“Now I want you to know, brothers,
that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” – Philippians
1:12
Because the British monarch didn’t approve of his maverick
preaching style, the 17th-century evangelist John Bunyan was thrown in jail.
But Bunyan’s preaching remained unfettered. He began to preach in the prison
courtyard to an audience of dozens of prisoners and hundreds of local villagers
who listened from outside the jail walls. Frustrated by his ever-growing
popularity, Bunyan’s accusers placed him in an inner cell where no one could
hear him preach. But there in that inner cell Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim’s
Progress—the Christian classic that has pointed tens of millions of people
to Christ.
Was there a silver lining within the dark cloud of John
Bunyan’s imprisonment? Without a doubt …yes! And the same can be said of any
Christian who is walking in loving obedience to Christ’s commands. Because God
is always working for the good of Christ’s followers and for His glory, there
is always a silver lining in the dark clouds of life. Regardless of whether the
dark cloud is labeled cancer, bankruptcy, divorce or religious
persecution—there is always a silver lining in our trials and suffering. And
that’s one of the reasons why we can choose joy despite our circumstances.
By all appearances, when Paul wrote the Book of Philippians
he was in a rotten situation. About two years earlier, while in Jerusalem, he
had been falsely accused of a serious crime and arrested. Then he barely
escaped an assassination attempt during a routine prison transport. On his way
to face trial in Rome, he almost drowned in a brutal shipwreck. And as he wrote
to the Philippians, he was enduring a two-year incarceration that involved
being shackled night and day to a Roman soldier.
No one would have faulted Paul for being down in the dumps.
No one could have blamed him had he felt discouraged, anxious, angry, bitter or
all the above. After all, most of us would have experienced those negative
feelings had we been in Paul’s shoes. Surprisingly, however, we discover in
Philippians 1:12-19 that Paul was on Cloud Nine. He was absolutely thrilled
that his trials and imprisonment had advanced the gospel. Within these verses
he highlights three silver linings in the midst of his dark cloud of suffering.
Silver Lining #1: Being
chained night and day to the Roman Caesar’s elite soldiers gave Paul multiple
opportunities to share Jesus with those who otherwise wouldn’t have heard of
him. It seems clear
that many high-ranking soldiers and members of Caesar’s household became
Christians because of Paul’s imprisonment. Therefore, from Paul’s perspective,
he wasn’t chained to Roman soldiers. The Roman soldiers were chained to him.
They were a captive audience to hear the life-changing message of Christ’s
salvation.
But Paul also rejoiced because of Silver Lining #2: His incarceration emboldened many Christians to
preach Christ fearlessly. These Christians must have thought to themselves,
“Hey! If Paul can go to jail for Christ,
certainly I can endure a little criticism for Christ. And if Paul can lead
people to Christ while being shackled to a Roman soldier, certainly I should be
able to lead people to Christ while being unshackled.” So, as a result of
Paul’s imprisonment, many Christians were invigorated to share the gospel with
hundreds—likely thousands—of different people. And this being the case, Paul
writes in verse 18: “Christ is preached.
And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.”
And Silver Lining #3
is called out in verse 19: Paul’s
imprisonment paved the way for his deliverance. Whether Paul was referring
to his impending release from prison or to his eternal deliverance in heaven,
we can’t be certain. Perhaps he had both in mind. But one way or another,
Paul’s suffering paved the way for him to be set free. The gospel of peace had been lived out in plain view of
Caesar’s soldiers. Every day Paul offered ample evidence that he posed no
physical or political threat to the Caesar or the nation he led. And the transformative
power of the gospel was in plain view for all to see.
There’s no doubt: While most of us would have been several
months into our personal pity party, Paul was celebrating a much different kind
of party. He was celebrating the awe-inspiring work of God in the midst of his
troubles. He was acknowledging the truth that ran much deeper than his pain: “In all things God works for the good of
those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Paul was rejoicing in the fact that—as long as he remained faithful and obedient
to Christ—God was seeing to it that He Himself was
glorified through Paul’s life, through Paul’s suffering and through Paul’s
death. Nothing was wasted. Everything in Paul’s life was good and useful when
in the hands of the Master.
Which led Paul to exclaim his now-famous words in verse 21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is
gain.” From Paul’s silver-lining perspective, if God saw fit to keep him
alive, he would continue living for Christ. Or if God saw fit to subject Paul
to hardship and death, he would gladly bear the pain before leaving this life
to be with Christ in heaven. Why? Because as Paul sees it, it’s all about Jesus and His glory. And right
there is one of the precious secrets to lasting joy. Whether you live, suffer or
die, do all for the glory of God.
Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of
First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,
visit www.fccvv.com and join us for
worship Sunday at 10 am.
