Paul's Joy in Ministry - Part 1

Now I think most of you know that we are in our study through the book of Philippians. The title of the series is, The Joy of the Lord in All Things. So if you would, take your Bible and turn to chapter one. And we're gonna be in verses 12 to verse 18. And I will mention some of those background passages that I have asked you to study. I will encourage you to go back and study some of that information because to study the background, to study all of that really does paint a brighter picture. It fills in the gaps of our understanding of the book and also what's being taught here.

Now last week we studied verses nine to 11 and I call that message Paul's Prayer for the Philippians. And we saw that Paul did not pray for their physical needs but he prayed for their spiritual needs. Of course they did have physical needs but Paul only prayed for their spiritual needs which is a big lesson for us. It's a reminder that yes we pray for physical needs but we need to put spiritual needs maybe on the top of the list. We're gonna do that a little later on in our prayer time. Now let me read those verses for us tonight, the ones we covered last week. I'm gonna read them in the Amplified because it does amplify the text.

Paul says, "In this I pray that your love "may abound more and more." Remember that abounding love was the love of Christ within them that would be shown to God and to others. I pray that your love may abound more and more, displaying itself in greater depth. I like how it amplifies that. And notice it's connected to in real knowledge and in practical insight. Remember we learned that that love travels along with a real knowledge of God in the scripture and practical insight, judicious living, discernment.

Verse 10, he says, "So that you may learn to recognize "and treasure what is excellent, identifying the best "and distinguishing moral differences "and that you may be pure and blameless "until the day of Christ, actually living lives "that lead others away from sin." Verse 11, "Filled with the fruit of righteousness "which comes through Jesus Christ "to the glory and praise of God "so that his glory may be both revealed and recognized." Now there's one thing that we need to see here before we get into our verses for tonight, verses 12 to 18. The fact that Paul deeply cared for the spiritual well-being of his beloved Philippians.

And Paul made that love and care known right away in the book by expressing his joy and thankfulness for their gospel fellowship, verses three to eight. And he made that love and care known by explaining how he prayed for them and what he prayed would take place in them, verses nine to 11. And my point is this, in verses one to 11 we can see that Paul was concerned with the Philippians first. And he was not concerned with himself first, but starting in verse 12, we will see that Paul makes a shift to explain his situation. He shifts to explain why he was in a Roman prison and what God was doing through his ministry.

So let's read our verses for tonight, verses 12 to 18. Paul says, "I want you to know brothers," this would be brothers and sisters, the believers there in the church, "that what has happened to me "has really served to advance the gospel, "so that it has become known "throughout the whole imperial guard "and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. "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." Now verse 18, you might see that it's differentiated from the previous verses. There's a little debate as to whether or not it goes with verse 13 to 17 or the next section. But I'm gonna read it and use it in this section and then in the next section next week. Verse 18, "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." Now before we get into the message and dividing the verses, I wanna point out certain themes or subjects that we see in the verses. You've seen them, you'll recognize them when I mention them. First we see Paul's ministry, then we see the gospel, and we see the advancement of the gospel all in these verses. Really the advancement of the gospel is one of two major themes in this portion of scripture. And next we see Paul's joy, we see his peace, we see his security in the midst of his trials and difficulties.

And trials and difficulties associated with ministry and the advancement of the gospel is one of two major themes in these verses as well. And seeing the subject of trials and difficulties associated with Paul and his ministry should remind us of his circumstances and their circumstances, that would be the Philippians. Now first Paul, his situation, his circumstances, he was in a Roman imprisonment, he was in Roman shackles for the sake of the gospel. And we will see that his imprisonment was rather unique. He was actually not in prison, he was actually in what we would call or under what we would call house arrest.

And we'll get into that a little later on in the message. But then second the Philippians in their situation. They were deeply concerned for Paul, they were concerned that he would be executed by Nero, they were concerned that his apostolic ministry was over because he was imprisoned. They were also concerned in such a way that they sent a Paparditis who was one of their best men to him in Rome and they sent a monetary gift as well. Of course we will learn more about the Philippians later on in the book as well. Now let's get into our verses.

