Get Off The Ladder - The Cure

Philippians 1:15-18 NIV 

[15] It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. [16] The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. [17] The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. [18] But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.15-18.NIV)

The Cure was one of the most popular bands of the 1980s. Which is highly ironic. They were a band whose stock in trade was sad, gothic music filled with existential despair (perhaps with the exception of ‘Friday, I’m In Love’). They were quick to point out the disease and never once found the cure. 

There are those who profit from conditions where there is no cure. Take a medication that is being widely used right now: appetite suppressing injections colloquially known as ‘fat jabs’

Research as shown that those who use them are four times more likely to regain weight when they stop using them. The response of their manufacturers to this research has been interesting. While one manufacturer pointed out that they should be used to aid people in weight loss alongside a balanced diet and exercise, the other manufacturer put out a statement which indicated that people should need to use their medication for the rest of their life. 

And they are not giving it away for free. 

There are so many ailments nowadays where the cure is known, but whole industries have been set up that benefit from us being sick. 

Let me tell you: covetousness is one of them. 

A few chapters after the verses we will study we find this: 

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV 

[12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. [13] I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.4.12-13.NIV)

Contentment is the opposite of covetousness. Contentment always meets with God’s approval because contentment is an attitude of gratitude regardless of our altitude.

Contentment means being satisfied where we are, not constantly striving to be equal or better than someone else. 

And our economists hate the very idea of it, because contented people don’t spend their money on things they don’t need. Contented people don’t need to have fashionable clothes or the latest upgrade or to do the coolest thing. Contented people are happy people. 

But happy people don’t spend a lot of money. 

And that’s the problem. That is why this world would rather we were dissatisfied and covetous, because then our wrong aspirations are ripe for exploitation.  

Paul found himself in a thoroughly unenviable situation. He was in jail in Rome facing the death penalty (Philippines 1:12-15, 20-26). While he was in prison, other preachers, exploiting his situation, were seeking to take his respected position and be as powerful as him. In these verses, Paul was facing a situation where other people were coveting what he had. If he had responded by coveting the freedom they had, we could understand it. But Paul’s response teaches us a lot about how we should respond in situations where other people are seeking to take advantage of our negative situation. 

So let’s look carefully at these verses, beginning with The Wrong Way. 

The Wrong Way 

Philippians 1:15, 17 NIV 

[15] It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  

[17] The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.15-17.NIV)

The internet and social media can be a blessing for the church. They allow us to reach more people than ever before, from across the globe, with our message. The Gospel can reach anywhere with an internet connection.  

But they can also become an incredible curse. Churches can quickly become competitive over their viewer numbers. Preachers can complete over who can go viral the earliest or the furthest. Like elsewhere in worldly social media, they can abandon common sense and become increasingly more outlandish and controversial and weird to gain attention. 

This leads to a ridiculously bad witness for the Gospel, when preachers pay less attention to the Word of God and more attention to their own reputation. They sacrifice God’s glory on the altar of their own glory.

That is always wrong.

Paul’s situation here was worsened by people who were seeking to compete with him, to exploit his situation and to take his position as one of the foremost and most respected theologians of the first century. They, in effect, wanted to usurp him. 

When I was a child, part of the excitement on a Thursday night was watching ‘Top of the Pops’ to see which song had made it to Number One in the British charts, or on a Saturday morning, watching to see which song had made it to the top of the US Billboard charts. 

Honestly, with streaming, it’s really not such a big thing nowadays. 

There are still people who behave as if Christian preachers and teachers were being compared to one another in a chart. They compete for sales of their books or podcasts or paid website members or offering numbers or the size of their charities in terms of donations. 

When I was a missionary, there were even missionaries who competed on the number of their converts. 

Listen to me: this is utterly absurd. It has no place at all in the Christian church. It is anti-Christian. It is anti-Christ. 

Matthew 20:25-28 NIV 

[25] Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. [26] Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— [28] just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.20.25-28.NIV)

Why is it so wrong? 

Because these men do so out of envy and rivalry.  

And what is the sin that gives rise to these cynical symptoms? 

Covetousness. 

They coveted Paul’s position. They sought to exploit the weakness of his imprisonment to take it from him. 

That cannot be right. 

So we, as educated believers, must shut down any form of competition between us. It doesn’t encourage or produce better quality ministry. Instead it diminishes it because the very motivation for the improvements is sinful in and of itself. 

We have to get this straight: what these people were seeking to do to Paul was completely wrong and totally unfair. There was nothing good about it at all. 

So since the wrong way was such an injustice and so sinful, what about The Right Way? 

