“Only let your conversation be
as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be
absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one
mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by
your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of
salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same
conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me”
(Philippians 1:27-30).
Introduction
The way a believer lives in this
world will have an impact on how those who do not know Christ view the gospel.
Christians ought to be known for standing for holiness and godliness rather than
playing the hypocrite and compromising.
Our politics
“Conversation” has various
meanings in Scripture and is usually translated as ‘manner of life’ or
‘behaviour’. In fact the Greek word ‘politeuesthe’ is where we derive
our word ‘politics’ from. Therefore the gospel is our politics since it
regulates the way we behave and conduct ourselves in society. Does our lifestyle
“become” the gospel or bring shame upon it? We should live so as to bring
glory and honour to the Lord. If we aim at being good citizens of Heaven, then
we will both please God and shine for Him on earth. The Greek text implies that
Christians ought to consistently live in a state of Heavenly awareness.
A great church is not known by its numbers,
according to the Biblical estimation of things, but by its godly conduct while
interacting with the world. It is interesting that Paul wrote these words to the
Philippian church, for Philippi was known as ‘little Rome’ and was very
proud to be a colony of the Roman Empire. Its officials expected every citizen
to live for the emperor as much as they would if they lived in Rome itself.
Their language, dress code, customs and religion reflected this in daily life. “But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”
(2 Peter 3:10-13).
No believer or church ought to bring dishonour to
the cause of Christ by living opposite to God’s revealed word. If we profess
the gospel then we ought to live worthy of it by conducting ourselves in
righteousness and holiness. “That they may adorn the doctrine of God our
Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10) … “But now ye also put off all
these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of
him that created him … Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man
have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above
all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Colossians
3:10, 12-14).
Our
position
The local church must have unity, for like
warriors facing a battle, we are to stand together for the gospel. We ought to
unite against the enemy of truth rather than opposing each other. If we work
against each other it only proves that we are not true friends of Christ. “For
many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). The
devil’s tactic is to divide and conquer the church. “Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same
thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
… “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”
(Ephesians 4:3). The essence of the “unity of the Spirit” consists in living
in a worthy manner as we strive together for the Lord. “I therefore, the
prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing
one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
“Striving together” here and in 4:3 is a
sporting term used to portray the exertion of contestants in a wrestling
contest. Notice Paul exhorts believers to strive together rather than against
each other. Our aim is to keep falsehood out of the church, which infers that we
are to reject anything or anyone that tries to undermine the truth or our unity.
We are to work as a team to defeat our common enemy and overcome all opposition.
This demands discipline and co-operation. “Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to
write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude :3) … “Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world”
(1 Peter 5:8-9). When a team member walks off the field or seeks his own glory
it is always at the expense of his fellow players, and in doing so is promoting
the failure of all.
Our
persecution
False teachers and earthly powers will try to
intimidate us into compromising what we stand for. They will attempt to
discredit the Lord, but we must continue to exalt Him all the more. If we stand
for the truth we will encounter the wrath of Satan, so we like Paul will need
God’s strength to steadfastly preach and teach His word. Steadfastness is a
vital element of our witness for Christ; otherwise the enemies of God will
terrify us with their threats of imprisonment and persecution. All who oppose
the gospel will spend eternity in Hell regretting what they have done.
Living for Christ has its consequences. Paul uses
the Greek word ‘agona’ meaning ‘to suffer’ to show that the Christian
life is not a bed of roses. The word was also used for the agony athletes endure
to reach their goal. In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul reminds us “all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. Jesus prepared His
followers for such opposition, “Then shall they deliver you up to be
afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my
name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). Peter also states, “Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad
also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are
ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is
evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified … Yet if any man suffer as a
Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf”
(1 Peter 4:12-14, 16).
Persecution is a sign that our persecutors have
already lost and will eventually suffer defeat. Those who stand fast in times of
trial prove themselves to be the Lord’s faithful followers. Paul was a dynamic
example of steadfastness in the face of persecution, therefore we do not need to
lose faith when the battle rages. Our “contest” is for the prize only Christ
can give. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”
(Hebrews 12:1).
Conclusion
It is impossible for a church to steadfastly stand together in times of persecution if it does not abide in the unity of the faith. Unity is too great a blessing for us to miss out on. “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Psalm 133).
