As Christians, God has entrusted us with the gospel of Christ.  Our aim should be to advance the gospel whenever we have the opportunity to do so.  Paul spoke of the advancement of the gospel, while he was a prisoner in Rome, when he wrote to the saints at Philippi.  

Philippians 1:12 (ESV)
¹²  I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

The advancement of the gospel did not happen by accident in the first-century.  So, how did it happen?  Paul gives us some answers to this in the context of Philippians 1.  This week, let us think about how we can do our part in advancing the gospel to a world that so desperately needs it.

The first thing that is needed for the gospel to go forward is someone to preach it.  Paul teaches us that salvation comes by individuals calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13).  This takes place when a person hears and responds to the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16).  Paul asked some vital questions about this in Romans 10.

Romans 10:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

Advancing the gospel by individual Christians sowing the seed of the kingdom has been God’s plan from the beginning.  When Jesus called His first disciples, He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).  We should all be fishers of men.  Our bait is the gospel of Christ.  We cast out the line by telling others the good news about the kingdom (Acts 8:12).  This good news must not only be preached; it must be preached boldly.  

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

Preaching the gospel can be a daunting task.  We know that many people will not like the message.  The gospel makes some people mad (Acts 4:1-2).  The Jews were so enraged at Stephen that they stoned him to death (Acts 7:54).  The truth is, the values revealed by the gospel of Christ are not appreciated by the majority of people.  The world’s standard of living is threatened by the Word of God.  This does not change the fact, however, that man needs to hear the gospel in order to be saved.  If we do not have the boldness to preach, the gospel will never advance, and people will die in their sins.

No matter where we live, what the prevailing attitude is, or what the common practice may be in a given society, God has given us the command to preach to the lost (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).  It is the only way to advance the gospel.  Do we have the boldness to do it?  Do we have the love for the souls of men to tell others the good news about Jesus, even if we know it might make them mad?  Paul tells us how the gospel was advanced by the first-century church—they simply preached the Word and it got the job done.  Do we have the courage to do the same thing?   

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.