Now I want us to see that as we divide the verses I'm gonna carry these two themes, these subjects throughout the message. Trials and difficulties within gospel ministry and the advancement of the gospel. Those will go throughout the message. Now this is how we're gonna approach the verses. First we'll look at the advancement of the gospel in the imperial guard, that's in verses 12 to 13. Second we will look at the advancement of the gospel in the church and in the city of Rome, that's in verse 14 to 17. And last we will look at the joy produced from the advancement of the gospel, that's there in verse 18.

These three major observations will be easy for you to see. So number one, the advancement of the gospel throughout the imperial guard. Let's look at verses 12 to 13 again. Paul says I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it, that's the gospel, has become known throughout the whole imperial guard. Some translations may say the Praetorian guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. Now right away we should notice that Paul's perspective was much different than what ours would be.

He did not mention his difficulties, he did not mention his hardships, he did not even mention his imprisonment. What I mean is he didn't describe it. He did not mention the real possibility that he could be executed. Instead of focusing on his situation from a human perspective, he focused on his situation from God's perspective. And from God's perspective, I want to make three observations. First Paul's circumstances. I have said over and over and over that Paul was in a prison. But actually he was not locked up in a prison cell or in a dungeon. He was under what we would call house arrest with a certain amount of freedom.

And we see this in Acts 28. Specifically verse 16 and verse 30, Paul mentions this house arrest. And while he was under house arrest, he was shackled night and day to one Roman soldier after another. And if we pay attention to what he says in chapter 28 of the book of Acts, we see that Paul ate, he slept, he wrote, he prayed, he taught God's word and he visited with all of those who came to see him, all while being chained to one soldier after another. He truly continued his apostolic ministry, all while one Roman soldier after another Roman soldier heard and saw everything that he did. But look at Paul's circumstances from God's perspective.

Paul was chained for two years to one soldier after another and they all heard and saw how he lived his life. They heard his prayers, they heard his teaching, they saw how and heard how he visited with his friends. They heard his witness to them because no doubt he witnessed, we'll see. Those Roman soldiers were not simply chained to Paul, they were chained to an apostle. They were chained to an apostolic witness. One writer said that when Paul went to Rome as a prisoner, it was really the gospel that went to Rome and that is true in many ways.

And as we will see, it is obvious that some of them came to saving faith in Christ and those that did come to saving faith in Christ, they went out to be a witness for Christ. So we have Paul's circumstances and we must see his circumstances from God's perspective and not from ours. Now, right here is a good lesson for us. Right here is a good lesson on what scholars call the providence of God. Many of you understand this even if you might not understand that phrase. We understand that God is sovereign, he is in control of all things. And if he is in control of all things, he is in control of our lives.

And those of us who are born again Christians understand that when we live the spirit-filled life directed by God, there are no accidents. Now I'm not talking about when we become disobedient. I'm not talking about when we make mistakes. I'm not talking about when we venture off away from the will of God, no. But when we walk with the Lord and when we serve God and when we live the spirit-controlled life, there are no accidents. We believe that if God allows something to happen to our life, even great trial or great tragedy or great difficulty, it is a part of what we would call God's providential plan for our life.

And the lesson here is this. Paul understood that he was working in and living in God's providential plan and we must understand that. Now let me put it into an earthly example. I mean if I have to go to the doctor and the doctor says, "Well, you know, Chris, you have cancer, you have a heart issue or some other health issue." Well, I would understand that as being a part of the providential plan of God from my life. So what I mean by bringing this up is this. We don't have to fear, we don't have to worry, we don't have to just allow our whole world to collapse when tragedy and trial come. No, because we understand that, what's the verse say?

"All things work together for the good of those who love him." Romans 8, 28. Now let me continue. We've seen Paul's circumstances. Second, notice Paul's circumstances in the advancement of the gospel. Here we see that Paul just hints at his circumstances. And then he clearly states that his circumstances have actually served to advance the gospel. Now notice some language here in the translations.

The English Standard Version says, "I want you to know brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel." The New American Standard says, "I want you to know brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel." The King James says, "The fatherance of the gospel." And the language here is very, very interesting. In that day, this word advance was used to describe clearing the way for an advancing army.

