Rejoice!

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Philippians 1:18

Philippians is a letter which Paul wrote while he was in prison waiting for a trial. He was writing to the members in Philippi as he counsels them on ministry. As you can read from this short letter, there are three themes that run across the letter. Rejoicing, humility, and faith are the main themes that you can find here.

Let’s remember that Paul is in prison as he is writing this letter. I would find it very hard to rejoice when I am in prison and yet Paul tells that as Christians we need to rejoice. Rejoicing at all times is what he asks of us to do. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” Philippians 4:4. With the things that are happening in our lives, it does seem very difficult to rejoice all the time. But the verse in Philippians 1:18 tells us that we should rejoice because Christ is preached!

Paul found the greatest joy in preaching Christ so that despite the imprisonment and persecutions that he received in his ministry he was able to rejoice. He couldn’t help but to talk about Christ all the time! There is something special in the name of Jesus so that when we talk about Jesus Christ, He will give us the joy and happiness. The same change you experienced in Christ will be seen in others when you preach Christ. As you witness that you will be like Paul. You will be able to rejoice!