Paul doesn't care how the Good News is proclaimed or who proclaims it as long as people hear about Jesus. It didn't matter if someone was trying to be a big deal or not. Paul wanted everyone to get the message.
He is also aware that he may not get out of prison to preach again. He is realistic about the fact that he could be executed.
It reminds me of Martin Luther King, Jr. And his determination that discrimination and segregation should be eliminated. At one point when he was preaching, he even said that he would probably be killed and he was.
In many ways his legacy made more of an impact than his life had. Paul's legacy in his letters and the communities of believers that he established was greater than anything he did during his lifetime.
Jesus' ministry only lasted three years, but his legacy has lasted more than two thousand. Paul was right in that the most important thing was to keep spreading the message.
In the Acts of the Apostles, one of the members of the Sanhedrin was correct when he warned the other members that if this new movement was from God, then they would not be able to destroy it and they might even be fighting God himself.
The Sanhedrin couldn't stop it; the Romans couldn't stop it; nothing can stop the Good News of salvation from reaching into every corner of the world.
People today are still being attracted to Jesus and his message of love and salvation. How is the message being spread today?
By us! We are today's witnesses and we have been given the task of carrying on from Paul and the apostles and all those who have gone before us.
