PHILIPPIANS 1: 27- 30

I’M FINE, BUT I’M CONCERNED ABOUT

YOU?

LONG INTRO TO LETTER

PAUL SPENDS FIRST 26 VERSES TO SAY HE IS FINE AND REJOICING… EVEN THO UNDER HOUSE ARREST IN ROME… (ALWAYS CHAINED TO A ROMAN GUARD.)

HE WANTED THEM TO KNOW HOW APPRECIATIVE HE WAS (WITH THEIR GIFTS… OFTEN UNSOLICIATED) AND HOW MUCH HE LOVED THEM.

NOW A 180* TURN

HE NOW FOCUSES ON THEM (PHILIPPIANS)…

READ VERSES 27 –30.

I FOUND A QUOTE FROM A GEORGOUS, AWESOME, BRILLIANT WOMAN: “WE LIVE IN A CHRISTIAN SOCIETY THAT

PROCLAIMS PROSPERTY RATHER THAN SUFFERING”

• FRAN CURRIE

City of PHILIPPI

PAUL CALLS ON THE CHRISTIANS OF PHILIPPI, WHO WERE PROUD OF THEIR ROMAN CITIZENSHIP… AS PHILIPPI WAS KNOWN AS “LITTLE ROME”, TO NOT JUST LIVE AS A ROMAN CITIZEN, BUT WERE CHALLENGED TO LIVE AS THOSE WHO HAD A HIGHER AND VASTLY MORE SIGNIFICANT CITIZENSHIP…

A CITIZENSHIP “WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST”

AND WHAT IS THAT?

THEY SHOULD STAND FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT… THIS SHOULD BE TRUE “WHATEVER HAPPENS” TO PAUL, FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR SPIRITUAL GROWTH RESTED ULTIMATELY WITH THEM AND THEIR APPROPRIATION OF THE RICHES IN CHRIST…. WHETHER PAUL WOULD BE RELEASED, AND THUS ENABLED TO VISIT THEM… OR … BE FORCED TO REMAIN AWAY FROM THEM AND LEARN OF THEIR PROGRESS THROUGH REPORTS FROM OTHERS.

WITH ONE SPIRIT, WITH ONE MIND, STRIVING SIDE BY SIDE

DO YOU ENJOY OUR CHURCH ORCHESTRA?

DO YOU ENJOY WATCHING USC PLAY FOOTBALL?

WHY? ALL (YES) ALL PARTICIPANTS HAVE THEIR

DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT EACH HAS ONE OBJECTIVE .. ON EACH SCORE, ON EACH PLAY TO WORK AS A TEAM, I.E. WORK TOGETHER… TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR RESPECTIVE GOALS.

BEHAVE IN A WAY TO MATCH YOUR MESSAGE

BEHAVE IN A WAY THAT IS CONSISTENTBEHAVE WITH INTEGRITYBEHAVE WITH SPIRITUAL COMMITMENTHAVE CREDIBILITY IN CONDUCT

HE IS TALKING ABOUT DEALING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, DEALINGS AT WORK, DEALINGS WITH YOUR FAMILY

HE IS ASKING US TO DO THE SAME

THIS IS GOD’S PLAN FOR THE CHURCH

DID YOU REALIZE?

PAUL’S (REALLY THE HOLY SPIRIT) PASSION FOR UNITY; Romans 12:5 Romans 12:12 1 Corinthians 1:10 1 Corinthians 10:17 2 Corinthians 8 : 11 Galatians 3: 28 Ephesians 2: 11 - 22

GOD’S DESIGN

“STAND FIRM IN ONE SPIRIT, IN ONE MIND, STRIVING SIDE BY SIDE… FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL”. ONE FOCUSED OBJECTIVE… REACH OUT WITH THE GOSPEL .. WHETHER ITS REBUILDING A CHURCH, OR ORPHANIGE IN HAITI, RENOVATING A BUILDING AT HOPE GARDENS, ENCOURAGING ANOTHER BELIEVER IN A HOME BIBLE STUDY… PASSING OUT BACKPACKS IN JORDAN TO MUSLIMS… ET AL

NOTICE THE WORD “ONLY”

PAUL HAS REDUCED HIS EXHORTATION TO ONE THING…. (City Slickers) THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR EXPERIENCE THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR CHURCH EXPERIENCE THE BOTTOM LINE IN OUR FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

• TO CONDUCT OURSELVES WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL YOU BELIEVE LIVE AS IF YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN….

“AND NOT FREIGHTENED IN ANYTHING BY YOUR OPPONENTS”

SINCE PHILIPPI WAS ESSENTIALLY A ROMAN CITY, FEW JEWS LIVE THERE… SO THE OPPOSITION CAME PRIMARILY FROM GENTILES…

OPPOSITION STRATEGY… INTIMIDATE / RIDICULE THIS NEW “RELIGION”… perhaps in NEIGHBORHOOD/WORK RELATIONSHIPS AND MAYBE EVEN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.

