Stay on Mission – 30th April 2018

3. Dare to!
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of 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. Philippians 1:12-18
Staying on Mission with Jesus is not the ‘safe’ option for life, in fact, the opposite is true! Sadly, the result of this is that many who say that they follow Jesus opt for a life that has ‘Jesus in it’ but avoids the challenges that would come if we really joined Him in His Mission. We don’t dare to talk about Jesus because of what it may cost us.
Put very simply, we often choose not to talk to others about Jesus because it is a lot easier not too!
Paul, writing from his prison cell, did not live his Christian life in that way! His perspective is entirely different. He writes:
And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
Repeatedly, in this letter, Paul talks about the joy and rejoicing that he has because the gospel is being preached. And in this verse, there is a glimpse of what causes him to rejoice. He is in prison in chains and yet this, far from preventing the gospel from being shared, is having the opposite effect. Other Christians, who ‘because’ they have seen the absolute commitment that Paul has to the gospel, are trusting in the Lords power, as opposed to their own weakness and, in Paul’s words now ‘dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear’.
I find that expression hugely motivating and challenging and long for a time when the church will be made up of people who ‘dare all the more’! What I love about this is the picture it paints in my mind of people who are growing more and more confident in the Lord. People who are stepping further and further away from the comfort zone that lies within the walls that have been erected as a result of fear! A people who are becoming daring, who, when they get knocked down get back up and dare some more. A people who are so in love with Jesus that bringing glory to him is a far greater motivation than the fear that so often prevents them.

I am not writing from a prison cell as Paul did but I want to encourage you to do what those that he writs about did. This week, for the sake of Jesus and His mission ‘dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear’.
Dennis