The Book of Philippians Pt. 11 Courage when needed, but Always be Enduring!

Be courageous when facing opposition to the gospel. 

Philippians 1:28-30  And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29) For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30) Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 

Paul finished speaking about the need for believers in Christ to be disciplined and on mission, just like an Olympic athlete. He spoke of our need to have one mind and one spirit as we work together for the sake of the gospel and as we face the enemies of God's people and of Christ. It is in this context that Paul reaches the end of Philippians 1.

First, he encouraged all believers to not be "terrified by your adversaries." This phrase was often used to describe a frightened horse that was running away to avoid being caught. The word "adversaries" refers to those who are opposite from the believer. We are children of light but they are children of darkness. We are children of God but they are children of the Devil. We have a bright future in glory but they have a bleak future in hell.  

Nothing should cause us to shy away from living for the glory of God, being His faithful witnesses and seeking to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Thus, Paul was telling all believers "Don't be snared like a frightened, wild horse. God is still in control." 

God promised to give us aid when we need it. 

Luke 21:14-15  Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15) For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 

Jesus taught His disciples about the persecution that they would face, after He returned to the Father in glory. They would be harassed and arrested, but Jesus told them do not worry about what to say when facing hostile religionists. They were to wait for the Spirit of God (Acts 1:8) and He would teach them what to say in the exact moment that they needed to speak. Their "adversaries" would not be able to resist the wisdom from God that they would speak. (See Acts 2:6-41; 3:11-26; 4:1-14; 6:8-10 for examples).

Hostility toward the gospel is proof of God in us. 

In Philippians, the phrase "evident token of perdition" is the idea of certain hostile adversaries contending against the disciples. Their opposition was hopeless because no man can impede the Word of God in any way.  Such adversaries thought they were hindering the work of God, but in reality were rushing toward their own condemnation and judgment by God. 

The words "but for you (a token) of salvation" means that a born again soldier in the army of Christ Jesus, will not take his or her cue from the hostile crowd. Rather, we understand what God said and believe it. 

In this case, Paul referred to some suffering that the Philippians had endured for their faith in Christ. The courage of the saints of God in the midst of strong opposition is proof of God among them and of the ultimate victory He will bring. 

Suffering for Christ's sake is proof of sonship.

Philippians 1:29-30  For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30) Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 

Paul encouraged the Philippians to think about their conversion to Christ and how their hearts were regenerated by the Spirit of Christ. He urged them to remember the tremendous spiritual blessings from God, because all disciples of Christ will suffer for His name's sake, at some point. 

The text indicates that Philippian believers suffered some type of persecution for their faith in Christ and Paul wanted them to know that we all may be called to suffer for the sake of the gospel. 

Paul and Silas were vigorously persecuted by the pagan "masters" who made a profit off a demon possessed woman. Paul cast the demon out and their profits were gone, so they caused an uproar and both men were beaten and put into jail. In this case both the religious and civil authorities caused Paul and Silas to suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ.   

The word "you" is in plural form and means that Paul was addressing the whole church. The word "given" is another very interesting Greek word used by Paul. The word "charizomai" contains the root "charis" which is most often translated   "grace." 

It refers to a gracious act of God that gives us the privilege of suffering for Christ, or in His behalf. We do not naturally think of suffering as a gift from God and our minds will need to be renewed so we can have heaven's perspective on the issue of suffering for the sake of the gospel. 

Yet, the text tells us God has given us suffering as a gift of grace. Our suffering is on behalf of Jesus Christ. It is suffering that we would not experience if we were not connected to Christ through the new birth. Because we are born again and adopted into the family of God, we can expect to suffer. 

The world hates those who are born again. 

John 15:18-20  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19) If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20) Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 

Why is this so? Jesus told us that if the world (the people of the world) hated Him, they would also hate His disciples because darkness hates the light. The devil hates a child of God and the spirit of antichrist will resist the Spirit of God. Children of the flesh will always persecute children of the Spirit (Galatians 4:29). 

