Stand Firm, Stand Together
Stand Firm, Stand Together
Philippians 1:26-2:4
PROBLEM
You ever feel like you're the missionary surrounded by cannibals and the missionary noticed one cannibal is staring intently at him and he got really nervous and said, why are you looking at me so intensely? And the guy said, I'm the food inspector.
The last two generations have seen a growing exclusion of Christianity from public/ domestic policies and marginalization from academics.
Persecution during the time of Paul was bad, but it soon got a lot worse with being fed to lions, being burned alive, and the destruction of scriptures.
At that time there was a famous Christian philosopher, Athenagoras. He appealed to both emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Aurelius Commodus to stop persecuting Christians. Since both emperors encouraged philosophy, Athenagoras asked if any philosophy had been able to purify people’s hearts so that they could love their enemies instead of hating them, be insulted by them and return a blessing, and sincerely pray for their enemies.
He wrote at the time, “With us, on the contrary, you will find unlettered people, tradesmen and old women, who though unable to express in words the advantages of our teaching, demonstrate by acts the value of their principles. For they do not rehearse speeches, but evidence good deeds. When struck, they do not strike back; when robbed, they do not sue; to those who ask, they give, and they love their neighbors as themselves.”
To survive the persecution, Christians thought of themselves as having an alien status, not of this earth, even being a third race after the Greeks and Romans. That our identity is not from where we are from but from where we are going. We are citizens of heaven.
Euodia and Syntyche, two ladies in the Philippian church, were quarreling. Paul felt that this would infect the church with division, threatening unity and development.
GOD
Philippians 2:1-4 Therefore 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, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Persecution
The real enemy is fear of man - being ridiculed, canceled, labeled a hater, punished, and even tortured and killed.
Christians were taught to refuse retaliation outright but to live exemplary lives that would shame their accusers and might one day become believers.
They were taught that 1) God will destroy those who persecute his people and
2) that persecution was a sign of salvation
Unity
selfishness is all around us and is opposed to Christ
A story about Pancakes - Kevin 5 and Ryan 3
Spanish Civil War - In Madrid and Barcelona, many people would go to inpatient psychological clinics to deal with their personal problems and anxieties. But when the civil war started, they emptied out overnight. Because greater anxieties get rid of lesser anxieties
Karl Menninger advice to a man facing depression: go across town, find someone with a great need, and do something to help them.
UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT
In the end two things are most important. For the church to stand firm against persecution and to strive side by side in sharing gospel. If you keep your eyes on the power of God, your conduct will be found worth of the Gospel.
We are never more like the Devil when we are filled with selfish ambition and conceit, and we are never more like Jesus when we are filled with humility.
The Christian life is lived by a totally different process than you lived before you came to Christ. It is God's life through you. It is the indwelling Lord Jesus expressing Himself in terms of your human personality. Never depart from that.
