Living Large in a Small World: A Look Into Philippians 1Sample

Recognizing the Opportunity

Everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear (Philippians 1:13-14).

The apostle to the Gentile world had been rendered immobile, but that didn’t stop him from preaching. His testimony comes up repeatedly in Acts because he was never hesitant to tell it, especially to rulers, administrators, and guards—the same company he was now keeping in his confinement. His wretched circumstances had become a platform for reaching people who were otherwise isolated from the gospel.

Paul flipped the script on the idea of a captive audience; the captors became the audience for a man on a mission.

These captors in Rome may have been of particular interest to the Philippian believers, as Philippi was a community where many soldiers who had once served in the Praetorian Guard had retired. Any Philippian Christian who was a mother, father, sibling, aunt, or uncle of a current guard would have wanted to know that the gospel was reaching their ranks. And by Paul’s own account, it was.

The testimony created by the apostle’s suffering was spreading. It served as a demonstration of the bigger picture, an example of someone so rooted in the eternal realm that temporary captivity becomes yet another stage for the divine drama. If this guy is so unrattled by his situation, guards and officials must have thought, if he’s so convinced of this Savior he keeps talking about, maybe, just maybe, it’s true. His adversity had become an opportunity.

We need to capture Paul’s persistence and his perspective. In his world, believers in Jesus were a marginalized and minuscule percentage of the population, yet he was encouraged by the advance of the Kingdom. In our world, more than two billion people claim the name of Christ, yet many believers grow more discouraged and defeated by the day.

Paul envisioned a Kingdom steadily growing toward ultimate victory. Somehow we’ve gotten the impression that we’re losing the battle and headed toward some godless domination. The difference in visions is stark. Paul would not be looking at today’s world the way many of us do.

Re-Envision Adversity

Take your cues from Paul. If he prioritized self-preservation or a personal agenda, he would have already lost. His situation would have rendered a devastating verdict. But with Christ as his priority, he couldn’t lose. His vision thrived because Jesus was still alive and active in furthering his Kingdom.

Nothing has changed. Jesus always has been and always will be alive and active in furthering his Kingdom. If you’ve staked your grand vision for life on that truth, your vision is invincible. You cannot lose. God will make every pain and sacrifice fruitful in the place you offer it.