Philippians and the Demonstrative Gospel

As a prisoner, Paul wrote about how our attitude and motivation should mimic Christ Jesus. We’d be wise to pay attention to his view on Jesus Christ since he was personally visited by the resurrected King of the Universe and also was completely blinded by this event. Jesus asked the question, “Why are you persecuting me?” This should not be the case for any of us, my dear friends. Yet, I know it happens too often in the Church of God (not a building but a people).

Here are the attitudes we need to watch out for because we have disguised sin with a form of Godly things. We are confused and not being led by the Spirit of Christ who searches the hearts of men and women.

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Phil 1:27).”

Paul mentions we must not only believe in Jesus Christ, but God appointed us also to suffer with Him. It is easy to think that a simple prayer is all we need to do for the rest of our natural lives, yet this is how many believers live their lives. Moses revealed what God requires from us, “LOVE the LORD!” This an imperative command that requires everything we have in our mortal frame (it literally means everything). There are good times, and bad as the Spirit of God leads us through a dark world. Walking in the Spirit is an adventure that people who are disobedient to the truth would never understand or comprehend. That means you need to stop using worldly terms and ideas to shape your outlook and attitude.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit (Phil 2:3).”

There are times when we say, “The Lord told me this or that” or “God wants me to do this or that.” Speaking this way can be the start of selfish ambition because we are supposed to be led by the Spirit. Like the invisible air around us, you can’t see it, and you don’t know where it will go next. There may be special events when you may hear something, but I can tell you I have never heard a voice that spoke to me as the Lord spoke to Moses or the Apostles. I am talking about people who lift themselves up by saying these things to receive respect, influence, or money. This is not how we achieve the mission of the Gospel of Christ Jesus because that is not the pattern you learned from the New Testament. Paul tells us that Jesus is the very nature of God, and yet he didn’t flaunt it. He didn’t demand that people recognize him; instead, he came to serve humanity, taking on a form of a servant. My friends, we need to model this at all times. This is working at our Father’s business. We work for him now!

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure (Phil 2:14).”

More and more people are coming to Christ with an attitude that they can do and say anything they want. This will lead to arguments about who’s right and who is wrong, using minor situations in the scriptures to justify their unholy behavior. This is just one example out of many that distort God’s purpose for us. The Lord called us out of the nations to demonstrate that repentance leads to promised Holy Spirit in our lives (and power over the old human nature you see around you). He has set us up as a lamp that shines into the darkness of our world. If we argue and quarrel with each other, what light is that demonstrating?