Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
(Philippians 1:27-30 ESV)
Lesson Focus: Stand firm in the midst of whatever persecution you encounter.
“manner of life” - politeuomai - to live as a citizen
The root of this word is where we get our English word polity. Paul was saying, let the fact that you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God guide you to conduct yourself in a way that is worthy of the price Jesus paid for your “manner of life.”
Paul got more specific about this conduct; warning the Philippians to stand firm in one spirit. What would that look like? It would look like a church being of one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.
How will Origins strive for the faith of the gospel?
Philippi was an important Roman outpost protected by Roman soldiers. A major responsibility of these soldiers was to protect legal religions and destroy those that were illegal. These people had already seen Paul and Silas in jail in their own midst.
They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely.It would present a challenge to trust God enough not [to be] frightened in anything by your opponents.
(Acts 16:21-23)
Have you ever been mocked, penalized, or even attacked just for speaking the truth?
“a clear sign to them of their destruction”
When we suffer for the gospel it speaks volumes to non-believers about how much we value our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Impression: The degree to which you will suffer for something denotes its worth. Jesus suffered and died to give you life. (Citizenship in the Kingdom of God)
Personal Time: A prayer – “Lord reveal to me those things that I value more than I should.”
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)
"The degree to which you will suffer for something denotes its worth." This thought hit home to me. I immediately thought of baby Caleb and the suffering it took to get him here. It hurt. Bad. But I would have done that and more and would do it again to have him here with us. A reminder I needed of how much God loves me and has invested His very life in me.
ReplyDeleteBTW... thanks everybody for an awesome time yesterday. Loved introducing Caleb to the Origins fam. Love you all SO much.