cor 4:3-4). Let us pray for great courage as we make the gospel known to people. Let us think on the affliction of other missionaries and pray for God to grant us boldness in making the gospel known.

In verses 12-14 Paul takes a divine perspective on his situation. He understands that God is using his imprisonment for the advancement of the gospel. The gospel was advancing through Paul’s proclamation and through many others who were inspired by Paul’s example. Because Paul put the gospel ahead of his selfish ambitions and his desire for comfort and ease, he wasn’t freaking out. He was actually rejoicing and making the most of his opportunities. Let us follow his example.

Love Christ’s Glory More Than Your Own

Philippians 1:15-18

Paul shifts in these verses to talk about two different motives from different groups of evangelists. Even though some believers were inspired by Paul’s imprisonment (v. 14), others were not. They looked at Paul’s imprisonment differently. Eugene Peterson paraphrases this passage in a striking way:

It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world. One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message, wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them. So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! (Phil 1:15-18 MSG)

Let’s compare the motives and the message of these two sets of evangelists and allow this passage to deal with our own motives.

Check Your Motives (1:15-17)

Paul states the motives of the two groups in verse 15, and then adds to this description in verses 16-17. The envious evangelists are filled with “envy and strife.” The empathetic evangelists preach out of “good will.” The former preach Christ out of “rivalry,” while the latter preach out of “love.” The envious evangelists look at Paul’s imprisonment as an occasion to tear him down, to stir up trouble, and to elevate their ministries over Paul’s. The empathetic evangelists care about Paul. They understand that Paul is in prison by God’s sovereign will and not as a result of any disobedience or unfaithfulness. They serve out of goodwill toward Paul. They seek to continue his mission. So we have two groups of ministers with different motives. These ministers with bad motives seem to be believers, and so we shouldn’t think that we can’t fall into these same sins ourselves. Let’s consider four applications for our ministries here.

Beware of jealousy and envy in ministry. While every Christian will be tempted with these sins (Rom 1:29; Gal 5:20-21), they are particularly active in the passions of ministers. Be alert to the presence of such temptations. Ask yourself, Am I constantly comparing myself with others in ministry? Do I rejoice when my friends succeed, or do I grow jealous? Do I resent it when others are praised? Paul was uniquely gifted and used by God. Instead of rejoicing in Paul’s ministry, the envious evangelists resented him and couldn’t rejoice in the Savior’s work through him. Sadly, that sounds very familiar to our day.

If Satan can’t corrupt your heart with a love of money or with sexual sin, he may try this tactic: envy and rivalry. Consider a story from the fourth century on the sin of envy. Some inexperienced demons were finding it difficult to afflict a godly hermit. They lured him with various temptations, but the man kept denying their allurements. The demons reported their problem to Satan. The evil one told them that they had been far too hard on the man. He suggested a more effective strategy: “Send him a message that his brother has just been made bishop of Antioch. Bring him good news.” The demons used the Devil’s scheme, reporting “the wonderful news” to the pious hermit. On hearing this message, the godly hermit fell into deep, wicked jealousy (Kent and Barbara Hughes, Liberating Ministry, 100).

Does it bother you when others are praised, promoted, and more recognized then you? What about if they try to tear you down in order to build themselves up? Despite the fact that wrongly motivated preachers were using Paul’s imprisonment as a means of tearing him down, Paul humbly said, “Christ is proclaimed. And in this I rejoice” (v. 18). The way you overcome your wicked jealousy is by caring more for Jesus’ glory than your own. Let the glory of Christ be your chief concern.

Beware of the temptation to promote yourself in ministry. Paul says that some were guilty of “rivalry” (v. 17) or “selfish ambition” (ESV, NASB). They wanted to be recognized and made much of by others. Serving Jesus out of rivalry is warped motivation. Yet, it’s sadly present today. Hanson notes, “Readers of Paul will observe that envy and rivalry are too often characteristics of preachers of Christ in our competitive churches” (Letter, 72). How sad it is to compete with others who are actually on the same team! How sad it is when we serve with selfish ambition while the heart of our message is about a Savior who emptied Himself for sinners. Avoid the sin of rivalry by caring for the glory of Jesus more than your own. Make it your ambition to make Christ known, not yourself (2 Cor 4:5).

Don’t be surprised if others envy you. While you will never be the mighty apostle Paul, the Lord may grant you unexpected influence. That influence would inevitably serve as an occasion for others to grow jealous of you. Because of their jealousy, they might do a number of things. They might criticize you unfairly. They might disassociate with you. They might speak against you. They might disrespect you. You may think this will never happen to you, but you should think again. What should you do then? You should follow Paul. He doesn’t try to defend himself. He doesn’t really get wrapped up in it all. He knows God will ultimately judge the hearts and ministries of people. So he simply stays focused on proclaiming Christ, and he puts the gospel first. You can’t control what others think of you; all you can do is finish your race with faithfulness.

