Philippians 2:12-18
The key words are: blameless, pure, without fault (all synonyms), glad and rejoice (one of the theme words for Philippians). This section connects to the previous: based on Christ's example of servanthood and humility we should work out our salvation in fear and trembling. This does not mean that we earn our salvation by works but that we continue to make the eternal reality that we are pure and holy a present reality. Paul is using the word salvation here in the sense of our sanctification: you have been saved but now we work or live that out in this life. This echoes what James says: faith without works is dead. Even this is not all up to me - the next verse says that I work out my salvation because God is working in me to fulfill his purpose (my salvation). When I seek to live my faith, I align myself with the purpose of God in my life.
So why the fear and trembling? I think that it's a recognition that if I have no desire to work out my salvation it probably indicates that God is not at work in my life (meaning that he is not saving or sanctifying me). If the purpose of God is my holiness or sanctification and I am not joining him in that purpose it puts me at rebellion against God. So I should be desperate to do whatever is necessary and not do anything that does not move me toward holiness.
However, this holiness is not just about me isolating myself from the world to work on my sanctification. Paul says that I need to be visible to the people around me - I need to be different (specifically Paul says that we stand out when we do not grumble or complain) but I also need to be seen to be different. I am not just supposed to shine for the other believers but against the backdrop of a warped and crooked generation.
I really like what Paul says at the end: if they do all this, then his efforts won't have been wasted and he'll be "proud" to point them out to others in heaven. This really applies to me as a youth pastor: sometimes I feel like I am wasting my efforts. I don't mind pouring myself out like a drink offering but I would much rather pour it out on thier service that comes from their faith. And I can't complain because I often do see God at work in their lives - that's when my work is pleasurable and it hardly seems like any effort at all.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
what comes down will go up
Philippians 2:6-11
The genre changes for this section from prose to poetry. It is possible that Paul is including an early Christian hymn or creed. There are two parts: the willful humiliation of Jesus and the exaltation of Jesus by God. Paul uses Jesus as the example for those who are his disciples to follow: have the same attitude of mind - humble yourself to the lowest position and let God take care of lifting you up. This teaching is echoed all through the Bible: Jesus taught it (the last will be first, the first will be last; if you want to be great, you must become a servant of all), Paul teaches it and James teaches it as well (humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up).
There is so much in this passage that strikes me. It is a very simple, yet profound summary of the incarnation and exaltation of Jesus. It speaks so highly of the character of Jesus and could be studied in depth for a great amount of time without ever exhausting its richness.
I think the last line sums it all up: to the glory of God the Father. Jesus' humilation was to the glory of God. Jesus' exaltation is not ultimately for the glory of the Son but to the glory of the Father. I think if I am to have the same attitude of mind as Jesus that I have to seek God's glory over everything else. When I do that, I will not grasp onto my puny positions or seek to use them for my own advantage but will hold everything with an open hand because it is not about me - it's all about the glory of God.
God, please give me the same attitude of mind Jesus had.
The genre changes for this section from prose to poetry. It is possible that Paul is including an early Christian hymn or creed. There are two parts: the willful humiliation of Jesus and the exaltation of Jesus by God. Paul uses Jesus as the example for those who are his disciples to follow: have the same attitude of mind - humble yourself to the lowest position and let God take care of lifting you up. This teaching is echoed all through the Bible: Jesus taught it (the last will be first, the first will be last; if you want to be great, you must become a servant of all), Paul teaches it and James teaches it as well (humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you up).
There is so much in this passage that strikes me. It is a very simple, yet profound summary of the incarnation and exaltation of Jesus. It speaks so highly of the character of Jesus and could be studied in depth for a great amount of time without ever exhausting its richness.
I think the last line sums it all up: to the glory of God the Father. Jesus' humilation was to the glory of God. Jesus' exaltation is not ultimately for the glory of the Son but to the glory of the Father. I think if I am to have the same attitude of mind as Jesus that I have to seek God's glory over everything else. When I do that, I will not grasp onto my puny positions or seek to use them for my own advantage but will hold everything with an open hand because it is not about me - it's all about the glory of God.
