Purpose Over Preference

How do you stay faithful when the chains don't come off right away? Stop asking only "How do I get out of this?" and start asking "Who is with me while I'm in it?" Paul's chains could not stop the gospel, and our preferences should not either. When we lay down what we like for the purpose God has given us, we make room for other people's gifts and protect the unity that makes our witness believable.

Is the gospel advancing through my life?

On this week's Beyond Sunday, Levonia Strong sat down with Pastor Jason McElwee, who both serve on Calvary's pastoral care team, to go deeper on his message Keep Christ First, week 2 of A JoyFULL Life, our series in Philippians at Calvary Church of Naperville. Levonia named the tension at its center: what we say we believe about God, and how we respond in difficult circumstances.

Pastor Jason boiled it down to one question. When you strip everything else away, is the gospel advancing through my life and through the church I belong to? Paul was in a prison cell, in chains, and still the gospel went forward.

Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.

Philippians 1:12 to 13

Is God's favor only for when things go well?

Many believers think God's favor is simply when things are going well. When things go wrong, Pastor Jason said, "the first person we blame is God."

He still wants us to expect miracles, blessing, and favor. But the answer may not come right away, or God may be doing another work in the middle of a sickness. "We live in an insta culture," he said, and pointed to Thanksgiving: no one eats the turkey before it is ready. "The valley is refining us. Life is refining us, the chains are refining us."

What should we ask in a hard season?

Levonia said our usual question in hardship is, "How do I get out of this?" What she has learned is to stand in it and ask, "Lord, how do I be faithful to You in the middle of this?"

"I think the better question is who's with me while I'm in," Pastor Jason said. You may not get out on your timeline, and you do not have to like everything. You can be honest with God, the way David cried out to Him so many times and still gained strength from the Lord. Paul could have asked for an early release; instead he told the young church, in spite of the chains, get to work for the gospel.

How can our preferences become barriers to others?

One line from Sunday stayed with Levonia: we can lose our preferences without losing our calling. Pastor Jason noted that Calvary is a church of 73 nations, and everyone has preferences, most of them centered on us. Echoing Paul's "I die daily," he said, "My preferences become second to the mission and the purpose that God put on my life."

Then Levonia asked the question behind the episode: "How often do our preferences bring barriers to other people? How often does someone else's gifts not emerge because of our selfishness?"

Pastor Jason pointed to Barnabas. In Acts 13, Scripture first speaks of "Barnabas and Saul," and later of "Paul and Barnabas." Barnabas encouraged Paul and had his own gift, then took a back seat so Paul's gift could come forward. "He made room for someone else to continue to flourish," Pastor Jason said, "and I think that's what we need to do today."

What does it mean to live worthy of the gospel?

Paul did not protect his reputation. Even when others preached out of bad motives, he wrote, "What does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached" (Philippians 1:18). God reads the motives, Pastor Jason said, and He will deal with them.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel.

Philippians 1:27

Levonia asked how we can offer the world a witness of reconciliation if reconciliation is missing in the church. "Unity is where God thrives the best," Pastor Jason answered. Division is where the enemy moves. It takes work to fight for unity, so that we can look at our brothers and sisters and say, "We are one under the banner and we are one under the blood."

Common questions

Does a hard season mean God has stopped favoring me?

No. Paul was in chains when he wrote Philippians, and the gospel still advanced through him (Philippians 1:12 to 13). God's answer may not come right away, but He is at work in spite of the chain.

Is it wrong to have preferences at church?

Everyone has preferences. The danger is letting them come before God's purpose, or letting them keep other people's gifts from emerging. Barnabas made room for Paul, and the gospel went forward.

Why does unity in the church matter so much?

Philippians 1:27 calls believers to stand firm in one Spirit, striving together for the gospel. Division brings shame to the gospel and hurts our witness, while unity shows the world the reconciliation we talk about.

Read the blog postKeep Christ First: What Philippians 1 Teaches About Purpose in Hard SeasonsRome could chain Paul, but it could not chain the gospel. Pastor Jason McElwee shows from Philippians 1 how to keep Christ first when life reroutes you.Read the post