Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. Philippians 1:27
A Unified Body With A Unified Purpose
As we learned yesterday, Paul was in prison when he wrote Philippians. He was writing to encourage the churches he had planted as he faced judgement which could lead to his execution – for spreading the gospel. He wanted them to know that even if he could not be there with them, he was still doing his part in prison witnessing, and he expected them to continue to work in unity to advance the Gospel.
Paul’s message was to the church in Philippi, but it is our message too. The Gospel is still going strong and being advanced every day, despite so many trying to stop it. God will not be stopped and as His children we are called to be a part of the movement of His story of grace, redemption, and eternal life. The church, which is the body of believers, is called to be unified and proclaim His Gospel. Paul gave us some instructions on how we can do that.
Standing firm in one spirit…
Paul wanted to know that the Philippian church stayed together as one body, without becoming fragmented. He wanted them to have unwavering faith and there is strength in numbers. As long as they were standing firm, like soldiers, together, they could help one another and encourage each other in sharing the Gospel. We are to be unified in standing firm in one spirit.
With one mind…
For the church to be effective in spreading the Gospel, they have to agree on what they are all sharing. If they are all telling people different things it will cause people to not trust what they are hearing. Most importantly, we are to have one mind – the mind of Christ. How we are living our lives and the words we are using should reflect our belief in Jesus. The words we use to share the Gospel with others should line up with what the Bible says is truth. We are to be unified with one mind, thinking like Christ and sharing the one true Gospel with everyone we can.
Striving side by side…
We are to work together, side by side, as a team with each other. There is work involved in sharing the Gospel. It is more that just showing up for church and Bible study. It means extra effort and stepping out of our comfort zones. It is a personal “struggle” as well as a corporate “striving.” Unity as we work side by side, together for the same goal.
And not frightened in anything by your opponents …
Because our fearlessness is not merely human courage, God has given us this fearlessness ultimately through salvation in Christ. So that those who oppose us as Christians will come to realize that they are opposing God. – Andrew Williamson
This is a call to boldness as well as fearlessness. Paul was asking them to be bold in their faith, not deterred by anything that might cause them to hesitate. He didn’t want them to be intimidated by enemies of the faith and the devil. Fear and intimidation are weapons of the devil but we have weapons too and they are more in number and way more powerful than what the devil has. We have the power of all mighty God on our side, who goes before us, behind us, and beside us. We are enveloped in His power and goodness.
Together we can stand firm, with one mind, one purpose, and strive together in unity spreading the Gospel.