The Right Way 

Philippians 1:15-16 NIV 

[15] It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. [16] The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.15-16.NIV)

How do people react when someone else is disadvantaged?  

Every year a truly extraordinary race occurs in Le Mans, France. It’s a track race that takes twenty-four hours to complete. Each team has three drivers. They can only drive for up to six hours at a time. They have to drive the same car for the entire twenty-four hour period. The winning car is the car that travels the longest distance. 

Imagine that you are one of those drivers. You have the responsibility for your team to drive as fast as you can. But at the same time, the car has to be driveable for the next driver. You can’t drive it foolishly or you could damage your team’s opportunity to win the race. Also, later on, you may find yourself back behind the wheel. You need to treat your teammates with the same courtesy and consideration you would expect from them. 

What we see in these verses are people who are seeking to treat Paul with care, courtesy and consideration. Yes, they are preaching the Gospel. Yes, he is in prison and unable to preach outside the prison walls. 

But they see themselves as being in the same team as Paul. 

They appreciated and honoured Paul for his faithfulness and sacrifice, and showed this by preaching the same message as Him, without seeking to usurp him. 

This is truly what it means to be part of the Body of Christ and to serve with sacrificial agape love. 

They did not see themselves as being on a rung below Paul, trying to pull themselves up by yanking him down. Instead, they saw themselves as being saved by the same Gospel of Grace as Paul and serving beside him in the Body of Christ. 

And they were correct. 

This is how Paul rebuked the warped thinking in the Corinthians church: 

1 Corinthians 3:1-9 NIV 

[1] Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. [2] I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. [3] You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? [4] For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? [5] What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. [6] I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. [7] So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. [8] The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. [9] For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.3.1-9.NIV)

And this is what Jesus Himself said: 

Matthew 23:8-12 NIV 

[8]  “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. [9] And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. [10] Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. [11] The greatest among you will be your servant. [12] For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.23.8-12.NIV)

So let’s dispense with this nonsensical, heretical hierarchical view of the Christian church. We are all saved by grace. Every one of us occupies an unenviable position of being a hopeless sinner saved by the cross of Christ. Every one of occupies an exalted position of knowing that one day we will be raised with Christ. It’s not us, it’s all Christ. 

So let’s dispense with the idea that any of us are something we clearly are not. 

We have seen the wrong way, which is to view our fellow believers are competition and try to knock them off their high perch. We have seen the right way, which is to saw them as brothers and sisters in Christ, our co-workers in the Gospel and co-members of the Body of Christ. 

Paul then ends these verses by talking about The Best Way to rid ourselves of this futile and stupid covetousness in the church 

The Best Way 

Philippians 1:18 NIV 

[18] But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.18.NIV)

I have seen several expressions of evangelism that have left me scratching my head. 

I have seen several that have left me wondering if they even were evangelism, such as preaching hellfire and brimstone or condemning other people’s lifestyles, however sinful, on the sidewalk. There is a time and a place. I’m not sure busy shopping streets are that place. 

But I have seen several that I have found strange and interesting. I have seen street

evangelism to a pounding soundtrack of rap music, in Scotland. Or to the rasp and roar of heavy metal guitars, in Romania. Or street dance groups. A friend of mine even uses conjuring tricks with small children. 

Some of these methods might not sit well with you. I am sure about that. However, they are very effective for certain cross-sections of our culture.  

Paul faced a much tougher obstacle. The way in which his opponents were bearing witness to the Gospel was wrong because its motivation was sinful. It was also directed to make problems for him. 

They saw themselves as in competition with Paul. Only he was at a major disadvantage: he was in prison. Paul had given his life to serving Jesus. Now he was in prison for his faith and these wrongly motivated preachers were seeking to gain from it. 

Paul had a huge problem. There was not one thing he could do about it. To us, this situation might seem completely and utterly unfair. 

So how would he react? 

His reaction tells us everything about how we should react to evangelism expressed in a way that we don’t quite understand. 

He rejoiced. 

He was happy about it. 

Why? 

Because his eyes were on the prize. His focus was on the one thing that counted more than anything else. His own reputation, his own place on the ladder of souls, his pre-eminence as a respected scholar, teacher and preacher, none of that mattered to him as much as one thing: the Gospel was being preached. 

Let me give you an example. In 1971, two famous theatre producers, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, produced the smash hit musical ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’. They were not Christians. The musical contained no hymns, only contemporary pop and rock songs. The musical does not feature the resurrection. 

It caught churches on the hop. Here was a musical by people who were not of their faith, filled with contemporary music and lacking the part of the Gospel that makes it utterly unique.  

And yet, despite the obvious gap in the story, people saw this musical, saw the story of Jesus interpreted in a contemporary way, came face to face with His claims for the first time and committed themselves to following Him. 