When an army was going out on a campaign or they were going to war, they would send out engineers and workers and soldiers out ahead to remove obstacles and hindrances to clear the way for the advancing army. And what Paul was saying here is this, I'm putting it into my words. "My dear brothers and sisters, those saints there in Philippi, you know what's happened to me, but my circumstances have had the same effect as engineers and soldiers and workers going out ahead to clear the way for the advancing army.

My situation has been for the greater progress of the gospel, even in new territory in Rome." One commentator said, and I'm quoting, "Paul saw these events as forging new territory for the gospel. They took Paul into contact with a select group of people, soldiers and Roman officials who otherwise would have had no relationship to him." And that is so true. So we see Paul's circumstances and those circumstances were for what? For the greater progress of the gospel. And then third, Paul's circumstances in the advancement of the gospel in the imperial guard. Now there's a little bit of a debate about who or what the imperial guard was.

Some scholars say that there are four possibilities. Now again, your copy of God's word may say the praetorium guard or imperial guard, it's the same thing. But let me mention these possibilities. First, some say this could be the emperor's palace there in Rome. And then second, some say this could be the actual barracks of the imperial guard that was attached to the emperor's palace. Third, the praetorium camp or the imperial camp was outside of the city of Rome. Some say that this could apply to the imperial camp or barracks. And then fourth, some say that this pertains to the actual praetorium guards, the men.

And most believe that Paul was not speaking of a palace. Most believe Paul wasn't speaking about barracks or camps, but the actual imperial guards themselves, the men, those who were chained to him. But a question, who were these guards? If you do a little study on who they were originally, there were about 10,000. The original imperial guards were about 10,000 hand-picked soldiers. They were the very best of the very best, the most elite and the most loyal to the emperor. And these men were spread throughout the city of Rome to keep the peace and to protect the emperor.

For a timeline of these things, the praetorium guards were created by Caesar Augustus, who was the emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus. We've heard that term, Caesar Augustus, that name when we've read the birth accounts of Jesus. But as time went on, later emperors increased their numbers and Tiberius built them a barracks or a fortified camp just outside of the city, just to make sure that they were always seen by any and all who were in Rome. And this actual fortified camp was known as the praetorium guard. But who were these guards? They were, like I said, the most elite Roman soldiers.

They were the most loyal soldiers to the emperor, and they were the emperor's personal body guards and protectors, and they were very, very close and lived in close proximity to the emperor and his family. So the question, who or what was Paul referring to when he said the gospel was advancing throughout the whole imperial guard? Was it the praetorium guard which was outside of the city, or was it the group of men? Well, I think it's both. But I think we need to see that it is the men. So we see that the praetorium guard is best seen as the men who were those elite Roman soldiers. So look at what we have here.

Look at what we've been looking at here in verses 12 to 13. Paul was assuring and reassuring the Philippians that his circumstances were in fact the will of God. And he was explaining to them that his circumstances had made it possible for the gospel to advance, to progress in and through, where? Through the imperial guard and even beyond. Let's look at the verses again. Look at verses 12 and 13 one more time. I want you to notice something. Paul says, "I want you to know brothers." So what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it, the gospel, has become known throughout the whole imperial guard.

And notice, "And to all the rest, that my imprisonment is for Christ." Paul was saying that the gospel and his imprisonment was for Christ. And it was made known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest. This means that news spread all throughout the city and even in the emperor's household as to why Paul was in chains. It was for Christ and for the gospel. Now for us, we must see something here. Warren Wiersby applies this perfectly. I love it. He says, and I'm quoting, "God still wants his children to take the gospel into new areas. He wants us to be pioneers." I like that term.

"And sometimes he arranges circumstances so that we can be nothing else but pioneers." Now I will add to that by saying, sometimes to be pioneers and to take the gospel into new territories, it takes difficult and maybe even super difficult circumstances. So my question for us is this. Are we willing to take the gospel into difficult circumstances that God has ordained for our lives? If we believe in accidents, well then those super difficult circumstances have just come by accidents and they're our lives, but we do not believe in accidents. If we have difficult circumstances in our life, it means that God wants us to take the gospel there.

