A Life Worth Fighting For

One of the signs of the times is the increasing hostility of our culture toward the Christian faith.  An example of this was how Samaritan’s Purse was treated when they set up their mobile hospital in New York City’s Central Park at the height of New York’s COVID-19 Outbreak.  A few people spoke well of their efforts, but the media made sure we knew that most of New York considered Samaritan’s Purse a “hate group” simply because they support marriage between one man and one woman.  Another example is the battle facing most Christian groups on College Campuses today.  Most of you know that while my daughter, Kayla, was leading the InterVarsity Chapter at Reed College, the students voted to shut down that ministry for the very same reason Samaritan’s Purse was slandered in New York.  But it’s not just Samaritan’s Purse and College Ministries who find themselves under constant attack these days.  The Media rarely portrays Christianity in a positive light.  If they do run a story, they pick out some Pastor or church on the fringe of evangelicalism and uses that story to mock or discredit our faith.  Obviously, there’s even more tension surrounding Christianity with the sometimes highly restrictive lockdown of Churches in this new COVID-19 era.  As a result Churches are being portrayed as rebellious, insensitive or simply irresponsible.

Along with all this rising hostility our culture often says that to be a Christian is to be anti-intellectual, anti-science, and out of touch with modern life.  As a result Christ-followers are ignored, laughed at or considered irrelevant in most circles.  In some places Christians are openly attacked and slandered.  But as hostility rises here, it is nothing compared to what’s happening  in the rest of the world. Outright discrimination and persecution are on the rise in Indonesia, China, North Korea, Iraq, India and Pakistan.  More people are being uprooted from their homes, discriminated against and even martyred for their faith today than in any time in history.   Sadly, the truth is that we are living in a world that is growing in hostility to our faith and is actively seeking to stop the spread of the gospel.

So what we’re facing today is not a lot different than what the Philippians faced in the first century.  After all, if you lived for Jesus in Philippi, you were considered a rebel.  For Philippians were Roman citizens, and as Roman citizens they were expected to embrace Roman ways and submit to Caesar’s reign, bend the knee and call him Lord.  But if you lived for Jesus, this meant you scoffed at Rome’s privileges and renounced Caesar’s Lordship.  So you were looked upon as an insurrectionist – an enemy of Rome.  And the reason you were seen this way, is that’s how Rome saw Jesus. Jesus was crucified by Rome because He claimed to be a King.  And now anyone claiming to live for Jesus was seen the same way and came under persecution.  So since their lives were in conflict with their culture, they found themselves in a battle for the gospel – the same battle we’re facing today.  So today, as we open God’s Word, in Philippians 1:27-30, Paul calls us to  A Life Worth Fighting For!   And he gives us three tactics to put into practice to will help us win the battle for the gospel in a hostile world.  And the first tactic is found in verse 27 is this:

Live as Citizens of Another Kingdom  God’s Word says, Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Philippians 1:27a    Right off the bat, Paul tells us what we are fighting for:  To live a life worthy of Jesus Christ.  After all at the heart of the gospel is Jesus.  So to conduct yourself in a manner worthy of Jesus, means that you leave no doubt who you are living for.   But the key to understanding this tactic is found in the words “conduct yourselves” which literally mean “live as citizens.”  So if you live as citizens of Jesus, you are living as citizens of another realm – the kingdom of God.

In other words, every Christ follower in Philippi was to take pride in their new status, as citizens of Christ’s kingdom.  They were to no longer identify themselves as Romans, but as “little Christs.”  If there were ever a call to live counter culturally, this is it.  For in Roman society, the individual was subordinate to the state and a person’s skill, talents energy and endeavors were devoted first of all to the interests of society at large.  Now this was not a forced subordination, but a willing submission to their culture in which citizens took great pride.  Therefore a responsible citizen was careful not to do anything that would bring dispute on his community.  He tried always to be considered an honorable citizen, so that he would never be removed from the list of citizens.

