"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16) I want to shed some light on a passage of Scripture that addresses the various motives for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This does not just involve preachers in located ministries, but Christians who share the Gospel when the opportunities present themselves.
(Please read Philippians 1:12-18) The main objective of the Apostle Paul's life, was to preach the Gospel. And where Paul wanted to take the Gospel one day, was to the city of Rome, the key city of the Roman empire. He ended up not going to Rome as a preacher, but as a prisoner. But even though he was in chains, the Gospel was not; and Paul had opportunity to share the Gospel, with people he never thought he would. So this is was Paul's motive for preaching the Gospel: To win as many as he could to Jesus Christ. I have found in the almost 40 years of the preaching ministry, that there are those in the Christian fellowship who understand the purpose of the ministry of the Gospel; and are inspired to be involved with strong confidence. But believe it or not, there are also those, who hold to a spirit of competition, where jealousy and selfishness, show their ugly heads. Even though the Gospel is being shared, it is done with an attitude of competition. I want people to see how good I can teach a class, I want others to know, how many people, I talk to about Christ. I want to be better at soul winning than anyone else in the church, and so on...The wrong and insincere motives, cause discouragement among the members of the family of God. When will we realize, that we are all on the same team; and our objective and goal in preaching the Gospel is the same: To have a compassion for lost souls, and to share with them a message that will lead them to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul ended this passage, by saying even though, there are different motives involved, "Christ is preached"(v.18) But it is so nice, when everyone is on the same page. GP
Picture By Gary Patterson TCJ 2014 All Rights Reserved.