Do you have difficult circumstances in your family? Maybe God wants you to take the gospel into those circumstances. Do you have difficult circumstances in your work life? Do you have difficult circumstances in the culture in which you live in? But I'll be honest with you, I think that we will be cheating the teaching here if we stop there. Could it be that God would call someone out of our church to go to a difficult mission field as a true pioneer? Could it be that the Lord would raise up one of your sons or one of your daughters to go onto the mission field into a difficult circumstance where they may risk their life?

You know, sometimes we are so soft, we're afraid to put our children on an airplane, much less send them to a foreign land where they could lose their life. But here's my question, that I think we need to ponder, not just thinking about our family and work and how we live, but would we as a church be willing to go into a difficult set of circumstances as a pioneer to take the gospel, to see the advancement of the gospel in that difficult situation? And I have to say, if God could use Paul in those situations, then He definitely could use us.

So the advancement of the gospel through the imperial guard, now I'm gonna add to that in spite of Paul's imprisonment, that was ordained of God, and I think we understand that. And then truth number two, I want us to look at the advancement of the gospel in the church and in the city of Rome. Here we see the second way the gospel was advancing in the city, and this will be just as surprising as what we have studied. Let's look at verses 14 to 17. 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 Indian 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. And here we see that even the church at Rome was impacted by Paul's imprisonment. And notice three things happen. First, the brothers have become more confident to preach Christ. Now this may surprise some of you, but there was a church in Rome before Paul ever had visited or come to Rome.

Scholars believe the church got its start there after Jews who had come to faith in Christ in Jerusalem at the day of Pentecost, they went back home to Rome. And scholars tell us that the church was comprised of Jews and Gentiles, but mostly Gentiles. So there was a church there. And what happened was this. When those believers that were there in Rome heard of Paul and his imprisonment, they became more confident and more bold to spread the gospel. Maybe they went and visited Paul. As one writer said it, one may suppose that Paul's imprisonment would dampen their evangelism and cause them to go underground. But the opposite was true.

They drew courage from Paul's example and they laid aside their fears. Again, maybe some of them went to visit Paul. One indication of the level of their confidence is seen in the latter part of verse 14. The latter part of the verse can literally read to a much greater degree, they are daring to speak the word of God without fear. And it's in the present tense which tells us that this was not some flash of excitement and then it died away. They were daring and confident to preach Christ and they continued to be daring and they continued to be confident to preach Christ.

So the brothers there in the church have become more confident to preach Christ because of Paul's example. Now I've gotta ask us a couple of questions here. Are we consistently, boldly sharing the gospel, even daringly? You know, we're bad about this. We'll have some training in the life of the church as to how to share the gospel and how to share our faith. We'll have what we would call witness training and you know, we'll get all excited and we'll begin to witness and share Christ and then that just fades away.

Maybe we have some kind of a revival meeting that emphasizes evangelism and we get excited about sharing Christ and we pray for the lost and we have a list of people that we pray for and then that just fades away. But it wasn't the case here with these believers. They were consistently, boldly, even daringly sharing the gospel, even taking great risks. And I think that their witness there should be a great example and a level of correction for us all. So notice second, that some preached with the wrong motives. Look back at verse 17, 15 to 17. Paul says, "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." Now here Paul was exposing not the message of this group but the motives of this group. He says they were preaching out of notice, envy, rivalry. He says they were preaching Christ out of selfish ambition. They were preaching while trying to afflict and hurt Paul. It's hard to imagine. A scholar, Hendrickson describes these men. He says, and I'm quoting, "They crave honor and prestige.

At least they have permitted this motive to crowd the nobler incentives into the corner." Maybe that's the case. But to me, we've got to ask some questions here. Three, now one of these questions we really can't answer. First, why were these preachers of the gospel? Because that's what they were. Why were they motivated out of envy and rivalry and wanting to afflict Paul? Well, we really cannot say. Paul does not tell us why they did these things. Some have speculated that these brothers were serving in the church at Rome long before Paul came. And they speculate that when Paul came, the attention that they had received moved to Paul.

