Speaking with Right Motives: Sharing Jesus with a Clean Heart

Speaking with Right Motives, Not for Show

People like to feel important. They like praise. They like big numbers and big crowds. This can slip into church life too. In Philippians 1:15–18, we see this problem. Some people preach Jesus, but they do it for the wrong reasons. Paul teaches us about speaking with right motives.

Paul writes, “Some… are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will” (Philippians 1:15). One group loves Jesus and loves people. The other group feels jealous and wants to fight. They want others to look at them.

He says they preach “out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment” (Philippians 1:17). They care more about hurting Paul and lifting themselves up than helping souls. The words sound right, but the heart feels wrong.

God Sees the Heart

People hear your words. God sees your heart. Jesus says we must love God “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). He also says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). When you love God and neighbor, you care more about truth and souls than your own name.

God wants clean hearts. Romans 12:3 says each person must “not… think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” That means we stay humble. We remember we are sinners saved by grace. We tell others about Jesus because we want them saved too, not because we want to look great.

To walk in speaking with right motives, you can ask simple questions: “Do I want people to know Jesus, or do I want them to notice me?” “Do I feel mad when God blesses someone else?” When you see sin in your heart, you can confess it. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

Joy When Christ Is Preached

Paul gives a wise answer to this whole mess. He writes, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice” (Philippians 1:18). He feels glad when the true Jesus is preached, even when some people preach from a bad heart.

Paul does not say bad teaching is okay. In Galatians 1:6–9, he fights hard against a false gospel. Here in Philippians, the message stays true, but the motives feel wrong. Paul lets God handle the hearts. He stays happy that the name of Jesus spreads.

You can learn from this today. When another church grows, you can praise God. When another speaker helps many people, you can thank the Lord. When a young leader rises, you can cheer. If Christ is lifted high and the Bible is taught, Heaven smiles. You can smile too.

Over time, speaking with right motives leads you to say what John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). You stop seeking the spotlight. You start seeking God’s glory. You grow more free, because you no longer need the praise of people.

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