If
someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have
more... Philippians
3:4
From Guest Blogger Amy Cox:
I can proudly say I am royalty, or at least
that’s what a Norwegian cousin tells me. According to his genealogical research
our ancestor is the first Christian King of Norway. Now that king had several
wives and even more children, so our claim to royalty probably isn’t all that
unique, but still, it’s something isn’t it?
In the grand scheme
of things my Norwegian royal heritage isn’t much to brag about, but Paul had real
reasons to be proud. Born of the tribe of Benjamin, he followed the law
blamelessly (Philippians 3:4-6) and like his ancestors
became an exceedingly zealous Pharisee (Acts
23:3-6).
Paul was a model Jew, but by birth he was also a Roman citizen.
Paul’s Jewish
heritage and Roman citizenship, along with his conversion to Christianity,
helped propel him to Rome. Saved from a murderous crowd by Jerusalem’s Roman
guard Paul was initially accused of being an Egyptian false prophet who led a
bloody, but unsuccessful, anti-Roman revolt. Paul’s revelation that he was a
Jew from Tarsus (Acts 21:39) bought temporary
safety. Then, as the Romans prepared to interrogate him by flogging, Paul
revealed he was a Roman citizen subject to Roman law and entitled to its more
humane protections. (Acts 22:24-28) Eventually his
citizenship carried him all the way to Rome, the political and cultural heart
of the Empire, where he preached the Gospel boldly (Acts
28:31).
God leveraged Paul’s uncommon heritage in ways unparalleled
in the history of the early church. He took a man whose birth and training
perfectly positioned him to persecute Christians, as in fact Paul had done, and
turned him into a champion for Christ. And to make matters worse, at least from
the perspective of Jewish authorities, God sent Paul to the “undeserving” Gentiles,
including the Romans (Acts 23:11). Ultimately it
wasn’t Paul’s Jewish heritage or his Roman citizenship that really mattered, it
was his relationship with Christ that empowered him to follow God into
dangerous and uncharted territory. Paul’s story shows that it’s not who we are
that really matters — what matters most is whose
we are.
In what unique
position has God placed you? What connections and experiences give you an
opportunity to share Christ? How might you display your uncommon faith in your context?
Prayer: Father,
help me to see how you’ve specially positioned me to share the Gospel with
those around me. Let me be a willing servant and ambassador, empowered by Your
love and grace. Amen.
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. Philippians 3:3
From Guest Blogger Amy Cox:
In the years since 9-11 we’ve become all too
familiar with the concept of “terrorist watch lists” — collections of names of
people suspected of harboring evil intentions toward our nation or our allies.
People on a watch list are scrutinized in an attempt to assure they bring no
harm to others. They are placed on a watch list for our safety and that of
countless others. Paul provides an unflattering watch list of his own in
Philippians 3:2, and like the watch lists of today his is intended to assure
the safety of the Philippian believers and the rest of Christendom. Paul
admonishes believers to “Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those
mutilators of the flesh.” But who is he talking about?
Scholars believe Paul
wrote Philippians around AD 60, a few years after the Jerusalem (or Apostolic)
Council. The assembled council debated the assertion, raised by a group from
Judea, that Gentiles needed to be circumcised according to Mosaic law, before
they could be saved (Acts 15:1). Their decision was
clear, affirming that Christians are saved solely by grace through Christ’s
death and resurrection. Still, the Judean Christians, or Judaizers, continued
to teach their erroneous and destructive principle. They are the “dogs,”
“evildoers,” and “mutilators” Paul warns against. The Judaizers’ teaching ran
contrary to Gospel truth and destructively emphasized human works, circumcision,
and even the decision to be circumcised, as the gateway to salvation. Paul
didn’t want anyone to be led astray so his warning had to be especially pointed,
yet through it he demonstrated his love for Christ and his fellow believers.
Paul’s plea to guard
against false teachings extends to us today. Our “Judaizers” today look and
sound different than they did in Paul’s day. Those who point to their own
achievements as if they win the favor of God … those who strut with pride that
they have avoided sin, while castigating others as if their sins are worse than
their own … these are just examples of “Judaizing,” works-based righteousness we
can find in our own context. Paul says:
watch out for those “dogs,” and turn to Christ. He alone makes us right
with God in a way that does not depend on our work, but on His grace!