So this calling to live as citizens of another kingdom – is a calling to make it clear that you are devoted to Jesus as a subject in His kingdom. To give your talents, your skills, your energy and resources – not to Rome, but to the kingdom of God.  And you were to give you allegiance to Jesus alone.  And if you did these things, you’d leave no question to who you served.  This is a calling to live distinctly different from the culture around you. Your life needed to portray the gospel of Jesus Christ.  So then, not only had your allegiances changed, but the way you lived had to change.  The way you win the battle in a hostile world is by showing how the gospel changed how you live.

This is where this Scripture needs to affect us.  Think about this with me:  How is the gospel meant to change our lives?  How is the gospel meant to show that the way we live is different than our prevailing culture?  The gospel is about love; therefore, we should be characterized as loving people.  The gospel is about justice; therefore we should be justice-seeking people. The gospel is about life; therefore, our lives should  display a vitality and joy in our relationships that’s infectious.  The gospel is about liberty; therefore, we should not live as stuffy legalists.  We should not be known as rule keepers, but a grace givers!  And finally,  The gospel is about humility; therefore, we should be characterized a humble people, who gladly serve others.

This is our first strategy for winning the battle for the gospel in a hostile world.  We are to live as citizens of another kingdom, showing our world there’s a better way to live with Jesus; an alternative way to live – a way of love, justice, joy, freedom, grace and humility; a lifestyle that isn’t about serving self but serving others.  It’s a life that goes against to the flow.  And it’s a life worth fighting for.

But that’s just the first tactic for winning the gospel battle in a hostile world.  Here now is the second:  2. Stand as one in the unity of the Spirit  Look at the next verse with me: 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 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. Philippians 1:27b-28

These is our defensive tactic for winning the battle for the gospel in a hostile world.  When we stand as one in the unity of the Spirit, we are holding our ground.  What Paul is using here is a military metaphor.  The term pictures the determination of a soldier who stands his ground, not budging an inch from his post.  But what I love about Paul’s image is that the One who helps us stand together in unity is the Holy Spirit.  Without God’s help we could not stand.

So this pictures our common bond in the Spirit.  When we are united in the Spirit, God gives us the power to stand.  One of the schemes of the evil one has always been to remove Christians from fellowship in the body of Christ.  It is easier to fall into sin or be of no influence in the work of the gospel if we are separated from the community of faith.  Hence, the safest place for any believer is in community with other believers.  We need each other.  We need the prayers, encouragement and strength this is only found in community.  And that’s what the Holy Spirit does for us.  He comes alongside us, He encourages us, He connects us.  This is one of the reasons it’s so important for you to be connected with a Journey Group, and why many of you long to worship together on a Sunday morning.  If the evil one can keep us apart, he can tear us apart.  But when we are together in the Spirit with brothers and sisters who love and support you, it’s simply easier to stand our ground.  That’s why the writer of Hebrews says,  “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.” 10:25

We are holy rebels living for Christ in a world that does not wish to tolerate us.  As such, we need to constantly renew our commitment to one another so we might stand our ground together. And then as we stand the Holy Spirit gives us power.  As we stand in the Spirit, we cannot be defeated.  This is how God calls us to fight – to defend ourselves against the onslaught of the enemy by holding our ground in His Spirit.  So if you call yourself a Christian and are not connected with God’s family, then WE need you to connect.  For with you WE are stronger.  With you WE can hold our ground.  And nothing can defeat us.

That’s our second tactic for winning the gospel battle – standing as one in the Spirit.  That’s our DEFENSIVE strategy.  But now Paul gives us our OFFENSIVE strategy:  3. Contending Together for the faith of the gospel  Let’s read this verse again: 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 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. Philippians 1:27b-28

Paul gives us another military metaphor “Contending together as one man.”  This imagery was associated with the gladiatorial struggle of life and death in the arena.  And it pictures the gladiators locking arms side by side so as to become like one person rather than many.  If you’ve ever seen the movie, “Gladiator” this was the tactic used by Russell Crowe’s character.  In the midst of battle he rallied his fellow gladiators to unite as one unit, shoulder to shoulder.  In that scene, not every gladiator followed his lead.  Those who fought alone, died on the spot.   So the picture here is of a Roman Phalanx – a core of highly disciplined heavily armed infantry who stood shoulder to shoulder in files eight men deep.  As long as they did not beak rank, they were virtually invincible and struck terror into their enemies.  Using this method, Philip of Macedonia had united the city states of Greece and taken the city of Philippi. So this picture is not just defensive, but offensive. God is calling us to take new ground for the kingdom of God.  To not break rank and flee when we are intimidated, but boldly advance the cause of Christ together.

