Philippians Post # 5 – Chapter 1, Verses 27-30

Todays post will bring us to the end of Chapter 1 of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  I hope you are finding these posts about Paul’s letter to be helpful to your study.  I always enjoy hearing from readers and find their comments at the bottom of the post, on my personal Facebook page or on the Facebook page created specifically for the readers of this blog.  That last page hasn’t been up and running for too long and doesn’t have a lot of comments yet.  I hope that will change as people want to comment or discuss something related to these posts.  If you go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/459484807586302/ let me know you would like to join that group and I’ll be happy to add you to the conversation so you can contribute items or comments as well.

Todays post covers 4 verses as compared to the previous post which dealt with 14 verses.   In one translation verses 27 through 30 were subtitled Life Worthy of the Gospel and I liked that.  I think that will be the theme of today’s post…Live Your Life Worthy of the Gospel.  What do you think?  As always I would encourage you to take a moment before you begin to ask God to open your eyes to what He wants you to see in todays’ scripture and comments.  With that, let’s get started.  Here are the verses we will work on today.

²⁷ “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel ²⁸ without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. ²⁹ For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, ³⁰ since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”

Paul begins this paragraph with a reminder, “Whatever happens”.  He is telling the Philippians that no matter what happens in their lives or his they should be consistent in their faith walk.  If we are truly in the ‘Family of God’ as we like to sing about, then we should behave like one of God’s kids, don’t you think?  Paul was admonishing the “family” in the Philippian church that they should live consistently, every day, no matter what the circumstances.  The same is true for us.  You’ve already read in these blogs that we should be the same person during the week that we are on Sunday morning.  The man or woman people think us to be should be the same person they see wherever you might meet them.  Think for just a moment where that ‘place’ might be.  You could be standing in line at the Convenience Store or in a long line at Walmart.  You might be sitting at the counter in the local diner or in a chair at the beauty salon or barber shop.  Then again you might think of who people see when they meet you at the garage, the grocery store or just leaning over the back fence.  We all need to remember that we are God’s witness here on earth everywhere we go through whatever we are doing or saying.  This world is so full of opportunities to goof up on this point isn’t it?  When you hear that juicy bit of gossip that you think others should hear as well or when you have thoughts which might be less that Christ-like about a co-worker or neighbor.  Maybe something happened while you were driving in traffic (it’s getting close to me right now, ouch) and some idiot other person almost causes you to be involved in an accident. 

 In my past I had no idea what kind of things I was teaching my young daughter until she shared some interesting “vocabulary” with her mom one afternoon in the middle of the grocery store, saying that “Daddy said…”.  That was a bit of a wake-up call for her Dad I can tell you!  I’m sure you get the point and without a doubt you can recall some situations in your own walk where you might have been glad Jesus wasn’t around.  There’s the rub.  He’s always there because we asked him to be and he said ‘yes’!  He is with us by our own invitation!  It helps us to live a better Christian witness when we are mindful of his presence.  Let’s get back to Paul’s word, shall we?

Paul says that he needs to know that the Philippian Christians are consistent in their stand for Christ whether he’s around or not.  He mentions hearing about them when he’s not around.  He expresses confidence in their witness when he says “I will know that you stand firm”.  I think Paul did believe that they would be good representatives of the gospel and he was reassuring them of that fact but he also knew human nature and was reminding them of how they should live.  God does that daily in our own lives if we let Him.  What I mean by that is we need to make sure that God has the opportunity to speak to us through our prayers and/or scripture reading every day.  That “quiet time” gives Him the chance to speak to us directly and with limited distractions or interruptions.  It’s important to make time to be with Him every day.  One of the first things I would ask individuals who came to me with struggles and trouble in their spiritual walk was this… “So, how are you doing with your daily devotional time?”  I can tell you that almost to the person they would immediately start to share that they had been having “a real hard time finding the chance to do that”.  I know exactly what they mean because I have those same “hard times”.  The truth is, I don’t need to “find time” to be with God, I need to “make time” to do that.  I sure make time to eat 3+ meals a day!  That’s where I get fed and receive the nourishment to keep my body going.  The same is true about my spiritual health.  If I want to stay strong and grow in that area of my life I’d better be “eating” regularly as well, feeding on God’s Word.  When I fail to do that I always find myself having more problems.  It’s just a fact of life for me.  When I don’t take time to be “fed” by the Holy Spirit I become weaker and less effective to “live” for Christ every day.  How about you?

