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Are bad preachers a good thing for the gospel?


It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 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. Philippians 1:15-18

            Paul in the book of Philippians knew that there were honest, loving preachers out there and bad, arrogant preachers.  He acknowledged that some preach out of sincerity and others preach out of selfishness.  Yet he said both were good, as long as Christ was preached.  Why?

            While the communication device may be poor, the message still was communicated and the Holy Spirit can use the message in the life of a receiver despite the communicator.  Paul believed more in the power of God’s word than the insufficiency of God’s people to mess up God's plan.

            We feel unequipped to teach or preach the Gospel and still, Paul says, God can use our words to pierce a soul.  You may not choose to listen to certain preachers on TV or in your community, but understand this, as long as they use the Bible and correctly speak the truth, the inefficiency of their lives will not stop God from working through them.