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Philippians 1:27-30 (ESV)
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, 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. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Have you ever been frightened? I’m not talking about a phobia or being startled by some temporary circumstance. To be frightened means to be scared to the point that one fears for their life. It means to be disturbed, anxious, or distraught by an ongoing situation that is out of your control. There’s been a couple of times in my life when I’ve felt frightened by things that were out of my control and it took some reassuring words from friends to calm my fears.
In this passage, Paul seeks to reassure and encourage the Philippian believers who may be feeling a bit frightened because of his circumstances.
Paul’s words catch my attention in two ways in this passage.
The first is in verse 28. Paul encourages the Philippians not to be frightened by their opponents. One of the things that we need to remember is that if we are going to follow Jesus, truly follow where He leads us, then that’s going to put us at odds with cultural norms. Paul and every Christian in that cultural context experienced that.
Remember that Paul is writing this letter from prison for declaring that there is a King who is greater than Caesar, but this isn’t the first time that Paul has faced serious opposition because of his faith in Jesus.
In Acts 16, when Paul was in Philippi, there was a slave girl who had a spirit of divination through which she was able to tell the future, and her owners made a great deal of money from her predictions.
We’re not told how this happened, but she encountered Paul and Silas and immediately began to follow them and was constantly shouting that Paul and Silas were servants of God who were proclaiming the way of salvation. She did this for days and it finally annoyed Paul to the point that he commanded the spirit to leave her. And it did! However, her owners were not too happy about this, so they had Paul and Silas arrested and they were beaten and tossed into jail.
When Paul was in Ephesus (Acts 19), so many people were turning to Jesus and away from idols that it hurt the local business of idol-making to the point that a man named Demetrius got people riled up and a riot ensued, which ultimately forced Paul to leave Ephesus. In Paul’s life, following Jesus put him and the other believers at odds with the cultural context which resulted in opposition.
The same is true for us today. If you’re going to follow Jesus you will be at odds with our culture in terms of your views of justice, poverty, sexuality, and in other ways as well.
We are not to seek out or stir up conflict, but we are not immune to it, and we shouldn’t be surprised when we experience opposition to our faith in Christ.
That’s why verse 27 caught my attention when Paul wrote, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Paul encouraged the Philippian believers to live as ambassadors of Christ, that their behavior reflects their status as citizens of the Kingdom of God, as His sons and daughters.
In other words, our lives should reflect God’s love and grace lived outward to the culture and the people all around us. We are to be patient, honest, good friends and neighbors, giving, loving our enemies, caring for each other, and seeking reconciliation and unity for people with the Lord and with one another as we continue to follow Jesus.
However, that’s not something that we can do on our own strength and resources. On our own, we’ll never be enough, and we’ll quickly become exhausted and empty. But we’re not alone. The Lord is at work in us and as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, it is His love and grace that unites us together and empowers us to be His ambassadors and bridge-builders out to the world: being that good friend and neighbor, loving others including our enemies, and being united and reconciled with others who are different than we are because our manner of life isn’t centered on us, it is centered on Jesus as we strive side by side for the faith of the Gospel.
Together in Christ, we are able to stand firm, united in one spirit and mind, as we strive to be Jesus’ missional disciples. We share the Gospel with others as we love and care for those around us and even with those opposed to our faith in Christ.
God bless you and know that you are prayed for constantly.
Scott
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