Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. 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 1:15-18 NKJV]
It is not our place to judge the motives of another, even if they appear obvious to us. We see the outward behavior, but only God sees the heart.
I confess that I have been guilty of this; accusing certain preachers of greed or selfish ambition.
Let us keep in mind, though, that there is nothing in this passage that indicates that we should tolerate false teaching. Paul was adamantly opposed to anyone who would pervert the gospel in any way. Regarding those who preached the necessity of circumcision he said, "I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves." [Galatians 5:12 NASB]
He also said, "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." [Galatians 1:8 NKJV]
In today's passage, he is not speaking of those who spread a false teaching, but those who, for false motives, preach the truth.
There could be any number of reasons for a person to enter the ministry. I have heard people of the world ignorantly claim that all preachers are rich. They have seen a few high profile preachers on TV and don't understand that most preachers in this country have to work another full-time job to support their ministry. They enter the ministry so that they can fleece the flock.
Some enter ministry because it's the "family business". Dad and Granddad preached, so they feel obligated to follow in their footsteps; not because they have any sense of calling, but because of tradition.
For some, it's a matter of social prestige. They get great titles; The Reverend Soandso. And if they are ambitious, they can work up the ranks to be a Bishop, or even an Archbishop or a Cardinal.
It's easy for us to see the signs of greed and ambition, but we have to resist the temptation to judge their motives based on their behavior. (I am speaking to myself.)
Don't judge a ministry based purely on the personality of the minister. Listen to his message to see if it conforms to the Word of God. A greedy preacher can still preach the truth.
I'm not saying that we should support that type of ministry, but we should be glad that he is preaching Christ.
The problem I have seen with some of these ministries is that they start by preaching the gospel of Christ. As time goes on, they place more emphasis on money, and eventually, Christ is not preached at all - only their prosperity message.
As I see it, this comes down to our responsibilities versus God's responsibilities. We are to judge the content and fruit of a ministry. If the truth is being preached, and souls are being won for the kingdom of God, then we can rejoice.
If what we see is a perverted gospel that denies the Christ of the Bible, then we are to condemn - not the preacher - but the message being preached.
God's responsibility is to judge his motives, and either reward or discipline according to His own wisdom. And who knows, perhaps the Lord will even purify their motivations.
Lord, please forgive my judgmentalism. I thank You that Your word is being preached, and that you can use even insincere people to speak the truth.
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