141102 A Worthy Life

Philippians 1:27-30 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.

To live a life worthy of the gospel should be a primary goal of every Christian. Paul had earlier expressed his desire that he would in no way be ashamed. He had a passionate desire to live a life worthy of the gospel. He always wanted Christ to be honored in his body. You and I should have a similar goal. We should want to be sure that while we are alive other people will recognize Christ in us. We should want to be sure that if we face death for the gospel’s sake we will leave this life honorably. We need to remember that this life is hardly a hiccup in the span of time we shall exist. Part of the worthy life is working side-by-side with others that the gospel will be clearly presented. If we have to suffer we should do so with patience and faithfulness.

In the beginning of the New Testament there are four books that are commonly called “Gospels”. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each one is a presentation of the good news about Jesus from a different angle. It is important that the gospel be understood by everyone on earth. So God allows it to be presented in slightly different packages. Paul would refer to his preaching as “my gospel”. You see, his entire life was caught up in presenting…

The good news about Jesus. Turn with me to Romans 15:17-20.  In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. ¹⁸ For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, ¹⁹ by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; ²⁰ and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.

Paul had many things to boast about in his life. By the world’s standards he was one of the most accomplished scholars in the Jewish religion. He had studied at the feet of Gamaliel, one of their most important teachers. He had held the coats of those who stoned Stephen. He had traveled all over the region arresting Christians, imprisoning them and even putting them to death. He had a zeal for God that was stronger than most of his contemporaries.

Then, on the road to Damascus, he was confronted by Jesus Christ and he was never the same. From that day forward Christ was the center of Paul’s life. He was proud of what he had later done in bringing the Gentiles to obedience to Christ Jesus. He did these things in the power of God, beginning in Jerusalem and going all the way around to modern day Greece, Paul had made it his purpose to present a full ministry of the gospel. Then he wrote to the Romans that he wanted to come there on his way to Spain. It was his desire that he be able to preach the gospel where it had never been heard.

In order to proclaim the gospel it was important that Christians be…

Presenting a common front to the enemy. Jesus said that the world would know His disciples by how they loved one another. When he sent his disciples out in ministry he never sent them out alone. They were always in pairs. With one another’s support they were able to tell the good news and defeat the enemy.

Today it is extremely important that the church be able to stand against the enemy. Turn with me to Ephesians 6:10-13. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

There needs to be a unity in the church about the central place of the gospel. Our enemy, the devil, will try to distract us by all kinds of disagreements. There will be arguments about the kind of music used in worship; the role of the Holy Spirit; the gifts of the Spirit; and the details of the second coming as well as the translation of the Bible used in the church. If we’re not careful all these things will turn us away from the primary purpose of presenting the gospel.

Paul said that we are to be striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and we are to be doing it with one spirit and one mind. Obviously, this does not mean we will agree on every particular issue. Over the years I have become aware that people come to church with certain expectations. I remember one year when Cherlyn and I returned from a mission trip I attended church the next Sunday wearing a shirt and slacks. The shirt had been bought in Honduras and I thought it was a good way to dress to present the report of our trip. As I walked along the hall going towards the auditorium one of the members of the church looked me up and down and said that I was inappropriately dressed as a pastor. Now, I agree that a pastor should be dressed formally, but then after all I’m getting old. My wearing a shirt that morning rather than a suit did not cause a church split but it could have in some churches. We are to stand firm for the gospel.

Philip Schaff, the distinguished nineteenth-century church historian, is reported to have said that the watchword of the Christian peacemaker is, “In essentials unity, In non-essentials liberty, in all things charity!” I tend to agree that this is the way we should approach every issue so that we can maintain a unified front in support of the gospel. If we will do this…

We will be able to face down those who oppose us. Turn with me to Ephesians 3:7-10.  Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

We must remember that it is the gift of God’s grace that allows us to share the gospel. Paul, even though he considered himself to be the least of all the saints, rejoiced that he was allowed to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. In facing down our enemy, we are to bring to light the truth that the gospel is to go to all people — Jew or Gentile!

The angels and demons never fully understood the wisdom of God. For instance the spiritual rulers of the world, the subjects of the prince of the power of this air, would never have crucified Jesus if they had just understood what His crucifixion would mean! On the other hand, I believe the angels were amazed by the actions of the disciples at the garden tomb. I also think they were surprised when the disciples stood there gazing up into heaven after Jesus had told them to go to all the world and be his witnesses. I get the idea that the angels thought the disciples should immediately get on the road in obedience.

The Church is God’s tool to teach the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places about the wisdom of God. The primary purpose of the Church is to bring the gospel to the world and provide for spiritual growth and fellowship until He returns again! In unity we are to face the enemy and proclaim the gospel.

Our witness will show our salvation. Turn with me to Hebrews 10:23-25. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

We are to stick together and focus on the most important thing. We are to hold fast to the confession of our hope. God’s grace brings us salvation and teaches us to live godly lives while we wait for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus had said that the whole world will know we are his disciples because we love one another. That fact may explain why the world is so skeptical about the truth of the gospel. If we love people we will reach out to them and encourage them. We will encourage others to good works and to faithful attendance at the house of God. This unified hope will cause the world to recognize that we are children of God with a desire to bring them to salvation. Rather than promoting our “brand” of Christianity we need to stay with the essentials. We need to encourage others to be part of a Christian Fellowship — of course, our fellowship is “best”! But we need to leave it up to God where others worship. Rather than spending our time on nonessentials…

Our lives should be focused on Christ. Turn with me to Colossians 3:16-17.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We are to allow the word of Christ to inhabit our minds. I think it’s interesting that we are told that we should “let” the word of Christ dwell in us. This seems to me to mean that we can refuse the word of Christ. We are not only to let the word in, we are to let it dwell in us “richly”. I believe many Christians are weak in their faith simply because they do not dwell on the word — or let the word dwell in them.

We are to teach each other and admonish each other! We are to worship together singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We are to deeply feel thankfulness towards God. Jesus encouraged His disciples, and us, to abide in Him and allow His words to abide in them/us. We must remember that our God, dwelling in us, is much more powerful than our enemy who dwells in the world. When we stand up to the opposition we prove the Proverb, The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)

Part of God’s grace for the Philippians was that they were not only allowed to believe in Christ but also to suffer for Christ’s sake. Suffering for the sake of the gospel has been, throughout history, an expected part of ministry. Jesus had said that in this world we will have tribulation but we can take courage in the fact that He has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Paul had begun to pay the price for sharing the gospel. Before he arrived at Philippi he had already suffered for the gospel’s sake. On his first missionary journey he had been stoned to the point of death. Immediately after establishing the witness in Philippi, Paul and Silas were arrested. When someone was arrested in those days the first thing they encountered was not a prison uniform but a prison beating. The result of their imprisonment was the Gospel going out to the jailer and his family. The jailer asked the important question, “What must I do to be saved?” Have you asked that question? Today may be the day of salvation for you.

All scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.