At the end of verse 27 Paul writes “I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel”.  He’s talking about unity in the body.  I believe that the church does more to harm their image than anyone outside the church.  I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard church people “outside the walls” complaining about others, belittling others, or just complaining in general.  And then there’s the problem of criticizing those “other churches” who do things differently than they do at “their church”.  Make no mistake, the world is watching us as “those religious folks” and they take note of what we say, how we say it, who we’re talking about and what we’re saying about them.  I’ll share a story from several years ago.  One Saturday morning my wife and I were having breakfast in a local diner where one of my students was working as a waitress.  Actually, she was our waitress on this particular morning.  At the same time there was a group of people from one of the other local churches sharing breakfast a few tables away from us and they, too, had that same young lady as their waitress.  As the meal went on at one point she was refreshing my coffee and said, “Those people over at that table are all from the XYZ church but you should hear what they are saying about some of the other people who go to their church!  I didn’t think church people would talk like that.  Why would anybody want to go to that church?”  Wow!  Out of the mouths of babes!  Here again, we don’t have to look outside the walls of the church to find the perpetrators.  All too often the enemy is us!  There’s a phrase which originated in James, chapter 3 which has application in lots of place and this is one of them.  “My brothers (and sisters), this should not be!”  Remember, the whole world is watching.

Paul in the end of verse 27 is speaking about unity.  Some people miss an important point.  Paul isn’t speaking about uniformity.  Or as I like to say, God wants to see unity, not uniformity in the body.  What am I talking about?  God has made us all so very different and that was by design.  He doesn’t want “cookie cutter Christians” who do everything the same all the time.  He gives us a wonderful variety of talents, likes, dislikes, abilities, and the opportunity to use them in so many different ways.  I believe that’s one of the reasons we see so many different churches.  Granted, there are many who have become so “different” that they have changed the basic message of the Gospel and I’m not speaking about that.  What I am saying is that there are many, many churches which have different traditions, worship formats, musical styles, etc., etc., etc., but as long as they are anchored to the gospel message and recognize salvation through Christ alone then they have some things in common with every other “Bible believing” and “Jesus loving” church.  

This is another thing which “the world” sees all too often when they watch those “church people”.  We spend so much time telling them why our church is better than that other church down the street and why our music is more “godly” than theirs and how our pastor dresses more appropriately, preachers better and so on.  It’s no wonder that so many unsaved folks don’t even want to step through the doors of a church and, unfortunately, we are the ones to blame.  I love the attitude our pastor expresses about this problem.  Pastor Don says that we should begin by finding what we agree on and build our relationship with other Christians from there.  Instead, he says, people so often stress the differences between themselves and other Christians.  I believe he’s on to something there, don’t you?  I once knew an Episcopal Priest who used to tell me, “When God looks down from heaven He doesn’t see the walls, he sees people.  It’s we who put so much emphasis on the walls (figurative and literal) that we build between our various Christian churches and that’s wrong.”  Here again, I think this pastor was on to something too!  Let’s all strive for more unity, not uniformity with our brothers and sisters in other churches.  Let’s start looking for what we can agree on and emphasize those things rather than the things which make us different from one another.  One thing we need to agree on right off the bat is that we have a common enemy in Satan and he will do everything he can to keep us fighting with each other for then we won’t have any time or energy to attack the real enemy and that is him!

