Have you had the blessing of trying to teach a youngster to ride bicycle? Hours of running behind a small child, bent over, back breaking, keeping their balance for them… keeping them upright and hoping that when that inevitable crash happens, they will stand up like the righteous of Proverbs 24:16 that fell seven times but rise up to try again…
The accomplishment of them “getting it” is soon overshadowed as they start to grow in confidence and start with tricks and ramps and wheelies and, and, and… flexing their new muscles, testing their skills and abilities.
I wonder if the teachers Paul refers to in Philippians 1:15 really understood what was happening. Were they evil or did they honestly think they are using Paul as an example, looking for His mistakes and errors to try and protect their own sheep?
“… Yet in spite of all of this I am overjoyed! For what does it matter as long as Christ is being preached? If they preach him with mixed motives or with genuine love, the message of Christ is still being preached. And I will continue to rejoice”
(Philippians 1:18)
We have been very successful over the years in splitting the churches into smaller and smaller groups with theological beliefs.
What clothing to wear, when to baptise, is the gifts for Bible times or now… should communion be from on big cup like Jesus passed around or may we each have our own small glass? Must it be wine or can it be grape juice…
… completely missing the words of Jesus “remember Me”
Where is Jesus? Paul is right… he is rejoicing because the message of the saviour is preached through the mistakes and errors (remember Apollos, taken aside by Aquila and Priscilla and corrected in love)
It really doesn’t matter to Paul if he is portrayed as the bad guy, Jesus is at the centre. Have grace for the believers to stumble on their way (we surely do,) as the Holy Spirit works in us and them, to make us more excellent and worthy! As long as we stand up again, dust ourselves off and continue on the path, allowing the Holy Spirit to keep on teaching and guiding us.
And if we are not sure… choose Love, and choose Life. And if we realise we were wrong… stand up, and go again…