Pray for God to give you the grace to minister out of love for Him and others. Paul recognizes that the message is more important than the motives, but he is clearly in favor of serving with good motives. Serve out of love and goodwill. The book of Philippians is filled with exhortations to loving, humble service that puts the needs of others ahead of our own. Why do you serve Jesus? Is it because you love Him and others? I don’t want to be an envious evangelist; I want to be a goodwill gospel proclaimer. This will happen as we care more about Jesus’ glory than our own, which Paul highlights in the next verse.

Rejoice When Christ Is Proclaimed (1:18)

Paul’s exemplary Christ-centered focus continues as he summarizes his report. What matters most to him is the gospel. True, some were preaching the gospel with sinful motives, but still, the gospel was being proclaimed. Paul could rejoice in this (without condoning the twisted motives) because his ultimate desire was to see Christ proclaimed, known, and glorified. The message mattered more to Paul than the messengers. Notice how different Paul’s attitude is here in Philippians compared to his words about the false teachers in Galatians.

I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from Him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel other than what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone preaches to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! (Gal 1:6-9)

Does Paul’s attitude here sound like his attitude about the envious evangelists in Philippians 1:12-18? No, it doesn’t. Why then does Paul rail on the Galatian false teachers but not the envious evangelists? It’s simple. The envious evangelists in Philippi were preaching Christ, but those in Galatia were not. The Galatian teachers were distorting the gospel. Paul never tolerates a false gospel. The message mattered more to Paul than the motives of the messengers. Granted, Paul would prefer to have both message and motive be pure, but he placed the highest importance on the message.

This is an important word for the Christian community, who are often quick to vilify people. There will be preachers and teachers who do things that make us cringe. But are they preaching Christ? If so, then we should rejoice. And then we should pray about their questionable motives. Our hearts are deceptive, and even the best of preachers can do dumb things for bad reasons. This doesn’t excuse their sin. I just point it out for us to remember the centrality of the gospel and the weakness of human instruments.

Having said this, we should pray for and strive for both a clear, Christ-centered message and a Christ-honoring, people-loving motive. Paul told the Thessalonians about his suffering in Philippi, and then he went on to remind them of the purity of his message and his motive. Here is a model for us to pursue:

After we had previously suffered, and we were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. For our exhortation didn’t come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but rather God, who examines our hearts. For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness—and we didn’t seek glory from people, either from you or from others. (1 Thess 2:2-6)

So let us speak the gospel that God has entrusted to us, and let us do it faithfully before God, who examines hearts. Let us pray for those who proclaim the gospel. And let us rejoice when people are proclaiming the gospel even if we find things about the messengers questionable.

Do you care more about Christ’s glory or the one speaking about Christ? May it be the former. Because Paul was preoccupied with the Savior, not the speaker, he could rejoice! Surely Paul’s joyful attitude displayed in front of the Roman guards had an impact on them. His consistent testimony of joy in the midst of suffering, coupled with the explosive power of the gospel, made an eternal difference in their lives. There’s no reason to believe that such a strategy for evangelism won’t work today—living an attractive and joyful life before people and proclaiming the good news to them. Jesus is better than comfortable circumstances and high-profile positions in ministry. He matters more than what others think about us. The proclamation of His gospel always matters most to Paul-like ministers. Let us care more about Jesus’ glory than our own, and let us rejoice until we see Him—the One who bled and died for those with deceptive hearts.

I sometimes chuckle at halftime interviews with football coaches. There are many occasions for laughter at these sometimes awkward or heated interactions. What I often find most amusing is the simplicity with which the coach speaks. You will hear the multi-million dollar coach say things like, “We just need to run, block, and tackle better.” You want to say, “Really? They’re paying you all that money to say that?” Of course there are all sorts of things he could say to expound on these fundamentals, but he keeps it simple and focused. That’s what we must do as well in order to advance the gospel and maintain joy in ministry. We need to keep our focus on Jesus. We need to put the gospel first. We need to care about people and the glory of Christ more than our own glory. Stay focused.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What factors may cause people to lose their joy in ministry?
2. What might we learn from this passage about how to deal with critics?
3. Does Philippians 1:12 encourage you? How so?
4. Why should Philippians 1:12 give us added incentive to speak the gospel to someone?
5. In what ways can you “put the gospel first” in your relationships?
6. Why is it easier for us to be courageous in physical ways than in speaking the gospel to someone who is spiritually lost?
7. Why do you think the sins of envy and jealousy are so prevalent among church leaders?
8. What’s most important to Paul: motive or message? Why?
9. Do you love Christ’s glory more than your own? Pray for God to help you treasure Christ more than the approval and applause of others.
10. How could Paul “rejoice” and tell others to “rejoice” even though he was in prison? How should his example impact us today?