Philippians 1:12-18 — “The things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel…” One of the reasons why Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi was to allay their concerns about his imprisonment. He was under house arrest in Rome waiting to appear before Caesar, and the Philippians were worried about his welfare and about the progress of his ministry.
In this section of the letter, Paul tells the Philippians that he’s OK, and that he’s not discouraged at all. He explains how his time under house arrest has actually led to a flowering of Gospel preaching in Rome and for that he is rejoicing!
This text reminds us that God’s plan cannot be thwarted. The Gospel will advance in this world irrespective of what wicked people might do to stop it. It also teaches us a valuable lesson about our attitude towards Christians who disagree with us on secondary matters.