Adversity Can Advance The Gospel

Nick Minerva • Oct 05, 2021

In this post and the next, we will look at Philippians 1:12-14. In our text, we are going to see how the Apostle Paul is encouraging this church while he is in the middle of suffering persecution for his faith. He is showing this church and us how the adversity he is facing is actually advancing the gospel and we will see when we get to verse 18 that this was causing joy in Paul’s life. 

Now we know according to church and biblical history, Paul is ultimately released from this imprisonment around AD 62, he then goes to Ephesus and writes several more epistles. Around AD 64 a major wave of persecution against Christians broke out and Paul was thrown into the Mamertine Prison around AD 67 from which he writes 2 Timothy before he is eventually beheaded. But the fact that things are going to get worse for Paul, doesn’t mean they are currently good. He is still facing persecution. 

The Reality of Persecution

As we consider his persecution, it brings to mind our brothers and sisters around the world who continue to face intense persecution.  I shared an article  about a week and a half ago in our church Facebook group telling how Pastors in Afghanistan are asking for prayer right now. The writer of the article states “ As Taliban forces have swallowed up Afghanistan, pastors in the country have been emailing and messaging me over the last few days, even hours, anxious for prayer. One house church leader sent me a picture of the small room he was hiding in with his family. He wrote, “This is where I am living. We are hidden right now in different areas.”

Another pastor wrote, “ We can’t go out like normal. It’s dangerous. We moved to one of my friend’s houses, but it’s not safe at all.”  Mindy Belz at WORLD shared this on Twitter:  A person who works with house church networks in Afghanistan reports its leaders received letters last night from the Taliban warning them that they know where they are and what they are doing.  The leaders say they aren’t going anywhere.

As you study church history you see there is story after story of Christians like these who are stalwart in their faith, even when facing certain death. So as we study this passage I want us to put ourselves in their shoes. It’s easy to read Philippians and picture yourself in a hammock on the beach because of Paul’s relentless joy. But as we have said Paul is chained to a Roman guard awaiting trial from Nero. As we study, consider our brothers and sisters in the Middle East fearing for their lives. I think as we consider that reality, the truths of this book come alive in ways that are so rich and sustaining and life-giving. These truths move past “coffee mug cliches” to truths that sustain us in our darkest hours. 

One of the things that we see as we work through these verses is we can experience joy while facing adversity when we value Jesus above all else. This is the source of Paul’s relentless joy.

Adversity Can Advance The Gospel

Look at verses 12.

Philippians 1:12   Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has  actually advanced the gospel,

Now, there have been a lot of things that “ have happened ” to Paul. The most immediate context would be his imprisonment in Rome. But if you read 2 Corinthians 11 you will also find Paul was no stranger to suffering.

2 Corinthians 11:24-27   Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.

The Apostle Paul faced a ton of adversity. But Paul viewed all this adversity, he viewed his current imprisonment, as a catalyst to advance the gospel. Why? Because nothing stops God’s work! Paul could be confident that his imprisonment would advance the gospel because of the promise we looked at in verse 6. 

Philippians 1:6   I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The reality of what Paul states in verse 6 was so real to him that even persecution did not keep his eyes off the mission of God. Jesus was so real to Paul that he believed with every fiber of his being nothing can stop God’s plan. B.B. Warfield said  “In the infinite wisdom of the Lord of all the earth, each event falls with exact precision into its proper place in this unfolding of his eternal plan. 1 ”

God Is In Control

Your life is not an accident. The experiences you are walking through are not some “cosmic whoops!” They are a part of God’s perfect plan and he wants to use the adversity you are facing to advance the gospel. Friends, there is nothing more freeing, or strengthening, than the fact that the omnipotent God who created this world is with you, ordaining every circumstance you experience. This means that nothing but what God allows for your ultimate, eternal good will happen to you. 

Romans 8:28   We know that  all things work together for the good  of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Do we really believe that verse? Or how about Matthew 16?

Matthew 16:18   on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Persecution Is No Threat To The Church

It’s so easy to look around see things we disagree with and whatever new “ism” is trending and think “ This is a threat to the church. ” “ That is a threat to the church. ” And it is true God often calls the church into dangerous situations. God will allow us to walk through adversity. But if the gates of hell don’t pose a threat, why are we not more courageous with our faith? Paul writes to this church and says,  I want you to know ….God’s plan cannot be stopped. God always wins. So rejoice. 

The Holy Spirit wants us to know too. In the original language, the word know is ginosko in the original language. It means you learn to know or come to know something through experience. You perceive it, feel it, and have experienced it to be true. It has shaped the way you live your life. It was also a Jewish idiom for intercourse between a man and his wife. Adam knew his wife, Eve. This word means there is a deeply intimate level of understanding. 2

God wants us to KNOW that adversity actually advances the gospel. 

 

HOW does suffering advance the gospel? We will consider that in the next post.

 

  1. Benjamin D. Warfield, “Predestination” in Biblical Doctrines (Baker, 1932)
  2. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1097/csb/mgnt/0-1/

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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