Borders of Faith: Be Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Friday, January 06, 2023

Be Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Today is the first day of the new year 2023. Many of us take this opportunity to change many things in our lives. We make resolutions but we do not keep them. In the start of the new year causes us to have to make real decisions.

Here are the top ten new year’s resolutions.

10- Spend time with family
9-Fall in love
8-Help others
7- Quit smoking
6-Learn something new
5-Staying fit and healthy
4-Enjoy life to the fullest
3-Spend less, save more
2-Getting organized
1-Lose weight

Today, we will think of one resolution that we should keep by. This one resolution is important because what we do with this resolution reflects our commitment tour Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In our passage today, we learn that the Apostle Paul is writing to the Church in Philippi about the importance of living for Jesus no matter what happens.

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel… -Philippians 1:27

Let us all be worthy of the Gospel of Christ. How can we be worthy of the Gospel of Christ?

By our manner of life

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. -Philippians 1:27

In the previous verses Paul speaks about the choices he wants with his life. His real desire is to be in heaven with Jesus. He wishes for that time, but he realizes that God has a plan and purpose for his life, so he needs to stay on the earth a little bit longer.

In verses 21-22, we can see how he thinks and feels.

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

Although Paul wants to be with the Lord, he needs to wait because God wants Paul to help others to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

In verse 27, he starts the verse by saying, “Whatever happens.” This means it is the most important thing in our life as a Christian. He is saying that no matter what happens we must follow this instruction.

So, what does the “manner of life” mean? This word usually means to refer to our life as citizens. As people, are we citizens of the country where we were born and live? Almost all of us are born in Thailand, then those are citizen of Thailand. Some of us are born in Myanmar. Then these people are citizen of Myanmar. Some of us were born in the Philippines.

What is so special about this word? The people of Philippi have a great pride of their Roman citizenship. They have the special privilege of living under a Roman colony. They know the honor and implications of their high status.

As a Roman colony, the city also has the highest privilege obtained from the Roman government. As citizens of Rome, they can buy and sell property. They are exempt from land tax and other taxes. They are also protected by Roman law.

We know that Paul is a Roman citizen. He used that citizenship so he can be released from prison. In using this word, the readers are encouraged to put the same pride and zeal into living as citizens of heaven.

Our citizenship has a higher standard than the great Roman empire. Our citizenship in heaven is more important than being a citizen of our great nation.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” -Philippians 3:20

When we do not live up to being good citizens of our country, it reflects poorly on our country. When we do not strive to live a life worthy of the gospel, it will reflect poorly on God we serve and the heaven in which we are citizens.

What does it mean for us today? The challenge for us is we must let our manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Jesus. People will know how good God is if we are good. But people will not believe that God is good if our manner of life is not worthy of the gospel. Our life should reflect our heavenly citizenship.

By standing firm

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel… Philippians 1:27

For Paul, standing firm is necessary to make our life worthy of the gospel. The Christians in Philippi should stand firm not for Paul. They must stand firm in Paul’s absence. Our motivation for standing firm is Jesus only. Not any other person.

The phrase translated “standing firm” is a military term used by a Roman soldier at his post. This is serious matter because if a Roman soldier fell asleep or failed to carry his duty he will be put to death.

This is what the word means used by Paul. This word is very meaningful to his readers. They know exactly what it means. For us today, we have different understandings of standing firm. We are to stand for Jesus as if our very lives depend on it.

We are called to stand firm in any and every circumstance. Too many times we let circumstances determine our decision and action. A Romans soldier could not say he fell asleep on duty because he was tired. He was to stand firm no matter what the situation.

Sometimes, when we face a difficult situation, when it involves some money, when it involves big effort, when it takes a lot of time, we failed to stand firm in the promises of God. I believe today many Christians have become situational Christians. Our faith depends on what situation we are in. Our God is bigger that our situation.

What does it mean for us? Just like Paul says, whatever happens, whatever the situation, no one will stop us doing ministries for our church. No one will stop us to worship God. Nothing will stop us from doing good in the name of Jesus.

By striving for unity

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

When we are united, we are strong. When we strive to be united in our vision, mission, and action we can accomplish great things for God. If we are not united, we cannot do so much. When we are standing firm together, our community will take notice.

Just recently Argentina became the champion in football. We all know that it is because of their teamwork. Because they are united. A team that is not united in purpose will not win even if it has the greatest player in the world. We all know that.

Even Messi will not win until he worked together and trusted his teammates. If a team is full of people who just care about their own accomplishments, the team will fail.

What does this mean for us? As Christians if our faith is only about ourselves, we will fail. If we think only about our own personal growth, we will not grow. We grow together as one. The only way we will grow in our spiritual life is if we will all grow together as one. God is calling us to strive for unity of spirit and mind.

The word of God is challenging us to be concern with the spiritual growth of our brothers and sisters in the church.