Scripture: 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. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. Philippians 1:15-18
Observation: While Paul is in prison, there are Christians who are preaching because they are motivated to hurt Paul. They want to gather their own following in his absence, or they want to theologically disagree with Paul while he cannot engage.
Paul's response: So what! What does it matter? Christ is being preached!!!
This is a very practical application of the discussion about "core tenants" of our faith. Christians debate with each other on the unimportant matters of faith too often. Paul is so mature, however, that he doesn't even care about others who disagree with him on certain matters. Instead, he is celebrating because the core tenants - Jesus is the Messiah who rose from the dead so that we may believe in him and have eternal life - is being preached.
Application: In my head, I still hold mini debates about theology. I believe this is good, as it shows I am meditating on scripture and seeking the will of God. However, in my daily walk, it is critical that I talk to people about the one truth ... the Gospel.
Real maturity is when we recognize that only the truth of the Gospel really matters. There are things (like hypocritical behavior by Christians) that make telling others about Jesus more difficult. And there are things (like acknowledging and repenting from sin) that Christians must do as part of their maturing understanding of the lordship of Jesus. However, every day, at the core, I life and deeds and words must be about the Gospel. From prison, that was what Paul's life came down to ... who cared what happened to him - by life or death or reputation - as long as the Gospel was preached.
Prayer: Lord, I want to be more like Jesus every day. However, short of that, it would be good to just be more like Paul, focused on you and your truth. Please give me the strength to put these thoughts to action in your service. Amen.
This is another great example (the other is when the disciples are walking with Jesus and complaining that others are preaching about Jesus but not following the them). Scripture shows us that it's not about who's right, wrong or more right... we are all Christians, we have bigger things to worry about than which denomination is more correct than the other. Matter of fact, I think none of us have it exactly right and we won't until Jesus returns.
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