In verse 28 Paul continues by telling the Philippians that they don’t need to fear those who oppose them.  Some translations use the word terrified in this verse.  Scripture has many verses which remind us not to fear.  When we represent the “light” it will most certainly cause conflict with those who walk in “darkness”.  It may very well be a source of contention because, recognize it or not, this very comparison speaks of the lost state of those who oppose the gospel.  I’ve met so many people over the years who even joke about their “goin’ to hell”.  They seem to have a foreknowledge based on their own behaviors that they aren’t saved but they don’t seem that concerned about it.  As a matter of fact there are those who want to argue with you about it.  All I can say is that we need to be careful that we never come off as superior or arrogant about our assurance of salvation.  That isn’t something we can every take credit for.  On the contrary, we need to remember that ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ We are, like the old chorus says, ‘Only a sinner saved by grace.’  We’ve got nothing to brag about.  We have everything to be filled with thanksgiving and gratitude for.  And we need to share that kind of attitude with the people around us who don’t yet know the Lord.   Try to emphasize God’s amazing grace above anything else as well as the fact that Jesus made it possible for anyone to receive this amazing gift of salvation.

In verses 29 and 30 Paul continues to speak about suffering for the cause of Christ.  He says “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”  I love the word “granted” used here.  We have been given the gift of salvation through Jesus but also the fact that we can suffer for him.  I know that doesn’t sound much like a gift but it is important to remember that when you are being attacked or belittled or ignored because of your faith it isn’t you they are confronting.  It is Christ in you!  In faithfulness, if you are reflecting Christ to the world around you then expect struggles and opposition.  I’ve told you before that Jesus knew this was coming for everyone who professed him as Lord.  If you don’t remember my telling you of this before take a moment and turn to John 16:33 and read it once again.  “Take heart…!”  Those words are for us.  In verse 30 Paul makes reference to his own suffering speaks of his situation as a reminder that the believers in Philippi should expect, not fear but expect, that they will have struggles as Paul does.

I will end todays’ post with a couple verses we will study more in depth later on in this series but I want to share them with you now as a way to wrap up the scripture we shared today.  I won’t make any comments at this point but I think you may find that these two verses will sort of draw things together for you.  If they whet your appetite then go ahead and read further.  It’s not cheating to look ahead in a Bible study you know!  God bless you until we connect again real soon.

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.            Philippians 3:10, 11

Philippians Post # 4 – Chapter 1, Verses 12-26

In today’s post we’re going to take a deeper look at next 14 verses from his letter to the church at Philippi and read his prayer for their spiritual growth, judgement and fruitful witness.  We’ll start by reading todays’ passage and then start breaking it down into bite sized pieces.  Why don’t you take a moment and pray for God’s leading in your heart as you study His Word today.

¹² Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. ¹³ As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. ¹⁴ And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

¹⁵ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.

Let’s begin breaking this down starting at verse 12.

¹² “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” 

To begin with the Greek word translated here as “brothers and sisters” is adelphoi.  This word refers to “believers” of both sexes, hence the NIV translation as “brothers and sisters”.  There is often a lot made about the application of scripture to males or females and as we will see in this portion of scripture as well as several in the days ahead that most often the word is being given to both men and women.  Adelphoi, will also be used in verses 14 of this chapter and in 3:1, 13, 17and 4:1, 8, 21 as well.  We often read where Paul worked closely with both men and women throughout his ministry. Priscilla, along with her husband Aquilla, are not only described in the Bible as tent makers who worked with Paul but also as people who partnered with Paul in his missionary work.  There are many others who had important places in Paul’s ministry as well who are mentioned or commended in his letters.

When Paul says “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel” he is speaking of his imprisonment.  You would think that Paul would have been down cast and depressed at being in prison but he mentions repeatedly that it’s all working out for good.  Here he claims it is “serving to advance the gospel.”  Instead of feeling like a victim Paul is seeing victory in what has happened.  He has chosen to feel the “victor” instead of a “victim”.  I often share that thought as it relates to each of our attitudes today.  Are we people who view the glass as “half full” or “half empty”?  We are in control of our own attitudes and disposition.  We get to choose how we will respond to whatever life throws at us.  Paul chose the high road, the optimistic outlook.  He tried to see the “good” of whatever was happening to him and so should we.  Paul actually spoke about being in control of our own attitudes in 2 Corinthians 10:5 where he said, “Take every thought captive.”  He is telling us that we need to control our thoughts and attitudes instead of letting them control us.  It’s great advice.  For Paul, it didn’t matter what was happening to him for if the gospel was being put forward that was all that mattered.