So therefore, envy and rivalry moved in. Selfish ambitions moved in. And they even had the desire to afflict Paul. Some writers speculate that these men even somehow knew Paul. They say that this language of envy and rivalry speaks of personally knowing Paul. Of course, that's all speculation. Now we don't know why, but they were motivated by sinful, selfish reasons, even selfish ambition. Then the second question, were these preachers preaching the true gospel or a false gospel? Some have said that the message they were preaching was false, some scholars say these men were the Judaizers spoken of in chapter three, verses one to 16.

But that cannot be the case. In verse 14, Paul commends these brothers for speaking the word without fear. And then in verse 18, he rejoices that Christ was proclaimed no matter the motive. And Paul never would say that the message of the Judaizers was the message of the gospel. And then later on in chapter three, verses one to 16, call them dogs, evildoers, and those who mutilate the flesh. It just doesn't add up. So these preachers were actually preaching the gospel. And the third question, were these preachers true or false Christians? It really seems that Paul connects these preachers with the wrong motives to the brothers in verse 14.

There's just no separation within these verses that are tied together except for their motives. So it seems that these were true brothers. Now there's a tremendous lesson here. And there is a great mystery here. And the lesson is this, there are those who preach the gospel with the wrong motives, and the mystery here is this. Sometimes we can't figure out who they are and what they are. Now I'm gonna come back to that a little bit more. But then third notice, some preach with the right, or the correct motives. Here Paul was praising the motives of the second group of preachers. He was praising them for their sincerity and unselfishness.

He was praising them for their love. And this would be a love for God, and a love for the gospel, and a love for him. He also says that the ones with the right motives, they knew why Paul was in chains. They knew that he was put in change for the defense of the gospel. And this seems to indicate that the former group did not seem to believe that Paul was in chains for Christ. Maybe the former group thought that Paul's imprisonment was somehow not according to God's plan. Of course there's a level of speculation there as well. So this one group, they preached the word without fear with the right motives. So notice what we have in these verses.

Because of Paul's imprisonment, the church there in Rome, those brothers were moved to more and more confidence in the Lord. And they were moved to boldly preach the word without fear, even in a daring way. Not just for a week or so, this new motivation and boldness was ongoing. And there were two groups. Some preached Christ with the right motives, while others preached with the wrong motives. But both groups seem to have been true brothers, and they were preaching the truth. Now what can we learn here? Motives do matter. Motives do matter.

I'll never forget years ago, I knew a pastor who left the church, wrong circumstances, really left out anger, really didn't act very Christian. And not only did he leave Rome, he went down the road and he started a church, wrong. And I'll never forget talking with a Christian brother. He said, "Well, I know him. "I know his heart's in the right place." I said, "You know, brother, "King David's heart was in the right place "when he wanted to build a temple, but God said no." Motives matter. Motives matter. But notice this. From what we see here in Paul, the message is what matters the most. Isn't that hard to accept?

That's a surprise, maybe even a shock. Paul says what matters most is the message. Now what we must see is this. Yes, motives do matter. And we better check our own motives. Sometimes we do know the motives of others, and we can see that they're sinful and selfish. But yet we must see that the message is what matters most. So the advancement of the gospel in the church and in the city of Rome, through the brothers, some were noble and some were not so noble. And then number three, the last major point of the message. The joy produced from the advancement of the gospel. We see this in verse 18. Now here we find another surprise.

Paul's response to the preaching of the gospel with those who had the wrong motives. Again, we see that Paul reacts to things much different than we would. Think about this. First, we would single out those preaching the gospel out of envy and rivalry, would we not? We would single any who would do such a thing to injure or afflict us or others. Isn't that right? Second, we would single them out as false teachers without even examining their message. We probably would not take the time to examine their message because we would be focusing more on why they are attacking us and injuring us. Isn't that right? I've done that.

But Paul does not do that. Notice he does three things. First, he asks a question. Here he asks a rhetorical question, which means he did not expect an answer. And it seems that there could be a touch of sarcasm here, maybe. It's as if Paul is saying, what does it matter? Why do I care? Why should I even be concerned with this? Paul is saying, what then? And then he answers the question. He says, and I'm gonna answer the question in the Amplified because it's great. What then? Does it matter? So long as in every way, whether in pretense for self-promotion or in all honesty to spread the truth, Christ is being preached. And in this, I rejoice.

