The Control of a Soldier: The Enemies Tactics do not Surprise Us

Scripture: Philippians 1:28

in no way alarmed by your opponents-- which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.

Insights: Paul starts this verse off by telling us to not be alarmed by the attacks of our opponents.  It is vital at this point to remind us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm (Ephesians 6:12).”  Our opponents or enemies are in fact Satan and his minions.  There are many tactics he uses, but I will only mention a few.  First, Satan desires to rob believers of their faith.  This theft is what verse twenty-seven was all about: defend the faith.  We need to defend the faith because Satan is going to attack ours.  Warren Wiersbe writes, “What we believe determines how we behave, and wrong belief ultimately means a wrong life.”  Second, Satan attacks young people.  Every local church is only one generation short of potential extinction.  If Satan can trip up teenagers and young adults from their faith, he can potentially cripple the church.  Satan has a lot of tools at his disposal regarding young people in the twenty-first century.  Third, Satan uses the all too familiar divide-and-conquer technique within the church.  Even in this letter, whose theme is joy, there are two ladies who are feuding.  As a result, the church is taking up sides and division is starting to creep into the church.  This division is one of the reasons Paul wrote this letter.  He desires to stop the fight before it gets out of hand.  Earlier this week I mentioned that Paul wrote sixteen times in this short letter about unity in the body of Christ.  This one tactic of Satan has destroyed far too many churches in history.  With all three of these examples, however, we ought not to be surprised.  These are part of Satan’s arsenal and we must stand firm and strive together for the defense of the faith.  One last thing regarding this verse, our salvation from God is a sign of Satan’s destruction.  In other words, because we are born again, we are living testimonies of Christ Jesus’ victorious work on the cross of Calvary.  Satan is defeated and we are symbols of his loss and eternal destruction.  Beloved, praise the Lord and let your life be filled with joy because you have been redeemed by our gracious Savior, Jesus Christ!

Questions:

1. Have you recently been caught off guard by the tactics of the enemy?
2. Are you born again; and thus, serving as a sign of destruction for Satan and his minions?

Prayer: Father, protect me from the enemy’s tactics.  Keep me grounded in my faith and steadfastly fixed on You.  Let my life in Christ serve as a sign of Satan’s demise and bring glory to You my Savior.  Amen. 

The Conduct of a Soldier: Striving Together for the Faith in ONE Mind

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: The Greek word for striving found here in verse twenty-seven is athleho from which we get our English word athlete.  Just as there are many different skill sets on an athletic team the same is true of a military analogy.  And considering I am writing this week about us being good soldiers defending the faith I will use that analogy.  In the military you have mechanics, cooks, administrators, commanding officers, soldiers and the list goes on and on.  The point is this: the Holy Spirit is the One who determines what your spiritual giftedness is.  It is for this reason we stand firm in ONE Spirit.  He dispenses the gifts as He sees fit.  At the same time, the entire military unit has one objective: win the war.  That purpose is where this second aspect of striving together for the faith comes into play.  Notice with what we use for our striving together: ONE mind.  Again, Paul is pointing to the unity needed in the body of Christ.  Secondly, he is telling us where this standard for the unity is learned when he writes about the mind.  As we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word we are growing in our faith and in our ability to strive together for the defense of the faith.  So, we must commit to having daily quiet times with the Lord.  Every believer knows they are supposed to spend time every day in the Bible, but the reality is very few actually do spend time in God’s Word.  It is for this reason I think we see the church in such a divided state.  We don’t actually know what God has to say to us because we don’t actually spend time with Him in His Word.  Notice as well, Paul says striving together.  This denotes the corporate aspect of growing in God’s Word.  This points to our attending Sunday School classes, sermons, Bible studies (whether that be Home Group, Wednesday night or some other time with a group of believers studying the Bible).  Returning to the athletic analogy for just a moment, we can’t know how we are going to get the ball down the field until we know the play book.  The Bible is our play book for life.  We must study It and know It and pass It on to new believers.

Questions:

1. Are you spending time daily with God in His Word?
2. Are you entrusting, making new disciples, the Word to other people?

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your Scriptures.  They are words of life and point me to You.  May I grow in Your grace regarding the Word and may it come alive in my life.  Amen. 

The Conduct of a Soldier: Standing Firm in ONE Spirit

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:

1. On what foundation are you standing?
2. 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. 

Pioneers Wanted

Scripture: Philippians 1:12-26

Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Insights: You will recall from Monday that the phrase in verse twelve, “greater progress” literally means “pioneer advance.”  The journey we began last week in this book of Philippians is about restoration of our joy in the Lord and growth during such an adventure with Him.  Life is difficult and there are crazy curves and many detours along the way, but if we will commit ourselves to being pioneers for Jesus our journey will be joyfully exciting as we enter the rough roads of life.  Just to be clear, when I am saying Jesus desires for us to be pioneers, what I am saying is we need to be sharing the gospel with new people on a regular basis.  If we do, joy in Christ, as He works in us, will overflow.  Blaze new trails, Beloved!

Questions:

1. What kind of pioneer are you?
2. Do you experience the all-pervasive joy of sharing Jesus?

Prayer: Father, be glorified in my life and let my joy overflow on account of You.  Amen. 

