For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:28   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.

Courage pops up again in this chapter. Courage and joy seem to be linked in Paul’s mind, and experientially, as I have found courage in Christ, I will readily admit, the sense of joy in my life becomes more evident.

Living in fear is a deadly trap, and is not to be the normal life of the believer. Many may have succumbed to the fear mongering that is of late within the media, and I am convinced will continue. My friends, as Paul noted above, do not be frightened in anything by our opponents.

Rethink the reason for their use of fear in your life, for as Paul notes, as we live our lives courageously, this one response will signal an eventual doom to the opponent.

This perspective is not something that will be provided to you through the message of the world, but through a knowledge of the One who has provided hope and joy to the believer.

Immerse yourself in the message of Christ, for His message is liberating, and will provide truth to live and die by.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:27   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,

Paul’s seeks one thing from the Philippians. Their manner of life to be worthy of the gospel of Christ. Now my question is – Is Paul talking of an individuals manner of life, or the church body as an organism?

Of course, individual Christians are to have a manner of life that is worthy of the gospel, and we may come back to the concept of worthiness, but for now, let us consider if Paul is referring to the church body life in this verse. Notice that he speaks of unity in this verse.

• Standing firm in one spirit
• With one mind
• Striving side by side for the faith of the gospel

This list on descriptions, detailing Paul’s hope for the church cannot be applied to the individual, for it speaks of the group representing the gospel with a unifying front.

One item that I would like to draw your attention to, and that I find to be a source of division within the modern church (of which there are many sources of division) is the claim for a group of believers to have doctrinal purity. This concept is addressed in Philippians 4:5, where we are instructed to be reasonable.

I have, as many may know, spent much of my Christian life emphasizing hair splitting doctrines in order to cause discussion/debate. Discussion! More like division at times! But that is the result of pride. (Proverbs 11:2)

I must admit, many times it was to simply show others that I had knowledge of the topic – how foolish!

Paul is looking for a church that will present a united front even though there may be some disagreement within the group (Consider Philippians 4:2 – Euodia and Syntyche). He is looking for a church that has one spirit and one mind, striving for the faith of the gospel.

When he speaks of one mind, some may equate that with one set of doctrinal facts, for I know at one time I also did, but I must admit now, that I see the term “one mind” as attitude of mind, an attitude of service as described in a few verses ahead (Philippians 2:5), the mind of Christ being led into greater and greater humiliation and service to us.

There are central tenets of the faith that are non-negotiable, but let us provide space for the negotiable in others lives. Let us center around the person whom we claim to follow, and not a list of doctrines that separate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:26   so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

Amazing. Believers may find cause to glory in Christ Jesus through a simple man who is seeking God’s will. And Paul is not shy in stating that his continuing with them in service to them may provide “ample” cause to glory in Christ Jesus.

Ample! Abundant, overfilling, exuberant, plentiful.

If it wasn’t the apostle Paul, I would think this man to be overly arrogant, yet his trust in the Lord, and his desire to serve the brethren yells out humility and meekness. A man that was putty in the hands of the Master and who struggled to know the will of God, eventually realizing to serve the church, his brethren in Christ, was the proper path he was to seek. This man would bring opportunity to the church to glory in Christ.

Out of that decision, or realization, Paul saw multiple fruits, not only of his own joy, and that of the churches continuing joy, but of their potential growth, and an opportunity to glory in Christ through the apostle.

Are there any additional fruits that Paul’s speaks of in this wonderful book? I will leave that for your comments.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verset, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:25   Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,

Paul has given us a glimpse in his thought patterns, his reasoning and his desires. He was a man who had like passions as we, although focused on the will of God much more intensely than I. His heart is that of a man who has two possibilities in his life and will sacrifice his greatest reward for the sake of his brethren, for a church he rarely sees, but loves.

Two goals are in Paul’s mind for the Philippians.

Progress in the Faith

Growth, maturity, greater understanding of God’s will for your life, increased boldness, courage, self sacrifice for others. Need I go on? We are to grow, and to encourage others to grow. Progress in the faith my friends. Standing still actually equates to slippage, to regression and falling behind, a withering.

Joy in the Faith

In all our maturity, if joy is missing, this should be an alarm going off in our hearts. A deep seated joy is the ever present partner of a living faith, a growing and prospering faith.

Do not hear that I speak of happiness. This is not the message. Joy is that strength of heart that provides encouragement, hope and a knowledge of His goodness in your life that we do not deserve. An ever present resident in our life that addresses the doubts and fears, that we can experience in the midst of trial and trouble, in the midst of grief and sorrow.

A mystery to be clear, and yet the very possession of the believer who is growing in the faith

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:24   But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

Given that Paul has considered the resurrection of his own body, and the glory of being with Christ, he turns to the immediate need of others.