Prayer: Lord, please help me always to remember that
you are the real source of my salvation — “for it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God —
not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Amen.
#Uncommon
For it
has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in Him, but
also to suffer for Him. Philippians 1:29
From Guest Blogger Colin Proft:
The
Philippians were undergoing the same things that Paul and Silas had experienced
in Acts 16:16-24. They were being intimidated. Some of them were put in prison.
Others may have experienced physical punishment such as being beaten with rods
or the confiscation of property. They were suffering.
Not
many of us have experienced physical violence because of our faith, but there
will come a time when we need to stand firm on what we believe. We live in an
age where some treat corporate policy as the basis for morality. You may face
pressure from your boss to do something that is immoral or illegal. Others of
us may be scorned for believing in God.
For
some of us, that persecution will come from our own families or close friends.
We will be excluded or ostracized from our own families because of our faith.
Believing in Jesus can come at a great personal cost. Yet let us remember what
Jesus said to His disciples. “If the head of the house has been called
Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:25).
“Do
not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as
though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you
participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His
glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are
blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” (1 Peter 4:12-14).
If
you are persecuted for your faith, then the Spirit of God rests on you. And
this (not the persecution) causes us to rejoice! We are to bear the image of
God to the world, being His ambassadors — His representatives. Jesus said in
His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
Paul calls us to stand firm for the
Gospel. He reminded the Philippians that it is the Lord of Hosts, the God of
the angelic host, who fights by our side. And He will be victorious. It is God
who will deliver us. And if God is for us, who can stand against us? (Romans 8:31)
Therefore stand firm and rejoice. The
Lord is on our side.
Prayer: God of
angel armies, give me strength to stand firm in the face of every trial and
persecution. Amen.
#Uncommon
Be
Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
From Guest Blogger Colin Proft:
The first time the Gospel was shared in the
city of Philippi was when Paul and Silas visited there on their first
missionary journey (Acts 16:11-40). Later, Paul and
Timothy wrote a letter of encouragement and exhortation to the Christians in
that region — what is now in our Bibles as “Philippians.” Read through
Philippians 1, keeping the words of Romans 12:12 in mind.
Joyful
in Hope. Paul
was continually rejoicing before God. He knew what God had in store for him and
the Philippians — he has his heart and mind fixed on heaven. Paul knew that God
had given them both a new life in Jesus Christ while on earth and the promise
of eternal life with Him in paradise.
Paul had treasure in heaven. He knew that, no
matter what happened, He had eternal life because of Jesus Christ. And he had
Jesus! Whether he continued to live on the earth or was taken to heaven, he had
joy. And that joy was rooted in his relationship with God and in the fellowship
of other Christians. “I thank my God … for all of you … because of your
partnership in the Gospel” (Philippians 1:3-5).
Patient
in Affliction. Paul
wrote this letter from prison. If anyone had a reason to complain, it was Paul!
Yet he fully believed God would rescue him. Whether his imprisonment ended in
life or death, Paul chose to worship God. His confidence came from this
astounding truth: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). It was because of his imprisonment that
Paul was to share the Gospel with the whole palace guard.
Faithful
in Prayer. Paul
constantly prayed for his fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus. He knew them on
a personal level and loved them deeply. Again, they weren’t simply
acquaintances to him; they were his family and friends. He longed for them with
the affection of Jesus Christ! (Philippians 1:8).
Paul’s prayer was simple: he prayed that
their love would overflow and that their knowledge of Christ would increase (1:9). And the source of this love and knowledge is abiding in
Jesus. We do not produce the fruit of righteousness from our own strength; the nourishment
comes from Christ. As He said, “I am the vine; you are the
branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing” (John
15:5).
Prayer: Gracious Lord Jesus,
I ask not simply that You be with me today but that You lead me also to join
You in the work You are already doing—in me and through me for the sake of
others. Amen.
