“It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News.Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.” (Philippians 1:15–18 NLT)

 

A preacher was moonlighting as a lifeguard to make a little extra money. His supervisors were shocked when they learned that people were drowning near his lifeguard stand at an alarming rate. Every day brought news of a new drowning, each one in the vicinity of the preacher’s stand. The supervisors were baffled. They wondered, What’s the problem with this preacher lifeguard? He’s been trained properly. So they went to observe him. Before long, they saw a pair of swimmers in trouble, waving frantically from the ocean. The preacher looked at the swimmers and said, “God bless you. I see that hand. God bless you. I see that hand.”

In case you’re too young or too new to the church to understand that punchline, it’s a reference to the go-to move for certain preachers during their altar calls. If you spend enough time listening to certain preachers, you’ll pick up on other quirks, tendencies, and habits. It’s an occupational hazard for pastors.

And when it’s lighthearted—like teasing about a joke you’ve heard more than once from the pulpit—it can be fun and even unifying. But when it takes a darker turn—when people start to question a preacher’s qualifications, motives, allegiances, or leanings—it can be incredibly damaging to the body of Christ.

Like it or not, we are all imperfect vessels delivering a perfect message. That goes not just for pastors and evangelists, but for anyone who shares the gospel. Skeptics and critics will ask, “Why should we listen to you? Who gave you the authority to say these things?”

It’s not a new phenomenon. The apostle Paul dealt with a similar situation in his letter to the Philippian believers. And in his situation, the criticism was warranted. There were people preaching out of jealousy and rivalry with Paul. But look at how he resolved the problem: “The message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice” (Philippians 1:18 NLT).

All that matters is that the Good News of Christ is being delivered. When the words of the gospel are spoken, God can plant the seeds of His truth in people’s hearts, regardless of who’s doing the talking.

God calls us to build unity in the body of Christ. We can do that by showing grace and gratitude to our fellow believers who deliver the message of Christ.

 

Reflection Question: How will you respond to someone who questions a pastor’s qualifications or motives?

Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives.&nbsp;They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn&rsquo;t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.&rdquo; (Philippians 1:15&ndash;18 NLT)
&nbsp;
A preacher was moonlighting as a lifeguard to make a little extra money. His supervisors were shocked when they learned that people were drowning near his lifeguard stand at an alarming rate. Every day brought news of a new drowning, each one in the vicinity of the preacher&rsquo;s stand. The supervisors were baffled. They wondered, What&rsquo;s the problem with this preacher lifeguard? He&rsquo;s been trained properly. So they went to observe him. Before long, they saw a pair of swimmers in trouble, waving frantically from the ocean. The preacher looked at the swimmers and said, &ldquo;God bless you. I see that hand. God bless you. I see that hand.&rdquo;
In case you&rsquo;re too young or too new to the church to understand that punchline, it&rsquo;s a reference to the go-to move for certain preachers during their altar calls. If you spend enough time listening to certain preachers, you&rsquo;ll pick up on other quirks, tendencies, and habits. It&rsquo;s an occupational hazard for pastors.
And when it&rsquo;s lighthearted&mdash;like teasing about a joke you&rsquo;ve heard more than once from the pulpit&mdash;it can be fun and even unifying. But when it takes a darker turn&mdash;when people start to question a preacher&rsquo;s qualifications, motives, allegiances, or leanings&mdash;it can be incredibly damaging to the body of Christ.
Like it or not, we are all imperfect vessels delivering a perfect message. That goes not just for pastors and evangelists, but for anyone who shares the gospel. Skeptics and critics will ask, &ldquo;Why should we listen to you? Who gave you the authority to say these things?&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not a new phenomenon. The apostle Paul dealt with a similar situation in his letter to the Philippian believers. And in his situation, the criticism was warranted. There were people preaching out of jealousy and rivalry with Paul. But look at how he resolved the problem: &ldquo;The message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice&rdquo; (Philippians 1:18 NLT).
All that matters is that the Good News of Christ is being delivered. When the words of the gospel are spoken, God can plant the seeds of His truth in people&rsquo;s hearts, regardless of who&rsquo;s doing the talking.
God calls us to build unity in the body of Christ. We can do that by showing grace and gratitude to our fellow believers who deliver the message of Christ.
&nbsp;
Reflection Question: How will you respond to someone who questions a pastor&rsquo;s qualifications or motives?
<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

As believers, we are all imperfect vessels sharing a perfect message.

Advertisement