God, please give me the same attitude of mind Jesus had.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
the kingdom exists for the "other"
Philippians 2:1-5
Paul starts of with a list of "if's": if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion. These are all things that should characterize any community of Christian faith so it seems like Paul is reminding the church that they have all these things so they should also be unified with each other around one purpose.
Paul connects this argument (with the word "therefore") to his observation that the Philippian church has been granted the privilege of suffering for Christ. It is because of this suffering that the church needs to be united in one love and one purpose. This will make Paul's joy complete (joy being a theme of the book: so far Paul rejoices that the gospel is being proclaimed, that he will be delivered through the prayers of the saints and the work of the Spirit and that the church will be one in purpose).
The end of this section is what catches my attention: do nothing out of selfish ambition but value others above yourself. Don't look out for your own interests but for the interests of the others. This is what the kingdom of heaven is supposed to be all about: it exists for the "other". I know that I don't even come close to living this out. Everything I do is carefully calculated in terms of what it will mean to my reputation and how people will see me. I am a slave to my reputation and I can't even imagine how freeing it would be to escape that; to worry only about pleasing God and serving others no matter what it might cost me. That is what the kingdom is about and as a citizen of the kingdom, I ask God to transform my desires so that in my relationships with others I would have the same attitude of mind as Jesus.
Paul starts of with a list of "if's": if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion. These are all things that should characterize any community of Christian faith so it seems like Paul is reminding the church that they have all these things so they should also be unified with each other around one purpose.
Paul connects this argument (with the word "therefore") to his observation that the Philippian church has been granted the privilege of suffering for Christ. It is because of this suffering that the church needs to be united in one love and one purpose. This will make Paul's joy complete (joy being a theme of the book: so far Paul rejoices that the gospel is being proclaimed, that he will be delivered through the prayers of the saints and the work of the Spirit and that the church will be one in purpose).
The end of this section is what catches my attention: do nothing out of selfish ambition but value others above yourself. Don't look out for your own interests but for the interests of the others. This is what the kingdom of heaven is supposed to be all about: it exists for the "other". I know that I don't even come close to living this out. Everything I do is carefully calculated in terms of what it will mean to my reputation and how people will see me. I am a slave to my reputation and I can't even imagine how freeing it would be to escape that; to worry only about pleasing God and serving others no matter what it might cost me. That is what the kingdom is about and as a citizen of the kingdom, I ask God to transform my desires so that in my relationships with others I would have the same attitude of mind as Jesus.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
worthy of the gospel of Christ
Philippians 1:27-30
The key words in this passage are: gospel, suffer, one. Paul is connecting back to his previous statement about how he rejoices because the gospel is preached and now he is encouraging the Philippians to live in such a way that their lives (not just their words) reflect the gospel of Christ. They are to live this way inspite of the persecution they face because it will show their persecutors that they are confident about the end of the struggle (the persecutors will "lose") and because suffering for Christ is a privilege that is granted to only a few.
There are two phrases that jump out at me:
1) Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven, live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. No matter what opportunities come my way or opposition is raised up against I must evaluate my life with in the framework of the good news message of Jesus. This means that I must strive for holiness, justice, grace, mercy, compassion and righteousness and not allow myself to make excuses for when I miss that mark.
2) It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ...to suffer for him. In NA Christianity (and I think it is spreading to other parts of the world) we see suffering as a mark of spiritual faultiness. If someone suffers, they must be sinning somehow or have a lack of faith. According to Paul, suffering for the sake of Christ is a privilege that is granted by God on behalf of Jesus. Am I worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ? Based on the fact that I am not suffering, the answer must be "no". I know that I should desire to be worthy and I should pray that God would prepare me to be given the privilege of suffering for Christ but the truth is that I like to be comfortable and safe and I'm afraid of pain.
The key words in this passage are: gospel, suffer, one. Paul is connecting back to his previous statement about how he rejoices because the gospel is preached and now he is encouraging the Philippians to live in such a way that their lives (not just their words) reflect the gospel of Christ. They are to live this way inspite of the persecution they face because it will show their persecutors that they are confident about the end of the struggle (the persecutors will "lose") and because suffering for Christ is a privilege that is granted to only a few.