Hope Presses Us on to Our Joyful Reunion with Christ

Scripture: Philippians 1:21-26

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

Insights: Paul has such an amazing outlook on life.  His view of life being fruitful labor and his death being greater glory is wonderful.  In recent days I have read Randy Alcorn’s book Heaven.  I have also reacquainted myself with C. S. Lewis’ imagery of heaven from many of his books (including his fictional works like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle).  The point being I am starting to understand Paul’s language more and more.  It may be because of crossing the forty barrier, I am not certain, but I am beginning, at a very rudimentary level, to understand my longing for my true home.  At the very same time, I am becoming more focused and convinced of my mission here on this side of eternity.  I am convinced, like Paul, I must continue on for the progress and joy of the faith with those the Lord has placed in my path.  And like Paul, I am beginning to understand the importance of such labor.  Even as I review what I have written so far, the conflict within me is very evident.  Yet, there is great peace in this position.  I believe verse twenty-one gives us the only way to express such peace in the midst of such pressing from both sides.  It reads, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Though it is not explicitly stated, the glory of Christ is the central theme of Paul’s conflict.  His life is like binoculars or a telescope.  In this crude illustration, Paul is taking Jesus (who for the illustration is far from the lost Paul is attempting to reach) and letting the lost look through his life as he makes Jesus appear larger and clearer.  Paul’s life is magnifying the presence of Christ before all who observe him.  Our lives, in this conflicted state of peace, are to do the very same thing.  Beloved, may you, like Paul, bring glory to God as you point people to Jesus.

Questions:

1. Are you longing for your ultimate reunion with Christ?
2. Does such a thought regarding your reunion bring you great joy?

Prayer: Father, thank You for my eternal home.  May I grow in my walk with You and have greater longing for our face to face encounter.  Amen. 

Hope is the Result of Joy

Scripture: Philippians 1:18f-20

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Insights: What do you do with a guy like Paul?  He was of such a singular mind that every thought and action he took was pointing him to that singular purpose in his life.  Such an intense focus brought about great joy in Paul’s life.  As a way of review, the singular objective of Paul’s life was the exaltation of Christ Jesus as he proclaimed the gospel to a lost world.  The result of such great joy was hope in Christ’s magnification and his future well-being.  At this point, we return to my first sentence.  What do you do with a guy like Paul?  Here is what I mean by such a question: Paul had great hope in his deliverance from his present imprisonment.  He viewed his deliverance in two ways.  One, he would be physically released because he would be vindicated when he stood before Caesar.  Two, he would be spiritually released because he would be condemned when he stood before Caesar and his life would be taken from him.  Either way, he was going to be delivered and either way he was going to exalt Christ Jesus.  Paul’s only prayer through either option was that he would in no way be put to shame for his faith in His Lord and Savior, Jesus.  He did not want any word or action from him to put a negative light on Jesus.  He desired to be faithful no matter what and to be a vessel of exaltation for Jesus.  For the third time I ask, what do you do with a guy like Paul?  If he is set free, he exalts Jesus!  If he is sentenced to death, he exalts Jesus!  If he remains in prison, he exalts Jesus!  In other occasions, he had been beaten, stoned, insulted and the list goes on and on, but he exalts Jesus!  What do you do with a guy with that kind of singular mind and focus?  Beloved, you emulate him.  Set your heart and life to such a purpose that all you care about is the glorification of your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Live out of joy because you are sharing Jesus.  Know the hope of your future is secure in Christ.

Questions:

1. Do you have a hopeful outlook on your future?
2. Does your hope produce exaltation for your Lord?

Prayer: Father, thank You for the overflowing joy I have in my life.  Because of You and Your presence my joy produces great hope for my future.  May I exalt You in every endeavor You place before me.  Amen. 

Joy is the Result of Proclamation

Scripture: Philippians 1:15-18e

Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.

Insights: The church of Rome, like so many churches today, was a church in division.  Paul knew the solution to such controversy was the proclamation of the gospel.  The following is a lengthy quote from Warren Wiersbe regarding the verses today and the conflict Paul experienced at this time in his life.  Wiersbe wrote, “Some preached Christ sincerely, wanting to see people saved.  Some preached Christ insincerely, wanting to make the situation more difficult for Paul.  The latter group was using the Gospel to further their own selfish purposes....  Paul uses an interesting word in [Philippians 1:17—selfish ambition].  It means ‘to canvass for office, to get people to support you.’  Paul’s aim was to glorify Christ and get people to follow Him; his critic’s aim was to promote themselves and win a following of their own.  Instead of asking, ‘Have you trusted Christ?’ they asked, ‘Whose side are you on—ours or Paul’s?’  Unfortunately, this kind of ‘religious politics’ is still seen today.  And the people who practice it need to realize that they are only hurting themselves….  When you have a single mind, you look on your critics as another opportunity for the furtherance of the Gospel.  Like a faithful soldier, Paul was ‘set [appointed] for the defense of the Gospel (vs 16).’  He was able to rejoice, not in the selfishness of his critics, but in the fact that Christ was being preached!  There was no envy in Paul’s heart.  It mattered not that some were for him and some were against him.  All that mattered was the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!…  Criticism is usually very hard to take, particularly when we are in difficult circumstances, as Paul was.  How was he able to rejoice even in the face of such diverse criticism?  He possessed a single mind.”  The single mind for the advancement of the gospel is the secret we learned about yesterday.  Beloved, my prayer is we all have that singular mind as we journey on this side of eternity.  May our lives bring glory to God!

Questions:

1. Are you able to rejoice in the advancement of the gospel, no matter what?
2. Are your motives pure in regards to your activity in regards to the gospel?

Prayer: Father, search my heart and tell me if there is any wicked way in me.  Let my motives be pure and genuine as I strive for the advancement of the gospel.  Let my heart rejoice in Your kingdom’s expansion..  Amen.