Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 2

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Phil. 4:4

       In America right now, there isn't a lot to rejoice in. Gas prices are at an all-time high, we're involved in a war that it seems very few people wanted with no clear path to accomplishing the goal of giving Iranian citizens a better life, Mid-terms are coming with mud-slinging starting, baseball is set for a strike, talks about relocating a whole city of New Orleans, a rocket blowing up, AI taking over jobs and its threat to humanity, grocery prices up, threats of Ebola and the list goes on. But the World Cup is coming! Although this means very little to the average U.S. citizen, have you ever seen the excitement in the stands and anywhere where a TV is located in other countries? There is an annoying background humming on TV during the games which I'm told is caused from people blowing some horns all game. They are so excited that they have to expel energy some way. Have you heard how the announcers scream GGGGGGGOOOOOOAAAAALLLL when a team scores? It lasts like 20 seconds. I guess when there is one goal a game it's pretty exciting when it happens. Fans paint their faces wear team colors, work takes a back seat, and all people can talk about is soccer or football as non-Americans call it.

      Here's my point. In the midst of all the bad stuff going on, somehow people mentally remove themselves from that world into the world of soccer and live lives of rejoicing. This happens for a few weeks every four years. As Christians, is it possible to mentally remove ourselves from all the negativity going on around us and focus on the victory we've achieved in Christ? We have defeated death and overcome the world through our union with Christ. Our victor will be returning any time and passing out crowns. We are going to live forever in Heaven as sons of the King and yet we go around moping. We should be blowing those horns, I think they are called vuvuzelas, all day long. I think I will order one on Amazon.

 We should be painting our faces and wearing Team Jesus T-shirts. Have you seen the athletes wearing "Jesus Won" t-shirts? They get it! 

      We have so much to rejoice about! Christians should be known for rejoicing. Blow those vuvuzelas!

Thoughts From Philippians 4 - Part 1

  Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Phil. 4:1-3

         In the previous passage Paul was telling us how to keep from being defeated and giving in to the mindset of the Kingdom of Earth which glorifies power, wealth, image, influence, and indulging fleshly appetites, and his answer was to keep looking up - to focus on Heaven - to keep our eyes on the prize. Isn't that the crux of faith anyway? When you look at the faith chapter, Hebrews 11, there are six illustrations of that;

1. they accepted the confiscation of their property because they knew they had better and lasting possessions 10:34

2. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents because they were looking forward to a city built by God. 11:9,10

3. They lived like aliens because they were longing for a heavenly country 11:15

4. Moses left the treasures of Egypt, disgraced, because he was looking for a reward 11:26

5. Saints were tortured so they could receive a better resurrection 11:35

6. Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. 12:2

So in other words, to escape the world from getting inside us, our faith must increase which is relying on and trusting in the unseen.

       Paul gives two examples of this in this passage. First, he calls the church his crown. A crown is something we receive as a prize or reward, or a symbol of status that usually has great value on the Earth. Paul is using the term symbolically because his prize will be when he gets to Heaven and sees them there as a result of his faithfulness. God might even award him a crown in Heaven for his faithfulness and obedience. Paul eschews wealth, status, rewards on Earth for rewards in Heaven. Can the same be said of us or are we seeking recognition here on Earth more so than Heaven?

      Secondly, he refers to names of believers written in the Book of Life. When it is all said and done, does it matter if our names are written on a list of who's who down here or will it matter for all eternity that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? If I ever get awards or recognition may it end by me saying, "I appreciate the recognition but even if I wasn't recognized in this way, I'm grateful that my name is written in the Book of Life and I have crowns waiting for me in Heaven and that's all I'll ever need."

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 4

  For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Phil. 3:18-21

           I do spend a lot of time on Twitter or X I must confess. Instagram and Facebook get little time and I've never downloaded TikTok. We just took a trip with our 13 year old niece to California and she said, "Isn't Facebook for old people?" I fear for her development and my other 10 grandchildren as they grow up in this cell phone era. The stuff I see on X makes me cringe. I like X because it keeps me up to date on my baseball team, the news (have to fact check everything though), Christian leaders and edifying posts, Christian music, Pokemon Go events and more. But other things pop up like young adult influencers who break records of how many people you can have sex with in a day, masturbating live on Only Fans, drunken parties, showing off perfect bodies, and podcasts discussing every lewd behavior imaginable with millions of views. Just saw that Chelsea Handler sleeps with multiple men and if anyone wants to get serious, they are gone. Cherlize Theron says it's a turn off if guys say "You want to make love?" She says just say, "You want to have sex?" Clavicular says that his signature move is to approach women with an erection. It's shameful for me to even repeat this stuff!