There are two phrases that jump out at me:
1) Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven, live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. No matter what opportunities come my way or opposition is raised up against I must evaluate my life with in the framework of the good news message of Jesus. This means that I must strive for holiness, justice, grace, mercy, compassion and righteousness and not allow myself to make excuses for when I miss that mark.
2) It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ...to suffer for him. In NA Christianity (and I think it is spreading to other parts of the world) we see suffering as a mark of spiritual faultiness. If someone suffers, they must be sinning somehow or have a lack of faith. According to Paul, suffering for the sake of Christ is a privilege that is granted by God on behalf of Jesus. Am I worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ? Based on the fact that I am not suffering, the answer must be "no". I know that I should desire to be worthy and I should pray that God would prepare me to be given the privilege of suffering for Christ but the truth is that I like to be comfortable and safe and I'm afraid of pain.
Monday, April 7, 2008
live is Christ, die is gain
Philippians 1:18-26
The key words are life, death and body. Continuing from the previous paragraph, Paul continues in his rejoicing - first that, because of his imprisonment, the gospel is being preached more and more and now because he is sure that through the prayers of the Philippians and by the power of the Spirit, he will be delivered. I think this means that he will be delivered from jail although in the context of the rest of the paragraph, this could be a word play: either I will be delivered from jail or I will be delivered from this world.
Paul is struggling with two desires: one, to depart this world and be with Christ or two, to stay and minister to the Philippians so that they will grow in the joy of their faith. I know that I don't desire heaven like Paul did. There are days when I long to be there but that longing is more in the form of escapism: there is so much to do here and I am tired (or there is something I need to do that I was hoping to avoid) and so I just want to escape and go to heaven.
I also know that my desire to stay on earth isn't so much for the benefit of others but because there are things that I really enjoy about my life. I know that it's not wrong to enjoy this life but I think there may be something wrong when I enjoy it, or anticipate future enjoyment, so much that I would hesitate to go to heaven if Christ came back.
From this passage, I see the need to change my desires: first, that I would long for heaven because it is my home and because it is there that I will experience for the first time the fullness of Christ's presence. Second, that while I am on earth I would remember that Christ has created me to do the good works which he has prepared in advance for me to do. I have a purpose and until that purpose is fulfilled, I need to be here.
The key words are life, death and body. Continuing from the previous paragraph, Paul continues in his rejoicing - first that, because of his imprisonment, the gospel is being preached more and more and now because he is sure that through the prayers of the Philippians and by the power of the Spirit, he will be delivered. I think this means that he will be delivered from jail although in the context of the rest of the paragraph, this could be a word play: either I will be delivered from jail or I will be delivered from this world.
Paul is struggling with two desires: one, to depart this world and be with Christ or two, to stay and minister to the Philippians so that they will grow in the joy of their faith. I know that I don't desire heaven like Paul did. There are days when I long to be there but that longing is more in the form of escapism: there is so much to do here and I am tired (or there is something I need to do that I was hoping to avoid) and so I just want to escape and go to heaven.
I also know that my desire to stay on earth isn't so much for the benefit of others but because there are things that I really enjoy about my life. I know that it's not wrong to enjoy this life but I think there may be something wrong when I enjoy it, or anticipate future enjoyment, so much that I would hesitate to go to heaven if Christ came back.
From this passage, I see the need to change my desires: first, that I would long for heaven because it is my home and because it is there that I will experience for the first time the fullness of Christ's presence. Second, that while I am on earth I would remember that Christ has created me to do the good works which he has prepared in advance for me to do. I have a purpose and until that purpose is fulfilled, I need to be here.