YOU GIVE ENCOURAGEMENT TO ADVERSARIES BY:

(EVEN THO IT IS A FALSE HOPE)YOU GIVE CONFIDENCE TO YOUR ENEMIES

BY BEING INTIMINATED … EVEN A LITTLERATHER, IN THE LORD, WE CAN

SURPRISE OURSELVES WITH OUR BOLDNESS.

IT IS OUR ENEMIES WHO WILL BE INTIMIDATED… (I WISH WE COULD SEE THE INTERNAL FEELINGS OF DAVID COPPEDGE’S ATTACKERS). GOD WILL PRICK THEIR CONSCIENCE.

REMEMBER, AS WE HAVE RECEIVED THE GRACE OF GOD IN SALVATION (AS A GIFT),…SO WE

HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SUFFERING UNDER HARDSHIPS..

ANOTHER GIFTSUFFERING IS NOT A PUNISHMENT,

BUT IS A TOOL IN OUR SOVEREIGN’S HAND.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND? ARE YOU HURTING? BE ENCOURAGED… GOD IS AT WORK IN/THRU YOU.

I AM SPEAKING TO MYSELF

I TRIED TO HELP ONE OF OUR CHILDREN.. AND IT COST US OUR RETIREMENT INCOME. BUT GOD WILL GROW US THROUGH THIS TO BE MORE LIKE HIM. HE WILL TAKE CARE OF US.

HE PROMISED.AND HE WILL CARE FOR YOU… WHETHER

IT’S PHYSICAL/RELATIONAL/EMPLOYMENT/ FINANCIAL/ WHATEVER… EVEN IF YOU ARE

INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE INDUSTRY.

SO, WHY DO WE SUFFER?

CHASTENING AND SUFFERING BRING BELIEVERS TO MATURITY IN CHRIST.

“SO MANY OF US WANT TO RUN AWAY FROM SUFFERING .. TO AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS. WE DO NOT REALIZE THE AWFUL COST WE MAY PAY IF WE ARE NOT WILLING TO SUFFER” --- KAY ARTHUR

SUFFERING FOR HIS SAKE

John 15: 18-21Romans 5: 3-5Romans 8: 16-18

LETS STOP AND ASK SOME QUESTIONS: WHAT IS SUFFERING? HATRED AND PERSECUTION WHO FROM? THE WORLD .. BECAUSE THE WORLD

HATES THE BELIEVERS BECAUSE IT HATED JESUS SUFFERING IS A FACT SINCE WE ARE HEIRS

TOGETHER WITH HIM AND WILL SUFFER WITH HIM IN THIS LIFE

WHAT WILL SUFFERING BRING?

SPIRITUAL MATURITYTRIBULATION WILL BRING

PERSEVERANCEPERSEVERANCE WILL BRING PROVEN

CHARACTER AND HOPETHE SUFFERING OF THIS TIME (LIFE)

WILL NOT COMPARE WITH THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED

(THAT YOU AND I WILL ENJOY WHEN HE COMES AGAIN).

MORE

ROMANS 8: 28-30 READ WHY DO WE SUFFER: IN ORDER TO BE

CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF JESUS CHRIST.

IF WE COULD JUST REMEMBER THIS… THAT THIS HORRIBLE TRIAL IS MAKING ME MORE LIKE CHRIST… WOW …. THE TRIAL WOULD NOT BE SO BURDENSOME.

MAYBE WE WOULD BE POSITIVE… EVEN JOYFUL

MORE

2 CORINTHIANS 1: 7; 4: 11-18 (AMPLIFIED) IF YOU SQUEEZE A TUBE OF TOOTH PASTE…

WHAT COMES OUT? WHEN YOU ARE SQUEEZED BY LIFE’S

TRIBULATIONS … WHAT SHOULD COME OUT? OUR SUFFERINGS ARE ABUNDANT… SO ARE

OUR COMFORTS IN CHRIST ABUNDANT

MORE

PHILIPPIANS 3:10 DEFERColossians 1: 24

TO BE CONFORMED TO CHRIST CONFORMED: PRESSED INTO THE MOLD PRESSED INTO THE MANNER OF LIFE OF BEING

DEAD TO THE WORLD AND ALIVE TO CHRIST

LASTLY

1 THESSALONIANS 3: 3-42 TIMOTHY 2:12; 3: 10-12HEBREWS 2: 10I PETER 1: 6-9; 2: 18-25; 4:1;4:12-5:1; 5:10.

WE WILL QUIT HERE… SUFFERING PROVES OUR FAITH

CLASS PARTICIPATION

HOW ARE WE TO RESPOND TO SUFFERING? ARE WE TO RUN? GRIT OUR TEETH?

• HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO REJOICE IN SUFFERIING?

WHAT DID WE LEARN?

STAND FIRM IN THE FAITHBE UNITED IN SPIRITBEING OF THE SAME MIND (MIND OF

CHRIST)INTENT ON ONE PURPOSESTRIVING TOGETHERDO NOTHING FROM SELFISHNESS OR

EMPTY CONCEITPUT INTEREST OF OTHERS FIRSTREGARD OTHERS AS MORE IMPORTANT

THAN _______