JULY 18

OUR PERSONAL PROMISES:

NAMES FOR GOD:

*** ***

*ELOHEI TEHILLATI—GOD OF MY PRAISE

*EL HAKABODH—GOD OF GLORY

*ELOHIM CHAYIM—LIVING GOD

*** ***

This month we will read the book, “Whatever Happens – How to Stand Firm in Your Faith When the World is Falling Apart.”  By a contemporary author of many best-selling Christian books, Robert J. Morgan.  He took care of his wife when she had MS, until she went home to her Savior.  “He knows of which he speaks.”  I pray that this book blesses you.

*** ***

Philippians 1:27-30

“ Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,  and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.  For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”

WHATEVER HAPPENS …..NEVER BE INTIMIDATED

What do you do when persecution is so great you can no longer live in your own nation?  In “100 Bible Verses That Made America” I wrote about a church in England during the days of King James 1.  The persecution was so sustained, the entire church voted to immigrate to Holland, where there was more liberty.  Some of those members would later go a step further and immigrate to America, still seeking religious liberty.  We call them the Pilgrims.

The same persecution is happening today.  According to “Voice of the Martyrs” in 2022, a church of about seventy believers in China faced so much pressure that some of the members suggested moving out of the country.  Fifty-three members voted to leave and seventeen opposed.  Sixty people ended up moving to an island belonging to South Korea, but things there haven’t gone well.  None of them spoke the Korean language, so instead of the high-paying, professional jobs they had in China, they had to take menial, backbreaking work.  Further, South Korea is too afraid of China to extend asylum to the believers.  These Christians simply do not know what to do.

What do we do in circumstances like these?  What would you do?  Even in America, Christians are facing increasing discrimination.  We can find the best advice for this situation in Philippians 1:27-30.  These verses begin the actual body of the letter.

Paul spent the first 26 verses greeting the Philippians, thanking, and praying for them, then telling them about his circumstances and his resulting attitude.  Now he was ready to get down to business.  The core – the essence of Philippians goes from verses 1:27 to 4:1.  Everything we’ve studied so far has simply prepared us for the message that begins here in the last four verses of Chapter 1, (which are our verses for today).

In his commentary on this passage, theologian Dr. Gordon Fee wrote:  “This whole paragraph is a single, nearly impossible, sentence in Greek, which probably assumes this form because Paul tries to include all the urgencies of the letter in this opening word.”

In other words, the rest of the book of Philippians is simply the unpacking of what Paul initially stated in this paragraph. (which is what we’ve been studying so far)   I believe verse 27 is the key to the entire book:  “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then…I will know that you stand firm.”

We have seen that Paul and the Philippians had two problems, and even after two thousand years, those problems have not disappeared.  They are still frustrating us today.

FIRST: We face opposition.  Still, Paul said we should not be “frightened in any way by those who oppose you.  This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed.”  We’re facing opposition in this world from people who will be destroyed in the future.  Dictators are not going to live forever.  One day God will strike them down and judge the evil in their hearts.

SECOND: We are facing uncertainty.  As indicated earlier, the phrase, “Whatever happens” is an admission that we don’t know what’s going to happen from day to day.  Paul didn’t know what was going to happen to him either.

OUR ONE RESPONSIBILITY

That brings us to our great responsibility:  We are to conduct ourselves WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL.  One translation renders his verse:  “as citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

Philippi was an unusual city in the Roman world. After a scuffle, Octavian emerged as emperor, and he granted Roman citizenship to the entire city of Philippi.  This brought many benefits, but for the Christians, it was a mixed blessing.  The city now had an obligation to cheer emperor Nero as the lord (kurios) at every civic gathering.  To Christians, only Christ was  (and is) Kurios – Lord.  On two occasions in this letter – here and in verse 3:20 – Paul reminded them – and us – that we are citizens of the everlasting kingdom. 
Our heavenly citizenship is our primary citizenship.  We are citizens of heaven who are traveling through earth, who happen to hold an American passport or a British passport or whatever we have.

In other words, we are expatriates – citizens of one nation living in another that is not our own.  As a result, we have three obligations.

OUR THREE OBLIGATIONS

Lots of people today are more focused on their RIGHTS than their OBLIGATIONS as citizens.  Sometimes I’m one of them.  I chafe at having to keep the speed limit, fulfill jury duty, or pay taxes.  But if I think my freedom of speech is endangered, I’ll crusade to be heard!

When it comes to our heavenly citizenship, our privileges are limitless, but we also have responsibilities.

STANDING FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT

First, we’re to stand firm in one Spirit “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Then ….I WILL KNOW THAT YOU STAND FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT.”

I want to tell you about a rosebush I’ve just planted.  A woman in New Orleans named Peggy Martin had a beautiful garden of 450 roses.  One was an old garden rose she couldn’t identify.  No one knew the name or background of this vigorous climbing rose.,

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, and Peggy’s garden was covered by 20 feet of contaminated water.  All her roses perished except for the one that had no name.  It came back stronger than ever – and rose experts named it the Peggy Martin.  That’s its official name.  but it’s better known by its nickname – the Katrina rose.

My wife’s name was Katrina.  During the storm, she said, “My name has never been mentioned in prayer as often as now.”  Well, you can see why I ordered a Katrina rose and have set it out in my garden.

I want to be like that rose – to stand firm, to thrive even when engulfed, even if there’s an ocean of opposition against me, even if the winds blow and the tides rise, and even if the contaminated world tries to marginalize and vilify me.  I want to remain rooted, grounded, and resilient.  I’m sure you do too.

That happens by the Holy spirit who is within us.  We’re to stand firm in one spirit.  The secret of the Katrina rose is its vintage sap, the circulating fluid that gave it a near-supernatural sort of energy and vitality.  But that’s nothing compared to the Spirit-filled power of the Spirit-filled follower of Christ.

Stand firm in one Spirit.

Published by liveinthelightofourlord

View all posts by liveinthelightofourlord