Here is the picture of Christ’s family where we are fighting alongside other believers, not against them.  Here is the picture of the whole team contributing to advance the gospel.  We advance the gospel side by side, working, contending, and laboring together. And when we contend for the gospel together as ONE, guess what happens?       We no longer fear what man might do to us.  We eliminate the intimidation factor that all too often derails us when we try to advance the gospel on our own.  That’s what Paul is saying here.  When we contend together as ONE for the gospel those who oppose us lose their ability to intimidate us.  The strength of our unity becomes stronger than their hostility. And we then rob them of their power over us.

You see, that’s the final thing Paul wants us to see in this passage.  That when we apply these tactics for winning the gospel battle in a hostile world – we become a revolutionary force for the gospel that overpowers the forces of evil who oppose us.

We become a sign of God’s victory That’s what we see in these final verses: This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.  Philippians 2:28b-30  When we stand together one Spirit.  When we contend together for the cause of Christ and when we live without fear as citizens of another kingdom – we become a sign of God’s victory.

First, there is a sign to those who oppose us: their continued hostility is a sign of their impending destruction.  Our living faith and unbreakable bond is the sign to our enemies that Jesus is real.  And if Jesus is real, then their sin is real and they are still under judgment, for they have rejected the One who came to remove their sin.  You see, that’s one of the reasons people are bent on wiping out Christianity.  If they can eliminate Jesus, they can eliminate judgment.  And if they can eliminate judgment, they don’t have to worry about their sin.  They can go on living any way they want. That is why so many are hostile to Christians.  That is why Christians suffer persecution – Those who hated Jesus now hate you.  Those who wanted to eliminate Jesus – want to eliminate you.

But as long as we live for Jesus, stand for Jesus, work together for Jesus – and they can’t eliminate us – this proves that Jesus is more powerful than them, and they must face judgment.  They will be destroyed for they have rejected Jesus.  Their continued hostility is a sign of their impending destruction.

Second, their continued hostility is a sign of our salvation.  In other words, if you are attacked because you believe in Jesus, then your suffering is a sign that you belong to Jesus.  And if you belong to Jesus, then this confirms you’ve been saved by Jesus.

You see for many Christians today, we have it all wrong.  We wrongly think that if we suffer because we follow Jesus, that must mean he’s abandoned us.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Rather, suffering is a sign that He is with you and you are saved.  So the next time someone derides your faith, excludes you, mocks you or treats you poorly because you follow Jesus – remember it’s because you belong to Jesus.  For Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. John 15:18-20

So don’t cower in the face of suffering – it’s a badge of honor.  It’s proof that you bear the Name, its evidence you are living the way Jesus would live.  And it’s a sign that you are counted worthy to bear the name of Jesus.

So let me wrap this up for us today.  What’s God saying to us today?  What might He have us change or do as a result of what He’s taught us today?  Let me give us three applications:

First: Let’s see suffering in a new light.  We often see suffering as a bad thing.  But Paul teaches us here to see it as a good thing: As a confirmation of our salvation.  So the next time you are opposed or attacked for bearing the name of Jesus, realize that someone sees Jesus in you – and that’s a good thing.

Second:  Let’s see our fellowship as a new strength.  We need one another to help us all stand strong in the face of hostility.  So let’s renew our commitment to being together, to learning together, to working together – so that together we become an unbreakable bond of God’s Spirit.  And that includes bringing those on the fringe of our fellowship into the bond of the Spirit with us.  We need everyone together.

Finally: Let’s start living as citizens of another kingdom.  Let’s become gospel people who are known for our love, our justice, our joy, our freedom and our humility.  So that others will see Jesus in us and want what we have in Him.

And if we can do all this together with the help God gives us – there’s no question: We will have a life worth fighting for!  We will win the battle for the gospel in a hostile world. Let’s pray.