Is this not typical of One who follows after the Master. Taking personal desires, and subjugating them to the needs of others. Self sacrifice for the life of another is the hallmark of love that the Lord exhibited on the cross for each of us.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:23   I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

Paul now admits to being caged in, restricted, press together between these two option, that of living for the brethren and dying to be with Christ. Paul’s confession of his desire to be with Christ must surely have had a profound effect on his church in Philippi, for they knew of his love for them, and yet Christ was the priority, the lynchpin of Paul’s life, the very goal. This must have translated to the individuals of the tiny church he speaks to, for they must also focus on the Lord, as we in the modern church need to realize.

Paul’s desire is to depart (note that he doesn’t day die) and to be with Christ.

As the apostle often taught of resurrections, he must mean the departure from this existence, not necessarily from his body, for he surely expected a resurrected body to be granted to him. Resurrection day is approaching my friends.

Resurrection!

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:22   If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.

If. What a huge word. The unknown “if”, of course, implies choice, options, possibilities. Some options are out of our reach, only to be completed by the One who has the power to direct our lives. Some options are open to us, and yet knowing the Lord’s will, may become untenable though possible.

Paul speaks of choosing in this passage, and it seems he is considering the desires of his heart, not the actual decision to live or die – No that is beyond him. Authorities above him will determine his time of death. I speak as a fool here, for we know the Authority Who determines our time of release.

It is the desire of living for Christ or dying that he is hashing out in his mind. He is looking at two options, both of which a good options in his mind. This is instructive to consider.

When you approach a fork in the road, do you consider one way to be wrong and one way to be right? Surely this may occur, yet I would suggest that forks in the road of your life may both be beneficial. The decision may be difficult only in that you seek God’s will, but that either path will be of good effect on your life.

This is the conundrum Paul faces. Are you in the midst of a conundrum? Work it out, looking to the Lord for resolution, or to find peace in the matter.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:21   For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

One of my first memory verses, primarily due to its shortness. Yet it packs a tremendous truth.

Life and death. How does a Christian view death? Is it the enemy? Yes. Yet Jesus conquered the effects of death on our lives. We still have to pass through death’s door, and it is important to realize that the enemy (death) is not to be entered on a whim. It is a great reality!

What are you speaking of Carl?

Consider the Lord’s entrance to the experience of death. He sought the Father’s will, and yet asked for “this cup” to be removed from Him. Death was staring Him in the face, and He sought God’s will above succumbing to the very real presence and fear of death.

Paul was also looking death in the face, and realized that without Christ, He may succumb to fear and shame. Yet His hope was in Christ, who entered death and rose the victor.

Death will come knocking my friend, either through natural causes or other means. Look to the One who has supplied all your needs for the strength and courage to avoid a shameful death.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:20   as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

From the previous verse Paul stated he expected deliverance. He now speaks of his expectations and hope of not being ashamed. Might the deliverance Paul speaks of in the previous verse be a deliverance from shame?

The next phrase seems to clear up the issue of Paul’s expectation of physical deliverance, since he is suggesting this deliverance may be accomplished by death.

Paul seeks to honor Christ in his body.

If I am reading this passage correctly, he is more concerned of experiencing shame than death. This is enlightening to me, since shame is not a topic we speak of in the modern church to often. Shame and courage are directly linked in this verse, and associated with the Messiah. To be courageous is to relegate shame to the rear. We all have areas of our lives that we have experienced shame, those times when we performed deeds we want no one to know of. Yet the Lord knows and forgives.

Paul is looking to avoid the need for forgiveness, through faith and courage. As death approaches Paul, he resolved to look to the Master for his strength.

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For this series in Philippians, I am going to limit each post to one verse, and hopefully produce a short, succinct read for my friends who follow.

1:19   for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,

Paul is here speaking of the divine human cooperative. The prayers of the saints, and the work of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will cooperate with each other in the deliverance of the apostle. Paul knows this will produce a deliverance for him, he is confident in this. He does allow for some leeway in the type of deliverance, allowing God’s will to be done. This is acceptable to Paul, since he seeks to be under the will of God, and realizes the promise of God, when saints join together in prayer, God listens and acts.

Paul ties these two parties (man and God) together in expecting his deliverance, although he has yet to define the deliverance. This generality in Paul describing his delieverance, especially in the next verse, allows freedom to recieve God’s will in his life.

I have often heard the statement, “Be specific in prayer, in order for God to specifically answer” Many times the Lord has answered specific prayers in our lives, and yet there is wisdom in allowing God’s will to play a part of the answer.

Paul was general in his expectation, and yet had confidence in the working of both the prayers of the saints and of the Spirit of Jesus.

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