Philippians‬ ‭1:14-18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice” ‭‭

There is a scripture where the disciples saw a man casting out demons in Jesus’s name and they tried to stop him……they asked the man to follow them and the man said no. They go on their way and tell Jesus about what happened but Jesus’s reaction was this, He said  “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you” (Luke‬ ‭9:50‬ ‭ESV)‬‬

The gospel and the knowledge of the power of Jesus’s name was getting out in both situations.

1). When Paul speaks of two ways in which “some” approached delivering the gospel. He distinguished them by two words…… the “former” & “latter”

Latter:
•One out of a person’s “goodwill” & “out of love”

Former:
•And some out of “envy and rivalry”…… “selfish ambition & not sincerely”

2). When the disciples tell Jesus about the man casting out demons yet Jesus says to allow it.

Both examples offered different approaches to spreading the gospel and according to Paul, he saw it as gaining grounds for the good news. Paul said “that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth…Christ is proclaimed, and in that rejoice.”

Definition of Pretense- False reason or explanation that is used to hide the real purpose of something. An act or appearance that looks real but is false.

Definition of Truth-  A verified or indisputable fact.

Both were acceptable in his eyes and worth rejoicing over. Jesus had a very similar reaction towards the man preaching…… he basically said “let him be”

I say all this to say that one would hope that all those who are Christians would be like the latter but we all know there are some who function like the former (as presented above) …… have grace for them, let them work out their own salvation, try not to judge but increase your own awareness of who the Savior is. Form your own bond with Him and discover a way to advance the Kingdom of God. Preach Christ without fear of mistake because we will always judge more harshly in our own eyes. There is right and wrong but in the words of Jesus “for the one who is not against you is for you” which calls for higher level of understanding, submission, and humility.