Last week we began to examine Philippians 1:12-18. In the middle of a world which demands our full allegiance, how can we stay on task and on target as a church and individual believers. We stay on task and on target by maintaining the proper perspective of the gospel and eternity. Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell, imprisoned for the Gospel. The phrase in verse 12, “What has happened to me,” most likely includes all the events of struggle Paul faced. It contains the riots in various cities caused by anger at his preaching, the two years’ imprisonment at Caesarea, the appeal to Cesar, the threats on his life, the multiple shipwrecks he faced, and his impending trial. Paul had been stoned, imprisoned, and mistreated throughout his ministry for the Gospel. He had lost much for the Gospel. In chapter 4, we learn that he had suffered need and hunger. At the core was the fact that Paul was wrongly imprisoned for the sake of the Gospel. Many were attempting to kill Paul. Further, the Philippian church was founded through difficult circumstances. In Acts 16, we learn that a demon-possessed girl in Philippi harassed Paul and Silas. Finally, they cast the demon out of the girl, and she was miraculously saved. However, this action angered her masters, seeing the money they gained from her slipping away. As a result, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them to court, where they were sent to prison. While sitting in the stocks, they sang praises to God. God caused an earthquake that opened the prison. Fearing that he had lost his prisoners, the jailer panicked. Yet, when Paul and Silas ensured him that no prisoners were lost, he recognized the difference in these men and also came to Christ. God founded this church through the persecution of Paul. Yet, Paul stayed on task and target through all the trials. Here Paul informs us of his secret. When the church and the believer maintain a proper perspective, they will stay on task and target. From a human standpoint, all seemed to be lost. Yet, the proper perspective allowed Paul to remain on task and target in the middle of difficult circumstances.

Trials are a reality of life. Just because you have trusted Christ does not mean that life is going to be a bed of roses. And just because you are facing some difficult circumstances in life, does not mean that God has forsaken you. Paul informed Timothy, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). You will face trials in your life. Some of you may even be facing them now. Whether it trials in your family (Relational troubles with your spouse, difficulty with your children or grandchildren), trials in finances (lost his job, or the job you have just doesn’t pay), trials at work (can’t get it right, co-workers or boss making life difficult for you), trials in relationships (with friends or significant other), trials in health; God has not forsaken you, and you can still live a life of joy even in the midst of that. How? How is that possible? The key is a proper perspective.

Paul observed this reality repeatedly in his ministry and now pleads with the Philippian church to observe it as well. He states, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” The term “advance” was used in the Greek-speaking world to characterize blazing a trail before an army. Paul saw these events as forging new territory for the Gospel. While others may have seen the end of a ministry, Paul saw new ways for the Gospel to spread. And he informs the Philippians that indeed the Gospel did spread. It spread to the emperor’s inner circle. Roman military officers and Roman soldiers heard the Gospel in Jerusalem and Caesarea. Two Roman governors (Felix and Festus), King Herod Agrippa, and their wives heard Paul speak about faith in Christ Jesus. One of these governors, over two years, often sent for Paul to converse with him. What appeared at first to be the end of Paul’s ministry turned out to be the means of its advancement. These trials allowed Paul to preach the Gospel before governors and kings and ultimately to the Imperial house.

Further, we observe that some responded with boldness to fill in the gap left by Paul’s imprisonment. Interestingly, Paul uses the word “most,” meaning a great many or majority of Christians responded to Paul’s struggles with boldness and bravery. When believers heard that Paul used his chains as an opportunity to express his faith in Christ, even to the palace guard, they were emboldened to proclaim Christ fearlessly even when they might have been intimidated to keep their mouth shut. Courage is contagious—the timid catch boldness from the brave. Years later, when facing his inevitable death, Paul encouraged Timothy to carry on the task. He informed him of the secret, the needed perspective to stay on task and target in the direst of circumstances.

As this church faces the pressures of COVID and the variety of opinions, we must keep the target and tasks in mind to carry on in unity. Some would have the church close the doors for protection, and others would have the church never close. The divisions threaten the church’s viability. Some desire all to mask, and others see masks as a form of oppression. The divisions threaten the church’s viability. Some fear the ongoing threat of COVID, and some see it as a thing of the past. The divisions threaten the church’s viability. We must maintain a proper perspective. The church is not about the political views of COVID but the advancement of the kingdom. Our mission must be to press forward with the Gospel. The sufferings of today are working for us an eternal weight of glory. So don’t allow the perspective of the world to infect your mind and cause you to quit. As fellow citizens of the kingdom, we must seek to love and care for one another. This proper perspective will allow us to stay on task and target in the middle of these unusual and challenging days.

Many of you face the financial pressures of employment shortages in your work and inflation. You are tempted to question God and his work in your life. You are tempted to quit sacrificially giving to the church. Do not quit on the church. The church is about the Kingdom of God. Christ informs us in Matthew 6 that when we seek the Kingdom of God first, he will care for our every need. The proper perspective will keep you on task and target.