       Paul would describe these posts as "taking glory in their shame". In other words, the things that they should be ashamed of is what they are posting and actually getting famous for. He talks about this in his letter to the Romans as he is talking about the downward spiral of sin when he says,

 "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them."

       He says that they approve of, or in modern day vernacular "give likes to" or "follow" people who take glory in what should be shameful. Was Paul prophesying about today? No, things have always been this bad, in fact God flooded the earth and started over because 4000 years ago it was worse. Never before, however, has debauchery been at our fingertips 24/7 before. Our poor kids and grandkids. As Allison Eide sings, "Sorry if you're growing up and you're 15 and living in the 21st century..."

      How can we not succumb? My dad would say, "Keep looking up!" Set our eyes and affections on the return of the Lord and as the saying goes, "Make Heaven crowded" Spend more time in the Word and talking to God than we do scrolling or texting. Spend more money on expanding the kingdom than our waste lines and then spending money on Ozempic to reduce them. As the song goes,

       "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face;

         And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

         In the light of His glory and grace."    Post that!

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 3

 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. Phil. 3:15-17

       I was recently watching an episode of Dutton Ranch, a spinoff of Yellowstone, where the son gets in trouble for beating up someone while defending someone else and when he's confronted by his dad he tells his dad, "That's what you do". His dad answers, "How many times have I told you to do as I say, not as I do?" I'm sure you've heard the warnings in church, "Keep your eyes focused on Christ not other Christians. Christians will always let you down." Paul is giving different advice here. Paul is telling them to follow his example and others who live like Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus do.

      Is there anyone you know who you feel safe in following their example? Could people follow your life and be safe? As a parent I can't say do as I say, not as I do, because kids won't listen to that or respect it. They think if you do it, why shouldn't they? Behavior is like entropy, it always goes toward disorder rather than order. It always goes toward how bad can I be, not how good can I be - that's the sin nature. We need to model righteous behavior and have people see the good that comes from it.

       Paul adds that we don't model and do good deeds to get to God, but rather we live up to what we have already attained. In other words, because Christ washed away your sins and regenerated you, or made you a new person, you have the Holy Spirit living inside you and God sees you as good or righteous. You don't have to attain "goodness", you are already "good". Now just live it, don't live a lie.

      There are so many hypocrites out there that it's hard to know who to model your life after besides Christ. I think that's why the warnings to follow Christ not Christians. My question to you is are you going to be the kind of Christian that people could safely follow or are you going to be a broken down one? Be the one!

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 2

 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:7-14

          There are a lot of famous people lately professing Christ, whether it's getting baptized or just making a social media post but I've never seen anything like it. Just this week I heard about Ryan Lochte the Olympic gold medalist who even had a reality show celebrating his wild life got baptized. I read Eminem the rapper known for explicit lyrics and debauchery is rapping about Jesus. Sophie Cunningham, the "beauty" of the WNBA got baptized and says she is following Jesus. Ella Langley, the top female country star gave all the glory to Jesus Christ while receiving her award. Russell Brand, English comedian and notorious sinner gave his life to Christ while going through a sexual scandal trial. Perez Hilton, flamboyantly gay gossip columnist with 4.5 million followers went through a near death medical illness and reassessed his life and became a believer and is now posting about reading his Bible. I just read this morning that Hunter Biden may have had a conversion experience although I need more details on that. Donnie Wahlberg, actor and New Kids on the Block member, and his wife Jenny McCarthey known for sex tapes, etc., just added a verse to Forrest Frank's open mic challenge expressing faith in Christ. There was an Only Fans celebrity that gave up a 7-figure yearly income to follow Christ and a famous porn star just got saved.

         This is amazing and I'm always optimistic and hopeful, but I always have a degree of pessimism. Paul was at the top of his world as we saw in the previous verses and he by faith received Christ and lost all his friends, his popularity, and became hated so much that everyone wanted him dead. He lost home, wealth, influence, power, safety, retirement - everything for the sake of Christ. Paul said it was well worth it because to get to know Christ and to be known by Christ became everything to him. In fact, all those things he thought were important before now seemed like rubbish. I wonder if these celebrity conversions are that or just adding something else to their lives? Time will tell but we pray for perseverance and sanctification with patience from Christians in the process.

         While it's easy and more fun to look at others than ourselves, we have to ask these questions - am I willing to give up everything in this world to obtain a deeper relationship with God? Am I willing to endure suffering to know Christ better? Are treasures in Heaven more important to me than treasures on this Earth? I just read that Francis Chan's book Crazy Love has sold 2.2 million copies worldwide, yet his net worth is $300k. That's what I'm talking about. Is Jesus that "pearl of great price" that you would sell everything to obtain it? Is He that buried treasure in a plot of land that you would sell everything to buy that plot of land to dig up Jesus? I want to know Jesus more than anything. Do you?

