Remember those “Magic Eye” pictures that were so popular in the 1990s? For some of you, core memory was just unlocked with wonder and excitement. You are welcome. For some of you, the core memory that was just unlocked is that of frustration and disappointment. I am on the disappointed and frustrated side of things. I still think that there is no hidden image there. I genuinely think it is all a big scam. Yes, my trust issues are showing.

The “Magic Eye” pictures are all about how you look at them. From what I have been told, in order to find the hidden image, it is about where you focus. If you focus on the right spot, at the right angle, your eyes will do the rest. Again, I am frustrated that I have never seen this happen; but that truth is also a truth that we can hold to for other aspects of our lives. How we look at situations or circumstances generally dictates the direction we will go. Craig Groeschel has said, “You are always moving towards your strongest feeling.” It is a real thing.

Philippians 1:12-13 says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”

1. Why does God use weakness or hardship as an amazing tool to advance the Gospel?

Paul is in jail. While Paul is penning Philippians, he has a strong sense that death is awaiting on the other side of this imprisonment. Paul’s focus is not to sulk, blame, mope, or become enraged. Paul’s focus is on ensuring the Gospel of Christ is furthered. Paul was in a bad spot, but he saw the opportunity to reach those who hated the church.

Philippians 1:14 continues, “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

2. Who is someone that encouraged you to live for Christ with more boldness and commitment to the Gospel even though they were going through a trial or a difficult situation?

3. How can reframing the way you think about a situation help create eagerness and tenacity in preaching the Gospel?

So often we are looking for an extra supernatural move of God. While I would never limit God on what He is doing, I am a firm believer that God is often moving right before our eyes and we often miss it due to the fact we are looking for the Hollywood version of the Gospel. When we are looking for the grandiose, we overlook the person who is often right next to us and who needs to hear the amazing grace that only comes because of the work and person of our Lord Jesus.

4. Who is someone who is “chained” (a person that you regularly encounter) to you?

Philippians 1:15-18 adds, “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”

5. In verses 15-18, why was Paul able to not hold on to spite?

How can we model this same faith? Put yourself in Paul’s place. He is in prison. There are people who are trashing his apostleship. There are people who are destroying his character. There are people who were going into towns to undo the teachings Paul had taught. Life becomes so discouraging when you feel like everything is against you. Yet, Paul never allowed the rivals and envious to throw off his mission.

6. Why is rejoicing such a crucial part when it comes to reaching those who do not know Jesus as Lord?

7. How do you view suffering? Is it a punishment or an opportunity?

No matter where Paul was, in all the accounts we have written in the Bible, we see one central goal in Paul’s life. In Acts chapter 20, Paul gives a tearful farewell to a group of elders from Ephesus saying, “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). For Paul, his life only had one purpose, to ensure people knew Jesus.

8. Has reaching the world become an extra-curricular event when it is easy and convenient in your Christian walk?

9. When was the last time you saw the Gospel move forward? Was it during a time of comfort or a time of discomfort?

God has sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins. When we put our faith in the work and person of Jesus Christ, we are made new. We have a new life. Because the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, God gives us a new heart that can now live for God. Sadly, there are times in life when we encounter difficulties. In those moments, it pushes our heart back into a rebellious, self-seeking mode. We care less about the amazing grace that saved us from the grave, and we care more about the inconvenience that is around us. We, as the Gospel-giving church of Jesus Christ, cannot allow hardship to stop us from moving the Gospel forward. The Gospel will always advance. God is working in the good times and working in the hard times. My prayer for you is that your heart is motivated to see the opportunity to tell others about the love that has set you free and given you life.