H.B. Charles Jr. encourages believers to seek Gospel advancement amid hardship in Southwestern Seminary chapel message

Preaching on how the Gospel advances even amid hardship, H.B. Charles Jr. challenged the Oct. 21 chapel audience at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Texas Baptist College to think like the Apostle Paul during his imprisonment in Rome in wanting to understand “what happened to what happened to him.”

In his introduction of Charles, Adam W. Greenway, president of Southwestern Seminary and TBC, said it was his “great joy … to welcome back a dear friend and a powerful, powerful proclaimer of the Word of God” to the Fort Worth campus.

Charles has pastored Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville and Orange Park, Florida, since 2008. As a seventeen-year-old high school senior he began pastoring Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles for 18 years, where his late father was his predecessor. Charles is a frequent speaker and preacher at conferences and revivals and is the host of “The On Preaching” podcast. Additionally, he is the author of several books, including It Happens After Prayer: Biblical Motivation for Believing Prayer and The Difference Jesus Makes: Trusting Him in Every Situation.

Charles encouraged the assembly to learn how God rules over and uses life circumstances to advance the Gospel based on Phil. 1:12-14 and Paul’s house arrest in Rome.

Recognizing the church at Philippi was concerned about his well-being due to his imprisonment, Charles said Paul’s words reminded them to focus on the outcome, rather than the details, of his situation.

“His focus was not on what happened; he wants to talk about what happened to what happened to him,” Charles observed. “What happened to him was used by God to advance the Gospel.”

Charles noted Paul deflected attention from himself, but instead redirected the attention of the Philippians to the “undeterred purposes of God.” He encouraged the gathering to do the same in their own life circumstances and ministries.

“Adverse things happen to faithful Christians, but things don’t just happen,” Charles said. “God is able to overrule what happens to you and use it for His glory and the good of others.”

While the church at Philippi wanted to know more about his circumstances, Paul sought to give them a godly perspective, Charles said. 

“God uses our life lessons to teach others about Him,” Charles noted. “This ‘learn and return cycle’ can be short circuited because there are times we don’t want people to know what happened to us.”

Though Paul helped found the church at Philippi, he did not project a “perfect image” to the church because he wanted to teach lessons and correct misunderstanding, Charles said. He explained the Philippians knew Paul had endured hardship, but Paul did not focus on the details of his difficulties, instead Paul summarized all that took place with the phrase, “all that happened to me.”

Paul “doesn’t dwell on the personal implications of what happened to him,” Charles said referring to Phil. 1:12. 

Observing that “life is lived forward, but it’s understood backwards,” Charles reminded the audience that “Paul had to trust the Lord through circumstances he did not understand. And, now, looking back on those circumstances, he says, ‘I want you to know, brothers, that the things that have happened to me have actually served to advance the Gospel.’”

Calling it “the ironic providence of God,” Charles noted the imprisonment of Paul did not stop the progress of the Gospel, but “locking Paul up advanced the Gospel.”

“The Gospel didn’t advance in spite of what happened to Paul,” Charles preached. “It happened through what happened to Paul. God was at work through all of the bad stuff that happened to Paul to get the Gospel out.”

Charles reminded the assembly Paul’s testimony teaches believers they should not live with an “if only syndrome” for God to use them.

“‘If only,’ we think, ‘I could just get to that ideal space that … specific place then God could really use me,’” Charles said. Reminding the audience of Paul’s words to the Corinthians, he said, “You don’t have to be in a special place for God to use you. He can use you right where you are.”

Charles also observed the Gospel was Paul’s way of life and “consuming passion.”

“To ask Paul, ‘How are you doing?’ was to ask Paul, ‘How is the Gospel doing?’” Charles said. “Going forward Paul was content even if it meant he never got out of jail.”

God reigns over and works through life’s circumstances, Charles noted, and “faith requires that we trust that God is working beyond what we can see.”

Charles said as Paul was chained to the imperial guard the guards were watching his actions and “God was at work to influence unbelievers for Christ.” In observing Paul’s actions and interactions, Charles commented, the imperial guardsmen concluded, “This man is no criminal. If he is guilty of anything, he is guilty of being a Christian.”

The witness of Paul, Charles said, led Paul’s jailers to ask, “Who is this Jesus?” He said Paul was able to preach Christ to a “captive audience.”

“Is it possible that God allows what you are going through so that He can use you to reach someone for Christ?” Charles asked the congregation. “Like Paul, you are being watched. By family members, friends, coworkers, classmates, nurses, you are being watched. Who’s watching? I don’t know and that’s why it is so important. You are being watched and how you trust God through the challenges of life and faith and ministry are a part of how God wants to use you for His glory and good of others.”

Charles said Paul’s imprisonment also influenced believers for Christ as the believers in Rome were previously hesitant to share about Christ. 

“Christ must be more important than your personal agenda,” Charles told the audience. “You may not be the one God uses to do it. You may just be the one God uses to encourage the one He’ll use to do it. And, He may be using your present struggle to encourage them in their future success. Are you okay with that?”

Charles concluded by observing the entire point of Phil. 1:12-30 is to remind believers, “You can handle anything if Christ is your everything.”

The entire sermon can be viewed here.

Chapel is held every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 a.m. (CT) in MacGorman Chapel on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Chapel may be viewed live at swbts.edu/live.