Only
conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether
I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing
firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the
gospel; Philippians 1:27
Someone has said, "If I see something that waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck, and swims like a duck - I get the idea that it is a duck." When others look at our life do they get the idea that we are Christians? Does your lifestyle and habits make it obvious to those around you that Christ lives in your heart? We often put high expectations on ourselves and other Christians as well. We are human and imperfect and even though we are saved, we are still sinners. It is a struggle and we will never be perfect but as Christians we should strive to live a lifestyle that is different from the world.
In Philippians
1:25-26 Paul speaks of his
commitment to the Philippians and helping them in their spiritual walk: Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue
with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud
confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. He wanted spiritual life to be
advancing and their joy to be abundant. He wanted to help them be all that they
should be and should become as a Christians. He wanted them to grow up in their
Christian life and go on in their Christian life.
Beginning in vs.27 (above) Paul speaks of 3 areas of
life in which a Christian should be a Christian.
·
There Is
A Conduct Expected Of A Christian! Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel
of Christ
Our conversation that Paul speaks of is more than our talk. It
speaks of our walk. It speaks of our conduct and behavior. It is not what the
Christian says, but how he is seen. Paul is saying that there is a certain
conduct that is expected of those that are Christians.
Notice the word "conduct." The word used is a
political word. It is a word that is descriptive of a citizen. It was a word
that the believers at Philippi would have quickly associated with and
understood. Philippi was a Roman colony.
Roman colonies were little bits of Rome that were planted throughout the then
known world. In these colonies, the
citizens acted as Romans. They spoke the
language of Rome, wore the dress of Rome, and handled all their affairs as
Rome, even though were a long way from Rome.
Paul was saying to them, You know how citizens of Rome live and act like Rome. You are citizens
of a heavenly world. You should live and act like citizens of that heavenly
world.
Christians are in this world, but are not of
this world. We are pilgrims passing through. Our citizenship is in heaven, therefore the
life that we live should be that of a citizen of heaven. The Church is a colony of heaven on earth and
we should live as citizens of that heavenly colony. There is a standard by which we must measure
our life, a heavenly standard. We, as
Christians, should strive to live up to that standard and our lives be a
reflection of that standard.
A soldier in the army of Alexander the great was charged
with misbehavior. He was brought before Alexander about his conduct. Alexander
asked, "What is your name?"
With trembling voice, the soldier replied, "My
name is Alexander, sir." Again, Alexander the great asked, "What is your name?" Again,
the soldier replied, "My name is
Alexander, sir." Alexander the great shouted at him, "Then change your name or change your
life!"
We should live a life that is befitting and becoming of
our name. As Christians, we should live
as Christians. The world is very aware
of all that is associated with that name and they will notice any
discrepancies. With your life, the way
you live and handle things every day, the words you say and how you treat
people, you are writing the gospel before the world’s eyes. Will they see an example of the gospel in
your conduct?
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore
I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the
calling with which you have been called... Ephesians 4:1