Yes, I will rejoice. So he answers his question. He's basically saying, what really matters? And he says, what really matters is that Christ indeed is preached. And then third, he reveals how he feels. It's simple. He rejoices that Christ is preached. And he says that he feels this way. He rejoices, he says it two times. Look at verse 18. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed. And then that I rejoice. Yes, I will rejoice. And notice how Paul is able to feel this way. He forgot about himself. Their motives and even how they mistreated him, didn't matter.

He pushed out a sign so he was able to rejoice that Christ was preached. So look at what Paul was saying here in verse 18. Let me put it in my words. It says if he's saying, what does it matter how I feel or how we feel? What does it matter how others treat us? It's as if he's saying, what matters about all of that? What matters is if Christ is preached. And it's like he's saying, and he is, if Christ is preached, I rejoice. An application, I wanna describe something for you, for me. We may have been hurt by a church.

We may have been hurt by a pastor in the past, but if they preach Christ, what matters most is not how we feel, but that Christ is preached. So my question for you and for me is this. If a pastor or a church has hurt us, and they do preach Christ, and we do hear that brothers and sisters come to faith in Christ, and we do hear that their church is growing and such, can we rejoice? Or do we still hold on to what they said, or what they didn't say, or what they did, or what they didn't do? Do we hold on to how we feel and what they did to us, and refuse to rejoice that God is using them?

And I can say that to you because I've had to say that to me. Now as I close, I want us to see the title of the message, and then I'm gonna make a few concluding comments and application. The title of the message is simple, Paul's Joy in Ministry. This is a part one, because we're gonna have a part two next week. This is Paul's Joy in Ministry. I like how John MacArthur says it. He says, Paul's Joy in Ministry in spite of trouble and detractors. He had trouble and a few detractors. Now here I wanna make a few points of application forward.

We, as a people and as a church, are to be about the advancement of the gospel for the greater progress of the gospel. And it takes men like Paul today, there are people who go out in certain circumstances, trying circumstances, difficult circumstances, maybe in a pioneer fashion for the greater progress of the gospel. It takes churches like the church there in Rome. Seems to me like the church in Rome needed Paul, and they needed Paul to be in prison. They needed Paul in his circumstances, why? To energize them, to give them a little jolt. And it also takes brothers like those who were encouraged, like the brothers were in Rome.

Now what am I trying to show you? We are to be about the advancement of the gospel, and it takes all. It takes the church, it takes those who are out on the forefront like a Paul, it takes those brothers that we don't even know who they are. And you know what, it shows me that even in the greatest of circumstances where the gospel is progressing, there are flawed people involved. Number two, if we as individuals and as a church, if we set our hearts and our minds to the greater progress of the gospel, difficult circumstances will come.

Everyone here knows we are a part of a network of churches, missionaries, pastors around the world, anchored in truth. There's a lot of folks under that umbrella. I think about many of the pastors and missionaries that I know that are associated with us within our family. So many of them have gone through very difficult circumstances. And it's served for the greater progress of the gospel. I'll share with you one, some of you know this one, Steve Misios, who is a pastor in Vienna, Austria. It's a very, very dark place. Very small church. They've had some great difficulties, people who have led divisions in the life of the church.

They've had hurts, they've had disappointments, but they just keep persevering in those difficult circumstances. And how do I know the gospel is making progress? Just last week, he sent me a picture of a lady who had just come to faith in Christ. And then number three, if we as individuals set our hearts and minds to the greater progress of the gospel, there will be some who attack us and accuse us. It's just gonna happen.

And then number four, in this journey, the church, the work of advancing the gospel, the work of the entire gospel enterprise, in this journey that comprises everything, we will encounter those who do preach Christ, they do preach a true gospel, but they have wrong motives, sinful motives. And it can be hard, even hard to understand, or we just trust God with those things. So title of the message, Paul's Joy in Ministry, and we'll pick up with this same theme next week when we get into verses 19 to 26. Let me pray, and then we're gonna look at some prayer needs, both physical and spiritual.