¹³ “As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” 

I find it interesting that Paul’s words “the whole palace guard” can also read “the whole palace”.  He’s saying everyone knows.  You might ask, knows what?  Paul goes on… ‘everyone around here knows that I’m in here because of my faith in Jesus Christ.’  They all know because even here Paul is not shy about his faith.  I have no doubt that he spoke to his guards and keepers about his Lord every chance he got.  He’s not complaining or trying to get himself released, he recognizes that it is his faith that has put him in this spot and he rejoices in that fact.  It’s an amazing attitude to have, don’t you think?  Have you ever been in a situation where you can’t see why God has let something occur and you spend your time and energy asking Him “Why?  How could you do this?  How could you let this happen?”  It reminds me of a Hagar the Horrible cartoon I read years ago.  It showed Hagar shipwrecked and alone on a tiny island with only one palm tree.  I’m sure you get the picture.  There was a black storm cloud hanging over the island showering down rain and Hagar raised his fist to the cloud and yelled, “Why me!?”  It seemed more of a protest than a question.  In the next frame you see a voice coming from the cloud (you know, a little bubble with words inside) and God said to Hagar, “Why not?”  That’s actually a great question from God to us.  “Why not?”  Why should we feel that we are immune to trouble?  If anything, we should expect more trouble if we follow Jesus Christ.  I’ve shared this next verse many, many times and even in previous posts on this blog site.  Jesus said in John 16:33 “I tell you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble, but take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  The next time you feel like you are being dealt a bad hand in life, that things are unfair and you yell out “Why me?”  Imagine God saying to you, “Why not?  But it’s ok.  We’ll walk through this together ‘cause I won’t ever leave you.”  That’s just what He’s promised, you know.

Another thought comes to mind as I look at verse 13 from Chapter 1.  I’ve often reminded people that “the whole world is watching”.  What I mean by that is that the world around us, our families and friends, our co-workers and neighbors and even those people at work are all watching us and trying to see if our faith is for real.  I like to say it this way, they like to see how we act (behave) and how we react (handle adversity in our lives).  These are the times when, as the old saying goes, ‘the rubber meets the road’.  These are often the times when people really see how strong our faith in God really is.  Try to let them know it’s the real thing!

¹⁴ “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

Continuing with the thoughts from the previous paragraph, there are others watching us.  There are other people of faith.  They, too, are watching us to see if this “Jesus thing” is authentic or just something we wear on Sunday morning.  We can teach younger believers so much by how we handle life on a day to day basis.  Do we get angry?  Do we gossip?  Do we try to get even?  Do we try to climb the corporate ladder by stepping on other people?  Do we blame God when things don’t go the way we think they should?  Are we honest and truthful in what we say and do or is our honesty conditional on who is listening?  Here’s the best way I can describe it.  When people see you at work on Monday to Friday will they see the same person they see sitting in church on Sunday morning or will you appear to be two different people?  In Matthew 5:26 Jesus says “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Jesus is saying that when people look at you, how you act and how you react, they should see Jesus reflected in all that you do.

In verse 14 above Paul is saying that our behavior can be a real inspiration to other believers and give them the confidence and conviction to speak of their faith and their Lord with boldness.  That means that this is a real opportunity to help others in their faith walk.  Let’s not ‘blow it’, ok?  By the way, did you notice?  Paul addressed this comment to “brother and sisters” as well.  This challenge to teach or inspire others by how we live is for men and women.  We are all to find ways to help others grow and glow.

