Back-Up

Paul is in prison writing to the Church of Philippi asking them to refrain from making him look like a fool. He is in prison (suffering) for Christ, but if the other Christ-followers outside of prison are frightened to admit their belief in Christ then society will be unconvinced of the importance of the gospel. They will simply think that a crazy guy, named Paul, has got his feathers ruffled for Christ and no one else has got his back, so why should we believe him? Have you ever jumped off a big cliff into a body of water? If you aren't the first one to jump you are waiting to hear from the guinea pigs if the jump is worth the fear you are experiencing at the top. If one comes back and says, " It is TOTALLY worth it, you have got to do it!!", then you are intrigued. But if the rest of the group comes back and says, "It's alright, not a big deal really...", then you may second guess whether you want to jump or not. While jumping off a cliff cannot even compare to the ways people have suffered for Christ, I don't want to be a Christian who says, "Christ is alright I guess...", I want to be convincing "back-up" for those who are truly suffering in this life for Christ by boldly proclaiming that suffering for Christ is TOTALLY worth the eternal joy you will one day receive.

Paul reminds me of courageous Christians today who have been put to death, imprisoned, persecuted, bullied for Christ. I'm sure you have heard the recent stories of Christians beheaded for claiming Christ or Christians standing up for God's design of marriage whose businesses have been vandalized or closed. These stories intimidate me. While Paul is in prison, he writes to his intimidated brothers and sisters in Christ and says in Philippians 1: 27-30,

" (27)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. "

We may not be persecuted as Christians are in other countries, but we will be hated no matter what country we are in by unbelievers hostile to God. Let's be effective "back-up" for Christians all over the world by remembering these three truths when we feel intimidated by the bullying of society:

1. "Stand firm in one spirit, striving side by side." (vs 27)
Jump off the cliff together! It is more comforting to face fear when you are in fellowship with those who have the same mindset as you-- that Christ is Lord of our lives. Meeting together at church and outside of church and joining a church will encourage you and your friends to "hold fast" to the gospel "without wavering" and give you confidence to know you are not alone when engaged in conflict. (Heb 10:23-25)

2. "Do not be frightened of your opponents." (vs 28)
Psalm 27:1 " The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid?" The Lord who has made the oceans, the mountains, thunder, and lightening, and much, much more has said in His Word that He is our stronghold. The God who has made every human being, gives us life each day is our fortified place, a place of protection. What better protection could we ask for? We no longer have to be consumed with worry about men hating us because we know at the end of the day and the end of our lives all that matters is what God thinks of us. "And do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

Because of Christ, we know what God thinks of us: "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are Children of God, and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ."Romans 8:17


3. It is a gift to both believe in and suffer for Christ. (vs 29)
A gift of suffering is a foreign concept in our world. There is no question as to why it is a gift to believe, it is a gift because God has given us forgiveness of sins and eternal life freely and therefore we have hope in this life for the next! And suffering is a gift because it is a "clear sign" of your salvation. Because Jesus said, "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:18-19  Who doesn't want assurance that they are a Christian heading to heaven one day? I do! Jesus chose us out of the world and one of the marks of being a follower of Christ is suffering for His name. When you suffer for Christ, take heart that "this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering..." (2 Thess 1:5) The more we suffer for Christ, the more we know we are bound for Heaven because of Christ!