That was the strange thing. This musical was a massive commercial hit. It was obviously created to make money. Yet the truths contained in it had the unintended effect of changing lives. 

Paul’s situation was worse than this. There were people who were actually in opposition to him spreading the Gospel to make trouble for him. He had taken a dim view of that the first time he visited Philippi (Acts 16:16-18). Yet now, with the Gospel message in the hands of people seeking to harm him, Paul rejoiced. 

Why? 

Because the Gospel was being preached. 

Situations like the one Paul endured are a huge test of what we deem to be important in life. Is it our standing? Is it our position? Is it our reputation? 

Or is the Gospel? 

Paul was in prison. There was nothing at all he could do to change his situation.  

But he could change his perspective.  

He could spend his final days being angry and bitter about how other preachers were politicking and manoeuvring to take his place.

Or he could focus on the good in this situation, that regardless of their malignant motivation, these preachers were preaching the Gospel and it was spreading like wildfire.

He did the latter. And so he became an example for us all. 

Listen: viewing life as a hierarchy, as a ladder of souls, and envisaging your place on it, is a completely fruitless and pointless exercise. You will spend all of your life just competing to get ahead of other people on a ladder that ultimately does not exist. The envy and jealously and covetousness that drive you forward will weigh you down and ruin your life. 

They are not worth it at all. 

But if, like Paul, you set aside the perceived sleights and attempts to get a rise out of you and instead focus on the good things that are happening, that will change your life, whatever is happening to you now. 

Conclusion 

Philippians 1:15-18 NIV 

[15] It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. [16] The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. [17] The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. [18] But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/php.1.15-18.NIV)

We often find ourselves competing for prizes that are just not worth it. Paul wrote these very telling lines to the somewhat wayward and ill-disciplined Corinthian church: 

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NIV 

[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. [25] Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.9.24-25.NIV)

Nowadays athletes are handsomely rewarded when they run. They receive corporate sponsorships. If they finish in the top three, they receive medals made from precious metals. Some receive more than adequate remuneration from their national associations. 

In ancient Greek games, they did not. They were most definitely amateur. Yes, they may have received honour and glory and fame for a while. But instead of medals, they received wreaths made of leaves and crowns made of celery. Imagine: you ran your heart out in a hot stadium filled with cheering people and all you got from it was a leafy salad on your head. 

That would be the time you sought a new career. 

But it’s like that in life too. 

I remember a former colleague of mine who was very competitive and a professional complainer when it came to meeting her objectives for the year. I honestly felt sorry for our manager. One year she was told she was getting a big bonus. She was so happy! 

Until she opened her payslip. Most of it was swallowed up in increased tax, health care and student loan repayment deductions. That bonus she had scrapped for all year and waited for in great anticipation was worth only few extra pounds per week. 

Her reaction was not repeatable. 

Paul told us of a group of people who very much saw themselves as vying with Paul for a higher place on the ladder of souls. Their Gospel preaching was insincere: firstly, because they were seeking to make trouble for Paul; secondly, because the message of the Gospel is that the ladder of souls does not exist - all are sinners in need of salvation before God. 

These people were definitely doing things the wrong way. 

The right way was not to see ministry as a competition but a cooperation, which is how Paul saw it: 

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 NIV 

[5] What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. [6] I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. [7] So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. [8] The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. [9] For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.3.5-9.NIV)

1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV 

[27] Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.12.27.NIV)

This was the right way to view what was happening.  

And the best way for Paul to react to this situation was not to be bitter about the behaviour of those who were taking advantage of his imprisonment. What was the point of that? What would it achieve? Who would gain or lose from that? Instead, the best way was to focus on the best outcome that was happening at the time: whatever the motivation, people were hearing the Gospel. 

Christians should play no part in the ladder of souls. I am convinced of this. It just is not for us.  

But we should bear no bitterness or ill-will towards those who see life in this futile and depraved way. That is their responsibility before God. 

Instead of being depressed by those who seek to build kingdoms for themselves, let’s seek God’s Kingdom and His rule. 

And be glad that it never stops advancing. 

Prayer  

Lord Jesus, save me, I pray, from those who see life as a puerile and futile competition. Help me never to get sucked into their petty way of thinking. Instead, help me to get involved in seeking and furthering Your Kingdom, and to delight myself in the fact that it will never stop advancing. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• What situation was Paul facing? Why could he do nothing about it? 

• What was so wrong about what the opportunistic preachers were doing? How did they see ministry? Is that how it really is? 

• How did Paul approach their behaviour? What can we learn from this that could cure our covetousness?