Thoughts From Philippians 3 - Part 1

 Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. Phil. 3:1-6

        My good friend Dennis once gave a devotion on 1Timothy 1:16,17. In those verses Paul describes himself as the chief of sinners and when you look at what he did to the church of Jesus Christ when he was Saul, he has to be high on the list. Dennis gave the example of, if you find yourself in prison and you want to be considered tough so you'll be left alone or maybe run the prison, you find the toughest guy and take him out. He said in his devotion that removes the excuse, "I'm too bad, God can't save me" because God already "took out" the toughest guy.

       Here in Philippians, Paul takes a different strategy, he says he was the best guy and God took him out. Was he contradicting himself? No, he was just evaluating his life through two grids - works and grace. As far as works go, he was the best. As far as by faith receiving the grace Jesus offered, he was the worst and this illustrates the two things we need to get saved from - our goodness and our badness.

      A "good" person is probably more resistant to the gospel than a "bad" person because when they compare themselves to everyone around them, they seem pretty righteous. They might say as I've heard before, "If I'm going to hell then it's going to be pretty crowded." Paul was that guy and it made him hate the teachings of Jesus that good deeds don't count for anything. Of course, there was a guy named Cornelius whose deeds did count for something - they counted for a visit from Peter who told him his good deeds don't count for anything and being humbler than Paul accepted the gospel with gratitude and didn't need blinding and a rebuke from Jesus to accept. All our good deeds are like filthy rags, the Bible says. It's like stepping on the gas to get there quicker when you are headed in the wrong direction.

    A "bad" person realizes they are a sinner and is more open to the gospel. That's why prison ministries are so successful. That's why AA introduces people to a higher power with success. That's why people at their lowest points in life, like the Philippian jailor about to kill himself says, "What must I do to be saved?" When Paul realized all his "goodness" was driving him away from God at 100MPH, he sat alone in the dark for several days lamenting and rethinking his whole world view. The conclusion was our deeds can't save us; we are all sinners separated from God. His deeds save us. Receive in humility by faith His free gift of salvation and let His Holy Spirit in you produce the works that God desires for His glory.

Thoughts From Philippians 2 - Part 5

  But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me. Phil. 2:25-30

       I was in Honduras, doing OB/GYN stuff with World Medical Mission, and I met a guy who was a handyman who was sent from and supported by a church back in the states. He and his wife, in their 50's, felt a calling from the Lord to go help this Hospital/medical compound in Honduras. She was good at computers and office work so helped with the charting and business end of a mission hospital. They weren't involved in the evangelism and were very weak in Spanish - they just helped make it possible for those called and gifted in those fields to function.

     This is like Epaphroditus who was sent from the church in Philippi to assist Paul. Paul refers to him as brother, fellow soldier, co-worker, messenger who met Paul's needs in a way that the church couldn't. We know Paul had problems with an eye disease so maybe he had some medical skills. We know that Paul, maybe because of his vision, wrote very large so maybe Epaphroditus did some writing for Paul who wrote three epistles while in this prison. The fact is, he assisted Paul in ways not everyone could and probably delivered this epistle back to the church as he convalesced back home. He was a vital part of the mission effort of Paul yet probably never led anyone to the Lord and I doubt my handyman friend in Honduras never did either.

     What does Paul think of non-evangelistic helpers on mission trips? Worthy of honor for one. Even in our churches, I'm pretty sure the deacons and elders and pastors get more honor than the secretaries, accountants, nursery staff, and information technicians. Paul actually goes on to say that if he died because of his illness - not from stoning, shipwrecks, starvation, beating, flogging, crucifixion, beheading but illness - that he would have died for the sake of the gospel even though he probably never even spoke publicly.

     So, what does this tell us? First that spreading the gospel is imperative and we should be using our abilities and gifts to make that happen both in our locale and also around the world. Second, if you are feeling a call to go outside your locale, chances are your abilities can be used, and they don't have to be speaking gifts. Third, if you don't go, we need to be praying for and supporting missionaries giving help in ways that we can. Lastly, and this is kind of heavy, we tend to divide life into two categories - sacred and secular. If we are all in for Christ, we are in "full time Christian service" whether we work for a church or at Wal-Mart. We are doing the work of an evangelist or missionary everywhere we go. Therefore, if someone works in construction building a new hotel in Pigeon Forge, TN, and they are being Christ to that team, witnessing, loving, serving, sharing - and they died in a crane accident, I'd say they died for the sake of the gospel.

     Epaphroditus and hopefully me are in "fulltime Christian service". Are you?