“Leadership Is Influence” (Part Three)

This week, we want to explore the reach of Paul’s leadership—even while in prison. Monday we saw his influence on the imperial guard, and yesterday we considered his influence with believers at Rome. Today we close our examination of Philippians 1 by seeing…

His influence enabled him to cope with envy (Phil. 1:15-18).

Paul now reminds his readers of a very demanding test of our leadership: Not to be envious of another’s gospel ministry. Our passage reveals that jealousy was a first-century issue and honesty prompts us to admit that envy is still with us today. The passage does not question the message (“Christ is preached,” 1:18), but rather the motives of the heart. Words like envy, strife, selfish ambition, and not sincerely zero in on our ministry motives. Some of the preachers in Rome considered this as their hour to shine! Paul had been grounded, his wings clipped, and his hands tied. J. A. Motyer describes it this way: “Paul tells us of their ‘envy’ (verse 15). What were they envious of? He does not say. He is reticent here about the sins of others. . . . The details are not filled in. It may have been that they envied the great gifts which God had given the apostle, for sometimes men cannot tolerate that others should be more highly endowed than they. It may be that they envied the great success that had hitherto attended Paul’s ministry. It may be that they envied and resented the way in which he became automatically the focus of Christianity in Rome—that their noses were out of joint by his arrival. . . . He says ‘envy’ and leaves it there.” To put the issue of envy in a 21st-century response: “So what, Christ is preached” (p. 44).

In an age of megachurches and a plethora of conferences with famous speakers, this test of leadership is very real. If our church is not listed in the top 100 of largest or fastest growing, we may wonder if we are making a difference for the kingdom of God and the furtherance of the gospel in our obscure corner of the vineyard.
I have a friend who was depressed one Sunday evening after what he felt was an unproductive day of ministry. He called an older and wiser pastor and told him that he felt like a failure. His pastor friend told him, “You are doing more good than you think. It may take until we reach heaven, but you are making a difference for Jesus.” Good words! Maybe they’re just what you and I need today!