¹⁵ “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.  ¹⁶ The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. ¹⁸ But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

Once again we see here that Paul is looking at a problem through the eyes of faith.  He’s writing that while he is in prison there are people who are trying to inflict more pain on him by preaching the Word in a “so there” or “who’s the important teacher now?” kind of attitude.  The fact that they are spreading the gospel is good but their motivation stinks.  Paul says, ‘Who cares, as long as the good news is being spread?’  What a great attitude.  Paul takes ‘self’ right out of the picture.  If those teachers who envy Paul’s status and skills think they are going to ‘get to him’ because he’s locked in prison they are sorely mistaken.  Paul could care less about their motivation but he is excited by their message for they are still “preaching Christ” and that’s all that matters to him.  This reminds us that people do things in church for lots of different reasons and there are probably some reasons that really irk us.  They may be drawing attention to themselves, trying to build a following to promote themselves or they may be trying to draw people away from other groups or churches.  All of these are selfish, self-promoting and ego-centric motivations but if the gospel is being spread then God is still being glorified.    When we have opportunities to serve in a public, visible way let’s make sure it truly is being done with a humble and thankful heart as an act of service to God.  Do your best and let God do the rest.  As for those other self-promoting folks…let God worry about them.  Hey, did you see Paul’s joy showing through once again?  Paul says that as long as the result of all this is that “Christ is preached” he’ll still rejoice!  Great attitude.

“Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.” 

It still blows my mind that Paul is writing this letter from jail and yet speaks of his joy again and again.  He writes of his confidence that through the prayers of the Philippians along with God’s provision whatever Paul is going through is going to work out ok.  In Paul’s letter to the Romans, in chapter 8, he writes “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Like I said before, Paul has the attitude of a victor through the promises of Jesus Christ.

 ²⁰ “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” 

When we get to this point in Paul’s letter we can see that he is totally committed to Christ.  Here Paul is saying that no matter what happens to him “whether by life or by death” he believes that he will have the courage to stand for Christ.  Then he makes a very familiar statement which should be the mantra of every believer.  “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  He’s saying that to continue serving God here on earth (by life) or by losing his life and going home (by death) to be with God everything’s gonna be all right.  He’s also saying that dying and going “home” is even better.  I hope we all walk through each day with that hope in our own hearts.

²² “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!   ²³ I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far” 

Verse 22 expands on what Paul was saying in verses 20 and 21.  He sees that staying here on earth means being busy and productive serving the Lord but that still leaves him in the predicament of knowing he has more to do here while, at the same time, wanting to go “home” and be with his Lord.  I’ve had those moments and I’m betting you have too.  Sometimes the cares of this world just pile up so high that we start to think (or even pray) ‘Lord, wouldn’t this be a great time for you to take me home, PLEASE?”  I can confess that there have been times of stress in my life when those very words have crossed my lips.  I thank God that His answer was “Not hardly, Bob!”  He’s blessed me with lots of opportunities and lots of time to do many things in service to Him and His children so I get it.  That’s one of those times when God’s answer was “No!”  That was ok by me.  I have had those times when I have forgotten some of those awesome promises about God’s being with me always.  Or maybe I was just tired and wanted to bail out.  Either way, I’m thankful that God said “Not yet.”

²⁴ “but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith” 

Rightfully, Paul finally concluded that his place was to stay here on earth and continue to help others grow in their faith.  Did you also see that he said he was also staying here to help his fellow Christians grow in their joy?!  See, that theme just keeps popping up here in Philippians.  I love it!

²⁶ “so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.”

In verse 26 Paul speaks of “your boasting” but as you can see, it’s not boasting about themselves but “boasting in Christ”.  I have a dear pastor friend who has a special name for the time of sharing joys in his worship services.  He’ll say, “Who wants to brag on Jesus this mornin’?”  Braggin’ on Jesus!  I’ve always liked that.  This idea pops up in both the Old and New Testaments.  It shows up in Jeremiah 9:24 we read “but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”  Those words are echoed in the New Testament books of 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 9:17 where we read “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”  And finally, we see the same idea expanded on in Galatians 6:14: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

We’ll end today’s post on that thought.  This article was a little longer than expected but I wanted to maintain some continuity of thought and this seemed like the best break point.  You may want to re-read this post to digest it a little better and the next time you see a new post on this site we’ll be talking about how Paul suggests we conduct ourselves no matter where we are or who we are with.  Then we’ll be taking a closer look at the pattern Jesus gave us to follow in living out our daily lives.  It’s good stuff and I look forward to seeing you back here in a day or two.  God’s best to you and I pray that this study is already giving you lots to think about and apply in your daily walk.  Thanks for being here.