Scripture:
Philippians 1:27
Only
conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether
I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing
firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the
gospel;
Insights: Battle Stations! We have been enjoying a nice leisurely trip
the last couple of weeks on this spiritual journey. But this week we trade in our spiritual car
for a spiritual tank and we are going to see we have been called to be soldiers
defending the faith of the gospel. In
today’s verses we see we are supposed to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy
of a soldier in Christ’s army. This word
for conduct has a political nuance to it which gives the feel of being a representative. Just as our United States military are
representative of us when they are on foreign soil, so are we representatives
of God’s kingdom while we are here on earth.
Are conduct ought to be one of consistency. There ought to be true distinction between
the way we live our lives and the way lost people live theirs. In this verse Paul gives us two ways we
soldiers are to conduct ourselves. The
first is our standing firm in one spirit.
It is vital we understand our weapons of warfare are not of the flesh (2
Cor. 10:4). Our weapons are the Word of
God and prayer (Eph. 6:11-18). It is
from these two offensive weapons we fight and stand firm for the faith. Even the imagery of one standing firm helps
us understand our need for a solid foundation.
If we are on unsteady ground, then our ability to stand firm is not
going to be very effective. I believe
the foundation is found in the last word of this particular phrase. We are to stand firm in one spirit.
I believe this word is pointing us to the Holy Spirit. In other words, if we attempt to stand firm
in our own strength, we are going to falter and fail. If, however, we are trusting in the Lord and
His presence in us through His Spirit, then we have a firm foundation on which
to stand. There is one last area in
which I desire to share regarding this first part of the verse. Notice the two references to the word
ONE. There was a movie released in 2001
titled Band of Brothers and it was
about the comradeship of easy company during WWII. What made this unit extraordinary was their
unity. Sixteen times in this little book
Paul refers to unity in one way or another.
We are to be a band of brothers in Christ!
Questions:
- On what foundation are you standing?
- Are you a part of a band of brothers?
Prayer: Father, You
have given me a great gift in the church.
May we stand firm together as we defend the faith. Amen.
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