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. - Philippians 1:12 –13 (ESV)

What feeling or emotion comes to mind when we start to talk about evangelism? I think for many people it's fear. We are afraid that we won't have the answer to a question. We are afraid of rejection. We are afraid of persecution. We are afraid our lives won't match what we say. There are a lot of fears, but what if one of the ways to discover joy was actually evangelism?

This week we are going to explore Philippians 1:12-18 . Paul's plans and programs for the advancement of the gospel didn't go as he planned. God had a different plan, a grander plan, a better plan. Watching that plan play out brought joy to the heart of Paul. Take some time to re-read Philippians 1 and see if you can hear the joy of his words over the clink of his chains.