Today we will be in Philippians chapter 1.
The book of Philippians has its name as such because it was a letter that was written to the Christian church in Philippi. For those that it may interest, the city of Philippi was named after King Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. It was a prosperous Roman colony, meaning that the citizens of Philippi were also citizens of Rome. It was also served as a Roman military outpost, therefore many of the Philippians were retired military men who served as military presence for the city. This may be a reason why there were not enough Jews to permit the establishment of a synagogue in the city (needed at least 10 Jewish men in order to institute). The earliest mention of Philippi is found in Acts 16. I encourage you to take some time to read it.
If you found Philippians 1, let’s begin reading in verse 27:
Philippians 1:27-29 NLT
“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”
This letter was written to the church in Philippi, to believers who Paul clearly was in close relationship with. These were faithful Christians who loved Jesus. Nevertheless, they were also the targets of people who opposed the gospel.
Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to live in a “manner worthy of the good news,” In other words, he was encouraging them to live their life in such a way that unbelievers would see God’s love through them. Not to allow the culture and customs of the current day to creep into their life and give reason for those outside of the faith to discredit them in any way. Instead, he encourages them to be obedient to the word of God and walk out their faith in Christ.
Similarly, we too should live our lives in a way that is worthy of the cross. People should look at us and see the love of Jesus. Let us work hard not to allow ourselves to fall back into our former ways of life, but do our best to please God. The only way to do that is through Jesus! We must rely on Him.
As Paul encouraged the church, he understood that this was not going to be without consequence. There were those who opposed the gospel and made it their mission to bring about trouble for the church in any way possible. There were false teachers who desired to cause division within the church. This is one reason Paul encourages them to “stand together with one spirit and one purpose,” and to “fight together for the faith, which is the good news.” Division was trying to break up the church, but Paul encouraged them to stand strong together.
It is no different today. The devil is still trying to cause division in the local church. It is not worth hurting someone or breaking fellowship with other believers just to be right. Our political opinions have no place when it comes to unity. Let us put our disagreements aside and focus on what truly matters!
Paul kept their focus on what was important: living a life that was pleasing to God. Nevertheless, this did not come without cost. It was a rare occurrence for someone to not be persecuted for choosing to follow Christ. Deciding to follow Jesus meant you were rejecting the culture, customs, and any gods associated of that day. Knowing this, Paul encourages them to not be “intimidated in any way by their enemies.”
He encouraged them not to be afraid of the opposition. The truth is that the early church in that time did indeed face hardship for following Christ. What kind of hardship did they face?
- In
Acts 16: Paul and Silas were scolded, criminalized, beaten, flogged, and
falsely imprisoned. This is how the church in Philippi began.
- The
Philippians were also persecuted by unbelievers outside of the church. In Acts
17, Paul and Silas ran out of the neighboring town of Thessalonica by angry
Jewish zealots. They pursued Paul even as far as Berea which was approximately
45 miles (Acts 17:10-13). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that these
same Jews, or others like them, also caused trouble for the church in Philippi,
possibly even pitting the local government against them as well.
- Also, any and every believer was subject to being criminalized, scolded, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and possibly even killed for their faith. This was a pattern we see in the book of Acts with Paul, the apostles, and other men of faith who shared their faith publicly.
While
all of this was a reality for Christians a little under 2000 years ago, it is
still a reality for believers across the world today. In places like India,
Nepal, China, and others, Christians experience hardship of many kinds. According to Open Doors USA’s 2022 World Watch List
report, in the last year:
- Over 360 million Christians live in places where they
experience high levels of persecution and discrimination.
- 5,898 Christians were killed for their faith
- 5,110 churches and other Christian buildings were
attacked
- 4,765 believers were detained without trial, were
arrested, sentenced or imprisoned.
This is today! These are brothers and sisters in Christ who believe in the same God. What was a reality a little under 2000 years ago is still a reality today.
Now, if believers in many parts in the rest of the world are facing this kind of hardship today, what kind of hardship do we as the church in America face? In the grand scheme of things, we MAY:
- Be
opposed by unbelievers
- Not
be accepted by certain people or family
- …That’s about it!
While we are not persecuted for our faith in America:
- We do have freedoms that Christians in other countries do
not.
- We do have resources that Christians in other countries
do not.
- We do have opportunities to make a difference for the kingdom that Christians in other countries do not.
In other words, we as American Christians have been strategically positioned by God.
We must realize that we are fighting the same battle as those being persecuted on the front lines. We are just as important.
If God can get His people to live in a manner that is worthy of the gospel, to stand together with believers all around the world to fight the good fight of faith, and play our role in God’s kingdom, He can do even more with the gospel around the world. He can:
- Build
more churches
- Raise
up more pastors & preachers
- Raise
up more orphanages
- Provide
more food and clean water
- Etc
All of this for the sake of the good news!
So, how should we receive and apply this message for today?
1.
Conduct
Yourself in a Manner Worthy of the Gospel
a.
Conduct = To live as
a citizen
b.
In other words, Paul was encouraging the
Philippians to live as good citizens of the kingdom of God while living here on
earth.
c. Let us
live in a way that people may see God’s love through us
2.
Realize Your Position
in the Battle
a.
Do not lose perspective
b.
Be thankful for the role you play
c. Remain
vigilant
3.
Embrace Your
Freedom as Opportunity
a.
Utilize your freedom to make a difference
b.
With much freedom comes much responsibility
(Luke 12:48)
4.
Stand Strong
with Believers on the Front Lines
a.
Pray for the believers around the world facing
hardship & persecution