If we say we are born again and never experience any push back or resistance from the world, then we have cause to examine whether we are truly born again. The world loves sinners who are just like they are but the world hates those who are unlike them, because of the new birth. 

Believers will suffer for Christ's sake.

2 Timothy 3:10-12  But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, 11)  Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Act 9:16  For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. 

Paul was well acquainted with suffering for the name of Jesus Christ. He emphasized that all who seek to live a God pleasing life will experience suffering in some form. In fact the Lord Jesus Christ told Ananias that Paul would suffer greatly for His name's sake. 

Fiery Trials purify us.

1 Peter 4:12-14  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13) But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14) If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 

Peter urged us to not be overwhelmed when we experience suffering as we live for the glory of God. He used the term "fiery trial" which refers to furnaces that were used to burn off the impurities from metals so that pure gold, silver or iron were left after the purging process was complete. 

He said the believer in Christ should not be astonished or surprised when fiery trials come our way.  God uses fiery trials to "try" our faith. Fiery trials prove our spiritual character and to check the quality of our integrity. 

Now, Peter did not view "fiery trials" as something unexpected. Rather, he tells us we should anticipate them because the world hates us, the Devil hates us and we are not greater than our Master, Jesus Christ, who suffered more than anyone.

The idea is like doing weight training where your body will have aches and soreness until the muscles are hardened and then strength replaces soreness. Short term pain for the sake of long term gain. 

Instead, Peter tells us to "rejoice" because we are privileged to partake (be a partner) in Christ's sufferings. The word "suffering" in this text refers to the afflictions Christians experience. Suffering for the sake of Jesus' name comes first but it is followed by Christ's return in glory which will bring us exceeding joy.

Because all of this is true, then Peter taught that when someone reproaches us, gives us verbal abuse because of sharing the gospel of Christ, then we ought to be happy. It proves that the Spirit of God rests upon us. 

Philippians 1:30  Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

The word "conflict" is a word connected with the Olympic games and Philippi was a large participant in the games because of their status as a Roman city. Philippi was known for the running contests in the Olympic games. The word "conflict" refers to the arena or stadium where the games were held. It also refers to the people attending as spectators and to the actual contests. 

The word "conflict" is from a Greek word that is part of the word "agony." A mother suffers great agony during childbirth but her struggles during labor are forgotten as soon as she holds her newborn child (john 16:21). 

An athlete may struggle greatly to finish the race, gasping for air and experiencing fatigue or cramping. Yet the runner presses on in order to receive the victor's crown. The word "conflict" implies an agonizing and difficult race for sure, but it also holds out the possibility of receiving a crown from our Lord when we are present with Him. 

So Paul is warning them about facing the battle between the flesh and the spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). He also exhorted them concerning struggles he wrote about in Romans 7. The struggles of our faith are real but they will give way to victory in Christ! 

Thus, Paul urged the Philippians to be spiritually disciplined, remain faithful and committed to staying in the race until the Lord called them home. This is the same encouragement that he gives to us as well. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Believers will face opposition and hostility when they seek to live a godly life and to share their faith with others. The intensity of conflict will vary depending on where we live and what our culture is like. Paul told us not to be afraid of those who oppose. This is spiritual warfare and God is on our side, therefore ultimate victory is assured. 

The world at large will hate us because they hated the Lord Jesus Christ. However, this is proof that we are adopted into the family of God.  

Suffering is actually a grace gift from God. Faith is a gift of God because of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Giving in support of the church is a gift of grace (2 Corinthians 8:7). There is grace in peaching the gospel (Ephesians 3:8). 

We do not normally think about suffering as a gracious gift from God meant to strengthen us, temper our faith. The world views suffering as a bad thing to be avoided but God tells us it is for our good and His glory. He uses fiery trials as used to purge out the dross from us and make us more pure.

Paul wanted the Philippians to be in the faith race for the "long haul." It is a lifelong commitment to Christ that must be honored and living for His glory is truly the very best life experience.

May our Lord change how we view hardship and suffering so that we can see it from heaven's perspective: a purifying, sanctifying work that will make us holy and usable for His service. 

Bob