Friday, April 4, 2008
fear of the unknown
Philippians 1:12-18
The key words or ideas are: the gospel of Christ, chains or being imprisoned. There is a sense of joy in the words that Paul uses - perhaps my perception is coloured by him talking about how he rejoices in the faithfulness of the Philippian church in the previous paragraphs and how he rejoices that Christ is preached at the end of this section. However, it seems like he is full of joy despite his circumstance. The source of his joy is that his being in prison has actually served to further the cause of Christ (I have to admit that I would take some perverse delight that my persecutors efforts to stop the spread of the gospel have backfired).
It seems odd at first that Paul being in jail would actually embolden others to preach. I wonder if there was a bit of the fear of the unknown. As long as it was just the threat of persecution people were afraid to share Christ but when the saw the worst that the empire could do (throw you in prison and possibly kill you) and the fact that God was sovereign over the empire (despite their best efforts, the gospel continued to spread) it gave them courage.
What are we afraid of? Right now it is the vague shadow of persecution. What's the worst someone could do to us? Well, they could trash our reputation, refuse to associate with us, we could lose our friendship with them, they might think we were weird. I think that Satan uses the fear of possibly, potentially, maybe being persecuted to keep our mouths closed and our lights dim. I think it's going to take a Paul to lead us.
The key words or ideas are: the gospel of Christ, chains or being imprisoned. There is a sense of joy in the words that Paul uses - perhaps my perception is coloured by him talking about how he rejoices in the faithfulness of the Philippian church in the previous paragraphs and how he rejoices that Christ is preached at the end of this section. However, it seems like he is full of joy despite his circumstance. The source of his joy is that his being in prison has actually served to further the cause of Christ (I have to admit that I would take some perverse delight that my persecutors efforts to stop the spread of the gospel have backfired).
It seems odd at first that Paul being in jail would actually embolden others to preach. I wonder if there was a bit of the fear of the unknown. As long as it was just the threat of persecution people were afraid to share Christ but when the saw the worst that the empire could do (throw you in prison and possibly kill you) and the fact that God was sovereign over the empire (despite their best efforts, the gospel continued to spread) it gave them courage.
What are we afraid of? Right now it is the vague shadow of persecution. What's the worst someone could do to us? Well, they could trash our reputation, refuse to associate with us, we could lose our friendship with them, they might think we were weird. I think that Satan uses the fear of possibly, potentially, maybe being persecuted to keep our mouths closed and our lights dim. I think it's going to take a Paul to lead us.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
partners in the gospel
Philippians 1:1-9
This written from Paul and Timothy to the church at Philippi. Philippi is where Paul and Silas were thrown in jail for casting a demon out of a fortune teller. The beginning of the Philippian church was the prison warden and his household. At this time, Paul is back in jail.
Paul is thankful for the Philippians because of their partnership in the gospel. In fact, he says that he prays with joy whenever he thinks of them. I wonder who I am filling with joy whenever they think of me? Are there people who are compelled by God's grace in their lives to share the good news message of Jesus who are grateful for they way that I partner with them and help them see the message of Jesus shared with people who need to hear it?
The Philippian church obviously wasn't perfect (Paul says that the good work was just being started in them but God would bring it to perfection - v. 6) but they were such an important part of Paul's life that he longs for them with the affection of Christ.
I want to have that affect on the Paul's of this world - not to feel good about myself but because I want to support those who are sharing the good news message of Jesus.
This written from Paul and Timothy to the church at Philippi. Philippi is where Paul and Silas were thrown in jail for casting a demon out of a fortune teller. The beginning of the Philippian church was the prison warden and his household. At this time, Paul is back in jail.
Paul is thankful for the Philippians because of their partnership in the gospel. In fact, he says that he prays with joy whenever he thinks of them. I wonder who I am filling with joy whenever they think of me? Are there people who are compelled by God's grace in their lives to share the good news message of Jesus who are grateful for they way that I partner with them and help them see the message of Jesus shared with people who need to hear it?
The Philippian church obviously wasn't perfect (Paul says that the good work was just being started in them but God would bring it to perfection - v. 6) but they were such an important part of Paul's life that he longs for them with the affection of Christ.
I want to have that affect on the Paul's of this world - not to feel good about myself but because I want to support those who are sharing the good news message of Jesus.
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