“And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him” (Acts 28:30-31).
Key Verses: “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 the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you……” (Philippians 1:27-28) NIV.
“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.” (Philippians 1:29) NIV
Observations: Paul is making a case for moving on to be with Jesus and at the same time making a case for sticking around to help the church at Philippi continue to stand strong and not be afraid. He gives strong reasons for both along with the reality that standing strong for Christ would result in suffering.
Interpretations: What does it mean to stand firm and how do we stand firm? Standing strong in our faith is becoming more challenging especially with the movements that are taking place in our country today along with dealing with the Covid virus and its ramifications. To spread the gospel is becoming increasingly difficult. As followers of Christ, we must not waiver in our mission. We must remain focused – Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected with salvation freely given to all who believe– nothing more and nothing less. Therefore, we must not ‘water down’ this message so that it fits with what is going on around us.
That leaves us with the final interpretation – “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him.”
The word granted here means “shown favor, given freely as a gift.” Paul does not present suffering as a curse, but as a benefit.
We understand that there are thousands who suffer daily for the sake of Christ and are thankful we don’t have to. But is there only one kind of suffering?
Suffering can take many forms. By choosing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves at odds with the world. Galatians 1:10, Paul says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (NIV). By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and biblical truth, we ensure that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse.
Applications: (The “So What?)
1. Often our greatest suffering comes from within as we battle for control over a heart that must die to its own will and surrender to Christ’s lordship (Romans 7:15-25). In whatever form suffering comes, we should embrace it as a badge of honor and a privilege that we, like the apostles, have “been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
2. Standing strong comes from ‘working out’ meaning spending time in God’s Word thereby knowing and remembering the truth of the Gospel – Christ crucified for our sins and resurrected with salvation freely given to all who believe – nothing more – nothing less. Focus….focus……focus.
3. How do we get to the same mindset of Paul whereby we welcome death and how did Paul get to that mindset? One observation is that he had more than one encounter with Jesus and that the Holy Spirit was active in his life. So….how do we encounter Jesus……..could it be that reading and studying His Word and talking with Him on a consistent basis will help create that mindset in us?
